Elling and jackie, p.8
Elling & Jackie, page 8
"D-Con and Gillian got married. They went down to Vegas last weekend. Nobody knew their plans and thought they were only going down to gamble." Ashley stopped and peered off to the trees. "Cover your ears."
Jackie laughed, knowing what was coming.
"Gunnar? Where's Trik and Linnea?" yelled Ashley.
Her oldest nephew stopped whipping the rope. "They went across the bridge."
"Okay." Ashley sighed. "I swear, now that the kids are old enough to cross the creek, they would stay at Chief and Johanna's house all the time."
"My parents love it. You have nothing to worry about. Trust me, if the kids were bothering Chief, he'd let them know."
"True. I can't help wishing they were still young enough to stay in the daycare room at the clubhouse. It was easier to keep track of them." Ashley walked with her inside. "Everything is pretty much ready to be hauled outside. Olin's going to light the grills in an hour. We can wait until then to start carrying the food out, but we need chairs and the plastic tablecloths taken out."
A young girl ran toward Jackie. Elation warmed her at the sight of her niece.
"Aunt Jackie." Cora collided with her lower body and hugged Jackie around the waist. "Are you going to be here for Family Day?"
"I am." She leaned down and hugged Cora tightly. "Will you let me sit by you when we eat?"
"At the kids' table?" Cora's dimple deepened. "Really?"
"Really." She laughed. "I missed you. Where're your brothers?"
"Chee's with Nikki...somewhere. Gunnar's outside. I think Arik is with Daddy." Cora bounced. "I get to help with the babies. Momma promised."
It was obvious by Cora's hopping in place that she wanted to go play. "Well, you better get to work taking care of those babies. I'll see you later."
"Okay." Cora ran off, stopped, and turned around. "You won't leave while I'm helping, will you?"
She shook her head. "I promise. I'll be here."
Cora gave a hop and a skip in her exit. Jackie laughed, happy to see her niece.
"She's so damn cute," said Ashley.
"I think I miss the kids the most since moving to Portland." Jackie pouted her lips. "They remind me that everything they need and want is right here within Brikken."
"Better be careful and not let Chief here you say that. He'll have you moved back in your old bedroom before it's time to eat."
"Yeah, he's still determined that I'm going to get tired of being away and working in the hospitality business," she said.
"But you're happy?" Ashley leaned into her. "Right?"
She was happy. Until she'd slept with Elling. Though she'd gone to him with the intent to help him in case he had no idea a Federal Agent stayed at the hotel, she'd left his room more confused and in a funk.
Having planned to speak with him the next day when she got off of work, she'd knocked several times on his door, and he'd either refused to face her or avoided her. It'd been a week now, and since he still avoided her, she'd started to believe what happened between them meant nothing. That realization hurt, and she couldn't even figure out why.
The more time that passed, she found it harder to pull herself out of becoming angry. No matter how many times she reminded herself that continuing to see him or sleep with him would not, could not, happen.
Knowing he was scheduled to check out of the hotel while she was gone, she had to face the truth. He'd be a distant memory, and that bothered her more than she wanted to admit. If she could admit what she'd done to anyone—which she couldn't.
"Yeah, I'm happy," She shrugged. "I'm surviving and earning my adult badge."
"Well, that's good." Ashley laughed, catching sight of someone. "I better get in the kitchen."
"I'll help." She stepped forward to follow.
Ashley stopped her. "Don't you dare. Go visit and enjoy your time off. If you see any of the men standing around, tell them to start hauling chairs outside."
"Okay, but are you sure I can't—"
"Take the offer and run, sis." Ashley kissed her cheek and then walked off toward the kitchen.
Spotting Keefe and Diana, she went over to say hi and give them both a hug. Her dad's vice president back when she was a child was a man she'd known her whole life. His wife, one of the special women who'd worked in the Brikken kitchen during her childhood, had often snuck her cookies before the meals when Chief and her mom weren't looking.
They stood close together, smiling at her as she headed their way. She threw her arms around both of them. "How are you, guys?"
"We're fine, sweetie." Diana patted her cheek, making her feel ten years old. "How are you doing in that big city all by yourself?"
"Good." She smiled. "I spend most of the time at the hotel, though. I work from three o'clock in the afternoon until eleven o'clock at night, so the only time I get away is on the weekends."
"I've heard Stassi likes to spend time with you." Diana raised her brows. "She's told me all about the good-looking men in the city."
"I bet Chief doesn't like to hear that," said Keefe.
She laughed. "Stassi overexaggerates. She comes and visits for the shopping."
Her mom and Chief walked into the clubhouse. She excused herself and hurried to see if her parents needed anything.
"You can ask Sydney where she wants the dessert dishes." Her mom kissed her cheek. "And I think your dad wants a beer."
Chief stood three feet away, his hands tucked in his vest pockets, and gazed around the room. Her chest warmed. Her father hadn't been president for many years, but his mind was always focused on the club.
"I'll get him one." She took the containers from her mom. "Has Stassi arrived yet?"
"She called and said she'd be here in twenty minutes, saying something about spider mites on leaves." Her mom put her arm around Chief and whispered to him.
Jackie walked away to do the errands. Her mom knew exactly where the desserts should go and how Family Day was set up for every member of Brikken, but she'd let Sydney lead the day Chief stepped down in the club and Jett became president, making his wife the first lady.
Once she finished making sure everything was covered to keep the bugs out of the dishes outside, she went to the cooler and retrieved a bottle of beer. She found Chief outside sitting in a lawn chair under an overhead tarp strung up to provide some shade for the long day.
"Here you go, Chief." She handed him a beer and kissed his whiskered cheek.
"Thanks." Chief grabbed her wrist. "Jacqueline?"
The use of her full name brought heaviness to her chest, reminding her of Elling. Guilt warmed her neck and crept into her cheeks. Her dad was the hardest person to hide anything from.
She grabbed the chair nearby and sat beside him. She'd arrived late last night, and using her own key, let herself in the house without waking her parents.
"Work going okay?" Chief tilted his head. "Everyone treating you right?"
She relaxed some. "I wouldn't be there if I wasn't happy."
They had the same conversation every time they were face to face. Despite his climbing years, her dad would make sure he'd do something if she said any differently.
"You should be here, around family," he said gruffly.
To get him off the topic, she snorted. "You have so many family members running around here, you can't even keep track of them anymore. I'd get lost in the crowd, and then what would you do?"
Chief grunted. "I need to see my kids settled."
She sighed. No daughter wanted to lose their father at any age, but she also understood where he was coming from. His goal in life had always centered around his kids.
Jett, Olin, and Thorn had a different mother than her, and they'd lost her last year out of the blue from a heart attack. It'd hit Chief hard, and he became tougher on all of them, making sure they were all happy and comfortable. Only she and Stassi were left. But, they were both young, much younger than her brothers. Neither one of them ready to get married.
"I love you, Chief." She picked up his hand and kissed his knuckles.
"Love you, too. Remember that."
"I always do." She let him hold her hand.
No sooner had she relaxed, and her chair tipped backward. She jolted, reaching out to keep from falling, and found Shore and Cash beside her, picking her up in the air, chair and all, and carrying her across the yard.
"Oh, my God, you guys. Really?" She shook her head and held on to the arms of the chair in case they dropped her. "I snuck in one time...years ago."
"More than once." Cash huffed and looked at her. "Are you gaining weight?"
"No, it's called being twenty-four years old and too big for you to do this to me again." She viewed the old run-down truck in the field, where all the Brikken kids from ages eight to eighteen hung out, listening to the radio blaring. "This was funny when I was young. It's stupid now."
One time when she was sixteen years old, she'd snuck into a Brikken party. She'd been doing it for months without anyone knowing, but they'd both found her that time. Even worse, they found her wearing the sexiest, most pathetic outfit she owned to try and mix in with the crowd of women attending the party. She thought nobody would notice.
They'd noticed, and she just happened to be watching one of the members have sex with one of the party girls—it was the most bizarre, exciting, and horrifying moments of her life. Cash and Shore had promptly carried her out to the truck in the middle of the field, tied her to a chair in the bed of the pickup, and held her there until Chief arrived to talk with her.
She hadn't gotten in trouble. Instead, her dad had sat with her for a couple of hours and told her about how she should act and what men respected about women. It'd been the longest night of her life, and the most enlightening.
Her father hadn't been wrong about what attracted a man's attention.
The chair thunked down in the bed of the pickup. The kids scrambled out of the way.
She stood, getting away from Cash and Shore before they could grab her, and sliding down the side of the truck. With the bed in-between them, she glared at the two men. God, she loved them.
"Okay, you've had your fun. Ha. Ha. Let's all have one big laugh together." She pointed to the grownups in front of the clubhouse. "Now, I'm going to go back and visit while I'm here."
Shore and Cash walked in different directions around the vehicle and pinned her in with no escape. She laughed, missing the antics of her Brikken family. There was never a dull moment with over three hundred men around all the time.
Cash hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head. "Missed you, kid."
She kissed his cheek. "Same here. I haven't met anyone who can drive me nuts like you."
Shore rubbed her head. "Come home more, 'kay? Besides, you're old enough to come to the parties on Fridays."
"Those days are over. I'll let you guys have your fun without me tagging around." She walked back to the clubhouse with them, answering their nosey questions.
Neither one of them had claimed a woman, and she bet they still participated in party nights. She left their side when she noticed Stassi sitting in her spot beside Chief. Grabbing another chair, she sat down with her family, soon joined by her mom.
Over the next couple of hours, Jett and Sydney, Olin and Ashley, and Thorn and Jessy joined them under the tarp. Her nieces and nephews ran wild under the close-eye of every adult on the property.
She couldn't help slipping into thinking about Elling. When they'd had sex, he evoked the feelings of belonging in her. The same way she felt sitting here surrounded by her family. She'd never connected to someone that made her want to be with him more than being at Brikken.
It was an impossible situation with Elling belonging to Slag Motorcycle Club.
Not that it mattered anymore. He was gone. She'd go back to work on Monday night, and her life would go back to normal.
Normal was comfortable, fulfilling, and time-consuming.
She stood when the other women in her family went to fill plates for the men. Dammit. She should never have had sex with Elling. If she never would've met him, she wouldn't be miserable, and maybe she could appreciate time with her family instead of daydreaming about him.
Chapter 14
Elling followed Viktor and Marcus out of the Bantorus Body Shop. Staying to the shadows near the back of the building, out of view of the security cameras.
Their successful break-in turned to disappointment. The Bantorus Motorcycle Club had left a dollar in the safe.
That dollar was a big fuck you letting Slag know the other MC was prepared for them to try and steal again, and they'd upped their game.
Waiting as a group at the corner of the building, they timed their escape to coincide with a passing car, knowing the beam coming from the headlights would blind the camera to their movements.
The information they'd received assured them there would be money stashed away from a recent shipment. After months of leaving Bantorus Motorcycle Club alone after ripping them off last time, they had counted on the other MC to have gone back to holding the money at the body shop location.
"Car coming," whispered Viktor. "Ready?"
"Ja," said he and Marcus together.
As the headlights hit them, they ran onto the street, the car providing cover. By the time the camera would've adjusted to the light changes, they were on the other side, and safe.
Elling walked briskly down the block where Roar, Brage, and Rune waited and where their motorcycles were parked. Nobody asked about what happened.
He started his Harley, riding off with everyone as a group. There were two crews posted at different locations on their short ride to I-5 that joined them on their way out of Pitnam. Their intention on bringing more Slag members in hopes it would be harder for Bantorus to gun them down took a backseat to being laughed at when they opened the safe.
At the entrance ramp to the highway, a dozen Bantorus members sat on their bikes and watched them leave. An uneasy cramp in his stomach warned him that they hadn't seen the last of Bantorus.
Roar must've had the same thought because they kept riding toward Portland without stopping and going over what happened in Pitnam. Or hadn't happened.
At the Slag clubhouse, he took off his helmet and stretched his back. Roar walked away from the group and spoke with Peer, who'd stayed back to watch over the Slag property.
"That doesn't look good," said Marcus behind him.
"Mm-hm." He studied the two men.
Roar's stoic expression remained constant. Peer spoke, barely moving his mouth. Slag members came outside to hear what happened and stayed away from Roar, giving him time to talk in private.
Already in a bad mood, Elling took out the can of snuff Jacqueline had given him and stuck a pinch of tobacco behind his lip. The rush of nicotine fortified him.
Roar nodded to Peer before he stepped forward and faced the members. "Our ride today wasn't successful. The informant fucked us over, and we're going to take a break from going after Bantorus for the time being."
"What about our shipment to Norway?" asked Aron.
Elling listened carefully. He was concerned, not only for the mother club but because he understood Aron had family members and a wife still in Norway, as lots of the members had. To guarantee their protection, they needed weapons and cash from the Portland and Seattle Chapter.
"We'll find other ways." Roar looked around the group. "I'll meet with the Seattle Chapter, soon and come up with another plan."
"Bantorus knew we were there." Glenn shook his head. "I didn't like how they watched us leave."
Roar lifted his chin. "It was a slap in the face, and we'll remember how that felt as we make plans going forward."
The crowd of Slag members grew restless. Elling turned his head and spit on the ground. The unease going through them all showed the seriousness of the situation.
"Let's put today behind us. We have other things to be concerned about." Roar voice deepened. "While we were gone, the Federal Agent took Dag into custody."
Elling's gaze shot to Peer. Elling was always the buffer between Campbell and the other members, especially the prospects.
Dag was young. His loyalty to Slag not proven yet.
"I don't want anyone..." Roar looked around the crowd. "Talking to the agent. I don't want you to acknowledge him, talk with him, or fucking look at him. He's using Dag to get to Slag, and we're all at risk. Understand?"
"Ja," said the crowd.
Elling ripped the hairband holding his braid behind his head. He'd trade places with Dag in a heartbeat. Nobody could make him talk. They could kill him before he'd lose another person in his life.
The officers of Slag moved toward Roar as the members went inside the clubhouse. Elling tightened his lip, taking the hit of nicotine, and hoped to keep his temper. Dag was a risk to Slag.
Young, new, and still being judged on his loyalty to the club, he was a ticking time bomb. Dag still had parents in Norway. He'd come to the U.S. as soon as he turned nineteen years old to put in his two years of prospecting for Slag. Still tender, he could break under a full-on investigation.
"What are we going to do about Dag, Prez?" asked Marcus.
"Nothing." Roar looked them all in the eye. "We've all been in his place where we have to choose life or death and decide who we're going to put our trust in. That experience built us into Slag members. It made us men of honor and loyalty. If Dag rats us out, he won't live another day. If he chooses to support his brothers, his family, his club, I'll put a patch on him the moment he gains his freedom again."
"Hell," muttered Brage lifting his arms and linking his hands behind his head. "Out of us all, Agent Campbell went for our weakest link by going after a prospect."
Frustration built up in Elling. He tongued the wad of snuff and spit the contents on the ground. If he hadn't gone on the run, he would've been here to be the go-between. Campbell wouldn't have had a chance to approach Dag.
"Does anyone know if Dag's being questioned or been charged with a crime?" Joel crossed his arms and hooked his hands in his armpits. "Can we cause some chaos and get the attention off him?"
Elling gritted his teeth. Campbell had changed his investigation without him noticing. Had he done that the last couple of days, leading him back to the clubhouse for longer hours? How had he not noticed?
