Page 7 of His Road Dog

Chapter 3

Priest

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CURLEY, RICK, RODDY, Paco, and Kent sat in the closed meeting room. Priest tossed the papers down on the table. It'd taken him longer to find out who the woman was at the clubhouse Friday night and when the information came in, he'd gone straight to the motel and found her at a crime scene.

"I'm going to the police station at eight o'clock. Buck Gardner mentioned she'd be out of questioning around that time." He'd gone back years with the deputy, and every once in awhile, they gave each other a favor, and then ignored each other for the good of the community "He doesn't believe they'll have anything to hold her for."

Curley whistled. "If they clear her of murder and she's not a suspect, who is? The guy was in her room."

"The dead guy was Roy Guthrie." Kent hooked his hands under his armpits. "He owns the car lot over on Seventh Street. Benny Lyle swung by for gas at the station an hour before you called the meeting. He works for Guthrie and talked his fucking mouth off about how shook up all the employees were over the closing of the business and losing their job."

Priest knew of the man. He was known for throwing his money around and spent a lot of time at Blackfoot Casino Resort.

"Does anyone know his connection to Nicole Bennett?" he asked.

No other info came from the Tarkio members. Priest looked at the papers. There wasn't much there. She lived at the motel for the last six months and worked one day a week at Sally's Style Barn. There was no record of her being married. No known previous address.

It's like Nicole Bennett dropped into Missoula, and seemed to barely exist.

"I've made contact with the other motorcycle clubs in the territory, checked about any on-going hits, and Guthrie comes back clean—besides being a stuck-up asshole." Paco spun a pen on the table.

"Then, we can look the other way," murmured Priest, standing from the table. "I'll go pick up Nicole."

"What are you going to do with her?" Curley leaned back in the chair. "If she passes questioning and none of our associates went after Guthrie, why make contact with her?"

"I want her. For now." He grabbed his riding gloves and headed toward the door. "I'll be away for the rest of the night."

"You're taking her back to your place?" asked Paco.

He raised his hand, blowing off the question, and walked out. For now, it was nobody's business why he wanted to keep Nicole with him.

Two hours later, outside the police station, Nicole walked out of the building alone. The vibrant free spirit invading his headspace the last twenty-four hours was replaced by a lone woman who'd been emotionally beaten today.

Nicole stayed on the sidewalk. She must've called for a ride.

He started the Harley and rode over to the curb in front of her. She looked at him as if she wasn't surprised to see him there.

Hitching his chin, he put the footpeg down. "Get on."

She walked toward him and hesitated beside the bike. Looking down, she placed her foot on the peg, and after two small hops, managed to slide on behind him. Her awkwardness told him everything he needed to know about her. She belonged to no other biker.

"Put your arms around me and hold on," he said over the noise.

Nicole wrapped herself against his back. Once she latched her hands against his stomach, he rode off.

Through town, two minutes on the interstate, and another five minutes on the county road, leading him up to the bluff where he lived, Nicole never moved an inch. She could've tied herself to his back for how solidly planted she sat against him.

He stopped in front of the garage and shut off the bike. Silence rolled over him as it had every time he arrived home over the last fifteen years. It'd taken him years to find the right piece of property where the only secure entrance was up the steep driveway. To get the jump on him, his enemies would need to scale the two hundred feet rock wall on the side of the mountain, and if that was the case, good luck not falling to their death.

He patted the clasped hands on his abdomen. "Slide off. I'll get you inside where you'll be safe and can rest."

Nicole moved away from him. He got off the bike once she cleared the seat and guided her to the set of double front doors. She stood beside him while he used his key, unresponsive of where he'd brought her and never questioning why he'd picked her up at the police station.

Inside, he turned on the light and walked her through the entryway to the living room. Reaching under the lampshade, he turned on the light and then pointed to the couch until she sat.

"I'll be back." He walked out of the room, down the hallway, and into the kitchen.

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