Page 62 of Jackal

Hawk stood. “I’m gonna touch base with Keys, see if they have cameras over there he can tap into.”

“Don’t ask him like that,” Eagle chided. “He hates that shit.”

Hawk’s brow pinched. “What shit? Doing his job?”

“No, asking like you’re not sure he can do it,” I said. I had to hand it to the kid; he was smart as fuck. And Eagle was right. He hated to be underestimated.

Hawk’s head shook as he grimaced, then he left.

“I think Prez needs some ass,” Eagle said, smacking the tableas he stood.

“Or he needs a fucking break,” I said. Putting my fists down on the table, I looked up. “Hawk’s dealing with a lot of shit, fellas. Remember, he didn’t expect to be at the head of the table so soon.”

Eagle shoved his hair behind his ears. “You’re right. Sometimes it’s hard to remember he’s in charge now. But we’re all supporting him, Jackal. We just don’t know what the fuck to do.”

Standing, I said, “Yeah. I wish I had an answer.”

Falcon said, “For now, just do what he said. I’ll go to the shop like normal, you two go to the venue and see if she seems scared. Try to get what you can out of her. Maybe she was just acting strange.”

I met up with Eagle after breakfast and we rode by the tattoo shop, headed to the store for a few items Shivana and Lacy asked for, then rode around a bit until we headed to the venue. We wanted to go when it was still daytime so they wouldn’t be too busy, but wanted to hit a few spots before going by to see if anyone was following us.

Every stop we made, we tried to be aware of anyone suspicious. At this point, I wondered if they had someone besides bikers following us around since they seemed to know every move we made. Everyone was a suspect at this point.

But neither of us noticed anyone more than once all day. After parking near the building at the venue, we both headed inside. Eagle stopped at the door, though. “Hey, why don’t you let me do the talking?”

“Why?” I asked.

“I got the charm,” he said with a grin.

“So you’re gonna flirt with her, about your wedding?”

“I won’t flirt. But look at this face?” he said, waving his hand in front of him.

“As opposed to what, little boy?”

“C’mon. You look scary. I look like the guy next door.”

“You’re also a dipshit, and I’m not. Let’s just go talk to the woman and see what’s up.” Fucking boy.

I pulled the door open and he followed me inside. It was only seconds before Angie popped from the door that appeared to be her office. “Hello again,” she said with a nervous smile as she came closer.

She put her hand out, and we both shook it. Eagle smiled and said, “Great to be here. Hey, listen, Lacy’s friend–”

“The wedding planner,” I said, cutting him off. She should know Shivana was handling the details and that’s why she called on their behalf.

Eagle put his hand to his chest. “Yes. My mistake. The wedding planner called about a personal issue that arose and asked to cancel, and I think there may have been a miscommunication.”

She struggled to keep the forced smile on her face. “Oh, um I did receive a call. But, as I tried to explain, there was a signed contract.”

Eagle kept his stance loose and arms open. “Yeah, totally understand. Sucks to lose the deposit, but if we can get confirmation of the cancellation, it’s yours to keep. We understand a contract is a contract.”

Her eyes darted around and she swallowed. “Well, we certainly understand things happen, sir. But as I told the wedding planner, we could ensure a smooth wedding day with very little effort from you. And I could offer a few extras. You already chose a non-priority day, so perhaps the other issue you had could be moved to accommodate your big day?”

“I sure do appreciate your tenacity, miss, but we really just have to cancel. Lacy loved this location though, and once weget things squared away, we will probably return. With a new deposit. But only if we can come to an arrangement to cancel now. I hope you understand,” he said with a soft sincerity in his voice.

She shifted her weight from one leg to the other and redness creeped from her chest to her neck. “I–uh.” Angie cleared her throat. “And you’re sure there’s nothing we can do to keep your date? I already started the arrangements, after all,” she said, her smile even more forced.

“Hey, Angie, can we step outside, over where the outdoor ceremonies take place?” I asked.

---