by Brook Wilder
“Okay,” Rachael said, “You were about to explain to me why Hatchet is worried about my baby shower.”
“No, not about the shower,” Elsie huffed impatiently her smile dimming. “It’s whatever Jackrabbit told him while you guys were here that has him worried. Something’s going on.”
“What sort of something?” Rachael asked slowly, wracking her brain but she couldn’t remember Jackrabbit and Hatchet talking about anything that might have cause to make him worried.
“I don’t know,” Elsie huffed again, “I can’t get Hatchet to talk.”
“Elsie, the man tells you everything. Maybe it’s not that serious?” She tried, but even she didn’t believe it.
“No, it’s something serious. I can tell. He’s more than worried than before, Rae.” Elsie paused, then took a deep breath, “He’s sleeping with a gun on the nightstand next to the bed. A loaded gun, Rae. That doesn’t sound like nothing to me.”
“Me neither.” Rachael mulled it over, trying to think of something.
“Listen, I’ll talk to Johnny. Maybe I can get it out of him.”
“Just try, that’s all I ask. If something really is going on…”
“Don’t worry, if something is, I’ll find out.” Rachael promised and she heard Elsie laughing on the other end.
“Oh I don’t doubt that. I’d be scared for the man who tries to stop you from getting what you want.”
“Damn straight.” Rachael nodded to herself.
“Sorry to change the subject, but any word about the interview?” Elsie asked, reminding Rachael her of the big job opportunity at the PR firm in Houston that now seemed just beyond the horizon. Rachael glanced down at her round belly. At nearly six and half months she looked like she was smuggling a watermelon under her shirt.
“I was able to move it until after the baby is born. I didn’t want to go to Houston looking like I was about to pop.”
Elsie was quiet for a moment. “So, you’re still going to go through with it then?”
“Go through with it? Of course I am.” Rachael said immediately, “I need to get out of this rinky dink town. I need some excitement in my life.”
“And having a baby with the president of a notorious biker gang isn’t excitement enough for you?” Elsie scoffed
Rachael just shook her head even though she knew her friend couldn’t see. “You know me. I need adventure. Something new. Someplace new. It’s been my dream my entire life. New people.”
“I know that Mayville has never been your ideal place to live.”
“That’s a light way to put it.” Rachael snorted, “Elsie, I’m a pariah here. I want a fresh start, you know? Start over. Out with the old and in with the new. I can do that in Houston, but not here.”
“And that’s what you really want? What about Jackrabbit?”
“What about him?”
“What does he have to say about all of this?”
Rachael shrugged, thinking over the question, “Honestly? He’s been so busy with the clubhouse and distracted that I doubt he’d even notice.”
“Come on now, you can’t fool me. I saw the way he looked at you at the baby shower. That man was focused on you like a laser.”
“Maybe.” Rachael said with another shrug, not wanting to argue. “Listen, I gotta go. Talk soon okay?”
“Okay. You take care of yourself, alright?”
“I will, I promise.” Rachael had just hit the end call button when she heard the voice speak behind her.
“You don’t have to hang up on my account.”
Rachael jumped, startled by the sudden sound and turned to see Jackrabbit staring down at her. Well, more like glaring down at her. She could feel the animosity coming off him in waves and she was about to open her mouth and ask him what was wrong when the loud buzz of a cell phone cut her off.
She glanced down at the cell phone in her hand, but it wasn’t coming from hers. Rachael nodded in his direction. “You should get that.”
Without a word, Jackrabbit answered the call and walked away, leaving Rachael to stare after him in confusion. The doubts that were never far away rose to the surface and this time it was harder than ever to push them away.
***
“Hello? Rabbit, you there?” Hatchet’s gruff voice interrupted his surly thoughts and he quickly turned away, walking into the other room before answering.
“Yeah, I’m here.” Jackrabbit answered, his voice gruff and his mind still turning over what he’d overheard of Rachael’s conversation. He hadn’t heard all of it, but he’d heard enough. More than enough. Where was she going? Who was she going with? What if she was going to meet someone?
She’s cheating on you. You should know better than to trust her, than to trust anyone. The thought echoed through his head and he tried to ignore it but it was impossible. It just sat there, like a weight in his stomach making him feel sick, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. He’d spent the whole time thinking about Rachael, that he didn’t even hear a word Hatchet said.
“Rabbit, you with me, man?”
“Sorry, Hatchet. I’m here.” Jackrabbit shook off the thoughts and brought his focus back to Hatchet and the monumental fucking problem they had on their hands.
“You said there was another attack.” Hatchet said. “It was only a few miles from my home, that can’t be a coincidence. Tell me that you found some sign of him. Anything to tell us where he is.”
“So you believe me now? That he’s coming after us? All of us, I mean.”
“Yeah.” Hatchet sighed. “I don’t have much of a choice, do I? I mean, the man is attacking people right outside our home. Elsie, she, she doesn’t know but she suspects. She keeps asking me for answers—”
“You can’t tell her, Hatch.” Jackrabbit interrupted sharply. “You can’t tell anyone anything. We can’t risk tipping him off. It’s just a matter of time before he makes a mistake, and when he does I’ll be there.
“We’ll be there, you mean.” Hatchet corrected.
Finally, Jackrabbit nodded. “Yeah, we’ll be there.”
Silence settled between them for several heartbeats as they both took in the weight of the promise they just made to each other.
Hatchet broke the silence, his voice suddenly distracted. “Listen, it’s Elsie. I gotta go.”
Jackrabbit was grateful to say goodbye and hang up, his thoughts in turmoil. Before the line went dead, he gave Hatchet one last warning. “Don’t tell Elsie anything.”
And then the other line went dead. He slowly lowered the phone, still lost in his own thoughts.
“What shouldn’t Hatchet tell Elsie?” Rae’s voice was sharp and drew Jackrabbit’s attention over to where she stood in front of the living room window, hands akimbo on her hips.
“I don’t want to talk about it right now, Rae.”
“Well, too bad. Because I do. You told Hatchet something at the baby shower and I want to know what it is.”
“I can’t…I’m sorry, Rachael. I can’t tell you. Please, can you just leave it at that?” Jackrabbit pleaded, fighting off a sudden pounding pain in his temple. This was the last thing he needed at the moment.
“No, I can’t leave it. It’s important, and if Hatchet is worried then Elsie is worried, and if Elsie is worried, I’m worried, got it? So just tell me!”
“I can’t! What part about those two words are you not getting? I. Can’t. You’re just going to have to deal with it, Rae. You can’t just demand answers.”
“Actually, I can. And I am. So tell me.”
“No!” Jackrabbit growled, the pounding pain in his head growing even sharper. “I’m not going to tell you so you might as well just give up.”
“I’m not the giving up kind of girl, Johnny.” Rachael said, temper burning in her eyes. “And I’m about to let this go so just fu—”
The next thing he heard was a familiar crack—like someone snapping a rubber band overhead—but it was already too late. He couldn’t move in time an
d a second later a bullet shattered the window and cut off Rachael’s words.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Everything froze. For a long, drawn out, infinite moment, time slowed until it felt like it had been years since the loud, cracking sound of the bullet smashing through the window. Jackrabbit watched the shards of glass falling, catching the light and reflecting back on every single broken pane before he felt himself moving.
It seemed like an eternity. Rachael’s scream echoed in his ear as he jumped towards her, but he felt like he was moving through quicksand. It was a struggle to get his shaking body to her side. Like one of those nightmares where you were running but the monster still caught up to you. You’d look down, only to realize that your feet were moving but you weren’t going anywhere.
That was how Jackrabbit felt, fear pounding out a hard staccato rhythm in his chest as he finally reached her side. His arms wrapped around her, covering her with his body as much as he could as he pulled her to the ground.
Suddenly, his hands were moving, running over her, looking desperately for any wounds or blood or scratches. If he found a single fucking scratch and he’d murder whoever was behind this. He’d kill them with his bare hands if he had to.
“Are you okay? Rae, talk to me. Are you hurt? Is the baby–?” Jackrabbit couldn’t even force out the question. He couldn’t breathe just at the thought of it but the sound of Rachael’s voice in his ear made him feel like his whole world was right once more.
“I’m fine, Johnny. You’re smothering me under here. Can you give me a little space please?”
Her plea sounded much more like a demand than a request, but he didn’t care. He didn’t care that she was jabbing her elbow into his ribs to try and get him to move. The only thing he cared about was that she was safe. Unlike whoever had decided it would be a good idea to shoot at the mother of his child. That person wasn’t safe at all.
“You were just shot at. I’m not moving until I know the coast is clear.”
“I’m not the only one, Johnny. That bullet could have been for you.” She glanced up at him in the small space she had, her green eyes going wide. “Jesus, Johnny, someone just shot up your apartment. Why would someone be shooting at us?”
“That’s what I intend on finding out.” He growled, anger deep and fierce and protective rising up inside him like a tidal wave. Whoever it was, they better pray he didn’t get his hands on them.
He knew the shot came from the front but that was the extent of his knowledge. He didn’t know how many of them were out there. He didn’t know where they’d come from. He didn’t know if there would be more bullets flying into his home at Rachael and their baby. There was too much he didn’t know.
And I’m not going to find them out cowering here like a frightened little bunny, Jackrabbit thought. His heart was still pounding madly in his chest. He didn’t think he’d ever been more afraid in his life than when that bullet had crashed through the window and he heard Rachael’s scream. It was that thought that finally had him moving, half crouched, towards the front door.
He didn’t make it even a foot before Rachael’s hand grabbing his stopped him. He looked back, a question burning in his eyes.
“What?” He asked in a strained whisper.
“Where the hell are you going?” She hissed back, throwing a nervous glance at the window with the big hole in it, “There’s a maniac with a gun out there.”
“Exactly.” Jackrabbit nodded. “And he could still be out there. I need to make sure you and the baby are both safe. I can’t do that in here.”
“But, what if he shoots at you?” Rachael asked as he slid away, creeping towards the small table by the front door. Jackrabbit eased open the middle drawer and pulled out the shiny silver snub nosed hand gun he kept stashed there.
He pulled the slide back it to chamber a round and checked one last time to make sure the safety was off before flashing a grim grin to Rachael still huddled on her knees. “Then I’ll shoot him back.”
“Johnny, you can’t—don’t you dare—that is the worst idea I’ve ever heard in my entire life!”
But her words flew right over him and barely registered as he double checked the gun one more time before moving towards the door, making sure to stay clear of any possible sightlines from the front windows.
Something stopped him before he rushed outside and he cast one more sideways look at Rachael. Her green eyes were pleading with him to stop, to stay there, to stay close. As much as he wanted to, he knew he couldn’t. Not with the possibility of a threat still out there. He wouldn’t rest until he knew she was safe.
He motioned at her. “Just stay put, alright, Rae? Don’t go trying to be a hero.”
She shook her head. “Look who’s talking. I’m not an idiot.” She added the last under her breath but made sure it was loud enough for him to hear it.
Holding his breath, Jackrabbit turned and in three quick strides, covered the remaining distance to the front door. His pulse was pounding hard and fast in his chest but his training ensured that his hands were steady as he slowly eased one out, grabbed the handle, pushed the door open just enough to creep outside.
Jackrabbit squeezed his eyes shut and suddenly it was as if he was back there, back in the war, back in the deserts and the mortar blasts and the IEDs. When he opened his eyes again he was no longer Jackrabbit, the President of the Roadburners, or Jackrabbit the soon to be father. He was just Private John Dawes and he had a job to do.
He surveyed the front yard, the tree lines on both side but he didn’t see anything. He crouched there, against the front door, for a long, long moment. He lost track of the time as he sat there waiting for any sign of movement, any sign that the assholes who’d shot out his window were still there.
He wasn’t sure how long he crouched there before he started to move. Silently. Deadly. Barely even disturbing the blades of grass as he quickly made from cover to cover, all the while constantly scanning, constantly searching.
His whole body was thrumming with adrenaline and even still he just barely caught the flutter of movement to his right. Jackrabbit turned, aimed, and shot off three rounds before his brain had even fully realized what he was doing.
Jackrabbit dodged behind the tree, holding his breath for complete silence as he waited for the return fire. He waited, and waited, but none came. After several minutes of silence, he peeked from behind the tree and let out a huff when he saw what it was he was shooting at.
With a humorless laugh at himself, he walked slowly towards where the piece of fabric still fluttered. It looked like it had been caught on a branch but it was obvious to Jackrabbit that someone had placed it there to be found. His stomach dropped as he came close enough to see what it was.
It was a bandana, all black and white with little red stars on it. He’d only ever seen one like it, and it was exactly like the one Finn had worn during their tours in the Middle East.
“Fuck!” Jackrabbit said sharply, putting the gun away in the back of his waistband. If this had been Finn, he knew the man was long gone. The bandana had been a message. He had no idea if it was a warning or a promise.
Jackrabbit reached out and tore the scrap of fabric from where it had been caught on the branch, wadded it up and shoved it in his pocket. Maybe he would be able to find something else on it, some evidence of where Finn might be hiding out but knowing the other man, he doubted it.
Jackrabbit cursed himself as he turned and headed back inside, sparing one last, long scan of the area just to be sure that Finn was gone.
As he walked inside and shut the door behind him, Rachael came flying at him, threw her arms around him, and started running her hands over him worriedly. He took a moment just to soak in her sweet touch even though his stomach was twisted into knots about what he was going to have to do. What he knew he had to do.
“Oh my god, Johnny! I heard gunshots and then there was just nothing, no sound, nothing. I was so worried. I thought…” Rachael choked on the last w
ords, still fretting over him with a worried expression in her eyes as she took his hands in hers.
Jackrabbit did the hardest thing he’d ever done in his life.
He took a deep breath, braced himself, and pushed Rachael’s hands away. She took a stumbling step back, folded her arms around herself protectively as the worried light in her emerald eyes turned to confusion.
“Johnny? What the hell was that?”
“I don’t need you fawning over me. I don’t need a fucking mother.”
“I know that! I wasn’t!” She shot back defensively. “I was worried about you!”
