Page 19 of Wheelie's Challenge
Her stomach rolled over as she turned off the water then shuffled into the living room. Tigger pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard then smacked her butt a little too hard. “You better be good tonight.” He tugged her behind him then let go of her hand as he went into the garage.
She stood in the doorway and saw him open the SUV’s door. “Aren’t you taking your motorcycle?”
“Yeah. I’m just jotting down the miles to make sure they’re the same when I get home. I’m gonna do it with the truck too.” Tigger glanced at her then tapped something into his phone. After recording the numbers on the odometer, he jumped on his bike and looked at her. “Don’t do anything to piss me off.” His voice was dark and ominous. The roar of the bike’s cams filled the garage, then he reversed onto the driveway and sped away.
Sofia closed the garage door and went into the kitchen to pour a big glass of white wine, then she walked out to the back patio and sank down on the oversized wicker chair. A gentle breeze blew, whistling softly through the leaves on the maple tree in the corner of the backyard. It was so green and warm outside, and as she took a sip of wine, sadness gripped her. Maybe it was the way the sunlight filtered through the trees, the scent of freshly mown grass, or the long days after a bitterly cold winter, but she yearned for the warmth of days at the lake, lazy Sunday picnics, and romance just like in the damn fairytales she used to read when she was young.
Sofia took another gulp of her drink.But you learned a long time ago fairytales were full of shit.Images of her father beating the crap out of her mother skittered through her mind.You used to blame Mom for staying with Dad, and now look at you… getting the shit beaten out of you by a man who says he loves you. Fucking pathetic. Maybe the old ladies really do see me as a dumbass.Restlessness entwined around her spine and she stood up and went over to the garden she’d recently planted. Sofia longed for something new and different. She was so sick of her life, and if nothing changed, she’d be stuck in it forever. “You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change,” she said under her breath. She’d read the saying on the black metal door of the bathroom stall at Steeler’s a few months before. The words resonated with her and she’d memorized them. A sudden beep from her phone startled her. Dreading a smug text from Tigger, she waited a few seconds before looking at the screen. A smile spread across her face as butterflies fluttered in her belly.Wheelie!
Wheelie:How come u didn’t go to Belle’s tonite?
Sofia started to type in that she didn’t feel well but stopped instead to take a sip of wine, noticing two birds fly past the tree, their blue wings bright against the fading sunlight.
Sofia:Tigger didn’t want me to. He made up some BS about the old ladies not liking me.
She pressed SEND—another act of betrayal.First kissing Wheelie then revealing the true shit Tigger says behind closed doors.She laughed nervously.I’m on a fucking roll.In many ways, she knew Tigger would consider what she’d just told Wheelie as being one of the worst acts of disloyalty.
Wheelie:I’m glad u know it’s BS. The old ladies really like u.
She smiled. “You’re always building me up when Tigger tears me down,” she said out loud.
Sofia:Thx. :)
Wheelie:U want me to come over?
Oh, how she would love to be in his strong arms, watching the sun slip behind the mountains, listening to the cries of the birds as they flew overhead, and feeling the soft touch of his fingers as he caressed her bare skin, but it was too risky. If Tigger ever caught them, he’d kill them both.
Sofia:Too risky.
Wheelie:He’s getting pretty shit faced.
Sofia:Don’t tempt me. Anyway, I’d be too nervous.
Wheelie:I shouldn’t have asked. I’m getting shit faced too.
Sofia:I’m happy u did. U having fun?
Wheelie:It’s too fuckin’ crowded. But good to catch up with dudes I haven’t seen in a long time.
Sofia::)
Wheelie:Better go. Later.
Sofia:Bye.
She blinked rapidly then picked up the wine glass and drained it. A rush of defiance ran through her: She’d order a pizza with extra cheese and pepperoni and get blitzed. Of course, she’d throw the pizza box in the trashcan down the alley and make sure she lit some scented candles so Tigger wouldn’t smell the evidence when he came home in the morning.
Determination shining through her, Sofia picked up the phone and called Angelo’s Pizza.
Chapter Seven
The flames fromthe tiki torches danced in the night breeze lighting up the backyard. Hard-hitting rock music blasted from the speakers mounted on the tall chainlink fence, drowning out the normal roar of the river that ran behind the club’s property. Men in denim and leather filled most of the spaces inside and outside the club while women dressed in tight-fitting outfits that left little to the imagination played up to them.
The smoke and flames billowed from the three charcoal grills, and the aroma of hickory mingled with the sweet scent of pot. Wheelie stood up from one of the long tables next to the fence and threw his plate in a large trashcan then went over to the makeshift bar to grab another beer.
“It’s been too fuckin’ long, dude,” Breaker said as he came up next to Wheelie. Breaker was the sergeant at arms for the Insurgents’ San Diego chapter.
Wheelie turned around and bumped fists with him. “That’s for damn sure. Did you take up surfing?” He and Breaker went to high school together in Denver, and had been tight ever since. Breaker had known Kendra, and sometimes they’d talk about her, reminiscing about the times the three of them would hang out pre-Russ. Breaker and Wheelie joined the Insurgents at the same time, but Breaker’s mother got sick and he transferred to the Wyoming chapter. His mom had moved there after Breaker got out of high school.
