Hell's Angel (BK 1)

In a Mask

I rap my knuckles on the window a few times and then wait. Chase's face presses firmly against the window, smearing something on it before he decided to open it. I pulled a knife out of my boot and used it to pop the screen out of it's socket. "That was fast!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah. Now, try not alerting the whole neighborhood to my presence."

"Oh, sorry."

"Where's your mom?"

"She's still out there with him." He added a little extra emphasis on 'him', almost like he was a tad jealous. "But I snuck out there anyway. You missed it, the guy almost died." What?! That's not good, really not good.

"Move." He quickly stepped to the side as I climbed in the window. "Keep the window locked. I'll fix the screen later." He closed the window as I walked to the door. I put my hand on the knob and then turned to look at him. "I need you to stay here, Chase. Just a little longer and then you can come out."

"Okay." He sounded a little too excited to stay put.

"And no peeking." He quickly nodded.

"I won't," he said. I wonder if his mom knows he'd rather listen to me than her. Of course, he thinks I'm some legendary hero. In his head, I've probably saved millions and killed a thousand well armed men with my bare hands. Kids these days. I nodded in his direction and then exited the room, making sure I made a lot of noise.

The last time Alison and I met like this she claimed I 'snuck up on her'. There were a few curse words in there too, but none worth repeating. I half slammed the door behind me. Alison's gaze quickly turned in my direction, her eyes locking on me. She looked a little speechless at first. She shook her head, as if to be sure she was really seeing me.

"Do I want to know how you found me?" Alison asked, sitting on the edge of her coffee table.

"Who is it?" I heard the Mask ask her. He must be lying on the couch, just out of my sight.

"Don't worry." She looked down at him. "She's a...vigilante, I guess. A lot like you, I think. Of course, I guess I don't know much about either of you." She sighed, her attention going to the hem of her shirt where her fingers were fidgeting. Then, she abruptly looked up at him. "Are you even one of the good guys?"

"Yes," he replied, breathing a little heavy.

"Good," I said, walking closer to them. "We need more men like you." I walked around the table and stood behind Alison, his gaze following me as I did.

"You're the one who helped me the other night?"

"Yeah," I replied.

Alison looked up at me. "So, you two have worked together?" she asked. "Is that how you knew he was here?"

"Yes and no. Chase called me."

"He has you're number?!" She stood.

"After what happened last time, and since this is the fourth city you've followed me to, yes, I thought I'd be a good idea if he had a way to reach me."

"Well, thank you for telling, now." She sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is too much. I'm supposed to be at work right now, not waiting for some guy to die on my couch. And that would be bad for everyone involved. So, I need a good reason why I can't just dump him at a hospital and be done with this." She pointed at him as she stared at me.

I understand where she's coming from. Even after all she's been through she still tries to hold onto a 'normal' life. One where her boyfriend didn't try to kill her, where she isn't struggling to raise her son even though she works two jobs. But, most importantly, one where she doesn't need saving. I used to think about what I'd be like if I was 'normal', then stopped when it got too depressing.