Page 25 of Jagger
Message from Animal. I’m at Jackie’s house and I believe she’s right. The box is bleeding, and I think we should take it as a warning. I have her secured.
“Fuck,” I roared into the wind as I pushed my bike a little harder, needing to get there now.
I was already doing one hundred twenty miles an hour on these two-lane backroads, and as much as I trusted my skills as a rider, I couldn’t say the same for others on the road. The snow had started and stopped three times already, and so far, the roads weren’t slick. But that was going to change soon.
Slowing down, I glanced at the GPS, and it said I was still thirty minutes from her house. I knew she was safe, but I had to see her with my own eyes to know whoever was trying to scare her hadn’t succeeded. Then, we’d find who’s trying to intimidate my woman, and I was going to kill them slowly.
With each mile that my bike chewed up, the more my apprehension grew. What if she couldn’t forgive me for what I said? What if she’s in danger and wouldn’t let me help? What if she turned her back and walked away forever?
I couldn’t even think about the answer to those questions when I had a thousand other questions about the box goingthrough my head. Who sent it and why? What’s inside? Why send it to her instead of the Sinners?
Running through the countless conversations I’d had with the Callahan brothers, Roughstock, and Phantom over the last two weeks, I tried to see a pattern but kept coming up blank. The hidden relationship between Blur and the Bastards wasn’t presenting itself, so we were no closer to discovering why our chapter had been betrayed. Even though we’d been getting real-time updates whenever a Callahan camera caught his face, we were still no closer to getting our hands on the traitor.
Rolling through the streets of the reservation, I got more than a few concerned looks from the residents, and I tried to smile as I got closer to Jackie’s house. She wasn’t in one of the isolated areas of the reservation, but she wasn’t clustered close to everyone either. That made finding out who delivered the package harder—less people, less eyes, and less cameras to monitor.
Making the last turn, I saw Animal’s bike parked at the only house on the right side of the road for as far as I could see, and I turned and parked beside him. There were two houses across the street, one flanking either side of Jackie’s house, and I looked to see that the one you would have to pass first had cameras outside.
I needed to have the Callahans pull the footage, if possible, to see if we can get a visual of who thought it was okay to send a threat to a Sinners Revenge ol’ lady. Because I was going to personally deliver him to hell. Jackie was my ol’ lady, and I would fight that warrior spirit in her until I won her back.
Getting off the bike, I walked up the stairs and looked at the box before I knocked on the door. A minute later, I heard three locks disengage before the door opened. Standing in front of me, looking like a vision out of a dream, was Jackie, the only womanwho ever caught my attention, and the only person I couldn’t live without.
Her eyes fluttered, and she glanced to the side before she spoke. “Thank you for coming. I’m sorry to be such a bother.”
“You’re no bother, darlin’. Is it okay if I come inside?” I asked, and she nodded before stepping to the side to let me in.
Animal was standing in the doorway of the living room, and he approached me as Jackie stood to the side and watched.
“Is there any place we can open the box without it being out front?” Animal asked.
Jackie responded, “I’ve got a small potting shed in the back if that will work.”
“That’s perfect. I’ll let myself in the gate and bring the box around,” he remarked and stepped around us to go out front.
Pushing the door closed, I looked at Jackie, who had her arms crossed over her chest in a defensive stance. I didn’t know where to start with her, but she took the leap and spoke first.
“How’s your Nana? Is her ankle healing?”
“Nana is good. She twisted her ankle that morning, but she’s back up and at it,” I replied. “Can . . . can we talk about what happened?”
“There’s no need, honestly. I understand why you said what you did, and I don’t hold it against you.”
“Jackie, please” was as far as I got before the sound of someone banging echoed into the living room.
Jackie turned and walked into the kitchen before opening a door to the back yard. Animal stepped in front of her and shot me a look over her head. I knew that whatever it was, it was bad, and on instinct, I walked up behind Jackie.
Carefully, I placed my hands on her shoulders and softly asked, “Can you go into the other room while we look inside?”
“Can you . . .” She paused, then asked, “Will you tell me what’s inside?”
“We’ll see,” I returned, and I could tell that made her mad, but until I knew what it was, I couldn’t give her an honest answer.
Exhaling deeply, she said, “I’ll make some coffee while you’re outside.”
Turning, she walked over to the counter, and I saw her glance over her shoulder as I walked outside and pulled the door behind me.
Animal shook his head and spoke quietly. “Someone wants to start a war.”
The box was on a small wooden crate near the shed at the side of her yard, and we walked over to it. The smell was horrible. I knew there was something dead inside, but when I used the tip of a screwdriver from the crate to lift the flaps, I wasn’t expecting to see what I did.
