Chapter 38 Jackal
JACKAL
We're just getting to the bottom of the parking garage to meet up with Sinner, Priest and Riot when my phone rings. Dakota?
I yank it out of my pocket. Not Dakota. Logan. Fuck. I answer right away. “Hey, buddy. What's going on?”
“Auntie Georgia.” His voice is so quiet I can barely hear him. Fuck, fuck, fuck, this is bad.
“Okay, Logan. You're doing good calling me. I'm proud of you, kid. Is Mommy there with you?”
“No.”
“Is she nearby?”
He has to think about it. “Uh huh.”
Thank fuck.
“Is anybody else with you, bud?”
“The angry man.” Motherfucker.
“Well that’s no fun, is it? Can you tell me where you are?” I'm asking against all odds, because there's no fucking way a four-year-old is going to give me a damn address.
He's quiet for a second. Did he understand? I'm about to try a different question when he responds, “Mommy said near Auntie Georgia's house.”
Near, or in? At least we have a part of town. Just then Detective Chen walks by. I raise a hand to flag her down. “Logan, just hold on the phone a sec, okay?”
“Okay,” he whispers.
“Can you trace a phone call?” I ask Chen.
By now, Lash and Stiff realize it’s Logan and are crowding close, but they're gonna have to wait. “Like right now?”
She eyes me curiously, but then she nods, pulling out her phone and dialing someone quick. “Show me the number.” I hold up my phone and she dictates it to whoever's on the other end. While she waits for it, I get back to Logan. “You okay, buddy?”
Silence. He still there?
“Being brave is scary.” He sounds uncertain, but not hurt, which is the most important.
“You’re right, man, it is. Even I get scared sometimes.” Like right fucking now. “You're doing great, Logan. Trust me. There's a lady here who's helping me find out where you are, and then we're going to come get you and Mommy. I promise.”
“He has a gun.” Logan's voice quavers. “But he doesn’t follow the rules. You’re supposed to follow the rules.”
“Thanks for telling me. That's what a motorcycle man would do. Always warn your friends, and try to protect them. And we're friends, right?”
“Uh huh.”
Jesus, can't they track this any faster? “And you're protecting me. And I'm gonna protect you. Me, Stiff and Lash, we're all coming to get you, okay?”
“Kay.”
Chen gives me a thumbs up. “Got it. Are you going to tell me what's going on?”
“I think its best you don't know.”
For a moment she looks like she's gonna ask again, but there must be something in my tone, or the expression on my face, because she changes her mind. “Fair enough. I hope it works out better than this shit show did.”
She gets me the location info and I quickly flip to my map, and Logan did good. It is right near Georgia's apartment, but it would’ve taken ages to pin down their exact spot, if we ever managed it. “Logan?”
“Huh?”
This is the hardest part. “I hate to say this, buddy, but I have to hang up. But it's because we're getting on our motorcycles and coming to get you. Are you gonna be brave, even if I'm not on the phone?”
“Yeah.” Definitely a quaver this time, but with hard determination underneath. He's gonna be a badass when he grows up. Fuck, he's a little badass now.
“You are the toughest little motorcycle man I know, Logan. We're coming as soon as we can.”
“Okay. Love you.”
It's my turn to be quiet a moment. Motherfucker.
That hit me harder than I woulda thought.
There's a flash of Dad with his belt, and the desire—no, fuck that, the need to be a better man than him.
And if this all goes like it needs to, then I'm gonna fucking be it for Logan. “Love you too, buddy. See you soon.”
Fuck, I don’t have time to get all fucking choked up. I get curious looks from Lash and Stiff, but I wave them off. No time for that now. “Come on, we ride. I know where Dakota and Logan are.”
We push our way through the cops. Hellfire puts a hand on my arm. “Find something?”
“I think so.”
“Need backup?”
“Not this time, but I’ll call if that changes.”
He nods. “You fucking do that.”
Now that we know where to go, it doesn't take long when we blow through every red light on the way, ignoring the honking and middle fingers in our wake. There's no fucking time to waste.
When we get close, I point at a brick office building.
That's gotta be it. We pull into an alley and leave the bikes there.
The longer we can keep him in the dark, the better our chances are of getting everyone outta here alive.
Except him. If it's up to me, he's not gonna fucking live to see sundown.
“What’s the situation?” Stiff loosens his shoulders and neck like he's about to jump into the boxing ring.
“Dakota, Logan and ‘the angry man’ are in there.”
“Dillard?” Lash asks.
“Probably. Logan says he’s armed.”
“Let’s make this long, slow and painful,” Lash says with conviction. I'm liable to agree with him.
“Logan and Dakota's safety first. Then we'll see what's left to work with.”
We cross the road, keeping out of sight from as many windows as possible. I know they’re in the building, but not where. The place looks deserted. When we get to the locked front door, there's a fucking keypad. I squint at it, looking for any wear and tear that could give me a hint, but nothing.
“Do we break the window?”
“Look.” Lash points through the door and across the foyer behind the door, through another glass door, is Logan.
He waves, the helmet in one hand and his phone in the other.
He puts his hand against the window on the other side at us, like he's wondering why the fuck we're not coming through the door.
I call Logan and he answers, watching me through the glass. “Hey buddy. We're trying to get in. Just give us a little bit, okay?”
“Two… four…” he scrunches his face up like he's trying to remember. “Five… eight!” I swear his proud grin is so bright it's gonna light us up. I try it, and the little light turns green.
“Good work, little man.” I tell him through the phone.
“Smart fucking kid,” Stiff says in appreciation.
But the code doesn't get us through the next door, which needs a key card. The inside has a push bar that probably unlocks the door, but there's no way we're gonna be able to get Logan to make that happen. He can barely reach it. I try it on the off chance it opens, but no chance.
“Time to do it the hard way?” Lash pats the grip of his gun in his belt.
“Yeah.” I look through the window at our little hero. “Logan, buddy, you're going to need to go far from the door, okay? Get behind something and cover your ears. We're gonna break it.”
The sight of Logan's eyes going huge as I say it would be comical if this wasn't so fucking serious. Then he scrambles away like we're not gonna wait for him to be safe. He disappears around a corner.
“Okay, buddy, you ready?”
No answer. Hopefully that just means he's covering his ears. “Go.”
Two sharp cracks of Lash's pistol shatters the glass.
If there's anyone left who doesn't know we're here, they've gotta be deaf.
Stiff reaches through the gap and pulls the push bar towards us and the door comes open.
I step through, followed by Lash and then Stiff, all of us with guns drawn.
Almost immediately, Logan peeks out, looking more excited than anything.
I look around and lead Logan to a dusty old bathroom at the end of the hall. “I want you to stay in here until we come and get you, okay? We’re gonna go get your mom, and then we’ll come to you and everyone gets to go home.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah, we fucking promise. And bikers keep their promises, right?”
He nods.
Once Logan is safe, we start the hunt. “Hey! Fucknut! We're looking for ya!”
“He doesn't have the balls to face us,” Lash adds, looking around like an eagle scouting for prey. “They shriveled up when he decided he needed a woman and a fucking kid to hide behind.”
Don't think he's gonna get drawn out that easy, but anything to unsettle him as we move deeper and deeper into the office.
Turns out to be easier than I expected. As we move around a corner, there he is, holding Dakota in front of him like a shield, his gun pressed right up against her temple.
She whimpers, and the sound makes me wanna rip Dillard limb from fucking limb with my bare hands.
“I'd rather hide behind a woman and live than die, like you three fucks will.” He sneers. “You even raise those guns, and she’s dead. Jesus Christ, you assholes don’t know when to quit. Put the guns down on the floor. Now. Or I fucking kill her.”
“You kill her, and we will fucking tear you apart. You won't leave this place alive.” Stiff's voice is icier than the Arctic.
“Right, like you would pat me on the head and let me go if I don’t.”
Lash’s smile is razor sharp. “There are a lot of ways to die, man. Some of them are easier than others.”
“None of you would dare take a shot. That’s the problem with getting attached. It makes you weak.” He flexes his arm, tugging Dakota against him and cutting off her air supply just long enough to make her cough. I'm gonna fucking kill him. I don't care how, but he's already on borrowed time.
“Logan?” Dakota gets out when the cough passes.
“He's safe,” I say with all the confidence in the world.
She nods quickly, just barely, with the little range of motion she's got. “If anything happens to me.”
“It fucking won’t,” I snap.
“If it does. Take care of Logan for me, okay? I trust you to make good decisions for him.”
“Oh my God,” Dillard whines. “Blah blah blah. Just back off already. Get out of the fucking building and maybe I won’t blow her head off.”
Her eyes narrow, looking right at us. “Keep Logan safe.”
Oh fuck.
She throws her head backwards, catching Dillard right in the fucking face. He roars as his gun goes off.
“Dakota!”
She falls forwards, while Dillard rocks back, his nose spurting blood.
I don't even think about it. One moment he's knocked back, the next I put a bullet through his ugly face.
Three loud cracks shatter the air, as all three of us fire at the same time.
His scream is almost soundless as his face turns into a bloody mess, then he collapses in a lifeless pile on the cheap industrial carpeting.
My gut clenches when I see her on the floor, curled up and face down. “Dakota!”
She groans. Thank fuck, at least she's alive. “How come no one ever told me how painful it is to do that?”
Lash scoops her right up off the floor and squeezes her so tight she squeaks. “Don't you ever, and I mean ever fucking do that again or I'll fucking kill you myself.”
And then we're all there, around her, pulling her between us as we kiss her, touch her, convince ourselves that she's fine and that Dillard didn't manage to put a bullet through her after all. And she kisses us back, touches us back, and fuck if it's not the most amazing thing I've ever felt.
“Put me down. Where’s Logan?”
“Come.” I pull her loose from the group hug and drag her back towards the entrance, where I throw open the door to the bathroom. Logan's so excited to see her that he actually drops the helmet to come running.
“Mommy!”
“Oh, Lo, baby, just let me hold you.” She cradles him close, squeezing him hard and crying into his unruly hair. “Are you okay?”
“I helped Lash and Jackal and Stiff,” he declares proudly.
I grin. “You sure did, buddy. You helped save Mommy from the angry man.”
“Auntie Georgia said the motorcycle men are good. Not the cops.” The way he fucking smiles up at us… if I wasn't already ready to fucking kill for both him and Dakota, well, I would be now.
“She did,” Dakota agrees, refusing to let go of him.
“Speaking of cops. We should get outta here.” Stiff looks down the hall then out the broken glass door. “Someone's bound to have noticed something by now.”
Lash scoops up the helmet. “We got everything we came here for. Let's fuck off.”
“Mommy! Lash—”
“It's fine, Lo. Just this once.”
I hope she realizes that it's not gonna be just this once. Because there's no way we're gonna let her go after all this.
No fucking way.