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he’s pleased. Rhee wasn’t sure why the thought of pleasing Dax, a rough-looking biker guy she had just met, felt so satisfying. He served up two plates and she smiled when he opened a bottle of red wine. Rhee loved wine, especially with pasta. She took several long swigs, feeling the alcohol settle comfortably in her tummy. Dax ate with such exuberance that after a few minutes, Rhee started to giggle. He raised an eyebrow at her.
    “What?”
    “It’s just-well, you act like you’ve never eaten before in your life!”
    Dax regarded the girl. Her eyes were sparkling with mirth and there was a little color in her cheeks thanks to the full-bodied cabernet. Her hair was damp and loose, falling in soft waves to frame her face. She was swallowed up in his sweatshirt endearingly. He chewed thoughtfully, taking her in. Rhiannon was an uncommon girl. Cute, mean right hook, stubborn, and cooks like a gourmet chef. Wonder how many hearts she’s broken.
    “Do you have a boyfriend?”
    His question seemed so out of left field that Rhee almost dropped her fork.
    “What?” she blushed, her voice coming out high and squeaky.
    Dax chuckled. “I mean, isn’t someone going to be worried about you? Do you need to use the phone?”  He slipped his cell out of his pocket and placed it on the table.
    Rhee stared down at her plate. “No.”
    “No? No to which question?”
    “No to all of them. I have no one. No one is going to look for me. At least, not until next month when the semester starts.”
    “You’re a student?”
    “Yes.”
    “Got family around here?”
    Rhee paused. He didn’t need to know the whole truth, only part of it. “My parents have, um, passed. My sister…”
    It was not like her to cry at the drop of a hat, but Rhee found her eyes filling with tears.
    “Ah, yes, your sister. Missing, isn’t she? She ride with an M.C.?”
    The story poured out of Rhee; Mickey, her boyfriend, the late night phone call, the endless searching…the reason Rhee had stepped into Tu Madre , and some of what she remembered happening in there. Most of that night was still a blur, the details tended to show up in her dreams, turning them into nightmares. Dax listened intently to the rush of words that tumbled out of her mouth, feeling a ball of anger building in his gut. When he next came across Juan, he was going to take extra pleasure in making him squeal for putting his hands on such an innocent, young thing.
    “Maybe-maybe I could use your phone to check my voicemail? Maybe Mickey called.”
    He handed the phone over silently. To her dismay, Rhee had no new messages. She sighed deeply, and slid the phone back to him. He had said nothing for the past fifteen minutes, but now he cleared his throat.
    “I have some things to do tomorrow in the afternoon. In the morning, we’ll scope out your apartment. If you have any more flyers, I’ll circulate them for you.”
    Rhee nodded gratefully. “That would be really helpful. I can cover twice as much ground if someone is helping…”
    “No.” he said firmly.
    “No?”
    “You are not to set foot in another M.C. joint, do you understand me?”
    “What?” Rhee’s mouth fell open. His voice was stern and authoritative, almost parental. It pissed her off. How dare you tell me what to do?!
    Sensing her thoughts, Dax stood up abruptly and collected the plates. “I know you don’t know me well, Rhee, but you’ll learn that for the most part, what I say, goes. I’m telling you that you are not to go to those places alone.”
    Rhee had a snippy retort forming on her tongue but the look on his face stopped her short. Dax’s blue eyes, which had been soft and caring only a few moments before, were now steely and hard. She shuddered, feeling very vulnerable suddenly. She glanced at the door.
    “I need to go home,” she countered. The dinner had been a nice interlude, and she felt that she had paid Dax back for his kindness by cleaning up the place, but now she felt so awkward and