Dirty Ride (Wind Dragons MC #3.5)(4)

I don’t know why, but I feel a flare of hope that something will change, that for once something good will happen to me here. Or maybe I’m just too far gone and can’t worry about the consequences at this point. What kind of life was I living before? Nothing could be worse than that. Not only did he make my life miserable but I’m also still living with the effects of him, and I hate that.

I keep everyone at a distance now. I have nightmares and replay events over in my head, wishing I’d reacted differently. I want him out of my life in every way, but I guess that’s going to take time. Once I know he’s moved on, I’ll finally be able to breathe easily.

As a waitress takes my order, I get distracted by two men sitting in my line of sight.

One has short blond hair, a lip ring, and an eyebrow piercing, while the other has a shaved head and brown eyes. They’re both handsome, but that’s not what catches my eye. They’re both bikers, and wearing the same cut that Ardan had on.

Just how big are the Wind Dragons? I should google them.

The bald man catches me looking and winks at me. Red-cheeked, I look down at my phone just to avoid eye contact. When I see a message from Lacey, I open it eagerly, happy to have something to keep me occupied.

I miss you! Hope everything is well. Same old over here. Let me know that you’re okay. Xoxo

I exhale and let my finger linger above the keys for a few seconds before replying.

I miss you too. I’m fine, Lace. Will call soon. Xoxo

Am I fine?

I think I am.

The bikers soon leave, and I enjoy my burger and fries without any distraction.

I’ve just parked my car in the motel lot when I get a phone call from Jessica, a manager at one of the salons I visited today. When she asks if I can come in tomorrow for a trial, I tell her of course, hang up, and then do my happy dance.

Yes! Finally, things are starting to work out in my favor.



“Nice to have another redhead in the salon,” Jessica jokes when I walk into the place the next day. Her hair is straight, and more orange than my deep curly red. She’s a beautiful woman and seems very confident in herself.

“Thank you for giving me a chance,” I tell her sincerely, glancing around the salon. “I can’t wait to get started.”

She smiles and gives me a small tour, showing me where everything is kept and the products that she chooses to use for her clients.

“We have four girls working here—five, including you,” she explains, sitting down in one of the chairs. “It’s getting a little busier, which is why I wanted to hire someone else. The job is full-time, five days a week. We take turns doing Saturdays.”

“Sounds good.”

She grins and raises an eyebrow. “As for your test . . . I want you to cut my hair, so I can see how good of a job you do.”

“No pressure, then?” I joke, studying her hair, already coming up with ideas.

“Not too much off,” she says, cutting into my thoughts. “My man likes my hair a little on the long side.”

“Noted,” I say. “How about an inch off the back and more layers framing your face?”

“Perfect,” she says, spinning the chair around and looking at herself in the mirror. “This is my natural color; I always keep it like this.”

“It’s pretty,” I say, grabbing my bag and pulling out my favorite pair of scissors.

“You remind me of the girl from Brave,” she says, smiling. “All that wild red curly hair.”

“I get that a lot,” I admit good-naturedly. “I take it as a compliment.”

“You should. You’re a beautiful girl.”

“Thank you,” I say a little shyly, running my fingers through her hair. “Now let me impress you.”



“I love it,” Jessica says, running her fingers through her new cut. “You’re very talented, Valentina.”

“Thank you,” I say, beaming as she looks at herself in the mirror. The door opens and two ladies walk in.

“Paula and Lin, meet Valentina,” Jessica says to them.

“Just Tina,” I tell them, smiling. Paula looks to be in her forties, with dark hair and eyes, while Lin looks younger than me, and is of Asian descent.

“Tina,” Jessica corrects herself, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Be nice to her. Help her out if she needs it, or needs to know where anything is. Tina, I’ll show you how to work the cash register now.”

“She cut your hair? It looks good,” Paula says, nodding her head and pursing her lips as she checks it out. “Welcome to the madness, Tina.”

I grin at that. “Happy to be here.”

“Molly is my other employee, but today’s her day off, so you’ll meet her tomorrow,” Jessica says, leading me over to the register. “This is pretty simple. Most people pay with cards nowadays anyway, but if they do pay cash, you just type in the amount and press ENTER to open the cash drawer.”

I look over all the buttons and nod. “No problem.”

She pulls out a piece of laminated paper. “This is the price chart you can refer to if you need to. Lin is usually at reception, so you probably won’t have to do any of this, but I’d rather you know it just in case she’s on her break or it’s her day off or whatever.”