Flat Tire
The scene played out over and over again in his head. He hadn’t thought they were in too deep, until it was too late. The image of Frankie being shot in the stomach was more of a nightmare than Logan was able to handle at the moment. Although he was grateful the injury wasn’t life threatening, it was still a little too close to home.
He could still hear the torturous pain in her voice when he made the call to Frankie’s wife. They had to have some of the boys bring her to the hospital since she was in no condition to drive. As the doctors and nurses worked tirelessly in surgery, Logan made the dreaded phone call to his brother.
One of them was down, and it wasn’t just a nobody soldier. This was Frankie, his brother’s second in charge. Stone knew he needed to leave Russia immediately and head back home. The family needed help. Hell, his little brother needed help, and he wasn’t about to let them down.
Logan revved his bikes engine and went full throttle. There was nobody else on this mountain road for miles. People rarely drove this stretch, except on the weekends. That was when this mountain was crawling with Oregonian’s and tourists alike.
They came for the hikes. There were three different waterfalls that were documented. Only a few locals knew of the hidden ones. Logan’s family had a cabin near the bigger of the two gems. Antoni Tuff had found this spot in the wood’s years and years ago. He would bring his children to the area and make them close their eyes. He would weave a dream home, so intense, so vivid, that all three of them could see it in their mind’s eyes. When Logan was only ten, his father brought the dream to life.
Logan was the only one that ever really used this house anymore. It was his own private sanctuary when life got tough. This was where the world melted away, allowing him to think clearly and without disruption. No other humans trekked this far up the mountain. He was grateful for that.
There was a bend in the road ahead. It could be dangerous if not taken seriously. Logan let off the throttle and leaned in for the turn. Thank God he did! Just out of view was a beat up older model hatchback that had a flat tire. It looked like the driver had tried to pull over as much as possible, but the rockface met the pavement without leaving much of a shoulder.
Logan averted danger and kept on going. He looked in his rearview mirror and saw a female sitting on the ground in front of her car. She was hunched over with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her dark blue hoodie hid any features that would make her stand out.
Go back, you fucking dick! You know there’s no help out here for her!
But what if it’s a set up? What if there’s someone waiting to jump him if he stops?
Really? And where would they jump out of? The fucking rock? Use your brain! She’s out here alone and there’s no one coming to save her.
No one spoke to Logan like this, except for himself obviously. Coming to a complete stop in the middle of the highway, he wrestled with his conscious. This was a week to get away from his life. Helping out a stranded driver wouldn’t even cause a dent in his plans. Turning around, he headed back to the broken down car.
When he arrived, Logan was surprised to see the driver not even look up. He pulled in front of the vehicle and shut off his engine. Taking off his helmet and gloves, he took a moment to inspect the scene. There didn’t seem to be anyone else here. That boded well for him.
Planting his boots directly in front of the mysteriously hooded driver, Logan waited a minute to see if he was noticed. When nothing happened, he cleared his throat thinking perhaps the person had fallen asleep. When there was still no reaction, he crouched down to see for himself.
“Are you awake under that hood?” his gruff voice rang out.
Immediately a head raised, and the most beautiful green eyes sparkled at him. “Oh thank God!” her shaky voice answered. “I thought…”
“You thought what?” Logan asked.
A few wisps of blond hair were plastered to her cheeks. She had obviously been crying, sticking her strands to her skin. The ring of pink around those amazing gems of eyes let him know more than she could ever say. She was scared…but there was more behind it.
“Nothing. I—I’m so grateful you stopped. I’ve been here for over two hours and you’re the first person I’ve seen.”
Her voice was angelic. It was soft and sweet. Logan knew immediately he wanted to make her scream out his name so he could hear her say it. But he needed to focus. She needed help and he was going to try to help her.
“Is it just a flat tire?”
“I—I think so.”
“Then where is your spare? I’ll get it on for you.”
Tears pooled in her eyes as she shook her head. She lifted her hand and pointed to the back of the car. In doing so, her sleeve slipped down just a little. Logan’s eyes zoned in on the ring of bruises that encompassed her wrist.
“It used to be in the back of my car, but my ex-boyfriend took it out. At least that’s what I think happened.”
Getting back on his feet, he walked over and slowly made his way around the vehicle. As he did, he took a gander through the windows. There was a hastily packed overnight bag with the zipper still wide open on it. A pillow was thrown into the front passenger side seat. He could see in the back that she had opened the compartment where the tire should’ve been. She was right, it was empty. Even the jack was taken out.
Hunkering down, he tried to get a look at the flat tire. He saw it was more than just a flat. Her entire axle had come apart. Running his fingers on the break, he could tell someone had sawed on it. This was sabotage, clearly. Why would someone want to hurt such an ethereal creature? His blood immediately began to boil. This woman was on the run. It was unplanned and desperate. She needed help and thankfully, he needed something to take his mind off the last few days.
Opening up the back door of the car, he grabbed the overnight bag then set it down at her feet. “Take out only what you need. I can fit maybe a change of clothes into one of my satchels.”
“What? You—you’re going to help me?”
“Yeah, but we need to get moving. The shops close soon.”
She wanted to ask him what that meant, but decided against it. Pulling out a toothbrush and some deodorant, she shoved them in her pockets then threw the bag back in the car.
“Do you have a purse or something?” Logan asked.
“No. I couldn’t—I mean I accidently left it back home.”
Clearly that was lie, but he didn’t want to pry any further just yet. With a nod of his head, he led her over to his bike. Pulling his gloves out of his helmet, he gave her a quick once over before placing it on her head.
“Ever ridden before?”
“My uncle used to have an old Indian when I was little. He’d let me ride on the handlebars when he took me for a slice of pizza.”
With a little chuckle, Logan raised her chin so he could tighten the strap. “Lucky man. Not too many of those around anymore. Well, you won’t be riding on the handles, but I suppose you know how to move with the rider, even from the back.”
Getting back on the bike, Logan held out his hand to assist her. Once she was settled, he placed his sunglasses on his face and started the engine. Before taking off, he turned his head and held out his hand.
“Logan,” he yelled over the engine.
“Reagan,” she smiled behind the visor.
“Hold on Reagan. There’s a small town about thirty minutes ahead. We’ll stop there and get you some riding gear.”
“Why do I need riding gear?” she asked. “You can just leave me there. I’m sure I can get a tow truck to come get the car and change the tire.”
“There’s no garages in this town,” Logan explained. “You’re with me now, Reagan. I’ll take care of you.”
The tarnished, old-fashioned bell above the wooden door rang out as Logan walked in.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t my favorite Tuff boy,” Marian smiled as she waddled out from the back of the shop.
Logan stepped behind the counter to give her a big hug and kiss on the cheek.
“Mary, how have you been?”
“Oh, I’ve been better. Doc says I have to stay off my feet for a while. Wish he would be the one to make that happen,” she teased, winking her eye.
“And who is this beauty?” she asked as soon as she saw Reagan standing nervously by the front door.
“This is my new friend Reagan. She needs some riding gear. A leather jacket, some gloves and a helmet will be fine.”
Waddling over to her, Mary gave her a visual once over. Grabbing her wrists to hold her arms out to her side, both Mary and Logan noticed the wince on Reagan’s face. Logan turned his back as if he hadn't seen, but he could see their reflection in the mirror. Mary had whispered something to her, and Reagan shook her head, no.
“Well, thankfully you came to the right place,” Mary smiled once again.
“You’re the only biker shop around for two hundred miles,” Logan sarcastically announced.
“And the most revered,” Mary added. “She’s a size small in jackets. Grab that helmet from the top shelf up there. It should do her just fine.”
Reaching over Mary’s head, Logan pulled down a black helmet with teal blue lightning bolts running down both sides. He placed it on Reagan’s head and began sizing it.
“How’s it feel?” he asked.
“Snug.”
“Good. That’s how it’s supposed to fit,” he nodded.
Taking it back off her head, he pointed to a rack of leather biker jackets. “Go pick one out.”
As she did as she was told, Logan turned back around and began scribbling down some things on a scratch piece of paper he found on the counter. “Can you do me a favor, Mary? I’ll be back in town tomorrow with some empty saddle bags. Can you grab these things for me and have them ready?”
Reading over the paper, she smiled and nodded. “Okay if I throw a few extra items in with this?”
“Absolutely. Oh, and can you let Tank know that there is a broken-down car about thirty minutes up the road. If he can empty it out of all its personal belongings, I would certainly appreciate it. We don’t want anyone tracing it.”
He caught Reagan’s reflection in the mirrors behind Mary. She had heard what he said. It caused her to pause for a second before continuing to comb through the plethora of jackets.
“Uhm…how is this one?” she asked, holding up a black leather jacket with zippers. It was a traditional biker coat. One worn by many Harley riders. She would look amazing sitting on the back of his bike with that on.
“That’s perfect,” Logan nodded. He glanced down at her feet. For the first time he noticed she was wearing a pair of slip-on tennis shoes. He wanted to roll his eyes, but he held back. Whoever and whatever she was running from made it to where she had limited choices. Those shoes weren’t safe on the bike. “Throw in a pair of riding boots also,” he instructed Mary.
After ringing up the purchases, Logan handed Mary an extra two-hundred on top of the cost of Reagan’s things. “That’s for the list and for Tank’s efforts.”
“He’ll be grateful,” Mary nodded.
As they stepped outside, Reagan pulled her new helmet on. Logan lifted her chin so he could do the strap.
“Thank you,” she told him, staring into his eyes. “I’ll pay you back.”
“No need,” he said through gritted teeth. “If I couldn’t afford it, I wouldn’t have offered.”
It had been many, many years since a woman offered to pay for anything, let alone pay him back for his efforts. He should be flattered, but instead he was perturbed. He was as much of a mystery to this woman, as she was to him. That’s never happened before. Every woman he’s ever spoken to, had sex with, knew who he was. There was no secret he was in charge of the largest, scariest, deadliest mafia on the west coast. Apparently, in the circles this delicate flower hung with, who he was and his reputation didn’t seem to matter. He liked that.
“Logan, how much further until we get to wherever you’re taking me?”
“About an hour, Odważny. Hold on tight.”
As Logan pulled away, he felt her arms wrap around his waist. When he looked down he could see her gloved hands had connected in front of him. A private smile, only he knew about, was showing on his face. This woman needed him. What he didn’t know was that he needed her too.
With one hand resting on the handle, and the other resting on his thigh, Logan headed out of town and towards the most remote place he could think of. It looked like they both had some healing to do.
