Page 4 of Jigsaw
He shook his head and took a swallow from his beer before he answered. “The gun show is loophole that hasn’t been closed yet. Private sales don’t require anything but paperwork. No background checks necessary since it’s between two citizens.”
Animal whistled before he spoke. “Fuck, that could be lucrative for the club.”
I shook my head at the same time Bear did, but it was me who explained. “That’s interstate transportation of weapons. That’s ten-to-fifteen in federal prison. It’s not worth the risk.”
“Agreed,” Bear said. “No reason to put yourself on the feds’ radar.”
The conversations moved all over the place, from weapons to fireworks, to food, to that damn sidecar for the dogs. Brothers from other clubs began to join the conversations as I enjoyed a cold beer. Comet gave me a look that said I was safe to have a few, and I trusted him to keep the place safe.
The sun was at least an hour from setting, but the bonfire had been lit as ol’ ladies, brothers, club girls, and locals who had joined the party gathered around. It was moments like this that made me love the Rally even more. It wasn’t about showingoff your bike or making the most noise. It was about the biker community bonding and interacting that made it so great.
The smell of weed hung heavy in the air as I walked up to Roughstock’s cousin, Jackal, who was a member of the Death Hounds. He was a crazy fucker who fit in well with us and helped forge the bond between the two clubs.
With one arm draped over the shoulder of a beautiful woman, he smiled as I approached. “What’s shakin’, fucker?”
I took a swallow of my second beer and shrugged. “Same old, same old.”
“Have you met my ol’ lady, Rose?” he asked, and I shook my head.
She was at last year’s Rally with him, but I never had the pleasure. She was beautiful, with long black hair and haunting green eyes. I extended my fist, and she bumped hers against it as I responded, “Nice to meet you.” Looking around, I casually asked, “Do you have a twin running around here with your club’s ink slinger? It’s that or the weed is stronger than I thought.”
She chuckled as she nodded. “My identical twin sister, Violet, is married to Needles.” She pushed up to her feet and looked around before Jackal pointed over to the far side of the lot. She settled back onto her feet and added, “She’s over there.”
I glanced to where she was pointing. She was facing us with Needles directly by her side as she spoke with someone facing away from us. The woman she was speaking to had on a black T-shirt and her arms had some pretty sick ink, but I didn’t see a club patch or a brother around, so I assumed she was a local or someone looking for a good time with a biker tonight. It happened every year—people showed up with expectations of hanging out with bikers, and some weren’t fully prepared for the ramifications of their decisions.
The woman seemed to be okay, and I knew Needles, so he wouldn’t let anything happen to her, but being the Tail Gunner,I was always on alert. Even when I was supposed to be off for the evening. Shaking the responsibility off slightly, I turned back to Jackal and Rose.
“Are you camping or staying at the ranch house?” I asked.
Being Roughstock’s cousin, he would have been welcome to stay with him and Cheyenne, even being from another club.
“We’re camping tonight, and tomorrow, we’re going up to the house for a few nights. Our daughter is flying up tomorrow with my Aunt Gladys, and we’re going to take her horseback riding for the first time,” Jackal explained.
I chuckled at the worried expression on Rose’s face. “I can see you’re unsure, but she’s going to have the time of her life. Jackie, Jagger’s ol’ lady, is some kind of horse whisperer, and if she’s going, your daughter is in safe hands.”
Rose smiled and seemed to relax as she replied, “It was Jackie’s idea to fly Gladys and Iris up here for a few days. Iris always wanted to ride a horse, but there’s no dependable places near us in Tennessee. After listening to Jackie speak about her ancestorial connection to the land, and after meeting her amazing horse, I wanted Iris to experience it.”
“She’ll love it,” I stated and saw Comet trying to catch my attention. I gave him a chin nod and looked at Jackal and Rose. “If you’ll excuse me.”
They stepped to the side, and I walked away to see what Comet needed from me. Walking across the lot, I saw the same woman with the nice tattoo sleeves and black shirt speaking to someone else, and I mentally shrugged as I moved past her.
Stepping up to Comet, I wasn’t worried that it was anything serious. I was living in the moment, waiting to see who or what appeared in front of me next. It wasn’t a situation I was in often, and before I began to speak with Comet, I realized the last time I’d felt this relaxed and unbothered was that night six years ago that I’d spent with Willow.
With her, I had been open and carefree, and for a moment, I wished there was a way to relive that night. Then reality set in, and I knew I wouldn’t see her again. As it should be.
At least, I didn’t think I would, but I needed to learn to never bet against fate, karma, or a hardheaded woman hellbent on dragging me into her web. Someplace I’d happily get stuck, if it meant I could let go of the weight I carried and finally begin to live.
Chapter 2
Jigsaw
Just as I expected, Comet didn’t have anything serious to talk to me about, and after a few minutes, his attention was drawn to something else and he left me to my own devices. There were tables and chairs set up around the perimeter of the area for people to relax, and when I saw Phantom and Laura, I decided to join them.
Laura was close to five months pregnant, so Phantom didn’t want her to ride over to the Rally today. He was worried something would happen to her, but after some convincing by her and by me, he finally relented. She looked tired, and as I approached and took a seat across from them at one of the tables, she offered me a smile.
“How was your first Rally?” I asked her.
She leaned her head on Phantom’s shoulder as she spoke. “It was so crazy and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Who knew there were that many motorcycles?”
