Chapter 17
Jagger
T he power went out sometime in the night, so when the first rays of sunlight pushed through the curtains, I stirred. Jackie was pressed against my side, and as I lifted the edge of the blanket to use the bathroom, I heard her speak.
“Good morning. Did the power go out?” she asked as she burrowed deeper under the covers.
I leaned over and kissed her before responding. “Around three. I’m going to see if they have an estimate on when it’s gonna be back on.”
Stepping into the bathroom, I made quick work of my business before walking back into the bedroom. Jackie was getting dressed, so I grabbed my jeans, socks, and long-sleeve shirt to get dressed.
“The road looks clear, so we may be able to get going,” she remarked as she looked through the curtains.
Walking up to her, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer to me. We were still new, but after the two weeks of silence, I needed to have her in my arms. She turned and hugged herself to me as we stood in the darkened room.
Almost like an answered prayer, the lights came back on and the sound of the heater kicking in echoed through the room. Releasing Jackie, I stepped back and pulled my flannel and my cut on.
“I’m gonna see what’s going on. I’ll be right back.”
She nodded as I walked out, and the bitter cold was shocking as I walked down the sidewalk to the office. The door was locked, so I looked through the glass to see if anyone was inside.
“I was just going to let you know we’ve got breakfast next door when you’re ready. Kitchen’s gas, so we always have hot food,” the woman from last night remarked as she walked out of the first room by the office.
“Thanks. We’re hoping to get back to Rapid City. Have you heard how the roads are?”
“County said the roads are clear. The snow missed most of this side of the state, and that wind dried the roads before the temperature dropped, so you should have a good ride back to Rapid.”
“I’ll let my wife know, and we’ll be up for breakfast in a few minutes,” I replied.
She smiled and said, “It’s nice to see such a kind husband. You must really love her.”
“More than anything in the world,” I told her, and her smile grew.
Walking away, I returned to our room and found Jackie had everything packed up and ready to go.
“Breakfast is ready. They said we’re welcome to come on down to eat,” I explained.
“We can pack everything into my car before we go over, so when we’re done, we can get headed home if the road will allow us.”
“The roads are clear, so we can get moving as soon as we get some coffee,” I reasoned, and she nodded.
We packed her car, put the extra food from last night on the backseat, and made sure to have their thermos before we walked to the restaurant. Jackie was shivering, and her hands were like ice. The temperature inside the diner wasn’t much above outside, but they had cups of coffee waiting for us at the bar.
“Thank you,” Jackie said as she picked hers up and took a swallow.
“Do you know what you want for breakfast?” the man asked.
“Something simple. Eggs and toast are fine with me.”
“Make that two, please,” Jackie added.
We took a seat in the same booth as last night, and as she held her cup for warmth, I placed my hands over hers, hoping to break her chill.
“I was thinking last night about something but want your opinion,” she began as she lowered her voice.
“What’s on your mind, darlin’?”
“I think we need to go into the back country. I know I’ve seen the house from the picture before, and if we can find it, maybe we can get ahead of Blur,” she suggested.
The lady walked up with two plates, and when she saw our almost empty cups, she left, only to return immediately with a pot to top our cups off. Jackie and I started eating, and she walked away with a smile.
“I don’t want you out there looking for trouble. If you give me some idea where you traveled around the time you think you saw that house, I can get Animal and Comet to help me look.”
She set her fork down and crossed her arms as she looked at me. “I don’t want to be a pain in your ass, but there’s no way you would be able to find the places I have.” I wanted to say something, but the look on her face said I should give her the chance to say her piece. “I’ve spent years getting permission from people to photograph their lives, their homes, and their poverty. I’ve earned people’s trust, so they tell me where I need to focus my attention. No offense, but three bikers riding into town, asking questions about things that aren’t their business, will get you kicked off the reservation.”
Hardheaded woman .
I didn’t want to say she was right, but she had a point. While the club may have been trusted in certain places and situations, invading Native sovereignty to interrogate people about something that didn’t involve them could blow up in our faces.
“I’ll agree to let you go, only after you prove to me you know how to handle a weapon. I don’t want to run into trouble and worry that you can’t handle yourself.” Her eyes narrowed briefly.
“Deal,” she replied before picking up her fork and eating a bite of eggs.
Over the next few minutes, we finished our breakfast then walked up to the counter.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” I said to the lovely couple.
“You’re very welcome. We’re glad you stopped and spent some time with us. Please, come back anytime,” the man said as he wrapped his arm around the lady’s shoulder.
Jackie and I smiled before linking hands and walking out of the little diner. The girl in the office waved to us when we walked by, and as we got to our vehicles, I tugged Jackie closer to me.
“I’m not trying to sideline you, or keep you sheltered, but Blur is dangerous, and I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you.”
Jackie gave me a real smile before she said, “I promise, I can take care of myself. But I’ll prove it to you, just to ensure you don’t try to exclude me. This is all my fault, and I need to see this through to the end.”
Kissing her softly, I remarked, “It’s not your fault, darlin’. Remember, give yourself grace.”
She didn’t seem sure, so I walked her to her car, and after she unlocked it, I opened the door for her. She cranked the engine and turned the heater up before helping me uncover my bike. I fired it up and the deep rumble of the engine echoed around us. It took a few minutes for the motors to warm up, and when we were ready to leave, I took Jackie by the hand.
“Stay close. We’ve only got an hour, but we may hit some patchy ice on the way.”
“I will,” she returned.
I closed her door before hiking a leg over the bike. Making sure I was zipped up tight against the cold, I blew her a kiss and put the bike into gear. Jackie gave me some space before she pulled out, and as we turned onto the road, I glanced back to make sure she was with me.
The drive to Rapid was freezing, but the roads were in good shape. We saw a few cars in the ditch, and I shook my head, knowing they were trying to push through and made a mistake. No one was with the cars, and I hoped they got assistance before the temperatures dropped last night.
The closer we got to Rapid City, the more last night’s conversation with Jackie played in my head. She had unique ideas about who, what, and why, but it was her questioning Blur’s real family that had me thinking. I was so lost in thought, I almost missed my turn to take us to the ranch.
Skidding my bike around the corner, I saw Jackie shaking her head in the mirror as I glanced back at her. Turning onto the driveway for the ranch, I slowed down to not kick up too much dirt on Jackie, and when we got to the front of the house, I parked next to Roughstock’s bike, leaving her space beside Cheyenne.
Cheyenne and Roughstock came out of the house as I was getting off my bike. They watched as I helped Jackie from her car and walked us up the stairs. Cheyenne pulled Jackie into a hug while Roughstock offered his fist to me. I bumped knuckles before the four of us walked into the house.
Phantom and Animal were in the kitchen when we walked in, and they gave us a nod in greeting. Cheyenne guided Jackie to the other side of the kitchen, and they started making cups of coffee for everyone as I joined my brothers at the small table. The ladies placed cups in front of us, and I gave Jackie a kiss before she and Cheyenne walked away, leaving the four of us to talk.
“I got a call from Devlin Callahan this morning about what you messaged him last night,” Roughstock began, “and he thinks he may have some information.”
“What did you send?” Animal asked.
“Jackie questioned Blur’s bio-family. We can’t find a connection to Jamison, but there could be one in his real family, so I asked him to investigate it,” I explained before taking a swallow of coffee.
I was still frozen from the ride, but I wanted to get this finished, once and for all.
“What did he uncover?” Phantom asked.
Roughstock looked around the corner of the kitchen before he began to explain. “As we know, Blur was adopted when he was three from Mississippi by a good family, but trying to find his real family seemed to be a difficult task. But apparently, last night, they were able to get into the State of Mississippi’s system and they believe they know who his bio-family may be.” He paused and added, “If they’re right, then Jamison protecting Blur makes sense.”
“What? Is Blur Jamison’s real father or something?” I asked.
Roughstock chuckled and said, “Almost. They believe Blur is either a cousin or uncle to Jamison. His mother’s name was listed on his birth certificate, but no father was listed. When they started looking into his mother, they found out she was living in New Orleans around the time she got pregnant, and after digging deeper, they found an arrest record for her. Jamison’s father’s first cousin was listed as the person who bailed her out.”
“How the fuck would Blur learn he was possibly related to Jamison?” Phantom asked.
“I called Whistler early this morning to ask that exact question, and here’s where it all starts to make sense. About ten years ago, when the home DNA tests were starting to hit the market, Blur ordered one, trying to find his people. I believe, and Whistler does too, that Blur discovered his cousin, Jamison, and went to New Orleans to meet his family. I believe it was then that they made their little pact to protect Blur, and that’s why Jamison turned a blind eye to Nitro’s murder.”
Roughstock made good points, but we still didn’t know where Blur was. For the next hour, we went over every detail of what we knew but were still no closer to tracking his ass down.
It was then that Cheyenne and Jackie walked back into the room. Jackie had her laptop open, pressing it against her chest.
“What did you find, darlin’?” I asked, and she placed the computer on the table.
I looked at it, then reached into my cut and pulled out the photo that was sent to her a few weeks ago to compare the two. It wasn’t the picture Jackie took, but it was the same place—same wrecked cars, same covered windows, and the same shitty environment. Only hers had two children playing while their mother watched from her seat on the steps of the trailer.
“When was this taken?” Animal asked as he looked at the two images.
“I took mine around two and a half years ago. I’ve got to look at the image’s metadata and compare it with my calendar, but if I’m right, I think they took over this house shortly after I took this picture, and now, I think they’re trying to get me back up there.”
“Then we need to go there and see what’s going on. If the woman and her children are in danger, we can’t just leave them there,” Phantom remarked as he looked at the images.
“Do you think Blur is there?” Cheyenne asked as Roughstock looked at the computer and picture then handed them back to me.
“I think Blur is running, hoping we won’t catch him, but I think that’s as good of a place to start as any,” Roughstock replied.
“When do we leave?” Jackie asked.
“You’re not going,” Cheyenne said, and I could see Jackie’s anger rising.
I stood from my chair and took Jackie’s hand as I told the group, “Jackie is going wherever we are, after I know she can handle a weapon. She uncovered all this, and she may be our way in to some of the more secretive parts of the reservation. And if anyone has a problem, now’s the time to speak up.”
I looked around the table and then to Cheyenne. I could tell she wanted to argue but didn’t. Standing up for my woman, allowing her to help, seemed like the best way to end this bullshit once and for all.
“I guess Jackie didn’t tell you about her skills?” Roughstock asked with a smirk.
I looked at Jackie, and she suddenly acted shy as she admitted, “I’m accurate with any weapon you give me. Growing up, Cheyenne’s father took us to Baretta Road to make sure we could shoot.”
If you’ve ever been to Rapid City, you know Baretta Road. Enough said. If you haven’t, imagine gullies and tight valleys leading in various directions, allowing for multiple parties to fire at their own personal area. Just don’t be a dick.
I pulled her to me and whispered, “You just keep getting better and better.”
The ladies sat down with us as we began to plan our trip. Jackie was searching for the picture’s metadata, and once she had a location, we looked at it on the map. The house was so far away from anything, no one would be able to hear you scream.
And I hoped that was true, because once I got hold of Blur, I was going to make him squeal like a pig before I killed him.