Bikers, Chains and Bad Boys

Chapter 10

"Will you tell me who did it?" He looked at me, lips pursed. I shook my head at him.

"No, Andy, it's fine. I promise I'll take care of it." He huffed. "Thank you for your concern, though." He grunted, turning to head to the office. "But, if I give you a list of the parts I've used and the custom ones I need to order, can you invoice me?"

"Don't worry about it, Harley. You use and order whatever you need. It's on me." I went to argue, but he just glared at me, so I thanked him and shut my mouth as I went back to working on my bike. The two tall biker men turned to follow him. I let out a sigh, turning the music back up a little, though nowhere near the volume I'd had it before.

They were in the office for quite a while and I heard an occasional, angry, raised voice through the wall, but I focused on getting what I could done quickly. I yawned as they flooded out the door of the office. "Andy!" I called. He stopped abruptly, turning to look at me. He looked pissed. I swallowed and held up the keys he left me earlier. "Do you want the keys back?" He was already shaking his head before I could finish my question.

"No, you keep them in case you need them later." I nodded and Andy tossed me another set of keys off the wall by the door. "Those are to Mickey's old bike out back. Use it til you get yours fixed and lock up behind you!" The door slammed shut before I could respond.

I didn't get home until almost six the next morning. When I'd made it inside the house and to my bed, I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The clock in my room showed it was nearing three in the afternoon when I'd finally been able to peel my eyes open. It was swelteringly hot in my room. The air conditioning had to have gone out or something. I grimaced when I sat up on the bed, my shirt uncomfortably stuck to me and a thick sheen of sweat coating my whole body. I peeled my shirt off as I made my way to the bathroom. A shower sounded heavenly.

Fresh out of the shower, I quickly dressed, rebandaged the wound on my arm and threw my damp hair into a quick French braid. As I made my way down the stairs, I could hear the TV playing in the living room, but when I entered the room, Dad was nowhere in sight.

"Dad?" I called repeatedly, going from room to room. I couldn't find him anywhere inside, so I ventured outside. "Dad?"

"Over here." I heard him call out from the side of the house. When I rounded the corner, Dad was standing next to the silent HVAC unit that was supposed to cool the house. I figured it'd gone out.

"We're going to have to replace the whole unit." Said a voice. A man stood up from where he was kneeling on the ground. "That'll probably run you about four large." My dad rubbed his forehead, heaved a deep sigh and thanked him. They set up an appointment for installation and he made his way back toward me.

"Four hundred dollars to fix the AC?" I asked him, turning and walking with him back to the front door. He snorted.

"Four thousand, sweetheart." I choked on air and grimaced at him. Looks like I'll be picking up some overtime at work. I sighed. I had no idea how we were going to come up with that kind of money.

"Well, are you ready to go out to eat?" I looked at him. "How would you feel about taking a ride together?" I asked, brow raised in question. It had been so long since we'd gone on a ride together. He looked over to me, a twinkle in his eye as he shot me a smile.

Dad was a sight to behold on his bike. He was a decent size, quite fit for his age and his bike was just as big and intimidating. But, he was my dad and where others could be unnerved by his appearance, especially on a bike, all I saw was a charming man who loved his bike and would rather live on the open road than anything else. He taught me everything I know about bikes and I would be forever grateful to him for introducing me to this world.