Page 1 of Paco
Chapter One
Streaks of white-hotlightning broke the blackness, ripping the night sky like paper. Seconds later the rumbling thunder came. Another few miles down the highway, the lightning forked close to Paco’s Harley. More booms reverberated overhead, and then the rain fell, slow and spattering at first and then lashing down, torrential, relentless.
Paco slowed down, cursing the semitrucks as they barreled past him, burying him in a blinding wave of water as their tires hit the puddles. He squeezed the water out of his foam grips and debated about pulling over and taking out his rain gear.
A second series of jagged lightning bolts zigzagged across the sky.I gotta get out of this fucking storm.Riding wet on a bike with lightning too close for comfort was just asking for trouble. The rain came down in sheets, obstructing his vision, pelleting his skin like bullets. The brake lights on several of the large trucks in front of him glowed eerily in the mist, and he decided to follow them, hoping they were headed to the nearest truck stop.
Sure enough, the semis took the next exit and turned right with Paco following behind them. Bright lights filtered through the thin mist and a yellow neon sign read “Eagle Truck Stop,” the word “Diner” flashing in blue lettering underneath it. Three of the large trucks turned in and drove to the fuel pumps. After following them in, he veered to the right and parked in front of the eatery. The rain had soaked him, so he opened his saddlebag, took out a change of clothes, and rushed into the diner. Drops of water rolled down his face and neck, his feet squishing with every step he took.
“It sure is coming down,” a woman behind the lunch counter said as her eyes traveled up and down his muscled body. “You need somewhere to dry off?”
“Yeah. Do you have showers here?” he replied.
She pointed to the right. “You gotta go next door for that. They got showers, plus a trucker lounge with TV and video games. No laundry though. The shower will cost you twelve bucks but that includes a towel, washcloth, soap, and a floor mat. Where’re you coming from?” The redhead gave him a smile that said she was available. He’d seen that smile more times than he could count.
“Thanks for the info.” A gust of wind blew past him when he opened the door, and, with head bent, he walked next door.
Thirty minutes later, Paco was back at the diner in a booth by the window, watching the trucks as they moved from the pumps to parking spaces that lined the large lot. The rain was steady now, and he saw several women move between the lanes of parked semis.
“My name’s Holly,” the redhead said as she handed him a menu. “I see you got yourself all dried off. Nice pair of jeans, by the way. When you came back in, I noticed you wear them real good.” She licked her pink-stained lips.
“Get me a cup of black coffee,” he said, looking at the menu.
“You got a name?”
“Yeah. Get me that coffee.”
Holly snorted, then walked away. Several men came in yelling out greetings to her. Paco watched as she laughed and flirted with them, bending over the counter and playfully smacking a couple of them on their arms when they commented on her tits. Shaking his head, he pulled out his phone and shifted his focus to the parking lot. The door to a truck opened and an arm reached out to help hoist a woman with long dark hair inside.
“Hey, dude,” he said to Steel.
“Where the hell are you?” the president answered.
“I got caught in a fucking storm so I pulled into a truck stop. I’m gonna wait it out. If it doesn’t get better, I’ll have to spend the night drinking coffee in the diner. How’s the weather in Alina?”
“Clear. Are you still in Utah?”
“Yeah. I’m close to the Colorado border though.”
“How’s your sister?”
“Great. She had another boy.”
“Here’s your coffee,” Holly said as she put the cup in front of him.
“I gotta go. I may not be back until tomorrow. Later.”
“There’s a motel behind the truck stop in case you stay the night. The beds are real comfy too.” She undid the top two buttons on her uniform.
“Thanks. I may need a room.”
“Holly, bring your sweet ass over here. My buddy Rich wants to ask you a question.”
The waitress turned sideways and laughed. “You just hang on. I got a customer here.” She looked at Paco and winked. “I’m popular with the men around here.”
“I’ll have a burger—medium—fries, and a cup of green chili.”
Her brows knitted. “You’re not very friendly, are you?”
