Chapter 4: First Impressions

Maya returned back to campus just as the sun started setting on Sunday evening. Her Kawasaki ran smooth as if it was new thanks to Wrench's work and for the first time in weeks she didn't have to worry about it dying on the road. Small victories were still victories.

She parked in the student lot and was pulling off her helmet when Riley came running across the parking lot waving both arms like Maya had been missing for a month instead of a day.

"Where the hell have you been?" Riley grabbed Maya's shoulders and looked her up and down like she was checking for injuries. "You texted Friday saying you'd be late and then nothing. I called you like six times."

"My phone died." Maya climbed off her bike and stretched. Her back hurt from sitting in the same position too long. "What's with the panic?"

"What's with the panic? You disappear for two days with no explanation and you're asking me what's with the panic?" Riley followed Maya toward the dorms. "I was about to file a missing persons report."

"Don't be dramatic."

"I'm not being dramatic. You never go silent like that. What happened?"

Maya debated how much to tell her. Riley was her best friend but she also worried about everything, she worries way too much than necessary. If Maya told her the whole story about the Vipers and the Iron Wolves, the threatening text message Riley would probably have an actual breakdown. "My bike broke down Friday night. Took me all weekend to get it fixed."

"Where did it break down?"

"East side."

Riley stopped walking. "The east side? Maya that's like the worst part of town. What were you doing over there?"

"I wasn't trying to be there. Construction closed my usual route and the detour took me that way." Maya kept walking hoping Riley would drop it. "Some guys helped me get my bike to a shop. That's it."

"What guys?"

"Just some people who knew about motorcycles."

"What people Maya?"

They reached the dorm entrance and Maya used her key card to get inside. The lobby was empty except for the front desk worker who barely looked up from his phone. Maya headed for the stairs with Riley still on her heels like a persistent shadow.

"Why are you being weird about this?" Riley asked when they reached Maya's floor.

"I'm not being weird."

"You're definitely being weird. You always tell me everything."

Maya unlocked her door and stepped into her tiny single room. Clothes covered her desk chair. Textbooks were stacked on her bed. The whole place smelled like the instant ramen she'd eaten for dinner three nights in a row. She should clean but she had zero energy for that.

Riley came in behind her and closed the door. "Talk."

Maya threw her bag on the bed and sat down next to it. "Some guys from a motorcycle club helped me. They had a shop. Fixed my bike. End of story."

"Which motorcycle club?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes it matters. There are like three different clubs in this city and they're all bad news." Riley crossed her arms and did her I'm not leaving until you tell me face. "Which one?"

"Iron Wolves."

Riley's eyes went huge. "Are you serious right now?" Damn!!!

"It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? Maya do you know who runs the Iron Wolves?"

"Some guy named Dominic."

"Dominic Blackwood. As in the Dominic Blackwood who goes here." Riley sat down on Maya's desk chair pushing the clothes onto the floor. "Please tell me you didn't get involved with him."

"I'm not involved with anyone. My bike broke down. His club fixed it. That's literally all that happened."

"Dominic Blackwood doesn't just fix random people's bikes out of the goodness of his heart." Riley leaned forward like she was about to share classified information. "He's bad news Maya. Like really bad news."

"I know his reputation."

"Do you? Because he goes through girls like they're disposable. Every week there's someone new hanging off his arm and then by the next week she's crying in the bathroom because he moved on." Riley counted on her fingers. "In the last month alone I've seen him with at least four different girls. Four. And those are just the ones I noticed."

Maya thought about Dominic standing in her hallway telling her to be careful. About the way everyone at the clubhouse straightened up when he walked past. His hand warm and rough when they shook on their deal. None of that matched what Riley was describing but Maya kept her mouth shut.

"I'm not dating him, Riley. I'm just working off what I owe for the bike repair."

"Working off?" Riley's voice went up. "What does that mean?"

"It means I didn't have the money to pay so I'm doing some filing work for the club until my debt is covered."

"Maya no. Absolutely not." Riley stood up and started walking in the small space between the bed and the door. "You cannot work for a motorcycle club. Do you know what kind of stuff they're involved in?"

"Legal stuff apparently since they need organized records."

"I'm serious. These guys are dangerous."

"They were nice to me."

"Of course they were nice to you. That's how they get you." Riley stopped pacing and looked at Maya with genuine worry all over her face. "Please tell me you'll stay away from them after your debt is paid."

"That's the plan."

"Promise me."

"I promise okay? It's temporary." Maya pulled out her laptop and opened it hoping Riley would take the hint. "Now can we please drop it? I have an essay due tomorrow that I haven't started."

Riley looked like she wanted to argue more but finally nodded. "Fine. But if Dominic Blackwood tries anything you tell me immediately."

"He's not going to try anything."

"He tries everything with everyone. That's literally his whole thing." Riley grabbed her bag from where she'd dropped it by the door. "I'm going to the library. Want to come study?"

"I'll catch up with you in an hour. I need to shower first."

Riley left and Maya sat on her bed staring at nothing. She should start that essay. Should care about the assignment that was worth twenty percent of her grade. But all she could think about was the way Dominic looked at her when she left the clubhouse. Like he was trying to figure out a puzzle he couldn't solve.

Her phone buzzed and Maya grabbed it expecting a reminder about the essay from her calendar app. Instead it was a text from an unknown number.

**Saw you riding around campus. Nice bike. Would be a shame if something happened to it.**

Maya's froze for a while from the shook on her screen. She stared at the message trying to tell herself it was probably nothing. Just some idiot trying to mess with her. But her hands were shaking when she opened her contacts and scrolled to Dominic's name.

She typed out a message three times and deleted it three times. What was she supposed to say? She got another vague threatening text? He'd probably think she was overreacting. Or worse he'd think she was looking for an excuse to talk to him.

Maya put her phone face down on the bed and went to take a shower. The hot water didn't help. She kept thinking about that text. About the Vipers. About the way her whole life seemed to be spinning out of control since Friday night.

When she came back her phone was buzzing with another message. Maya picked it up ready to see another threat but it was from Riley.

*BTW Vanessa Sterling was asking about you at the library. Wanted to know if you were dating Dominic. I told her no but she looked like she didn't believe me. Watch out for her.*

Maya groaned and fell back on her bed. Of course Vanessa Sterling was involved in this mess. Vanessa was one of those girls who acted like she owned the campus because her family had money going back three generations. She'd dated Dominic last semester based on the pictures all over social media. Pictures that suddenly disappeared around winter break.

Maya pulled up I*******m and found Vanessa's profile which was public because girls like her needed everyone to see their perfect lives. The most recent post was from this morning. Vanessa in designer workout clothes at some expensive gym with a caption about strong women and self care. Forty three comments all kissing her ass.

Maya scrolled back through older posts until she found the ones with Dominic. They looked perfect together. Both beautiful. Both rich. Both smiling at the camera like they were selling something. The comments on those posts were full of people saying they were relationship goals and asking when they'd get back together.

The last post with him was from December. After that nothing. Just Vanessa by herself or with her equally rich friends. Maya wondered what happened but told herself she didn't actually care. Dominic's dating history was none of her business.

She was about to close I*******m when a new post notification popped up. Vanessa had just posted a photo. Maya clicked on it before she could stop herself.

The photo showed Vanessa and three other girls at some coffee shop downtown. All of them looked camera ready with perfect makeup and styled hair. The caption read *Coffee with my girls. Stay away from what's mine.*

It could have been about anything. Could have been directed at anyone. But Maya knew with absolute certainty it was meant for her. Somehow Vanessa already knew about Friday night. Already knew Maya had been with the Iron Wolves. Already decided Maya was a threat.

Maya closed I*******m and opened her essay document. She needed to focus on school. On her real life. On the things that actually mattered. Not on motorcycle clubs and threatening texts and rich girls who thought they owned people.

She typed two sentences before her phone buzzed again. Another unknown number. Maya's stomach dropped as she opened the message.

You should have stayed in your lane, college girl. Now you're going to learn what happens when you disrespect the Vipers.

This time Maya didn't hesitate. She pulled up Dominic's contact and hit call. The phone rang twice before he answered.

"Maya?"

"I got another text." Her voice came out shakier than she wanted. "Two actually."

"What did they say?"

Maya read both messages out loud while her hands trembled. Silence stretched on the other end of the line for so long she thought he'd hung up.

"Dominic?"

"I'm coming to get you." His voice was different now. Hard in a way that made her skin prickle. "Where are you?"

"My dorm room but you don't need to come here. I just wanted to tell you because you said to call if anything happened."

"What's your building and room number?"

"Dominic, seriously I'm fine. I'm just telling you because you asked me to."

"Building and room number Maya. Now."

Something in his tone made her answer before she could think better of it. She gave him the information and he said he'd be there in ten minutes then hung up without saying goodbye.

Maya stared at her phone wondering what she'd just done. This was supposed to be temporary. A few weeks of working off her debt and then going back to her normal life. But normal was disappearing faster than she could hold onto it and she had no idea how to get it back.

She was still sitting there when someone knocked on her door exactly nine minutes later. Maya knew it was Dominic before she opened it. She also knew that opening that door was going to change everything.

Her hand was on the doorknob when her phone buzzed one more time. She looked down at the screen and fellt cold breeze run down her whole body.

We're watching you right now.