Miss Mayhem

xxxv. Thomas Helter

xxxv. Thomas Helter

     "WHERE ARE YOU going?"  Rinn heard from next to her as she pulled on her helmet and cut.  Looking over to her side, she saw Jackson standing there, watching her.  She just looked away, suddenly feeling the weight of the note in her pocket of her jeans pulling her down.  In the bike's rear view side mirror, she could see the look of concern on his face, which made her sigh and look back up at him. 

"I'm just going to go and get my side checked out.  I might go for a drive to clear my head after that.  There's been a lot of shit going on these past few weeks and I need to straighten it out for myself, you know?"  She lied smoothly, causing him to nod. 

"Yeah, I get that.  Do you want me to ride with you?"

"No, I'll be fine," she said, looking away as she got onto her bike.  "Why don't you just stay with Denver or go back to the clubhouse and have one of the prospects come out here?  I need the alone time."

"Alright," he nodded, turning and heading back towards the house. 

For a moment, Rinn watched him go before pulling out her cell and dialing Brandi's number.  It rang a few times before she answered groggily.  It was around five in the morning and the sun was just coming out, which bought Rinn some time. 

"Yeah?"  She asked, causing Rinn to roll her eyes. 

"I need you to do me a favor," she said, causing Brandi to chuckle.  Suddenly, Rinn's anger flared and she spat out, "What's your fucking problem?"

"You are," Brandi snapped back. 

"Well I suggest you get that in check, then.  Now, you're going to tell anyone that asks today or tomorrow or whenever the fuck they do that I was with you today, at your clinic for tests to be run on my cut.  Understand?"  She growled out, her voice low and threatening as she spoke to Brandi, demanding her cooperation. 

Chuckling a little, Brandi retorted, "And if I don't?"

"I'll put a bullet between your eyes," Rinn whisper-yelled before snapping her phone closed and shoving it back in her pocket.  Starting up her bike, she sped out of Denver's driveway and onto the road, beginning her five hour drive to Waterbury. 

As she drove, Rinn wondered why Thomas chose to be so far away from Fairview.  She wasn't sure if it was because of the club or for his own safety, but she knew that anyone would have to have a reason for running so far away from the place they grew up and raised Cain.  She also found it interesting that he'd moved towards a different charter, but no one had ever mentioned him.  His mugshot was still on the wall of members, right next to Cain's.  It hadn't been turned upside down or crossed off, so he was still alive and he had to be patched. 

She was just curious as to how many miles he was putting on his bike. 

After about an hour of driving, Rinn stopped and filled up.  She ran into a pair of Mayhem freeloaders, who offered to ride with her until she dismissed them.  She pushed it off and told they she was fine; that they could go on without backtracking with her.  They didn't argue or push; just nodded as they left the gas station and parted ways near their bikes. 

The remainder of the ride was long and it dragged on for what seemed like decades.  Rinn didn't know if it was because of anticipation of the meeting or if she was worried the club would call and suddenly need her, but it seemed to take a lifetime before she was even an hour away from Waterbury.

As she inched closer and closer to the sign, she read them in passing.  Not only did it give her a time limit of when she should be to Thomas Helter's house, but it gave her something to occupy the never ending time.  When she read a sign that read WATERBURY - five miles, she sped ahead at eighty miles an hour to reach the town in a little less than three minutes.