Chapter 12 Dakota
DAKOTA
Midafternoon the next day, I’m waiting in my car across the street from Fast Cash Brokers.
It’s the middle of the day, and I feel a little silly sitting here with all my doors locked like I need bodyguards to do anything, but Stiff made me promise.
I want to show him that he’s not the only one that keeps their promises.
Even if I’m even more confused about him now than I was before he came over last night.
I study the windows on the second floor.
Which ones were Georgia’s? I’ve only been inside a couple times, and that was before she started seeing Jay and I became persona non grata.
I don’t remember exactly how the building was laid out.
Is the window with the cute yellow curtains hers?
Or the one with cardboard taped over the cracked pane?
Probably not the one with all the plants.
She always liked flowers, but complained that they died no matter what she did.
My throat tightens. I roll down the window a little to let the cold air keep the tears at bay.
Jackal, Stiff and Lash show up with a loud rumble of engines that I hear echoing down the street well before I see their bikes coming my way.
They park right in front of the shop, their jackets clearly identifying them as members of the Outlaw Sons.
There’s the shadow of a person inside the shop window that stands there for a moment before darting away.
Lash is the first to notice my car and raises a hand, waving me over.
Three sets of eyes watch as I get out and head their way.
I’m wearing the same jeans as I had on at the Burnout, but with a pale lilac sweatshirt and a light jacket on top.
When I got dressed this morning I picked it because I’ve always liked how I look in this color, and then almost took it off again because what does it matter?
Grief is strange. Georgia and I could go months without speaking, and half the time we weren’t on good terms, but she was my sister.
Logan’s mom. In dying, she’s left a huge, aching gap where all my worries and dreams about her used to be.
But the clock keeps ticking, the days pass by, and I still think lilac is pretty.
“Thanks for meeting me.” I glance over at Stiff. He raises an eyebrow and I can feel myself blush. Is he thinking about what happened, too? Or am I another one of the women that comes and goes in his life? Isn’t that what I should be?
“This is where Georgia lived?” Jackal eyes the building with obvious skepticism.
“Yeah, she worked here, and the owners let her rent one of the apartments upstairs for cheap.”
Lash grunts. “You know it’s a front, right?”
“What do you mean? I know pawn shops can be a little sketchy, but she told me about her job. She liked seeing all the different things people would bring in, and keeping track of everything.”
“Everything? I doubt it,” Stiff comments. “I’m sure if you bring them your grandma’s gold necklace, they’ll weigh it for you and front you cash, but that’s just for show. The real money is moving around in the back room.”
“You think?” I take another look, trying to see it through their eyes.
“Shall we?” Jackal gestures for us to walk ahead of him. Lash takes the lead with Stiff staying at my side.
A bell rings as the door opens. A chubby guy with a patchy mustache and bloodshot eyes behind the counter smiles as we come in.
“Welcome!” He scurries to the door, flips the sign to ‘Closed’ and clicks the lock.
“What can I do for you today, gentlemen? Gift for the lady? I got some good stuff in last week. Or did you need assistance with a little liquidation?” His grin seems a little forced.
Jackal laughs. “Laying it on a little thick, Sergei.”
He snorts and scratches his ear. “Always happy to work with the Sons. No beef between us, right?”
“Good, then this won’t be a problem.” Stiff puts his arm over my shoulder. “You had a girl working for you, lived upstairs. This is her sister. She needs to get in to start dealing with practical shit. I’m sure you’ve got a key for us.”
Sergei’s smile droops. He looks at me with genuine sadness. “I was sorry to hear about Gi-gi. She had her problems but she was a good girl at heart.”
I give him a tight nod. “Thank you.”
“But the thing is…” he wrings his hands. “Jay’s living up there, too. You talked to him yet? I should probably give him a call first.”
Jackal cocks a hand on his hip, pushing his jacket open just enough to show the butt of his gun. My pulse jumps. How stupid am I that I brought three bikers to a pawn shop to protect me from my sister’s violent boyfriend and it still shocks me when they prove they are who I know they are.
“Don’t worry about Jay. We’ll make sure he understands.” Stiff twirls a lock of my hair around his finger and then skims his fingers over my neck, raising goosebumps. It’s a very clear show of possession. “If he has a problem, send him our way.”
“I just want to look around and see what needs to be done,” I say. “It won’t take long.”
He grimaces, but finally nods. “Fine, fine. I don’t want trouble with the Sons. Jay’s out on a job, anyway. Follow me, but be quick, okay?”
He leads us out a door in the back and into a stairwell to the second floor.
The paint is chipping off the walls and it smells like mildew and dust. At a little landing on top there are a couple of doors.
The owner unlocks the one on the left then steps aside.
“Listen, I really am sorry about your sister. She was with us for years, you know? I dunno if Jay is taking over the lease, so you got at least until the end of the month before you need to worry about gettin’ her stuff out.
If it’s a problem, talk to me and I’ll make you a good deal on taking care of everything for you. ”
“Um, thanks. I guess.”
He scuttles back down the stairs, and when he's out of sight, Stiff finally moves away, dropping the protective boyfriend act. I miss the weight of his arm, but there isn’t time to dwell too much on why.
“Wait here,” Jackal orders. He steps into the apartment first, followed by Stiff, while Lash stays next to me. After a minute, they come back out. He nods. “All clear.”
The door opens into the kitchen. It’s not great, but isn’t as bad as I feared.
There are crusty dishes in the sink and an overflowing bag full of laundry in the corner.
What’s left of a bowl of cereal is on the chipped table that separates the kitchenette from the living room, next to a couple of empty beer bottles and a full ashtray.
Layers of dirty fingerprints have discolored all the cupboards near the handles.
But there’s a cute towel hanging from the stove handle with red, orange and yellow leaves printed on it, and a mug by the sink with a heart shaped handle.
The yellow curtained window was hers.
God, she was so happy when she first moved here.
Looking back, it would’ve been not long before she got pregnant.
I remember helping her pick up the kitchen table from someone who was giving it away.
I wonder how different her life would’ve been if she’d never met Jay.
Or if it would’ve mattered at all. He was one of the stones around her neck, but not the first. Maybe if it wasn’t him, it would’ve been something else, someone else.
“Where do we start?” Stiff looks around, taking the place in.
“Let me look around a little first.”
He and Jackal both nod, leaving me to roam.
There’s not much to see. Kitchen, living room, bathroom, and one bedroom with pink roses hanging from a nail on the door.
Just like the kitchen, the bedroom is in a state that’s just on the wrong side of lived-in.
Men’s clothes are strewn over one side of the bed, and a pair of shoes that must be Jay’s are on the floor.
The bed isn’t made, and the sheets are a shade of purple just a little darker than my sweatshirt.
There's a vanity and a chair, with makeup strewn over the top and a Bluetooth speaker in the corner. Inside a drawer is a green velvet jewelry box. I take it out carefully, reminded of Logan’s treasure case.
The contents hit me like a punch in the chest. There's a lock of dark blond hair, held together with a piece of tape and kept in a little plastic bag. I recognize it immediately. We each have one that we kept after Logan’s first haircut.
Next to it is a silver locket Mom used to wear.
I slip both into my pocket, not wanting to risk Jay taking the necklace downstairs to hock for cash.
I'm glad the bikers are waiting out in the living room giving me my space, but even though they're right out there, a feeling of intense loneliness rolls over me like an avalanche. “Why?” I whisper to the ghost of my sister’s memory.
If the place had been totally trashed, then maybe I’d be willing to believe she was in such a bad state that I’m wrong, and she really was to blame for everything.
But it’s not. It could use a good cleaning, and to kick out the slob that’s probably not paying rent, but it doesn’t look like she was strung out or planning to take off.
Did Jay finally snap? That doesn't explain her grabbing Logan instead of coming to me for help.
I don't get it.
I dig around a little more while trying to get my emotions back under control, but I don't find anything else that matters. Some weed and a few edibles in her underwear drawer, but no sign of the hard drugs that Officer Dillard claimed she was on. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, but it doesn't feel right.
Georgia, what were you running away from?
A door opens in the other room. “Hey! Where the fuck are you going?” Jackal yells.
Rushing out, I only catch Stiff's back as he disappears out of the apartment.
Jackal's boots are already clomping down the stairs, leaving me and Lash alone in the kitchen.
I look out the window and see Stiff and Jackal chasing someone into an alley.
I move towards the door, but Lash stops me. “Stay put. Stiff and Jackal are on it.”
“It’s probably just Jay.”
“Yeah, so then there’s nothing to worry about.” His grin has an edge to it. “That’s why we’re here, right?”