Page 20 of Sangre
“Overreacting is a sure sign that Skull’s onto something.” Chains pushed his plate away from him.
Sangre glowered at him and lifted his fist. “You want some of this too?”
The three men chuckled, and Sangre scooted out of the booth and jumped to his feet. “I’m outta here. When you assholes grow the fuck up, let me know.” He threw a twenty on the table and stormed away, lifting his chin at Tammy as he passed the lunch counter.
The early summer breeze carried the light scent of jasmine. Sangre jumped on his Harley, craving a ride through the backroads so he could clear his head. He had a few hours before he had to relieve Eagle at Isla’s house. Leaving the main streets behind, he increased his speed and rode the mostly deserted roads leading to Chaco Canyon.
After thirteen years, she was back in his life. He remembered how she’d left without even so much as a goodbye. To say he’d been hurt was an understatement. He couldn’t figure out why she hadn’t told him her family was leaving. He’d been taken off guard by her actions. And now she was back in Alina, singing in a kickass band, looking hotter than hell, and wanting to be friends again.What the hell am I gonna do?
The Harley turned and twisted up the steep mountain until he arrived at the top of one of the smaller peaks. Birds swooped in the crisp air against the backdrop of a clear blue sky.
Crouching down on his haunches, he peered out at the horizon: Carpets of green blanketed the mountains; bursts of colorful wildflowers painted the sides of the canyon. The rushing of the river below echoed against the canyon walls. He was the only one there, and when things became tough, or he just needed to get away from everyone and everything, this was his go-to place.
He and Jordan—Her name is Isla… remember that—used to come to this spot a lot when they were in high school. She had a real tough time at home with her tyrannical dad, so he shared his place with her, taking her on the back of a motor scooter way before he even had his driver’s license. He chuckled at the memory of the two of them on the open road on a scooter that barely went forty miles per hour.
Sitting on the ground, he pulled a needle from a pine tree and chewed on it, a spray of freshness filling his mouth. As he sat there, memories of his childhood flooded his mind. Front and center was himself—a nine-year-old boy in a new neighborhood, kicking rocks alone until the eight-year-old girl next door came out and asked him what he was doing. She’d shown him her frog and then the bugs she’d caught that morning. He couldn’t believe a girl wasn’t afraid of bugs. All of his sisters were, and his mom would always call his dad to kill the stray spiders and other insects that crawled into the house. From that day on, he and Isla had become inseparable.
Back then she’d been a tomboy, wearing jeans all the time, baseball caps, hair in pigtails, and keeping up with him and all the other neighborhood boys as they climbed trees, explored culverts, picked up worms, and played touch football. Isla’s curvy body, long hair, and heart-shaped face blurred the tomboy of the past.I can’t believe how fuckin’ hot she looks.But when he really thought about it, he knew she’d blossom into a real babe.
When she’d turned twelve, something happened: She grew breasts, and her straight lines were now round and curvy. Funny feelings had punched at his stomach whenever he’d look at her or see her in a bikini when they’d go swimming at the community pool. He’d changed too—he became taller with facial hair and muscles. He’d catch her looking hard at him when she didn’t think he was watching. When he’d brush against her, instead of stickiness and grit, her skin felt soft and smooth. She didn’t smell like dirt and fresh air but more like cotton candy and fruit punch.
Sangre ran a hand through his hair then glanced at his phone; he had less than an hour to get back to Alina and relieve Eagle. Pushing up, he took another look at the awe-inspiring vista and walked over to his bike.
The minute he pulled in front of Isla’s house, Eagle got out of his car and came over. He bumped fists with him.
“Anything suspicious?” Sangre asked.
“Nah. Mark said it was quiet last night as well.”
“Yeah, I talked to him.”
“Cueball said that he’ll be here at eight tomorrow morning. Do you need anything before I head out?”
“No. I know you’re gonna hear this when you get back to the club, so before the story gets all fucked up, I want to tell you that I know Isla. She went by the nameJordanback when we hung out.”
Eagle’s eyes widened. “No shit? You guys dated?”
“No, not that. We were really good friends. Best friends, actually. When my dad got promoted at Reland’s Candies, we moved out of our crappy-ass neighborhood and into the Sunnyside area. Isla lived next door to us. We hung out a lot and went to the same schools since I was nine.”
“What happened?”
“Her family moved to California and we lost touch. That’s how shit goes when you grow up.”
Eagle glanced at the house then back at Sangre. “That’s a small fuckin’ world.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “No shit. Anyway, it’s good connecting again.”
“Yeah. I never had a friend that was a chick. Wasn’t it hard like when you were in high school?”
“We were friends. I respected that.”
“You didn’t answer my question, so I’m gonna guess it was hard as hell. She’s a looker too. This is gonna be interesting.” Eagle sniggered.
“What the hell does that mean?” Once again, anger pricked his skin.
“I’m just saying that she’s hot, you guys have a past, and you just broke up with Skylar. You know?”
The muscle in his jaw tightened. “We’re friends and she’s a client, so no, I don’t fuckin’ know.”
