Kenzie frowned, watching as Gunner finished the rest of his beer in several quick gulps. “Will you take me to this clubhouse?” she asked.
“I don’t know, Kenzie,” Gunner said. “Are you sure you want to follow this road?”
“I don’t really have a choice,” Kenzie answered honestly. “Come on. I’ll drive. You’ve been drinking.”
Gunner smacked a 10-dollar bill onto the table and rose, following her into the darkness. The night had begun to spit a cold, harsh spring rain. Kenzie wrapped her jacket tighter around her without speaking. Gunner coughed several times before lighting a cigarette and pointing toward a motorcycle parked across the street. “That’s my bike,” he said, as if Kenzie should be impressed.
“I’ve never been on a bike,” Kenzie said, unlocking the car.
“Bryce didn’t take you?”
Kenzie didn’t answer, choosing instead to keep up her mystique. She drove out of her parking spot, waiting for directions, as Gunner exhaled smoke out of the small crack in the window. The chilly air kept Kenzie shivering.
“Which way?” she asked.
“I’ll tell you when to turn,” Gunner said.
“Pretty far out of town?”
“It couldn’t have been close,” Gunner answered. “Too many of the guys are into drugs. Had to keep a low profile.”
Kenzie’s heart nearly burst. “Not Bryce, right?”
“No. Of course not,” Gunner answered, his voice sincere. “He was an honest guy. Almost a protector, with that quiet kindness. He nursed some of the guys when they overdosed, things like that.”
Kenzie imagined her Bryce, the muscled, stoic man with piercing blue eyes, placing cool washcloths over other men’s foreheads.
“Wait. This is the road,” Gunner said, flicking his cigarette out the window. “Turn left. Now.”
Kenzie jerked her steering wheel to the left, toward the mountain, and found herself barreling down a dark country road with trees on either side, creating a kind of canopy. Gunner closed the window and exhaled into his palms, his eyes beady. “Coming up on it. You’ll see it on your right.”
Moments later, a red barn appeared on Kenzie’s right. Its windows were alight with candles and beer signs, and some of its clientele was outside, smoking cigarettes and gazing at the mountains. Kenzie parked to the side, giving Gunner a last-second, tentative look.
“Don’t worry. Once they hear you know Bryce, they’ll love you,” Gunner said, popping out of the passenger seat. He held her arm as they walked into the barn. The same logo from the patch was painted on the top half, sending a shiver down Kenzie’s spine. That morning she’d been a crumpled ball of life on the floor of her bathroom in her Concord apartment. Now she was out in the mad world, chasing a dream.#p#分页标题#e#
The moment Kenzie entered the biker clubhouse, she sensed she’d made a mistake. The music was blaring, pumping blues from every speaker. She cradled her abdomen, hoping her babies couldn’t hear the ruckus. She leaned toward Gunner, who was already buying a beer. “Can we go somewhere quieter?” she asked.
Gunner smacked his palm on the top of the counter, glaring at the bartender. “This lady needs the music turned down. It’s manners, Jeff,” he said.
Dutifully, Jeff turned down the music and grinned at Kenzie, looking at her as if he’d never seen a woman before. “What can I get the lady?”
“Just water,” she answered, giving him her real estate smile.
With their drinks in hand, they walked toward the back of the clubhouse where five bearded men sat, leaning back, watching a baseball game on television with dead eyes. Gunner got their attention, smacking one of the men on the back.
“Hey. I have a surprise for you guys,” he said, tilting his head toward Kenzie.
“A broad?” one of the bikers said, leering at her.
“Don’t speak about her that way, Ev,” Gunner said, snapping his fingers. “She knows Bryce. Bryce Walker. She’s looking for him.”
“Is that right?” the man, named Everett, said, leaning closer. “That seems like a fool’s errand. If you’re in love with him, that is.”
Kenzie tilted her head. She wasn’t fearful of these men; rather, their apparent lack of character confused her, as she felt she knew Bryce so well. “Why do you say that?” She sat down beside Everett, gazing at him curiously.
“I knew it. She is in love with him!” Gunner said, sipping his beer.