Saving Della Ray

“Bone,” I heard my name being called.

I turned to see the others eyes on me.

“Where’s your mind man?” Tank asked, amused.

Tyler watched me through the rearview mirror as he drove.

But it was RJ who became more excited than anyone else. “It’s the girl, isn’t it?” RJ asked. “God damn, she sure was tasty. Did you guys see that ass on her, man? Heck with an ass like that she wouldn’t need toilet paper, I’d lick her hole clean for her. You must have had a feast.” He gave a crazy laugh.

I knew he was trying to get to me.

“Can I have her too … after you’re done with her, of course? C’mon man, sharing is caring.”

I held myself back from reacting so they wouldn’t think I attributed any sort of importance to her whatsoever, but I could feel my fuse quickly burning up. I tightened my fist against the door’s handles and swore that one more word from him and he wouldn’t be able to walk in the upcoming week

“Shut the fuck up, you stupid piece of shit,” Tyler snarled.

RJ grunted, but he screwed his head back on and kept his loathsome, stinking trap shut for the rest of the trip.

As we sped through the highway back to our storage base, I thought on how best I could keep Della as far away as possible from this whole fucking mess.

Della Ray

I was at work when Nichole called to tell me that Jess must have caught a cold in her daycare. If she had been a healthy child I wouldn’t have worried, but with her weak heart it made me fearful and anxious. So when I emerged back into the bar, I was in the lowest of moods.

Lena came up to me then with a tray in her hand. “Someone is looking for you.”

“Who?”

She quickly ran her gaze around the bar. “Her. The blondie over there.”

At first, I couldn’t place her, but when she turned towards us, I instantly remembered who she was. Halting my steps, I regarded her and wondered what this visit could possibly be about. But by the time I headed over and took my seat beside her, I was ready to handle whatever trouble she had brought along.

She looked me over, from my cheap dark sneakers to the short black skirt and T-shirt I was wearing. There was very little trace of makeup left on my face, and my hair was pulled back into a ponytail high on my head.

“You look different,” she scoffed, and drained her glass. It was hard liquor too. Hanging out with so many rugged men all the time must have toughened her up for it. “If I had known you were this plain perhaps I wouldn’t have bothered making the effort to come here. Has Bone seen you this way?”

I stared at her in surprise. “Did you come here just to insult me?”

“No,” she said with a mocking smile. “I just came to see what was so special about you. Apparently nothing. Bone must have truly meant it then.”

I knew I shouldn’t ask, but I couldn’t stop myself. “Meant what?”

She turned her wide eyes to me. She was wearing purple lenses today. “He said you were just a fuck, but you couldn’t get over it. You had started to stalk him.” She placed her claws of blood-red finger nails on my shoulder as if in consolation. “It’s okay, I get it. When he fucked me I too, almost lost my mind, but I got real. After all, he’s racked up quite the reputation around town. Take it from me. Your best bet is to just relish the memory and leave him the fuck alone.”

I don’t know how I knew, but I knew she was lying. Bone would never have told her something like that. I slapped her hand off my shoulder and lifted my chin proudly. “Is that why you came here? Are you that insecure?”

“Nope,” she responded. “I was sent by the club to find out what was going on between you two. Let me tell you this. Keep away from the man. He is vicious and cruel. Not worthy of the trouble.”

Well, she had changed her tune, and in the bat of an eyelid too. I watched her smile grimly as she rose from the stool and walked out of the bar. My gaze blurred at the force of the hurt I felt. Not because of what she had said, but because I wanted Bone so much while it was becoming clearer and clearer that I would never be able to adapt to the life he lived and the people he ran with. I felt the tears trickle down my cheeks, but I brushed them roughly away and went back to work.

I couldn’t have Bone and that was that.

Bone

We pulled into the speedway south of Ashland. I had been cleared out for the race. Not all of the members were present yet, but the crowd had their eyes on all ninety of us as we rode on our bikes into the already buzzing commotion. I expected most civilians to avoid this race, but there seemed to be a great deal of ordinary folk watching attentively beyond the track’s barricade.