She tilted her head, studying me. “Who are you, then?”
“Who am I? Just a guy hired to protect you,” I said, grabbing the ketchup. I squeezed some onto my plate. I needed to put some distance between us before I really fucked things up even worse. “Apparently, it’s getting a little gray in that area.”
“I see,” she said quietly.
From her expression, I could see that I’d hurt her feelings. It didn’t make me proud, but at least she’d know that I wasn’t a man looking to be redeemed.
“How is everything?” asked Kathy, stopping back at the table.
“Great,” I said, dipping a fry into the ketchup. As I shoved it into my mouth, I noticed that the woman from the gas station was staring at me again.
“Yes, it’s very good,” said Jessica, still not looking at me. “Um, where are your bathrooms?” .
“In the back,” she said, waving her thumb.
Jessica wiped her hands with a napkin. “Okay. I’ll be back.”
I nodded.
Kathy turned to me. “Can I get you anything else? Some water?”
“I’m good.”
“Okay,” she replied. “Enjoy the rest of your meals.”
“Thanks.”
After the waitress walked away, I finished up my burger while I waited for Jessica. As I started on the fries, the woman from across the restaurant, walked over to me.
“Hi. Remember me?” she asked, her perfume engulfing me. It was something bold and sexy. Like her.
I smiled. “The attorney.”
She smiled back. “Yes. I’m sorry to interrupt your meal, but I need to talk to you about something.”
“Me?”
“Yes, believe it or not,” she said, sounding amused.
“Am I in trouble?”
She threw her head back and laughed. “Something tells me that you’re always in trouble.”
I smiled again. “You have me there. So, what exactly is this about?”
She lowered her voice. “Actually, I was hoping that we could talk in private. This isn’t something that I can discuss, out in the open. Can you meet me later tonight?”
I stared at her, still puzzled as to what it was that she wanted. I hadn’t even given her my name, on our last meeting. “Is this something that we could discuss over the phone?”
“No. It’s not that easy. It needs to be handled face-to-face.”
“It’s not about your lonely nights in Anchorage, is it?”
She laughed. “No. Not exactly.”
“Okay. We can meet up. When and where would you like to do this?”
“My secretary and I will be heading back to our office, over on Emerald Street. It’s only a couple blocks from here. I’ll be there until eight. Stop by before then.”
I reached into my pocket and grabbed a pen. “What’s the address?”
She told me.
“Okay. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
She looked over her shoulder, where Jessica had disappeared. “You know… I think it’s best if you left your girlfriend at home.”
“She’s just a friend,” I replied.
Caitlyn relaxed. “I was hoping you’d say that. I’ll see you in a couple of hours, Mr. Steele.”
I stared at her in surprise.
Noticing my expression, she touched my shoulder. “Yes. I know you’re name. I know quite a bit about you. But don’t worry, handsome, I’m on your side.”
“You are, huh?”
“Yes, I am. Oh, and speaking of your friend… here she comes. Don’t forget to leave her behind. The information I have doesn’t and shouldn’t involve her.”
“Okay,” I replied. “Can I at least get a hint as to what this is about?”
Caitlyn leaned over and whispered in my ear. “Just keep your gavel at home, Judge.”
I grit my teeth.
She stepped back and turned to smile at Jessica, who was now standing at the table. “Oh, excuse me,” she said, getting out of her way.
“No problem,” said Jessica, looking at Caitlyn with interest, as she slid back into the booth.
“I look forward to seeing you, later,” said the lawyer, her attention back to me. “We have a lot to discuss.”
I smiled coolly. “Apparently.”
Winking, she turned around and walked back to her table.
“Who is she?” asked Jessica.
“A lawyer.”
“Are you going to meet with her today?”
“Yes,” I said, looking back over toward Caitlyn, who’d joined another woman also dressed in business attire. They both caught me staring and smiled.
I turned away.
“I take it this is a private meeting?” asked Jessica, dryly.
“Yep.”
Jessica grunted.
“What?”
“Nothing,” she said stiffly. “I’ll finish my burger and we can head out. So you can get to your… meeting.”
“Okay,” I answered, my mind still on Caitlyn. She not only knew my real identity, she was a lawyer. On a lighter note, she apparently still wanted me. That had to give me some kind of leverage?
Chapter Twenty-four
Jordan was distant for the rest of our meal and on the ride back to his cabin. The tension between us put a horrible knot in my stomach. We’d been having such a good time, laughing and joking the last few hours and now he’d suddenly closed down on me. I wanted to blame it on the lawyer, but I knew the real reason. I’d been pushy and had asked too many questions, upsetting him. I decided to give the man space from now on, in hopes that he’d come around. I’d meant what I’d said about there being a good guy buried somewhere inside. I wanted to see him again.
When we arrived at the cabin, Jordan unlocked the door and I followed him inside.
“I have a few errands to run, so make yourself at home, while I’m gone,” he said, as I sat down on the sofa and tucked my feet underneath me.
“That includes meeting with that lawyer?” I asked, trying not to sound jealous, even though I had to admit that part of me was seething. It had started after I’d noticed the way the woman had been openly appraising him with her eyes. She wanted Jordan. I just didn’t know if the feeling was mutual.
“Afraid so.”
“Jordan?”
“What?” he asked, looking through some of his mail.
I stood up and walked over to him. “Are you angry with me?”
He suddenly looked uncomfortable. “Why would you ask that?”
“You’re not acting like yourself.”
Jordan stared at me and then his jaw clenched. “Not acting like myself? I thought we already went through this. You don’t know me; you can’t know if I’m acting like myself, so quit trying to analyze everything I do.”
I flinched at his words, not sure whether to cry or get angry myself. I raised my chin. “I guess I don’t know who you are.”
Sighing, he looked away. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to jump all over you. I’m just stressed out.”
I sighed. “It’s okay.”
“I’ll be back in a couple of hours. I might try and call you, later. So, if the cabin phone rings, you’ll know it’s me.”
“Alright.”
He took out a piece of paper and wrote down his cell phone number. Then he left it by the phone.
“How long do you think you’ll be gone?”
“Probably a couple hours, give or take,” he said, walking to the front door. He stopped and turned back around. “Jessica, remember that this is a business arrangement. I’m getting paid to keep you alive. That’s it.”
“I get it,” I said tightly. In other words, I needed to back off because he wasn’t looking for a friend.
Nodding, he walked out the door without another word.
***
After Jordan took off on his motorcycle, I watched television, but quickly became bored. Yawning, I turned it off and began wandering around the cabin, looking for something to do. Eventually, I fo
und some books about Alaska, that he had lying around. I picked one up that looked interesting and soon found myself outside, heading toward the lake. When I reached the dock, I walked to the end and sat down on the bench, admiring the majestic beauty that was all around me. From the ducks swimming near the shoreline, to the lush wilderness and mountains in the distance, I found myself captivated. The only thing that could have made the experience better, was to have shared it with Jordan.
“Which evidently isn’t happening anytime soon,” I mumbled.
I didn’t know what was going through his head right now, but, I’d stumbled upon another side of Jordan Steele that was so much more than what he claimed to be. I’d seen it in his eyes and had felt it in his touch. He was a man with depth and feeling. A man who was struggling with what he thought he wanted and what he really needed.
Chapter Twenty-five
Driving toward Caitlyn’s office, Jessica’s expression haunted me. The look in her eyes when I told her how it needed to be, made me feel like a prick. But, I knew that it was the right thing to do. Things had started getting far too cozy between us; I knew that if I wasn’t careful, we’d end up doing more than just sleeping in my bed. That shit couldn’t happen. And then there was the thing with Sammy. She’d made me feel guilty for wanting to stay out of his life and I couldn’t allow that either. It was bad enough that his old man was in a club who’d made a few enemies. But they were nothing compared to the kind of people that wanted me dead.
My phone began to vibrate, so I pulled over to the side of the road, worried that it was Jessica. Fortunately, it was just Slammer.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Word on the street is that Reaper knows you have Jessica.”
I sighed. “How did he find out?”
“Not sure. Sounds like he doesn’t know your location, though. So, hang tight and if I hear anything, I’ll call you right away.”
“Someone’s leaking information. You didn’t tell anyone at the club, did you?”
“Just Tank, Raptor, and his old lady.”
“You trust her?”
“Adriana? Yeah. She wouldn’t say anything.”
I didn’t think so either. “We must have been spotted at the airport then.”
“That might have been it.”
“If that was the case, I’m surprised that they didn’t try stopping us from getting on the plane,” I replied, still wondering how Reaper learned about my incoming flight to Cedar Rapids, to begin with. The only thing I could imagine was that my conversation with Brett had been somehow compromised. He hadn’t known that I was hired to safe-guard Jessica, though. It wasn’t usually my thing.
“Maybe they didn’t have enough manpower at the time,” said Slammer, with a smile in his voice. “To take down The Judge.”
I grunted. “Yeah. Maybe.”
“So, have you seen anything suspicious at all, where you’re at?”
“Actually, I’ve got a meeting with a lawyer in a few minutes. Someone named Caitlyn Ferraro. Says she has information for me and knows my street name.”
Slammer took a drag of a cigarette and I could hear him blow out smoke. “Shit. You have any idea what that’s about?”
“No. I will soon enough, though.”
“You taking Jessica with you?”
“No, I’ve already left her at my place.”
“Where is that? Can I ask?”
“Somewhere safe. Don’t worry about it.”
Slammer grunted. “Frannie keeps bugging me about it. I hate to say this but I’m looking forward to her going on this cruise,” he said, lowering his voice. “I’m already counting the hours.”
“When is she leaving?”
“Two days.”
“For now, just tell her that it puts both of them at risk if she knows where Jessica is.”
“I’ve been telling her that. She ignores me.”
I chuckled. “I’ll call you when I find out what’s going on.”
I heard a woman’s voice in the background and then Frannie got on the phone. “You’re sure Jessica is safe?” she asked, her voice shrill.
“Yes. Don’t worry. I won’t let any harm come to your daughter.”
“Okay. Protect my baby, Jordan. Please,” she begged.
“Of course I will.”
Slammer got back on the phone. “Sorry about that. She took the phone out of my hand before I knew what the hell was happening.”
I chuckled. “Don’t worry about it.”
“So, Jessica is safe and doing fine?”
“Yep. How’s Raptor and his family?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Adriana and Sammy are out of town for a few days. Sent a couple of Prospects with them for protection, just in case.”
“Without Raptor?”
“He stayed behind to watch their house. Seems to think they’re going to try striking there, next. Wants to catch them breaking in, so he can break their faces.”
I sighed. “I don’t know… maybe we should just find Reaper ourselves and take him out.”
“I’m already working on it. That fucker is not an easy one to locate. He knows we’re after him, obviously.”
“So their entire chapter is on the run?”
“No,” he said, chuckling. “In fact, he’s already gone Nomad.”
“What?” I asked, surprised.
“Rumor has it that Reaper’s obsession with Jessica has pissed off some of the original Devil’s Rangers. I heard they might have already taken his patch.”
“That didn’t take long.”
“Nope.”
“Let me know if you find out anything else.”
“For sure.” He sighed.
“Is there something else?” I asked, sensing he had something else to get off of his chest.
“Nothing major, I just have some other shit that’s come up.”
“What is it?”
“I got this chick looking for me.”
I laughed. “You knock someone up?”
“Hell no. This is something else. Apparently, this girl thinks that I’m responsible for her son being shot.”
My eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“There was a drive-by shooting at some kegger, last weekend. Here, in Jensen. Apparently, there were some Devil’s Rangers there.”
“Did you know about the party?”
“No and even if I did, I wouldn’t have set something like that up. That’s bullshit,” he said angrily.
“I figured as much. So, what about this kid that was shot?”
He let out a ragged sigh. “He was only two years old. Died in the crossfire.”
“So, let me get this straight – the girl had her kid at a beer-bash?” I asked, disgusted.
“No, apparently the babysitter was at the party with the kid. The mother, someone named Raina, had no idea at the time. She was working or something.”
“Wonderful,” I replied, dryly. “So the child is dead?”
“Yeah,” he replied in a somber voice. “Poor kid. Who the fuck brings a toddler to a goddamn party?”
“Nobody with half-a-brain. How did you hear about this, anyway?”
“From one of the Prospects. He’s friends with someone who knows Raina. From what I gathered, she thinks that I requested the drive-by. Now, she’s wants to do something about it.”
“What are you saying? That she wants to kill you?”
“Apparently. Don’t worry about this shit, though. I can handle it.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Try and talk to her. I don’t want people thinking that I set that shit up,” he said crossly. “Only fucking pussies do hit-and-runs. Nobody in our club would be involved in something like that.”
I believed him. It was one of the reasons that I worked with Slammer. He had some integrity. “So, the cops question you about it?”
“Not yet. I’m sure they’ll be sniffing around here soon, though.”
“Tank know abou
t it?”
“No. I told the Prospect to keep his mouth shut, too. Too much shit is going on now as it is. I’m going to keep this quiet until I get it sorted out.”
“I understand.” I looked at the phone on my clock. It was almost seven. “It’s getting late. I gotta go.”
“The lawyer?”
“Yeah.”
“Good luck to you, too.”
I thought about the woman with the ‘come-fuck-me-eyes’ and something told me that it was her that wanted to get lucky.
“Thanks,” I said, before hanging up.
I started the bike back up and was soon on my way to find out exactly what the deal was with Caitlyn Ferraro. When I arrived at her office building, I parked my bike and went into the lobby. An owly-looking security guard, named Pete Wallis, greeted me.
“I’m here to see Caitlyn Ferraro,” I said, taking her card out of my wallet.
“Is she expecting you?” he asked, picking up the phone.
“Yes.”
“Can I get your name?”
“Just tell her it’s Jordan.”
He grunted. “Hello, Mrs. Ferraro? Yeah, we have a gentleman here to see you.” Pete looked me up and down. “Yeah. That’s him. Says his name is Jordan. Okay, I’ll send him on up.” He hung up the phone and nodded toward the elevators. “You can go up. She’s on the third floor.”
I thanked him and went up to Caitlyn’s floor. When I stepped out of the elevators, she was waiting for me in the hallway. I had to admit, she looked even more attractive than earlier, especially now that her hair was down and she’d taken off her blazer.
“To be honest, I wasn’t sure if you were actually going to show,” she said, smiling at me like a Cheshire cat.
“Did you really think that you could drop a bomb like that and not?”
“You’re not even going to pretend, are you?”
“Pretend? I don’t play games, Mrs. Ferraro.”
Smiling, she slid her hand through the crook of my arm and began pulling me toward a door with the name Ferraro and Ferraro scribed on it. “We all play games. Just different kinds.”
“Is that right?” I asked as she opened the door.
“You of all people know that, Mr. Steele.”
Fearing The Biker Page 14
