Riding Him(10)

I flip it open and then closed again like he did before I slip it into my pocket. The knife means so much more than I think even Vincent knows. It was the day I started to see the world was not black and white. That there were rules that many followed, but I wasn’t so sure they would work for me. I seemed to walk my own line, looked at the world a little differently.

That’s what I like about the Ghost Riders. They don't hide who they are. They don't have a badge that makes you feel safe. They are who they say they are. That day the thought of being a cop like my dad and Vincent slipped away, just like I’d watched the life slip away from the man who’d grabbed me. I knew that day I could never be the one to slap cuffs on someone and take them down to a precinct, to see a judge and to face a jury of peers. I have a feeling I’d have the same reaction I did before.

“Watch your ass,” he tells me. “I’d trust all of them to have my back, and I’m sure Mac has already told you this, but always use your team. You’re built like a team for a reason. If you don’t trust them, you make yourself just as big a danger to them as you’re being to yourself.”

“I wouldn’t have wanted to be a part of them if I didn’t think you trusted them,” I tell him, trying to reassure him. If my brother says they’re good people, they are good people.

My phone starts going off like crazy. I pull it from my back pocket, thinking it’s Scribe wondering where the hell I am, but I just see a million texts from my sisters.

Vanessa: You have a boyfriend?!

Valerie: OMG stop lying already and admit it! This is the third time your status has changed.

Victoria: I’ll clean up after next Sunday dinner if you tell me all the details first! Vanessa always knows everything first.

I groan. This is the third time this has happened.

Victoria: Fine. I’ll just ask Vincent. He knows everything :-P

“Shit,” I mumble as I hear Vincent’s phone go off next to me.

“Boyfriend?”

“No,” I cut him off, not wanting to open that can right now. I still need to get packed. “Somehow my relationship status on Facebook keeps going from Single to In a relationship. I don’t even use the freaking thing. Victoria made me get the fucking account.”

“Christ,” Vincent mumbles, and I look up at him.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he says, like he knows what’s going on and just doesn’t want to talk about it. That is fine with me because I need to get gone. “I’ll tell Mom you won’t be at dinner tomorrow. I’ll make something up that won’t have her racing over here to check on you.”

“Thanks.” I lean up and give him a kiss on his cheek.

“Make sure Scribe keeps his hands to himself,” he says as the door closes behind him.

Scribe’s going to be lucky if he has hands by the time we get back, I think to myself as my phone dings again, an unknown number popping up.

I’m downstairs. Get your little ass down here, and bring a bag of frozen peas for my nuts. You can hold them in place for me while I drive.





5





Knox





It took me a few minutes to load all my shit up. I didn’t know exactly what I’d need and wanted to be prepared for anything. By the time I’d gotten outside, Cas had told me Violet had headed to her apartment and I could meet her there, but not before giving me a piece of her mind about keeping my eyes on Violet. Like I could take them off her.

Not needing anyone to tell me where she lived, I headed her way. I knew. Maybe even drove past a couple of times. Okay, maybe not just a couple. A few hundred.

I kept telling myself it was because I was supposed to look into her for the Pres, but I’ve done more than look into her for him. Fuck, in some states I could be hit with felony stalking. There isn’t much I can’t tell you about her, even down to every item she bought at the grocery store two days ago. It is freaky what you can find online if you really want, and this seems to be my new obsession lately. Her.

I decided to take my old 4Runner instead of the chopper because we’ll have a lot of shit. Not only will I be bringing my computer and some of my gear, Violet will be bringing her guns and who knows what else. I’ve also got camping gear in the back, just in case. You never know when you might need to go off the map at any moment.

Before I headed her way though, I took the liberty of changing her Facebook status. Her Facebook was one of the first things I stumbled upon when I looked into her. It had been annoying me every time I looked at it, even though I knew she didn’t go on it. She never showed any activity, and after a few key strokes I could see she never logged into the thing either. The only pictures on there were ones her sisters had tagged her in. Maybe she’ll figure out I did it and get fired up again. Before she kneed me in the balls, I was enjoying her temper.