Satin and Steel (10 page)

“And go where? The bus comes down this street twice a day. Six a.m. and six p.m. Right now it’s…” he paused to check his watch. “Nine-thirty.”

Rhee’s rage deepened. “You brought me way out here on purpose so I couldn’t take off when you decided to inform me what I could and couldn’t do?”

“That’s not the only reason.”

At that moment, two plates of the most heavenly-smelling food Rhee had ever seen were placed on the table with a flourish.

“Chicken and waffles,” May pronounced, “my mammie’s own recipe!”

Dax looked at Rhee pointedly. “Eat. You wouldn’t want to hurt a sweet old lady’s feelings would you?”

Making his point, he dug in heartily. At this point, Rhee was so mad she could hardly speak. But then again, she was also starving.
Thanks, hangover.
For some reason, she knew that refusing to eat would piss Dax right off, but he was correct in assuming that she didn’t want to hurt May’s feelings. So, Rhee poured a liberal amount of maple syrup on her waffles as he had done. She took her first bite hesitantly, and then polished off the rest of the meal with gusto, hardly stopping to look at the irritating man who sat across from her.

Dax watched happily as the little thing across from him ate. She was mad, he knew. But he was starting to understand Rhee a little. While she seemed young and vulnerable, she had an edge that he had not expected, and an impulsive streak that could only get her into trouble. Dax knew that once he told her he might have an idea where Mickey was, Rhee would hop the next plane to get to her sister.

Another problem was that after she had called Rhee in a panic, Mickey had actively tried to disappear. Even the police were standing still, which suggested that someone in the department might be dirty. It would be dangerous for Mickey and Rhee alike if big sis were to go poking around. Dax wondered if he’d have to keep the stowaway under lock and key from now on. She was staring at him, arms folded across her chest.
More like a glare, really
, he thought, amused.

“Enjoy the meal?”

“Cut the crap, Dax. Tell me what you know.” Rhee was surprised at her own angry tone. The guy had been nothing but nice to her, but she was sick of his controlling behavior.
I am not a little kid!
He has no idea what I’ve been through!

Dax lifted one sculpted eyebrow.
Hm.
Long time since a girlie spoke to me like that.
Now that Rhee was obviously feeling better, he was starting to see flashes of a spunky, fiery personality. While she had appeared helpless and timid at first, Dax had to wonder if there was a submissive bone anywhere in Rhee’s tight little body.
She’s a real spitfire!
Another image of putting her over his knee flashed through his brain and he felt a familiar tug at his groin. Dax adjusted himself discreetly and took a sip of his coffee.

“First, I need your promise that you won’t go running off. Rhee? Do I have your promise?”

Rhee’s mind was whirling. What could be so awful? As if Dax could read her thoughts, he leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially.

“The guys who tore up your place, and the guys your sister is running from are from affiliated crews. If you go chasing after Mickey you’ll be putting both of your lives in danger. The police aren’t going to get involved. I need to know that I can trust you to let me handle this, Rhee. Rhee?”

Rhee nodded slowly. The old movie,
War Games,
came to mind. She and Mickey had loved that movie. Now it almost felt like she was living it. “Do you know where she is? Is she okay?”

“After talking to that tool she used to go with, I had to call in a lot of favors. We tracked her up north. According to my source, your kid sister crossed the border into Canada six weeks ago.”

Canada?
For real?
Momentarily forgetting her ire towards the man seated across from her, Rhee pictured Mickey in the cold tundra and had to smile at the funny image elicited. Mickey absolutely hated being cold. It was part of the reason she ran off to California after the accident that took their mother and stepfather. Mickey wanted to get as far away as possible to deal with what had happened, but she had to be warm. Sunny California had been the best possible choice for the aspiring young photog.

Once she had become aware of Mickey’s plans, Rhee had applied for a transfer. She followed Mickey out as soon as she could, only to find her little sister heavily involved in a lifestyle that Rhee was frankly, well…afraid of. Mickey was doing her own thing, and she shunned the idea of traditional school. Rhee had dutifully kept the childhood promise she had made to her grandmother; she enrolled in school and found an apartment with two bubbly coeds who probably didn’t understand why their roommate was such a stick in the mud.

Just a few short weeks later, Mickey was gone without a trace. Well, there was a trace now, according to Dax. Rhee glanced at him as he pulled a wad of cash from his pocket, leaving a hefty tip for May on top of the bill. He nodded to Rhee, signaling her to follow him back to the bike. She did so, yawning.
Why am I always so tired lately?!
Rhee supposed her body was still healing. With a belly full of soul food and her hangover fading into a dull reminder of the day before, being tired was pretty inevitable.

“We need to get you sleeping better,” Dax commented, startling Rhee from her thoughts.

Rhee stiffened. “What are you talking about?” For a moment she was worried she had thrashed around in her sleep, disturbing him.

Dax regarded the girl curiously. “The nightmares, honey. You gotta get a handle on those.”

Oh God.
He knew about the nightmares? How? Suddenly, Rhee was struck with a vivid memory from the night before. It was a familiar dream stemming from the memory of her last encounter with Marco. He was mad, frighteningly mad. He wouldn’t take no for an answer this time. She fought him, but he ripped her clothes, mauling her tender breasts with his rough hands. Then Dax was there, holding her, stroking her hair, his breath tickling her ear. Swallowing hard, Rhee realized that while the part about Marco had surely been a dream, the part about Dax was not. He had rescued her from her awful dream and he had held her. Just held her. What did that mean?

Rhee peeked at the tall, blond biker through her lashes as he strapped on his helmet and handed the smaller one to her. She took it gingerly, careful to avoid touching him.
No wonder he treats me like a child!
He must think I’m a silly kid, having bad dreams and probably crying for her daddy!
Embarrassed that he had caught her acting like, well, like the little girl he perceived her as, Rhee was silent as they wound back towards town. They bypassed the warehouse and continued due west, until salty sea air tingled in her nose. Dax stopped at a deserted beach and parked the bike.

“Come on honey, let’s take a walk.” It would do her good, to breathe the salty sea air. The ocean had the strange ability to lift anyone’s spirits.

Chapter Nine

“But Wince, I can’t just change my major to graphic design! I’m a writer! I applied to edit the
Daily Dirt
this semester for Christ’s sake!”

“I know but the writing program requires you to attend classes on campus. Graphic design doesn’t. They have a whole distance-learning thing you can do from wherever. Come on, computers are cool!”

Rhee raised an eyebrow at this. Of course Wince would push her towards computers.
Well, at least he can help me out!

“Even if I switch, I still have to go to campus to turn in the paperwork.”

“We can send someone to do that for you, stowaway. They’ll definitely be watching your school. I wish you would just agree to take the semester off, like Dax suggested.”

Rhee bristled. That conversation had not gone well.

“He can’t tell me what to do! Plus, I’ll be so behind. That is absolutely not an option!”

Rhee had taken her second semester off because of the accident. Then, she had transferred, and had just the first semester under her belt.
At this rate, I’ll graduate when I’m 30!
Rhee valued her education, and even though her grandmother had passed, Rhee wasn’t about to disappoint her favorite relative. While Dax was adamant that “they” were after her, Rhee was starting to wonder. Aside from the burglary, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Dax had sent a couple of guys across the border to search for Mickey, but so far he was tight-lipped about what was going on.

Rhee exhaled, frustrated.
How did I get myself into this mess?!
To make matters worse, every time she was around Dax her brain seemed to turn to mush. All she could do was bluster and protest when he issued his orders to her as if she was just another grunt in his crew. Frankly, Rhee was getting sick of it. Oddly, she found that she was starting to miss the buzz of campus life and socializing with girls her own age who were, well, normal. Hatching a plan, she smiled at Wince.

“Okay, you’re right. I’ll change majors. Let’s do it.”

It had been super easy to sneak out of the clubhouse. Rhee was such a constant fixture now that no one really paid attention to her whereabouts anymore. She checked her watch impatiently. The bus would drop her right near the registration office. She would have three hours to herself and could get back well before Dax returned from whatever the hell he did all day. It’s not like he told her everything he did, so why should she blindly follow his orders?
He doesn’t own me!
Rhee felt a twinge of guilt at disobeying the man, but shooed it away.
What he doesn’t know can’t hurt anyone. Plus, he’s not my dad!
He’s just…well, Dax.

An image of the tall, blond biker came to mind and Rhee fought a familiar pang low in her belly.
Ugh!
I have to stop reacting to him this way!
He’s not even here!
Rhee marched determinedly to the records window and turned in her paperwork after waiting in a short line. Then, she ambled about the small campus. Taking a deep breath outside of the small library, Rhee paused to watch the throng of students going in and out of the brass door. They all looked so carefree. A giggle drifted toward her, and Rhee looked to see a petite blond girl hugging her sorority sister, their matching pins glinting in the sunlight.

Suddenly, Rhee felt so out of place. She wasn’t like these girls anymore. Maybe she never had been. She had other things to worry about. Feeling stupid, Rhee grudgingly accepted that Dax had been right yet again. She should have taken this semester off. Finding Mickey needed to be her top priority, and it was some kind of escapism or denial to enroll in her courses. Rhee’s feet took her back to the bus stop.
Back to my new digs.
Humpf.
The warehouse puts student housing to shame anyways.

As she boarded the bus, Rhee found herself sandwiched between two men. She stiffened, and tried to push past them, but one of them grabbed her arm. A voice growled huskily into her ear, “Make a sound and you’ll regret it.” Rhee froze as something blunt and hard pressed into her side.
A gun?
Really?
On the student bus?!

Don’t panic!
Trying to control her breathing, Rhee allowed the men to guide her to the empty bench in the back. The guy who held her arm indicated that she should slide into the window seat. Rhee paused, knowing that position would render her completely at their mercy.

“Rhiannon? Is that you?”

Rhee looked up to find her former roommate Lisa grinning at her. The gunman hesitated and Rhee took a calculated risk, praying he wouldn’t go as far as to shoot up the bus.

“Oh my god! Lisa!” Rhee launched herself at her surprised friend, throwing herself into her arms. “I missed you sooo much! How are you? How’s Kate?!” She plunked down right next to the girl, gushing in a way that was very uncharacteristic of the shy, silent Rhee who had shared an apartment with Lisa just a few short months ago.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rhee watched the two goons sit down two rows behind them, opposite her. They looked extremely displeased, to say the least. Glancing back nervously, she chattered on to Lisa, who wanted to know why Rhee had virtually disappeared after the burglary.

“Rhee, I tried to call you, but your phone was dead and my emails to you bounced back! Kate and I really wanted to room with you again but we couldn’t find you! Can you believe we got robbed?! Are you okay?”

“Oh, sure! I was um, visiting my aunt in Seattle,” Rhee lied smoothly, praying that Lisa wouldn’t question her. She had never really discussed her family with her roommates.

“How fun! Well, Kate and I are planning on pledging a sorority. Maybe you might want to join us for rush night? It’s Tuesday at seven.” Lisa pulled a flyer out of her leather bag and handed it to Rhee who feigned eagerness.

“Sweet! I’ll think about checking it out.” The bus slowed to a stop, and Rhee thought fast. The guys behind her were certainly watching.

“Wanna grab a coffee? My treat.”

Lisa smiled. “Well-sure! Let’s do it!”

“Yay!” Rhee responded exuberantly, trying to draw as much attention to herself as possible. A couple of jocks made eye contact with her and she shot them a wink and a smile.
Perfect.
Now, no one can stick a gun in my ribs without someone noticing!
Rhee slipped out in front of Lisa and the two of them flounced off the bus and into the campus coffee house. Rhee was aware that the two frustrated thugs followed just behind them. They didn’t enter the coffee house, but Rhee was sure they were waiting just outside.

“Um, Lisa? My cell got turned off last month ‘cause it was too expensive. Could I borrow yours? I just need to send a text.”

“Sure thing!” Lisa relinquished her phone and Rhee sent a quick text and then erased it immediately. Now, she was really nervous, and her anxiety had nothing to do with the two scary-looking guys waiting for her outside.

Dax slammed into the warehouse, startling Wince and the other two guys that lounged inside. “Where the fuck is Rhee?” he demanded angrily. Wince jumped up nervously.