Page 26 of Jagger
“Fuck me,” I complained and closed the lid to the box. “We need to call Roughstock and let him know. Someone’s going to have to tell his family.” Shaking my head, I couldn’t find the right words to articulate finding a severed head in a box.
“How? Who could’ve gotten the jump on him like that?” Animal inquired as I opened the shed and started looking for something to put the box in.
Looking over my shoulder, I admitted, “I have no idea, but I guarantee they got him fucked up before they did this. There’s no way Dozer would let anyone get the jump on him.”
Dozer was a friend of the Sinners who helped from time to time. He carried our bikes if riding them somewhere wasn’t possible, he helped with the heavy equipment work on the ranch, and he’d been drinking with the Sinners for as long as I could remember. He was a tough son of a bitch, and I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to hurt him and put his head in a box. He wasn’t a brother, but he was a friend, so I nowstarted to worry about who else may have had a target on them just from their association with the Sinners Revenge,
“We need to get her out of here until we can figure out what the fuck is going on,” Animal said, his voice low as he helped me get the box into a large, black trash bag. After putting that bag into another bag, I placed it on the ground and looked at the house before replying.
“She’s gonna be pissed, and you may not want to be around for that.” I saw Jackie was looking out the window, so I added, “I don’t want to leave the box here for her to see. Can you stow it and take it back to Rapid? Dozer’s family deserves to bury him the right way.”
He wrinkled his nose but nodded and glanced at the house before asking, “Do you think you can get her to come back to the ranch until we have a handle on all this?”
Shaking my head, I replied, “Not likely, but if I can’t, then Cheyenne will be able to guilt her into it. And at this stage, I’m not above throwing her over my shoulder and dragging her stubborn ass back to Rapid City.”
He clapped me on the back and replied, “I’d pay to see that. She’ll kick your ass.”
“And I’d deserve it, but either way, she’s gonna be locked down until we find Blur.”
“Is everything okay?” She asked, and we both turned to face the back of the house.
She was using a thin sweater to cover her front, and I could tell she was cold as she waited for us to respond.
“Let’s go deal with this,” Animal remarked, and I followed him to the house. He walked up to Jackie and explained, “I’m going to take the box back to Rapid City. I’ll catch you later.”
Without waiting for her response, he walked back to the shed, grabbed the bag with the box inside, and walked out the side gate. Jackie stared at me as I stared back at her, and aminute later, the sound of a bike cranking up filled the air. She turned before looking back at me.
“Are you going to tell me what’s inside?”
Carefully, I placed my hands on her shoulders and gently guided her back inside. The kitchen smelled like fresh coffee, and Jackie seemed unsure as I walked her to the island and pulled a chair out for her. Walking to the cabinet, I guessed before I opened the door above the coffee maker and pulled down two cups. Filling both, I poured some creamer from the fridge into the cups and walked back to the island.
Handing her one of the cups, I took a sip and tried to figure out where to start. She watched every move I made, and finally, I knew I had to tell her the truth.
“What I’m about to tell you is going to be upsetting, and I want you to know you’re not alone, nor will you be alone until this is settled,” I began, and she appeared resentful of my edict. “There was someone inside the box.”
Her hand began to tremble as she placed the coffee cup onto the counter and asked, “Someone?”
I took a seat beside her, and she turned to face me as I explained. “Someone is trying to scare you, and I need you to agree to come back to Rapid City with me.”
“No.” she stated simply, and I felt my temper start to rise.
“What part of ‘you’re in danger’ isn’t clear, Jackie? Someone left a person’s head on your porch, and I’m afraid they aren’t going to stop until they have you. I . . . I can’t let anything happen to you.”
“Why do you care?” she asked, and I suddenly realized this was about more than the bloody box.
“I care because I claimed you,” I yelled, standing from my seat. “You’re my woman, and I’ll be damned if someone hurts you and lives.”
“I’m not your woman. You threw me away, and I don’t understand why you think demanding something from me will get you anywhere,” she sassed.
“I didn’t throw you away. Did I fuck up? Absolutely. But was it bad enough for you to walk away from something that’s destined to be great? Fuck no.” I ran my hand through my hair and admitted, “I felt like I dropped the ball again with Nana, and her being hurt was on me, but I shifted the blame and pain to you, trying to make myself feel better. That was wrong of me, and I can’t say I’m sorry enough to make up for my bullshit.”
“How did you drop the ball again?” Jackie asked, calmer than she was just a minute ago.
Pushing against the counter, I cast my eyes across the room as I admitted my greatest shame. “Nitro getting killed was my fault. I was supposed to protect him and I failed.” Lowering my voice, I added, “I can’t lose you too.”
She stepped in front of me and said, “You weren’t to blame for what happened to Nitro. If anything, it’s my fault. If I hadn’t stumbled upon that house—”
“It’s not your fault,” I returned. “If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s that fucker, Blur.”
