Free Twisted Asphalt (Asphalt Outlaw Series Book 1) by Blue Remy

rolled around, Amethyst was ready to rock and
roll. She waited outside; sporting her cut, helmet in hand. Her dad swept in on
his Electra Glide, coming to a stop right next to her.
    “Shall we?” Stone raised his voice over the rumble of the
Harley’s engine.
    Amy saw the pride in his eyes at her wearing the cut.
Strapping the helmet on, she slipped her clear lensed glasses on. She hated
having the wind in her eyes. She held on tight as he rolled out of the shop’s
parking lot. She knew how her father rolled, and it wasn’t slow.
    Racing onto the 101 Freeway, it took her a moment to figure
out where her dad was taking her. Amy couldn’t help but swallow down a squeal
of delight. He was taking her to Oceano, to the Rock ‘n Roll Diner, a train car
converted into a fifties style diner. It was her mother’s favorite place to go
and just be girls.
    Once they got there, she dismounted the bike and all but
tackled her father with a large hug. “Thank you.”
    He returned the hug while balancing the bike. “You’re
welcome. It’s been a while, I thought we were due.”
    The diner hadn’t changed. The car was run down on the
outside, fitting the old style it represented. The wooden stairs creaked with
their weight as they made their way to the door. Once inside, the smell of
grease, French fries and burgers assaulted Amy. It made her mouth water at the
very thought of having either a malt or a root beer float.
    Scooting into the booth, she already knew what she wanted.
There was no need to look at the ancient menus with greasy fingerprints all
over them. The float won out, her dad got a malt, she was quick to order the
Route 66 burger. What was better than beef, bacon, cheese and guacamole? Stone
thought the James Dean Fan Club was, with his triple decker of turkey, ham, and
BLT.
    Pfft. Not.
    This was epic. There was no way her day could get any better
than spending time like this with Stone. Maybe if Romeo was with them, but she
would cherish this father-daughter time.
    Glancing up from her float, brow quirked at the way her
father looked at her. “What’s wrong? Is my fly open?”
    Stone laughed, forced to wipe his mouth before he spit out
his malt. “Nothing is wrong.” Taking in a deep breath, he patted his cut until
he found what he was looking for. Pulling out the pack of cigarettes, he tapped
one out and lit it with the ease of someone that had smoked for over a decade.
Blowing the smoke away from Amy, he finally spoke. “You know I’m proud of you,
right?”
    Lashes fluttered at her father’s admission, taking her by
surprise. He wasn’t one for emotion, so hearing him say that blew her away. “I
do now.”
    “I’m serious, Amethyst. You’ve held this family together
when I couldn’t. You’ve been the rock that Zen and I have had to lean on when
shit got rough. That had to take its toll on you.” Stone looked down at his
hands for a moment, as if he was unsure where he was going with his thoughts.
“I know you ran to Nevada because of me and your brother. You haven’t had much
of a life because of us. I guess—I guess I just want you to know that your
mother would have been proud of you too.”
    Amy was trying to blink back her tears, but they managed to
escape anyway. She never looked at it that way, she felt they were suffocating
her and trying to rule her life. A shattered breath was taken, hand lifting to
wipe her eyes. “Thank you, Daddy.”
    “Don’t thank me, Amy. Please. I put you into a life that is
dangerous and you have been an amazing young lady and have managed to try and
make something of yourself despite that.” He reached out with his free hand,
laying it over her own. “Just promise me you will never change. That you will
always see the best in people, no matter what.”
    Amy gave her dad’s hand a squeeze, unable to stop her tears.
Her heart felt like it was breaking, there was no other way to even describe
it. It hurt that he knew what she had been doing. That she hated