Read Online Ride Free by Debra Kayn - Free Book Online Page A

apartment key on the kitchen counter. No sense locking the door to a bare apartment. After calling Bill, she ran out to the vehicle, locked the doors, and placed the key in the muffler where he suggested she hide it. He’d come by later to pick it up.
    She gazed up and down the street, but no sight or sound came to indicate Reefer’s arrival. She ran back up the steps to her almost empty apartment and sat on the couch. What if Reefer changed his mind and skipped town?
    Riddled with worry, she chewed her thumbnail. He did leave her yesterday in a rush. Should she go look for him?
    She’d hurried around this morning in a trumped-up frenzy in hope that she’d have nothing left to do by the time he showed up. The last twenty-four hours were spent rushing around to close out her apartment; she’d barely had time to worry about Reefer changing his mind. Please come to me, Reefer.
    She paced the living room for hours—or so it seemed. The longer she waited, the more her heart raced, until finally she heard the loud idle of Reefer’s bike filter through the walls of the apartment. She opened the door. Her indecision over whether or not Reefer might show up dissolved in a sigh of relief.
    She picked up her bag, shut the door, and hurried down the steps. She waved and jogged over to the curb.
    “I’m all ready.” She held up her bag.
    Reefer climbed off the bike, opened a saddlebag, and removed a couple of plastic shopping bags. “Not yet, you’re not.”
    She tilted her head.
    He handed over the bags. “Is your apartment unlocked?”
    She nodded.
    “Run upstairs and get dressed. I’ll wait down here.” He motioned toward the building.
    She hesitated. She peeked in one of the bags and screamed. “Oh. My. God. You didn’t!” She opened the other bag. “You did! I’ll be right back.” She ran off, stopped, and bounced on her toes. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!”
    She returned to Reefer sporting black leather pants with fringe down each side, and a matching jacket. The tassels hanging along her arm and across her back swayed whenever she moved.
    “Do you like?” She threw her arms out to her sides and twirled in a circle.
    “Come here, Kitten.” Reefer held out his hand.
    Sarah ignored his hand and fell into his arms. She loved the way her leathers rubbed against his, and kissed him. She broke away, laughing and full of energy.
    “We almost match, except you don’t have danglies.” She flapped her arms.
    The side of his mouth rose. “Yeah, well…I’ll leave you with the danglies and stick to my gear.”
    Reefer made room in the saddlebag for her extra clothes, and handed her a new, black half-helmet of her very own. Sarah bounced from one foot to the other in her eagerness to hit the road. She had to remind herself that this was really happening.
    “Before we go to wherever we’re going, can you stop at the house of one of my patients? Do you remember where you first met me? I promised I would say goodbye.” She climbed onto the back of the Harley.
    “Okay. No problem.” He leaned over in front of her. “Last chance to change your mind. You can still go back and get your apartment—”
    She grabbed his cheeks and pulled him closer. “Never. I’m ready.” She kissed him with a solid smack. “Let’s hit the road, Tiger.”
    Reefer stood, his eyebrows drawn down and his upper lip curled. “Tiger?”
    “You call me Kitten. No reason I can’t call you Tiger.” Sarah laughed at the way Reefer scowled.
    “Well, that ends here and now. No way am I taking you back to the family with you calling me Tiger in front of everyone.” He crossed his arms.
    She laughed so hard tears came out of the corner of her eyes. She swiped them with the back of her hand. “Okay, okay, I’ll have to come up with something different.”
    “I like Reefer just fine.” He humpf ed and got on the bike.
    She slipped on her helmet, and then wrapped her arms around his waist. “How did you get the name