11
B y the end of the day, Jake didn’t want to leave. Correction. He didn’t want to leave Heather behind. He didn’t want her to go three hours north while he headed a couple of hours west. He hated that there would be so much distance between them. Again.
But there was nothing he could do about it. It wasn’t like he even had a place to bring her, should he take her back to the ranch. He lived in the bunkhouse with the rest of the single men. Even if he could convince her to come be with him, he had nowhere he could take her. Nowhere she would be comfortable at least. And he was not moving her into the bunkhouse with a half dozen crude, rough men who, half the time, had the manners of the wildlife they sometimes encountered when dealing with the ranch.
And as much as he wanted her closer, he didn’t even ask. They’d only just reconnected and while he was far more confident than he’d been the last time he’d known her; it was too soon for that. No matter how badly he might want her closer. No matter how badly he might want to make sure she was safe. No matter how worried he might be.
No. He had no need to worry. Iceman and the Kings were watching out for her. He had no reason to believe they couldn’t keep her safe. But he could help, by looking into what was going on in Alabama. That he could do.
At the gas station, fueling up before leaving town, Jake pulled up his contact list and sent a message to an old buddy. One he hadn’t heard from in a while, but didn’t doubt would be there when he needed something.
Jake: Hey how you doing?
He stared at the screen while he waited for his tank to fill but didn’t have much hope. Maybe he’d have a response before he got back to the ranch.
Jake pocketed his phone, took one last long pull from the water bottle he’d snagged from the cooler as they’d loaded them up before leaving and tossed the empty bottle before putting the gas pump away and moving his bike so someone else could get to the pump. Ten minutes later, one by one the Souls pulled out of the station and hit the road. He was looking forward to the ride to get out of his head for a bit.
T hey’d been back at the ranch for nearly an hour before he had time to pull out his phone. He intended to call Heather and check on her. They should be getting close to Dickenson by now. But he found a response to the message he’d forgotten he’d sent. Hoping his old buddy would be available and maybe have some information for him, he opened the message.
Hex: Yo, man, how’s it hanging? It’s hotter than Hades here, but I don’t guess it’s any better in Tucson, huh?
Jake checked when the message had been sent. Less than ten minutes before. How had he not noticed his phone vibrating? He debated for a moment whether or not he should but then hit the button to dial the number instead of typing up another message. It only took a couple of moments before he heard a familiar voice come across the line.
“Yo, how are things in the desert?” Hex said in greeting.
“Hot I’m sure, but I’m not there. I left Arizona last fall.”
“I didn’t know. Where are you now?”
“Wyoming. You still in Mobile?”
“Yeah, not planning on leaving any time soon.”
“Still part of the Warriors?” Jake asked. Shortly after settling in the area, Hex had joined a club called the Savage Warriors. While Jake didn’t know anything about the Warriors, he knew Hex well enough to know the man wouldn’t be involved in what seemed to be going on around Heather.
“Yeah, you know how it is. You still with the Souls? Or was a split with them what sent you north?”
“I’m still with the Souls.” He debated how much to say. The second chapter was no secret, but the why, that was Tuck’s personal business and Jake didn’t want to advertise that. “We chartered a second chapter. I moved north with the new chapter.”
“Nice. You always swore you’d never go where it snowed, I guess that’s changed, huh?”
Jake couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. “Yeah, after years of the heat I was ready for a change. I’ve been up here since last fall, and I realize I don’t mind it so much. Yeah, it gets cold, but you can always add another layer or a better layer. People start complaining if you remove too much when it’s hot. It’s not fun.”
Hex laughed. “You just looking to catch up or you need something?”
“I wish I could say I was just looking to catch up.”
“But?”
Jake shook his head and wondered how Hex always seemed to know when there was something he wasn’t saying. Was he leaving some clue out there that the other man was reading? He needed to figure it out so he could cover it, whatever the tell was. He took a deep breath and spit it out. He’d already determined how much he’d be willing to tell Hex, and what he would be keeping to himself.
“I’ve had some inquiries, and I need to know what you might know or if you can find anything out.”
There was no response for long enough that Jake wondered if the call had been disconnected. He pulled the phone away from his ear and checked the screen. No, the call was still connected. He put it back to his ear and waited.
This time he didn’t have to wait long.
“Tell me.”
“I need to know anything you can find out on a guy named Mitch Coleman. We’ve been contacted about collecting on a debt he owes, and something seems off.”
“What do you mean?”
“Why contact a club fifteen hundred miles away? Is he up here or what? Does he have some assets up here we’re supposed to acquire? I’m not sure about the whole thing and before I let my club get involved, I need more information.” He paused, wondering if he should say more. “Have you heard anything?”
“The name’s not familiar, so I’ve not heard anything, but I can do some checking. What kind of place has been in touch? Any clues where to start looking?”
“I don’t have much. One of the prospects brought it to me. Some connection of his brought it to him, said there was some kind of reward for collecting on this one, but he couldn’t tell me much. He said some club down your way was looking for him to collect the debt. I googled the name and came up with one in Mobile and thought you might could help me find more details.”
“I’ll look into it. I can’t guarantee I’ll find anything, but I’ll look. How’s life up where it’s cool?”
They chatted a while longer, catching up in a way neither had had time for in far longer than Jake cared to admit, then rang off. When he’d finished that call, he checked the gear from today, making sure the prospects had taken care of things like he’d instructed, then walked out behind the barn where he knew he wouldn’t be overheard and dialed the number he’d been aching to call since he’d programmed it into his phone hours before.