Disclaimer: all familiar belongs to JE.


Chapter 3

I stood there not breathing for a few seconds, then decided if all hell was gonna break loose anyway I may as well play it cool. So, I decided to brazen it out and walked forward and introduced myself to the two men standing there in the garage with Fergus. "Hello my name is Marni. I'm you're friendly neighborhood mechanic. What seems to be the problem with your bike?"

After a pause that lasted for years I'm sure, came the reply. Surprisingly the men were mostly calm after that moment of recognition; they played along with me and acted as though they didn't know me, as if we didn't have a "history". They described the problem and I went to work on the bike as if nothing was amiss. However, I knew that this "pretending" was too good to last, I should have known that he wouldn't let it go, even after all these years. While I was working on his bike I remembered that weekend 8 years ago…

I was younger and more reckless. I didn't care about the consequences of my actions back then, nor did I follow any rules but my own. I got into some serious shit back then. But, this one particular weekend I was in Mexico and I met a rough group of guys. I don't know exactly what they were mixed up in, but it wasn't exactly legal and above-board, it involved drugs and guns and some seriously scary people. But, I met this one particular guy and fell instantly in lust. His name was Antonio and he was a gorgeous, dark-skinned Cuban man with emerald green eyes. And something about him just drew me in, he was so easy to be with and he laughed easily. We had a great day (and night) together. Then the following night we got drunk and I may have asked about him and his buddies "business" and one thing led to another and we ended up having a shouting match. I still don't know what happened exactly, I must have been more wasted than I realized, because everything from that night is a little hazy. His buddy, Marc, had a beautiful motorcycle, I mean a real beauty, it was black and chrome and just shined "yum", that thing was hot. And after our fight I got pissed and stormed off, but my exit was ruined when I remembered I didn't have a ride and couldn't leave. I was so furious that, without thinking or hesitating, I stole his buddy's bike. The guys with us were so shocked that they didn't move for a full five minutes, it's like they were waiting for me to come back but by then I was long gone. Turned out his buddy was the leader of a gang of up and coming drug runners. So, crossing this guy was a serious mistake because they had a ruthless reputation and to make it worse they were getting into business with another local gang, also not ones to be crossed. Once I sobered up and realized what I had done, I was already half-way to the border and no one had caught up to me. So, I simply made sure not to ever go back to Mexico. But, I kept the bike, as a reminder not to ever be so stupid again.

Coming back from my stroll down memory lane, I was mentally scrambling to plan an escape before the men waiting for me could make a move. Who knew I would cross paths with Marc again? That weekend was gonna come back and bite me in the ass. Who would have thought? And in Bakersfield of all places, nothing happens here!

The two men were just as intimidating as I remembered too, no wonder Fergus was so scared of screwing up. They were both tall, dark, and all muscle and even though I was scared shitless...they were still drool-worthy. Seeing the two of them standing beside Fergus was almost comical, they had such presence you almost forgot about him. They made him seem smaller and mousier in comparison. Especially the shorter, though clearly the leader of the two, Marc Garcia, he had this aura of danger and sex appeal that just drew your eyes to him. And the other man, I couldn't quite remember the other man's name, but I do remember he was Marc's most trusted man sort of his second-in-command. Even closer than Antonio (my downfall) who was pretty high up in the gang, if I remember correctly. This man, Marc's second, he was just as intimidating and had a similar aura of menace about him. Not quite as gorgeous but pretty damn close. He was just big, made me wonder if he was big everywhere, just all muscle. Unfortunately, I could not completely ignore the black looks both men were constantly giving me. It was incredibly unnerving. I don't know how I was getting out of this mess and making it to Trenton to meet up with Stephanie, crap she was going to be so worried.