Page 47 of Jackal

“Let’s eat.”

Chapter 26

Jackal

Things still felt unsettled with Shivana, but we made it through a meal without her eyebrow cocking or an eyeroll, so I took it as a win. She was right–she’s not a bunny and she had a right to live her life. But I had to find a way to explain that a life with me was different. She seemed to understand, but maybe I was wrong.

For a split second I considered if I could do right by her and let her go. I already tried once, but she wouldn’t let me. And at this point, even if I did, she still wouldn’t be safe. Shaking that off and reassuring myself we were both in too deep now, I would have to think of how to let her be herself, be with me, and keep her safe. At least for tonight, I knew she was tucked away at the clubhouse. It was already late, so she’d probably be winding down soon.

“You ready?” Falcon asked as he mounted his Harley.

Nodding, I said, “Yeah, brother.”

He leaned over with his helmet in his arms. “Put her out of your mind, man. Trust me. She’ll be alright for a while.”

Rolling my eyes, I said, “Thanks for the tip.”

“Hey, man, been there, done that. These women make you crazy.” He put his helmet on, looking in my direction as he fastened it. “I wouldn’t change it for the world, but times like these, we need a clear head.”

“Amen to that. I’m good, though.”

Hawk came toward us with long, quick strides. “Alright. Full crew. Jackal and Rooster follow me. Falcon and Red, tail Eagle. We got Scar and Squatch staying here with a few members around the perimeter, just in case. Blaze is ready with the box truck if we need a quick cleanup. Coop, Benny, and you,” he said pointing to a group of members, “split up; one group with us, one with Eagle. Everyone be on alert. We need to watch for anything, any cars, bikes, SUVs. And watch out for the brother next to you. I want to take at least one these fuckers alive and none of you killed. Got me?”

Everyone voiced their agreement, so Hawk climbed on his Harley and we all fired up our engines. As he headed from the garage, down the long driveway, we filed behind.

We all stayed together on the scenic highway that took us from the small town the clubhouse was tucked away in, towards the next main highway and cities. Once we got there, we split off into groups.

It had been decided who would take trackers and, while it was a risky move, Hawk had the one that was pulled from his bike, and the four others were planted. Eagle had one as well as Rooster, Coop, and Red.

The way we split up the trackers, it appeared that Hawk had smaller numbers but there were three more in our group than Eagle’s. Hawk wanted to draw them to him if this worked, and a smaller group could make them feel like they had an advantage.Or they could be more cunning than we anticipated and go for Eagle…or both.

We drove around for a couple of hours. The night air wasn’t as muggy as usual, but it was still in the eighties. The humidity is what made it miserable here in the summer, so the dry, warm air was a welcome touch against my skin.

It reminded me of Shivana’s soft breath over my chest as she slept. She was so calm and peaceful when she was knocked out. A stark contrast to her feisty and stubborn demeanor when she was awake.

Trying to keep a lookout for anything suspicious, I found it difficult to push her to the back of my mind. We needed to find these assholes so I didn’t have to constantly worry about her. And, of course, to avenge my old friend. But he was already gone. What mattered now were the ones still with us. None of us could rest until we took out whoever was responsible for Raven, collapsed this crime ring, shut down these Hellbound Heathens, and made sure Butch met his destiny.

There was no way I could give Shivana up now, unless she was smart enough to go back north. As long as Shivana stayed here, she’d be in danger, so it was pointless to try to push her away. I needed to be with her–to keep her safe. The woman didn’t have the sense to do it herself.

We came to a red light and I pulled up next to Hawk. He glanced over and shouted, “I haven’t seen shit. You?”

“No, Prez. Normal traffic. Nothing stood out.”

He pulled out his phone and sent a text. “Let’s head back to the clubhouse.”

The light changed, so we drove through, then took the next turn to get back on the highway towards the clubhouse.

After we made it back to the long stretch of road that led us back home, I was white knuckling the handlebars. How were these fuckers so elusive? I was anxious to get to the bottom ofthis shit so we could go back to normal problems and maybe have a semblance of a regular life for Shivana.

Still a few miles from the driveway to the clubhouse, I glanced over. One of our headlights hit something on the side of the road and my gut said it wasn’t road trash. “Fuck. Hawk! Hawk!” I tried shouting.

I wasn’t sure if Hawk heard me, but he looked in the same direction and I pulled up faster, blocking his side. Pulling my pistol from my back, I held it out and just as I saw the orange sparks, I took a shot in that direction.

Hawk was yelling something, but I couldn’t hear him as we hurtled toward the spot the flashes came from. I went full throttle, trying to keep myself in front of Hawk and still watching the spot, ready to shoot again.

My eyes scanned over the ditch, but we were out in the country and there were no lights out here. The only things I could make out were when the headlights hit that exact spot.

As we got closer, I slowed but kept my eyes peeled. Hawk pulled a little ahead of me and I slowed where I saw the sparks come from. My feet hit the ground and my Harley idled, but I was able to yell, “Nobody’s here!”

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