“Will she come back?”
Luke picked up the damaged fuel hose.
He looked at the clean cut.
“I don’t know.”
But he hoped she would.
That annoyed him.
Raven did not return the next day.
Or the one after.
Luke told himself he had not expected her to.
On Monday, a courier delivered a letter.
No check.
Luke checked twice.
Only a handwritten note.
Thank you for refusing my money.
It was deeply irritating.
The motorcycle should remain with you until Marcus stops having an existential crisis over the fuel line.
I intend to retrieve it personally.
Raven.
Below that, in different handwriting:
He is not exaggerating. I am having an existential crisis.
Marcus.
Luke laughed.
Emma made him read it twice.
Four days later, Raven returned.
One SUV.
Not three.
Marcus drove.
Raven wore jeans, boots, and a simple black sweater.
No makeup obvious enough for Luke to identify.
No expensive biker costume.
She looked younger.
More exposed.
Emma ran from the porch.
“Billionaire!”
Raven stopped.
Luke covered his face.
“Emma.”
“What?”
Raven laughed.
“I’ve been called worse.”
Marcus remained near the SUV.
Luke walked toward Raven.
“You came back.”
“I said I would.”
“Rich people say lots of things.”
“So do mechanics.”
“Fair.”
Raven looked toward the garage.
“Can I see the bike?”
Luke nodded.
Inside, the motorcycle waited beneath a cover.
Luke removed it.
Raven walked around the machine.
“You found anything else?”
Luke hesitated.
“Yes.”
Marcus entered.
Immediately serious.
“What?”
Luke crouched beside the rear wheel.
“Axle nut.”
Raven frowned.
“What about it?”
“Too loose.”
Marcus’s face darkened.
“Could vibration do that?”
“Not this quickly.”
Luke pointed.
“Locking compound was cleaned off.”
Marcus stared.
Raven’s voice became quiet.
“So somebody wanted the bike to fail.”
Luke stood.
“I’m saying somebody worked on it.”
“Could be bad maintenance.”
“Could.”
Marcus looked at him.
“But?”
Luke held his gaze.
“Two unrelated failures on a bike maintained this well?”
He shook his head.
“I’d call that interesting.”
Marcus turned toward Raven.
“You’re done riding alone.”
“No.”
“Raven.”
“No.”
Luke looked between them.
“This feels private.”
Raven ignored him.
“I am not spending my life inside armored SUVs because somebody touched my motorcycle.”
Marcus said:
“You might spend your life dead because you confuse independence with invulnerability.”
Silence.
Luke slowly stepped backward.
Emma appeared in the doorway.
“Is this an adult argument?”
Luke nodded.
“Very.”
“Can I watch?”
“No.”
Raven laughed despite the tension.
Marcus did not.
Luke sent Emma inside.
Then looked toward Raven.
“He’s right.”