Outlaw (39 page)

Cole glanced at her, and looked back at Crash.
“You’ll never guess who I just ran into.”

Crash was still watching the waitress’s ass as she
walked away. “Hmm, mmm. That strut’s as sweet as honey. Was it anything as cute
as that?”

Cole took a hit off his cigarette. “Better.”

That got his attention. Crash’s head swiveled back
to him.

Cole smiled. “Remember the girls from the back of
Ling’s van?”

“Yeah.”

“Ran into one of ‘em at the gas station.”

“No shit?”

“Remember the pretty blonde that gave me shit?”

“The one you yelled at? Got right in her face, if I
recall.”

Cole blew out a stream of smoke, and smiled. “That’s
the one.”

“Damn, that girl was fine. You recognized her, huh?”

“Nope. She came up to me.”

“No shit?”

Cole nodded. “She gets out of this silver,
convertible Mercedes, and walks over to me. Asks me, do I remember her? I’m
standing there, pumping gas, looking her up and down, thinking, how the hell
did I forget a babe like her. I was sure she’d lost her mind.”

“And?”

“She says, ‘you pulled me out of the back of a van’,
and it hits me who the hell she is. Hits me like a ton of bricks. I about
dropped the nozzle.”

“Why doesn’t shit like that ever happen to me?”

Cole took a hit off his cigarette, and blew the
smoke in the air. “Bought me a drink, too.”

“And you left that to come here? Did you fall on
your head?”

Cole smiled. “Meetin’ her again tomorrow.”

“You dog! She got a friend for me?”

Cole grinned, and took a sip of his drink.

*****

Cole pulled into the parking lot of the bar at five
minutes to four. His eyes ran over the silver Mercedes that was parked near the
door. Shannon was already here. He got off his bike, and walked inside.

When he stepped through the door, it took his eyes a
moment to adjust to the dim light. He didn’t see her sitting at the bar.

Marty looked over, and saw him, and nodded his head
toward one of the booths.

Cole glanced over, and saw her sitting in the second
booth. He walked over, and slid onto the seat across from her. “Hey, darlin’.
How are you?”

She smiled up at him. “Fine. I’m glad you came.”

Cole noticed there were two glasses of bourbon on
the table.

“I took the liberty of ordering for you,” she
explained.

“I see that.”

“I hope that’s okay.” She suddenly felt unsure of
herself.

“Sure. Thanks.” Cole took a sip.

Shannon watched him.

“Been here long?” he asked.

“Just a few minutes,” she replied.

Cole nodded. “To tell the truth, I kind of thought
you might change your mind, and not come.”

The smile disappeared from her face. “Why? Why would
you think that?”

He lit a cigarette. “Come on, darlin’. We’re not
exactly drinking buddies. And I can’t see you bein’ interested in me, unless
you’re lookin’ to go slumming. Is that it?”

“No.” She looked down.

“You tryin’ to piss daddy off?”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because that’s usually the only reason little girls
like you wanna mess with the likes of me.”

“I’m not a little girl.”

“You’re way outta my league, darlin’. Lookin’ to
play with the big boys? You might end up with more than you can handle.”

She got quiet, and took a sip of her drink.

Cole studied her. “So, what’s this about,
sweetheart?”

She looked up. “You’re right. We come from two
different worlds, I suppose. And I guess there’s not much chance that we’ll
ever see each other again.”

“No. Probably not,” Cole agreed. “You said you had
something to show me.”

She reached down for her purse, which lay on the
seat next to her.

Cole watched as she pulled a long white envelope
out, and laid it carefully on the table. He looked at her face, wondering what
this was about, but she was staring at the table.

He waited.

She finally looked up at him. “I want you to have
this. It’s my way of saying thank you.” She slid the envelope across the table
toward him.

Cole looked from it to her face. What the hell was
it? He wasn’t even sure he wanted to find out.

“Go on. Open it.” She nodded toward the envelope.

He felt like he was reaching for a rattlesnake as he
picked up the envelope, and turned it over, and pushed the flap up. He pulled
out the item inside, and looked at it. It took a moment for it to register that
he was looking at a certified check for…

He looked up at her, and then down at the check. His
eyes had to be playing tricks on him. There couldn’t be that many zeros. His
eyes slid across the line where the amount was written out in words.

Five million dollars.

“What the hell is this for? Is there somebody you
want me to kill?” he asked, only half joking.

“No. No, of course not. It’s for saving my life. My
way of thanking you.”

Cole stared at her. “Are you out of your mind?”

“No. I assure you. I’m not.”

He stuffed it back in the envelope, and pushed it
back across the table. “I can’t take that.”

“Yes. You can,” she insisted.

He downed his drink, and started to slide across the
bench seat to leave.

“No. Please. Don’t go.” She grabbed at his arm.
“Please. Let me explain.”

He hesitated. “Explain?”

“Please. Just hear me out.”

He sat back, and looked at her.

“I want you to have this. You saved my life. My
life. Don’t you understand?”

Cole looked around the bar, and leaned closer to
her, speaking softly, so no one would overhear him. He pointed at the envelope.
“That said five million dollars. Nobody gives someone that kind of money.”

She leaned closer, and lowered her voice. “Look, my
parents are very wealthy. I inherited a great deal of money. More than I could
ever spend. Much more.”

Cole shook his head.

“You may not think my life is worth that much, but I
do.”

“You bought me a drink. Let’s call it even.”

“What, so you don’t think my life has any value? Is
that what you think it’s worth? The price of a drink?”

Cole noticed she was starting to sound indignant.
“I’m not saying that.”

“Yes, you are.” Her voice was getting louder.

“Look, Shannon. I appreciate the fact that you want
to thank me, and all, but-”

“Are you telling me you couldn’t use that money?”

“I don’t need your charity, lady!”

“It’s not charity! Don’t you think you earned it?
Are you trying to tell me you didn’t risk anything helping us that day?”

Cole looked away, shaking his head.

“I know that you did. You risked a great deal, and
you didn’t have to. We were nothing to you, but you helped us anyway. Please,
take the money.”

“It’s your money, Shannon. Your parents gave it to
you. And not so you could give it to some biker, like me.”

“Don’t you know that if I told them what happened to
me, that they’d want you to be rewarded for saving their daughter?”

He shook his head. “This is insane. You’re insane.
Hell, your parents hear you’re trying to give away that kind of money to some
biker, and they’ll have you committed to a mental institution.”

“Do you want me to tell them? I’ll call my father
right now, and tell him to come down here for a little chat.”

He glared at her. “The hell you will.”

“I have more than enough, Cole. I have everything I
could ever need or want.”

“It’s your money. Keep it.”

“For what? So I can spend it on more useless
designer handbags? Of which I already have a closet full.”

“Yeah. If that’s what the fuck you rich bitches do
with your money.”

“Why are you being so stubborn? Please, take it. I
want you to have it.”

“What would I do with it?” he asked softly.

“Whatever you want. Start a business. Buy a house.
Buy a bar. Whatever you’ve always wanted.”

He thought of how that money could change not only
his life, but also his kids and Angel’s. He thought of all the medical bills
that had been piling up, and all the care that Melissa would continue to need.
He felt like he was being tempted by the devil himself. This was insane. Things
like this just didn’t happen. He laughed, “Hell, if I even tried to take that
to the bank, they’d call the cops, thinking I’d stolen it or something. I’d
probably end up in jail for my trouble.”

She smiled, and nodded toward the check. “I know the
president of the bank it’s drawn on, personally. Take it there. Open a new
account with it. I’ll call, and tell him you’re coming. Better yet, I’ll go
with you to make sure there are no problems. Come on, we can go right now.”

“Just hold your horses. I didn’t even say I’d take
it, yet.”

She knew she had him then. He’d said ‘yet’. She
smiled. “You need another drink.”

He nodded. “I’m gonna need more than one, darlin’.”

Chapter Nineteen

Cole walked into the house. It was mid-morning. The
place was quiet. Mandy had cleared her stuff out the day she’d signed the
papers, but Cole had stayed away, choosing instead to stay at the clubhouse.

He sat down at the dining room table, tossing the
bank paperwork down on the table. They landed next to the divorce decree that
he’d gotten from his attorney last week. He’d finally agreed to take the money
Shannon had offered him. It took her some doing, but she’d finally won out. She
had met with him several times over the last week, arranging for him to meet
with a financial advisor that she knew, to help him with the money. He’d been
amazed at how easily he’d been transformed into a millionaire. Of course, Uncle
Sam was going to take a big chunk, but he still had enough left to make a real
change in his life.

He hadn’t told a soul about it yet. He had some
decisions to make first. He knew he wanted Angel back, that was a given, but he
didn’t want her to make that decision based on his net worth. He needed to know
she loved him, and was willing to accept him for who and what he was.

He had delayed his trip out there when all this
stuff had happened. And he hadn’t called Angel again, either. He wasn’t sure
what to say, how to convince her that he loved her, that he deserved her.

His cell phone rang.

Pulling it out of his pocket, he looked at the
caller ID. Natalie. He frowned, and took the call. “Hello.”

“Cole?”

“Yeah. Natalie?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

He could hear a lot of background noise, and someone
making an announcement on an intercom. He thought he heard Flight 420 now
boarding at gate 15. “Natalie, where are you?”

“At the airport.”

“Airport? Where are you going? Is everything okay?
Are the kids and Angel with you?” A million questions raced through his brain.

“I’m by myself. And I’m not going anywhere. I’ve
already arrived.”

“Arrived where?”

“San Jose.”

“What?” Cole asked, stunned.

“I came to see you. Can you pick me up?”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re
here?”

“Yes, Cole. I’m here.”

“What airline?” he asked. When she told him, he said
he’d pick her up in front of arrivals in fifteen minutes. He disconnected, and
stared at the wall. Was this good or bad? Was she here to help him get Angel
back? Or was she here to tell him to give up?

Grabbing the keys to his old pickup truck, he headed
out the door to find out.

Fifteen minutes later, he was moving through the
line of cars all waiting to meet someone in the arrivals area. He finally
spotted Natalie standing near the curb with her suitcase, and pulled his truck over.
Jumping out, he came around the front of his truck. He stopped in front of her,
wanting to give her a hug, but not sure how she felt about him.

Cole didn’t have to wonder for long.

Natalie grabbed him up in a tight hug.

They broke apart, and he picked up her suitcase, and
opened the passenger door for her. She climbed inside, and he tossed her bag in
the truck bed, and walked around, and climbed in.

A cop was blowing his whistle at him, telling him to
move along.

Cole put the truck in gear, and pulled away from the
curb. He looked over at Natalie. “You shocked the hell out of me.”