Free Biker Dreams by Micki Darrell

 
                  She could hear the roar of the engine as Jake pulled up in front of the bar on his Harley. He wasn't quite like clockwork but he usually ate lunch at the bar at least a couple of times a week. It gave her something to look forward to especially since it was his habit to come in after the rush so she wasn't being run off her feet and had the time to spend a few minutes in conversation with him.
                  He wasn't a closed book but he definitely played things close to the vest. He'd been coming in here for some time and she still didn't know a whole lot about him beyond that he had a passion for Harley's, was smart & didn't think like anyone else she'd ever known. Rules seemed optional for him and he never had to rush off to work. It made her wonder what he did for a living. All the unknowns combined with her vivid imagination led her to make up some pretty unlikely possibilities. A few she'd eliminated by teasing him until he denied them. He wasn't royalty in hiding, a retired rock star, or a bank robber though the twinkle in his eye when he'd denied the last one made her wonder. Despite these things or because of them she definitely had a thing for him and now and then she got the impression he might feel the same about her. She hoped so.
                  Jake slid into his favorite booth returning Gigi's smile as she waved to him from the bar. He had lunch here 2 or 3 times a week, the place provided both good food, good company, and a good view he thought as he watched Gigi walking towards him with his drink. She was good looking but not in that trying to hard overly made up way so many women had today. He knew Gigi wanted to get to know him better but she probably wouldn't like him so much if she did. His life hadn't always been above board and he also had to be careful since the statute of limitations hadn't completely run out on some of his more creative pursuits of income.
                  She took down what he wanted and they exchanged pleasantries, chatting about little things for a few minutes before she went to the kitchen to turn in his order and he turned his attention to the news on the tv over the bar.
                  "Damn" he thought seeing the top story was about another jewelry store robbery. Some clown was racking up the hits in the last couple of months. He might have admired the thief except he was copying Jake's own M.O. even down to the day of the week the robberies were happening. Jake couldn't really fault the kid, at least that's how he thought of the new robber, not that Jake was that far from being a kid himself at 28.
                  He couldn't fault the kid for the tactics he was using. After all he'd often wondered why more people didn't do it the way he did but this kid was taking it too far. The kid was wearing the same mask Jake had used, was hitting the stores on Tuesdays like he had and though it wasn't being reported Jake would bet money there was always a second robbery soon after. News reports were making speculations between these robberies and similar crimes that had taken place almost 5 years ago so he knew the cops would be too and that made him edgy.
                  He'd retired. He was living a crime free life. He was set financially, had a couple of bikes that he loved, and was almost past the statute of limitations for his "work". He didn't need some punk thief who couldn't even think up his own M.O. to get his cases reopened or worse pin new ones on him.
                  He was so deep in his thoughts he didn't notice Gigi returning with his food until she sat it on the table in front of him, asking what had happened while she was gone to make him frown like that. Since he certainly couldn't tell her that some a-hole was going around robbing jewelry stores like he used to he just shook his head, mumbled "nothing" and started to eat.