The Lone Wolf (2)

Cracker’s POV

“Accident?” Buck questioned as he eyed the bike at the back of my pickup. And yeah, if someone had “accidentally” run it into a car, it would look beat up, I suppose, but I may or may not have aimed for maximum damage on the car, using my bike as a battering ram.

And crash it repeatedly into the car…

“It was my ex-boyfriend’s car,” I explained, and shrugged like it was no big deal. I at least didn’t think it was… “He cheated on me, and we decided it was worth the sacrifice,” I said, patting my bent and curved bike. It wasn’t the sort of Harley that the bikers used. It was just an old Yamaha sports model that I’d gotten for myself on my 21st birthday. I kept it in tip-top shape – reading online and watching YouTube tutorials on everything I needed to know – but the kind of work it needed now was too much, even for me.

I turned back to the big biker, seeing him look at me with a crude, judgmental look in his eyes. I could practically hear his mind going, “How could you do that to your baby?!” And in a way, I agreed. A cheating asshole like my ex wasn’t worth wrecking my bike over--- until I noticed that not only was he cheating on me, but he also had a wife and a kid as well as a girlfriend while doing another skank!

Now that I couldn’t let go…

“Don’t judge! It’s not like I could kill him and hide the body,” I defended my actions, crossing my arms over my small chest, trying to make whatever assets I had appeared bigger. “The city doesn’t have that many places to dig a grave deep enough to hide the scent from cadaver dogs.”

He let out a groan, which I translated into “I understand, but it still doesn’t make it alright!” I frowned.

“Did I mention he was a cop too?” I asked, not liking his judgmental tone at all! At that, his eyes seemed to light up, and he let out another grunt, which translated into a solid “Oh, now I get it!” I smiled.

Much better!

Yeah, I really hated cops, ever since I was a kid! Just when I thought it would only be me and Jasper at home for a couple of days, the cops would drag Dad’s drunken/hangover ass home, because apparently, it was only ok for a mom to leave her 1-year-old son in the care of her 9-year-old daughter! The drunken, abusive bastard of a dad had to be dropped off every weekend! And when he finally went to jail, it was the cops dragging our asses out of our home and throwing us into the arms of our “beloved” mother, who abandoned us in the first place! And guess who tried to arrest ME when I broke my stepdad’s leg after he tried to rape me and murder Jasper?!

Yeah, cops!

And you’d think that was the end of it, but no! Guess again, who tried to take Jasper away from me when I was finally able to get us away from those sickos?

BIG. FAT. COPS!

When I started dating Officer William, I thought he would be able to redeem my opinion of them. You know, show me that not all cops are bad and what shit not…

But no!

It wasn’t meant to be!

So, when I was going to leave town anyway, I decided that I’d leave him with a little something-something as a thank you for all the orgasms I had to fake…

Buck stepped closer to the car, and instantly my big, fluffy guard dog jumped up, snarling and baring his teeth. Surprised, the biker took a step back, and I really couldn’t fault him for it. Max was the size of a freaking bear, with his big thick head and solid build body! His paws were the size of a soccer ball, and his fangs looked like they could rip you apart.

“Down, boy,” I commanded him in a strict voice, and instantly the dog obeyed. He was a bitch to train, being almost as stubborn as me, but once we had an understanding we became an inseparable duo.

“Cute--- dog?” Buck muttered, suspiciously eyeing me and the dog, as if he suspected it to be radioactive or some kind of alien.

“This is Max,” I introduced him cheerfully, scratching him behind his ear, while he let his tongue hang out and started wagging his tail, making a banging noise every time he hit the already bent metal of the bike. “He’s a Tibetan Mastiff, but I trim his fur, so he doesn’t overheat.”

The big bicker didn’t reply but instead stepped forward. And to my surprise, he actually reached out his hand to pet him! Most people ran away screaming when they met my Max. But this guy risked his hands and limbs to pet him?

I was impressed!

He held out his hand for Max to sniff. And I’ll be totally honest, I was more or less expecting the dog to try and eat him. So imagine my surprise when the huge bear of a dog licked his fingers and happily wagged his tail, inviting him to scratch and pet him.

“He likes you,” I said, practically gushing at the cuteness in front of me. Big bicker and big dog.

Apparently, I liked big things…

“He usually growls and snaps at people who come too close.”

Unable to help myself, I remembered that Max never liked Willy. At least the biker passed the "Max test". Which now made me really wonder about what other qualities the big, bad bicker had…

“I’m good with animals,” he said, and it didn’t sound like he was flirting or bragging; just stating a fact.

“Hmm, a mechanic and a dog-whisperer,” I teased at that he snorted, but I sort of liked the half-smile he had going on for him there!

“He’s a guard dog?” Huck asked, climbing up into the truck, and started examining the bike. Max wanted to follow him, curious about the new man inside his territory, but I yanked his collar, and he sat down, understanding the silent command.

“New York is a dangerous place for a single lady,” I replied, scratching Max behind the ear. “I know how to defend myself, but karate always hogs the comforter, and taekwondo never shares. So, I got a dog instead.”

He grinned at my little joke, and I realized that he was rather good-looking when he smiled.

My poor pickup groaned when the big giant moved around, but he was precise and quick with his movements, not spending any unnecessary time on his task. He mumbled something to himself before coming around again and jumping down.

“Is she salvageable?” I asked, hoping the answer would be yes. And that it wouldn’t cost me a small fortune! I lived for the freedom that came with riding your bike! Sure, in NY there weren’t many places to go, but just being out on the highway, alone with your thoughts and nothing but the road stretching out in front of you… There was a special kind of freedom to it – therapy even! – as everything you had focused on was nothing but just this moment.

And at that moment, you lived…!

“Repairing her will cost a minor fortune,” he replied, making my heart drop. He used a cloth to wipe off stains of grease and oil. As he continued: “Had it been me, I’d sell her as spare parts, but seeing that money probably isn’t an issue for you---”

“Let me stop you right there,” I groaned, hating that the second people heard I was a lawyer, money was growing in my fucking front yard! “I’m a lawyer, and so far, I’ve been working for the state! Do you know what those jobs pay? Shit! That’s what! So don’t assume anything about me, Mr. Buck.”

I’d been working as a consultant while taking my internship, which I’d only finished a year ago. That’s when I started working as an assistant for the state attorney and quickly earned myself quite a reputation for taking over and winning several cases that most deemed unwinnable.

But pay well, they did not!

“I apologize,” he said politely and frowned, which I don’t think meant anything good for me. “But in that case, there really isn’t much I can do. Repairing her will cost somewhere around 10 grand.”

“Fuck,” I sighed, hating that I’d been right. I eyed the bike, regretting for a moment that I’d battered her the way I’d done, but---

I’d just been so mad!

At Jasper, at that fucking case, they forced me to take, at the whole entire world! And I couldn’t do anything about it! I had to do what they told me or otherwise, Jasper would be in deep shit, and despite him being a grown-up – technically! – he was still my brother and my responsibility! But I could make Willy pay, and so I did…

Regretted that right about now!

“Who’s been doing the maintenance on her?” Buck suddenly asked, dragging me out of my sour thoughts. “It’s good.”

And he actually seemed to mean it.

“I’m self-taught, so thank you,” I said, giving him a small smile, despite just wanting to sit down and drown my sorrow in a bucket of ice cream. Desperate for my small world of freedom, I turned to the big bicker one more time, hoping he had a heart. Or was very horny and my cleavage would work wonders for me. Although that would be a distant fantasy, seeing that these MC-boys always had their fair share of club-whores to do after a long day at work…

“Is there any way I could leave her here and work on her myself? I’ll pay for everything, I just need access to the shop and tools,” I asked, practically begging. “I’d even give you a sob story if that would persuade you, but I really don’t have one.”

He took a deep breath, rubbing the back of his neck, and exhaled on a sigh. He grumbled something under his breath that I didn’t catch, but I think it was something along the lines of ‘pussy-whipped’.

Why, thank you! I’ll take that as a compliment!

“Let me make a call, see what I can do for you,” he said, his forest green eyes meeting mine again.

“Thank you!” I said, more relieved than I cared to admit. He walked away, and the wait for him to return felt like an eternity. I tried to distract myself by taking a look around. It was your typical small-town metal shop. A big metal house was placed right in front of a big metal gate, and behind it were stacks and rows of old cars and scrap metal as far as the eye could see. The smell of melted metal, oil, and steel hung in the air, along with heat and old dust. The whining sound of iron cutters and welders hummed in the air, turning the landscape into a jungle of metal and men…

“Good news,” Buck suddenly said behind me, startling me back into reality. I spun to face him, my heart already skipping beats just at the sound of ‘good news’! “If you come in and fix her yourself and buy the replacement parts at your own expense, you can use our tools and equipment for 500 dry ones.”

Was his offer, and I gaped.

Was he serious?!

“What do you say?”

What did I say?!

“Oh, my god!” I exclaimed, jumping up and down. “Thank you! Thank you so much!” I couldn’t help but fling my arms around his neck and hug him. OK, I had one fatal sin: I was a hugger! I also liked pineapples on pizzas, and I sometimes listened to Justin Bieber!

Sue me for being human!

Finally realizing what I was doing, I jumped away, feeling my cheeks go hot enough to fry eggs.

“Sorry about that,” I breathed quickly, hoping I hadn’t killed any chance I had of getting naked with the guy. “I swear, I’m normal--- Which is something normal people don’t normally say, right…?”

I looked up at Buck, but the big bicker was just smiling widely, as if he was really entertained. Yeah, if I had had any chances at getting laid before this, they had all crashed and burned by now!

Fuck!

“Come on,” he offered instead of answering my question. “I’ll help you get her into the shop. We do repairs out back.”