Just a taste

Here's a small taste of the book I've been working on. What do you think?



Summer days were meant for riding. Feeling the hot air flow over your skin, the smells of nature swirling around you; nothing to distract you, just you in your own head. I work a lot of things out that way. It’s peaceful, easier than talking to a shrink, and doesn’t cost nearly as much. Of course in my opinion, any day is a good day on a motorcycle: rain, snow, sunshine, heat, cold…I don’t care as long as I’m on two wheels. Yeah I’ll bitch and complain about being wet and cold, but I wouldn’t trade it for being warm and dry in a car. Even though this ride wasn’t technically a pleasure ride, I still allowed myself to relax and enjoy it. I had a few days before I had to deal with business, so why not, right?

The rumble of the pipes allowed me a sort of tranquility to melt into the bike, become one with it. I knew as long as I was on it, I could go just about anywhere I wanted, or get out of just about anywhere. In this case, I was on a job heading to Cortez, CO. I am a Runner. I make a living doing jobs reputable people don’t want to get mixed up in, or don’t have the resources to pull off. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not an assassin. I refuse any job that specifically requires me to find someone and kill them. Finding someone and bringing them back to the current employer is one thing, what that employer does to them after I deliver them is none of my business.

Since leaving Portland, the ride had been uneventful, but I knew that could change at any second. It was the nature of the beast, so to speak.

“Grey…you there?” came the voice in my ear.

“What do you want Jitters?” I replied briskly.

“You’ve got a tail. Thought you might want to know.”

“How far back?”

“A mile, maybe two. It keeps fading in and out, but it’s definitely on the ground.”

“Damn. What’s it look like ahead?”

“Let me get a closer look. Hold on a minute.”

My line of work pays well and has allowed me to make some “upgrades” to my body, one of them being implants in my head that work along the same lines as a cell phone, but without the dropped calls or the capability for someone to track me with a GPS. Jitters knows the technical stuff. It works so I don’t worry about it much…until it breaks. Jitters is one of the few people I trust, and is pretty handy with a computer, actually pretty much anything electronic. He’s been monitoring me via satellites he has hacked into, letting me know of any traffic problems or bad guys in my way. Most people don’t realize satellites can see every inch of the planet, despite what governments and mega-corporations want you to believe.

Jitters came back a minute later. “Clear the rest of the way to Green River, but looks like they have friends waiting on the other side of town. The satellite sig is identical.”

Interesting. I’ve ridden this route several times and knew there was a fueling plaza at the edge of town. If I could get there, I could figure something out.

I made my decision and replied, “Jitters, I’m going to pull in to that fueling station at the edge of town. Let me know if the other team starts moving in.”

“You got it Boss!” Jitters replied happily.

I made a mental growl and said, “Will you ever quit calling me that??”

“Probably not.”

I could hear the grin in his voice, and had a mental image of the smart ass look on his face. I couldn’t help but laugh, “Some days I wonder why I ever pulled your ass out of that fire.”

“That hurts Boss!” he replied, trying, and failing, to sound wounded by my dig at him.

I let the conversation drop and started planning my next move in my head. My peaceful ride was over, and probably would only get worse the closer I got to my destination.