“Now, how do I get on this thing?” Rachael asked.
“Hang on. Safety first.” He unstrapped a second, smaller helmet from the tandem seat.
Jake was surprised and perplexed to see Rachael’s face fall, until she asked, “Do you…have a girlfriend?”
Oh. Oh wow, he thought. “No, I don’t. Not for a long time. She’s gone but I kept the helmet.”
Not out of sentimentality—the helmets were equipped with a mic and sound system so they could communicate while riding, which helped bring Kathleen down when she bragged to him about the hits she’d ordered on rival dealers as one night they rode past various bars and nightclubs where the murders took place. He’d had to act as a witness since one-party recording consent wasn’t admissible in court in Cali, but the rules were different in Nebraska, so the recorder he’d fitted into the helmets could come in handy.
Jake wore an additional wire. Everything he and Rachael said tonight would be captured for the FBI.
“I’m sorry you broke up.” Rachael looked anything but.
Jake shrugged. “I got the better deal. My girlfriend turned out to be not so great.”Mostly truth. Yes, Kathleen was the last one who wore it, but he would have never called her his GF, even at gunpoint.
Jake showed Rachael how the communications worked, adjusted the helmet, and helped her onto the Indian’s tandem seat.
Then they rode.
* * *
Rachael turned out to be the best rider who ever graced the Indian with him. Even Jake’s little sister who had her own bike now didn’t ride as well when he’d first taught her. New riders often stiffened up out of nervousness and their instincts sometimes made them lean way opposite a turn instead of into it, throwing things off balance. But from the moment she wrapped her arms around Jake’s torso, Rachael took her cues from his body and matched him move for move. She was so light, so in tune, their bodies almost became one as they sped west toward Saunders, Colorado.
When he spotted The Hideaway’s sign, he felt disappointed for the first time. Jake wished they could have kept on going—straight across the plains, past Denver, through the Rockies until the mountains became a wall between them and godforsaken Ross, Nebraska. Then on through the desert all the way to the Pacific. He bet Rachael had never seen the ocean, and he wanted to savor her face when she did.
Keep it cool, keep it cool. She’s your mission, not your girlfriend.
Instead, he exited the highway and turned into the parking lot, then pulled up beside three other bikes. The lot looked pretty full. That could either work for or against his plans, depending on Rachael’s attitude. He’d adjust accordingly.
Jake helped Rachael off the bike. She removed the helmet and handed it to him. Her bruises were completely gone and her faced looked radiant from the ride, her eyes shining with delight. “That was amazing.” She blushed and seemed to shrink into herself. “But, how did I do?”
“Baby, you are one easy rider.”Shit, he didn’t mean for it to come out that way.
Rachael didn’t appear to take offense. If anything, she stood taller. “So, we’re on to movie references now?” Then her hands went to her head. “How bad is my hair?” Before waiting for an answer, she unpinned it and Jake exhaled as it streamed down her back in rolling waves like the ocean at night.
She looked at the bar. “So this is paradise?”
“Close as I’ll ever be.” He gestured for Rachael to go ahead and then held the door open for her.
The bar was packed but they found a two top with a view of the stage and sat down. Denise was already coming over with a pint of Oskar Blues for Jake and a menu for Rachael.
“TGIF, Jake.” Knowing what he’d planned ahead of time, she playfully bumped him with her hip as she set his beer down. “Good to see you in here with someone,” she added, handing Rachael the menu and winking. “What can I start you out with?”
In the meantime, Jake watched Rachael’s expression go from dismay to uncertainty, with just a hint of a polite smile. “Same as him.” She nodded at Jake’s beer. “And one of your famous cheeseburgers, please.” She looked back and forth between Denise and Jake, then at the table.
“Same,” Jake told Denise, hoping to send her off quickly. The waitress wasn’t flirting so much as happy to see that Jake’s plan had worked (at least so far), but Rachael read her wrong and appeared not to like what she thought she saw. Was Rachael actually insecure? How could she own a mirror and still feel like she didn’t measure up to every other woman on the planet?Amazing what a lifetime of being put down can do to someone. He thought of his own tight-knit, loving family. The tragedy they’d suffered changed all their lives, but they’d pulled together and made each other stronger.
Rachael eyed the stage where a guy was tuning his guitar. “Is he good? Have you heard him play before?”
Jake shrugged. “No idea. It’s open mic night. It’s pretty popular and gets a little competitive.”
“Really? Have you performed yet?”
Jake laughed. “No way. It’s always a friendly crowd in here, but I think they’d hold their applause if not outright boo me off the stage.”
“They would not!” Rachael’s eyes twinkled.
“Okay, maybe not. But I haven’t even tried to get on the waitlist.”
