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They made their way to Boston Harley Davidson, where John bought a black canvas Harley shirt, that buttoned down the front with snaps designed to hold the collar down when thundering down the road with your fists in the wind.
John asked the curvaceous apparel girl that took care of their transaction to cut the tags off for him. She smiled with anticipation, hoping he would change shirts in the open. She handed the shirt back to John, who laid it on the counter. He peeled off the hospital shirt he had been wearing, wadded it up and held it out toward the woman. She took it with a smile while she admired John’s incredible physique. Unlike his brother, Jack, who bulged like a bodybuilder, John was knitted with long, fast muscles. His chest was chiseled square, and his shoulders broad with muscle striations that looked as if they had been drawn on with a pencil. His arms were proportioned to his shoulders and chest, with the same definition as the abdominal muscles that seemed to hold the entire package together.
He buttoned up the last button, and winked at the sexy thing that would have turned his head before he met Karen.

As most of you know, Dawn and I were gone all of last week. I had business in Austin for two days, so Dawn came with and extended my trip to an entire week, touring, seeing friends, and taking in all the sights South Texas had to offer.
On the way home, we decided to take a two lane that skirted Dallas, allowing us to avoid sitting in the parking lot they refer to as US 35 North. Since Dawn was with, we drove the car instead of the Harley, giving her the freedom to explore Austin while I was working. Well the gas gauge was showing ¼ tank, so I thought I should find a place to fill up. I pulled into an Exxon, but the pump wouldn’t read my card, so I shut the gas cap and sat back down behind the wheel, feeling the frustration from dealing with something that didn’t work properly. I uttered three short words that meant, “I am through with this establishment.” And pulled away red faced. We traveled to the next town that was the home to about 1000 people. I pulled up to the pump of a gas station whose name escapes me, rolled down the windows and turned off the engine. Much like having a pet in the car, I need to open the windows so Dawn doesn’t overheat. At least with Dawn, I don’t have to worry about her jumping through the window and biting someone. The town was wide open, dotted widely with single story buildings. I glanced toward the North and saw the purple clouds of a storm brewing in our path. Once again I opened the gas cover and turned back to the pump, fumbling with my wallet to retrieve my card. It was then that I felt a chill and looked to the North. It was a wall of dirt and dust, picked up by the strong winds of the approaching weather front. There was no time but to turn my back to it and try to get the gas cap screwed back on and the cover closed. The wind hit me like a commercial bead blaster, stinging the back of my bald head as I jumped back in the car. Dawn had already tried shutting the windows, but the dust had made its presence felt in the light colored cockpit. I started the engine and rolled the windows the rest of the way. There was dirt and dust in our mouth and nose, not to mention some that must have blown up the leg of my shorts as I scrambled to the car.
I uttered the same three words and pointed the car north, toward the purple sky, opting for the chance at a truck stop near the intersection where we would pick up I-30 North to Little Rock.

John just turned to Karen and smiled.
“I think you should drive.”
With that, they got out of the car passing each other with a grin directly behind the car. They both sat down. Karen moved the seat up and casually adjusted the mirrors, making sure she could see what was behind and beside the car. She grabbed the steering wheel with her left hand, and put her right hand on the shifter.
“Oh this is going to be fun.”
The engine revved as the car jumped away from the curb like a frightened frog. The sound of the engine screaming mixed with the screeching of the tires as they grappled with the blacktop was overwhelming. John pressed his head against the head rest, grabbing the door handle and the console wondering if this was how it felt to be on the space shuttle when it takes off. Karen glanced in the mirror to see the SUV, making a three point turn to try to follow. Karen laughed as she slid the car around the corner, making a right turn onto a wide street, lined with fast food places, banks, and strip malls. She could see the SUV make the turn, swerving out into oncoming traffic before getting the heavy beast back into the proper lane. Karen could see the entrance to the interstate just up ahead.
“It’s your first right” John said as they approached at seventy five miles per hour.
He braced himself, expecting her to dart onto the on ramp at the last second, but she didn’t even try, she just kept smiling as she passed the exit. John felt his stomach twist and his legs tighten as they went over the interstate at blinding speed, Karen hit the brakes hard and took the cloverleaf that would take them in the opposite direction, away from the FBI building. She pressed the accelerator until she could just feel the back tires jump, telling her that any faster would put them into a spin. As the cloverleaf straightened out to allow cars to merge into traffic, Karen stayed in the lane, taking the next cloverleaf. Again she pressed the car to its limits, moving up the asphalt until they were pointing back in the direction of the school. Again, she stayed in the merge lane, pressing the pedal to the floor to cross over the bridge before breaking hard to take the next cloverleaf. By then the cockpit of the sports car was starting to smell like burning rubber. The car started to bounce a little by the time they reached the bottom of the third cloverleaf. Karen pressed hard as she moved into traffic. John turned and looked behind them as she quickly took them across three lanes of traffic to the far left lane. John caught a glimpse of the SUV, still trying to make the second cloverleaf. The clumsy SUV was no match for the high powered sports car in the corners.
He turned and sat back in the seat, looking out the window in amazement.
“That was unbelievable.”
Karen was still smiling.
“No, that was fun.”

I’m so excited about the progress I’ve made on my latest book, Sins of the Flesh. I had originally set a deadline for completion at August first, but had not factored in the amount of time I would be spending on the Harley. For now I’ll say that Sins of the Flesh will be finished when I’m done. I don’t know when that is, but as I get close, I’ll be planning something for the release. I don’t know what, but I’ll try to come up with something.