FOUR

"Morning fam" Alexis asked the next morning. She was determined not to feel sad anymore so she'd woken up early and gotten herself dressed having decided to look for her own place. Her parents would not be happy about it but she wasn't going to tell them until she was ready to move out. She figured it would be the only way for her not to be haunted by her grandfather's memories.

"Morning. Going somewhere?" her dad asked while she bent down to kiss his cheek.

"Nowhere in particular. Which reminds me, where is my bike?"

"I hid it somewhere you can never find it. That thing is a death trap and that's why I never wanted to buy you one. You know that"

"Come on dad, I'm not a child anymore."

"I know that. But it doesn't mean I'll let you do whatever you want to. You'll never find that bike again Alexis"

"It's at Nick's house. Isn't it?"

JR chocked on his coffee "No. I'm not that obvious"

"You keep telling yourself that dad. Maybe you'll end up believing it someday" grabbing the toast on his plate she left. She didn't miss how JR scrambled to get his phone so he could call his friend and give him a heads up that she was going there. Too bad. Nick was easy to convince. All she had to do was glare at him or give him sad puppy eyes and he'd give in. Vince on the other hand wasn't so easy.

Nick's house was a walking distance from theirs so she didn't have to call a cab or tell Zach to drive her. After they'd gotten married, Her godmother and her husband had decided to move in next door to them claiming that it would be easier for them to have her parents near in case they had any questions about babies. And boy did they have a lot. Alexis still remembered how her mother used to literally kick the Harringtons out of their house when the questions became too much. They had a son Drake, who was two years younger than Jayden and twin daughters who were almost ten. It was funny how everyone grew up so fast when you weren't looking. What did people see when they looked at her now?

Walking in through the gates, she said hi to the guard without looking up. This had been their first destination with Jim until Drake was born. Then they'd resorted to camping out in Vince's house only Ray was always grumpy with Jasmine moving heaven and earth to try and make him happy. He was such a weird kid, one second he was happy and the next he was trashing his bedroom. Alexis had tried to befriend him but he'd given her the cold shoulder until she gave up. Now all he did was irritate the hell out of her. Instead of knocking on the front door, she went straight to the garage where the door was already open. Eager to get back her bike so she could leave, Alexis took the corner too sharply and bumped into a wall. Well a wall of muscles was more like it. A hand went around her waist to steady her and instinctively she put hers on his chest but didn't push him away. "Watch where you're......" she said looking up but stopped when she saw who it was. Ray.

"We meet again Princess. Howdy" he tightened his arm around her locking her in steel grip. She tried to wiggle and push him away but the action only rubbed their bodies together. "I'd stop doing that if I were you" he told her his voice having dropped an octave. She froze looking at him with wide eyes.

"Let me go you idiot" she didn't like the way he was holding her or looking at her. This was Raymond Lachlan and even though she didn't like him, she still saw him as a brother. Because to her Vince would always be a father figure so automatically his children were her siblings.

"Why? Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"What is wrong with you Ray?" she shoved him and he stumbled back smiling. "Why are you here anyway?"

"I'm supposed to take your bike and leave before you get here but that's just impossible since you're already here. Right?"

"Damn right you moron. Where is it?" Alexis tried to walk past him but he shot out his arm blocking her way.

"Not so fast Princess."

"Seriously I am going to punch you if you don't get out of my way"

"I'm sure you will. But I have a proposal. Take it or leave it"

"I'm leaving it. Move!" she said through gritted teeth. Ray moved but backwards to where her bike was next to Nick's cars. Mounting it he put on a helmet and she shot forward "What are you doing? Don't you have your own bike?"

"I do. But I'm under strict orders to get rid of this 'thing'" he quoted with his hands "And since you left my offer, I'm leaving with your bike. Now it's your turn to move Princess" Alexis speared him with a sharp gaze but he just smirked. This was Raymond, who had refused to be her friend when they were kids. He was possibly the only person she couldn't melt with her smile or persuade with her looks or pleads or anything. Whatever she did, he was going to drive her motorbike out that door and she couldn't stop him. God knew what plans he had for it. Maybe he was going to take it to a junkyard and dismantle it piece by piece imagining it was her, or maybe he would claim it as his then rub it in her face everyday for the rest of her life. No way. Think Alexis. Think. "Fine. What's your offer?"

"Climb aboard and let me drive this baby around town all day then in the evening I will give it back and tell your father you wrestled it from me."

"Okay. I'm so not coming with you wherever it is you're going but just promise to give it back in the evening"

"I want all or nothing Princess. It's either you come with or you don't get it back at all"

"I could just wrestle it from you, you know"

"I do. But then where would you get the keys from? And remember I'm not small like I used to be. Think hard and fast Princess. Time is running out"

Growling she got in behind him. "I fucking hate you"

"I know pretty girl. I know" he mumbled handing her the second helmet. She wondered what his problem was. In the past, he couldn't stand to be near her for five seconds and now he wanted to cruise around the city with her motorbike and spend the whole day with her? Something fishy was definitely going on. And she was going to find out what it was.

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