CHAPTER ELEVEN

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They got back into the truck. Ska was still asleep leaning against the passenger door. Lindsay slipped into the middle of the seat.  Within another ten minutes they again pulled to a stop about one hundred feet from their destination.

Lindsay saw Neha Littlebird waiting on the steps of her front porch. With the soft glow of the amber porch light behind her, she could only see the Sioux woman’s silhouette.  Even from a distance she could see that Neha was beautiful. She stood as still as a statue as the ancient truck rumbled up the drive. Lindsay saw that she was long and lean, but shapely in all the right places. Her long, black hair shone in the tawny glow of the light. It extended down to her waist.

Rainhorse stopped the truck about fifty feet from the porch, where she stood. Lindsay saw him leaning over the steering wheel, just taking her in.

“She is exactly as I remembered,” he said.

“You still love her, don’t you?” Lindsay asked.

“I never stopped,” he admitted. He froze for a second as if the admission was unintended.

“Ska is still asleep,” Lindsay said. “I’ll wait here. Go to her.”

Rainhorse paused and sighed, “I do not know what to say.”

“I have a feeling there’ll be more touching than talking at first,” she said.

“Still, I must say something,” he replied.

She touched his chest, “Just speak from here.” She touched his mouth, “Not here.”

“You are not helping,” he said.

“You’ll figure it out,” she replied. “Did you remember the mouthwash?”

He sighed, “Yes, my breath is minty fresh.”

“Open your mouth,” she said. “Let me smell.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“I do not want to do this,” he said. “It is . . . undignified.”

“Quit talking and open,” she repeated.

Rainhorse rolled his eyes and opened his mouth.  Lindsay moved her head so that her nose was positioned nearly inside his mouth.

“Ok, breathe out,” she said.

Rainhorse breathed out. Lindsay pulled away, winked at him and nodded.

“You’re good to go. Now go to her. Don’t keep her waiting.” She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek and then a thumbs-up sign.

Rainhorse nodded and opened the door. He got out and began walking toward the porch.  Neha began walking toward him as well. As they got closer, both of their paces became quicker. When she reached him, Neha fell into his arms, sobbing freely.  Lindsay smiled. She saw Neha’s thin arms embracing him tightly, her fingers digging into his massive shoulders. Her head pressed tightly against his chest.  Rainhorse responded by kissing the top of her head and stroking her hair. From a distance, the Sioux woman looked taller than she imagined, but as she became lost in Rainhorse’s embrace she realized that Neha was a wisp of a woman, not even as tall as herself.

The two hugged for a long time. Lindsay’s intuition told her that Rainhorse’s declaration that he’d never stopped loving Neha was not a one-way street. She looked every bit in love as he. Their embrace was warm, electric even. After what seemed to be an eternity, Neha released him but stepped back only far enough to look at his face. Her tiny hands touched his cheeks. Lindsay could see her talking softly to him, and then he to her. Neha was crying, she could tell—tears of joy, of relief, of love. Rainhorse touched her cheek, undoubtedly wiping her tears away.

Then they kissed. It was not a long kiss, but Lindsay could almost feel the heat from it. Lindsay sighed, wondering if anyone would ever feel that kind of passion for her.  Perhaps more importantly, would she ever feel that way about anyone? 

She let out a breath, suddenly feeling a rush of . . . was it envy . . . or was it jealousy? At that given moment, Lindsay realized she may not be the center of the universe to him much longer. She thought seeing Rainhorse with someone would fill her heart with joy, but she realized Neha’s presence filled her with conflicting emotions.

She could now see Rainhorse talking to her again. He looked over at the truck as he spoke. Neha looked toward the truck as well. She wondered how he was explaining her and Ska to Neha.

After another moment of conversation, Neha turned to go back inside and Rainhorse walked back to the truck. Lindsay slid into the driver’s side and rolled down the window as he approached.

“Wake up Ska, and come inside,” he said. “I’ll get our things.”

Inside the small log cabin, Lindsay noticed the furniture was simple, made of all-natural woods, home-made, tasteful, but far from extravagant. The décor was heavily Native American, as one might expect, and there were pictures of Neha and a beautiful teenage girl all about the cabin.

Ska found a spot on the couch and slumped onto it. She was fidgety, shaking a little, appearing out of sorts. The meth comedown, Lindsay thought. That must be it.

She turned back to the photographs, picking up one. She showed it to Rainhorse.

“This must be Lona,” Lindsay said.

“It is,” he said. “I’ve never met her, but Neha has sent me pictures. She is beautiful, isn’t she?”

“She is,” Lindsay replied.  She touched a photo of Neha, “Her mother is, too.”

“She has not changed much,” Rainhorse said. “She is so beautiful.”

Lindsay smiled, “Where did she go?”

“She went to get blankets and pillows,” Rainhorse said. “Her space is very limited. You and Ska will share Lona’s room. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Jackson, look at Ska,” Lindsay said. “She is not looking so well.”

“She is coming down from the meth,” Neha said, walking into the room. Up close, Lindsay saw that Rainhorse was not exaggerating about the Sioux woman’s beauty. She had to be very near his age but looked fifteen years younger. Her complexion was dark.  Her skin was smooth, showing only a hint of age lines around her eyes and forehead. She wore no makeup but she didn’t need to. Her simple, colorful Native American robe was tied to her tiny waist and accentuated her ample, natural bosom and tiny rear. She was truly beautiful.

“I will call Ellie in the morning,” Rainhorse said.

“You won’t have to,” Neha responded. “She’s already coming. She’ll be here at sunrise.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I called her and told her you’d be here tonight and she is coming to see you. I think she may have some information that might help us. I’ll text her and tell her what is going on with Ska. She can bring medications with her, perhaps, to help with the withdrawal. In the meantime, I’ll make her some herbal tea—it will help her sleep tonight.”

“Thank you for helping her,” Lindsay said, “and thank you for providing us a safe place to sleep.”

Neha looked at Lindsay and smiled, “I should be thanking you for saving Rainy’s life,” she said. “I couldn’t bear to lose Lona and Rainy both in the same week.”

Lindsay smiled. It was obvious that Rainhorse had told Neha the part about her saving his life, but conveniently left out the part about her ruining his chance to capture Apollo.  She was not about to contradict him.

“It was my pleasure,” Lindsay said. “Old ‘Rainy’ means a lot to me, too.”

She stole a glance at Rainhorse when she repeated the nickname ‘Rainy.’ He offered a smile of mild embarrassment.

Neha made tea and over the next little while, the four of them sat in her tiny living room, sharing the day’s events with her. Rainhorse was careful to nuance the story so that Lindsay did not come across as the young white girl who wrecked the plan.

“I’m so sorry we dragged you into this, Ska,” Lindsay said.

“No one forced me to say anything,” Ska replied. “Besides, I can’t go on the way I was going.”

“Did you want to call your boyfriend?” Neha asked.

“No,” she said.

“Maybe he can help find a place for you to stay that’s safe,” Lindsay said.

“No,” Ska insisted. “He doesn’t care about me. He only used me to have sex with his dealers to trade for crank. He doesn’t really care about me.  What kind of man pimps his girlfriend for drugs? I’m done with that.”

“Good for you, girl. Let’s take this one day at a time,” Lindsay said. “The first step is to get you help.”

Ska nodded, forcing a small smile.

“So, Rainy,” Neha began, “Ellie tells me you have been a killer-for-hire?  A paid assassin?”

Rainhorse had been sipping tea but nearly spilled it when Neha announced she knew of his former occupation.

“Ellie told you that?” Rainhorse asked. “She was not supposed to have discussed this.”

“At least it wasn’t me,” Lindsay said.

“Don’t blame Ellie,” Neha insisted. “I pushed her into it. I wanted to know why she believed you could find Lona.”

“Uh . . . well, this is, or was . . . technically true . . . at one time,” Rainhorse stammered, “but I am retired . . . two years now.”

“He only killed people who truly deserved it,” Lindsay added.

Ska started giggling, “I knew there was something different about you,” she said. “You should have seen the way he dropped those losers in the diner—bam, bam, bam.  Right in the head. A hired assassin. Damn, that’s cool.”

Neha ignored Ska and raised her eyes, gawking at Lindsay, “You . . . knew . . . about this . . . that Rainy was a killer-for-hire?”

“Oh yeah,” Lindsay said, as matter-of-factly. “That’s how we met. He kidnapped me.”

“He kidnapped you?” Neha gasped, looking at Rainhorse incredulously. His face began to turn a little pale.

“Yep,” Lindsay replied. “Slipped a bag over my head, tied me up and tossed me in a van.”

Neha began to breathe rapidly in and out, continuing to gasp.

“I know you are trying to be helpful, Lindsay,” Rainhorse said, “but trust me when I tell you . . . you are not.”

“Oh, he didn’t go through with it,” Lindsay rushed to add. “In fact, he killed his partner when the guy tried to rape me.”

“Killed. Raped,” Neha repeated, breathing heavier than ever.

“No, no, no. You don’t understand. No one actually raped me,” Lindsay said. “Jackson saved me from the guy who ordered my kidnapping and drove me all the way home from Chicago. We got to know each other really well on the trip. We stole a couple of cars together and even knocked over a pharmacy. That was before the shootout.”

“Lindsay, please . . . quit talking,” Rainhorse said. “Neha, I know this is a lot to take in, but you know me. You know my character—the kind of man I am. That hasn’t changed.” He flashed a stern look at Lindsay. “All evidence to the contrary,” he continued.

“Really, Neha,” Lindsay said, ignoring Rainhorse’s plea to quit talking. “Rainy is a good man. He’ll find Lona and return her safely to you. If anyone can do it, he can.”

“Ok,” Neha said. “As you said, it’s a lot to take in. We’ll discuss this later . . . I guess.  I’ve been listening to the police band radio the whole night, since I got off the phone with you earlier,” Neha said. “It sounds like the tribal police believes you slipped through their fingers. They are notifying the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Department, asking for their cooperation to find you.”

“What does that mean?” Lindsay asked.

“It means they believe you have left the res,” Ska answered.

“That’s a good thing, right?” Lindsay asked.

Rainhorse nodded, “It is a very good thing, but it’s temporary. Sooner or later, they will figure out we are someplace on the res, but we have a little time.”

“The Tribal Police is not your biggest concern, anyway,” Neha added. “Tony Apollo and Henry Rattling Thunder are the ones you must worry about. They will be looking for you on and off the res.”

“With any luck, I will find them first,” Rainhorse said.

“Don’t kill Apollo,” Neha said. “He’s our only link to Lona.”

“I know,” he replied. “I will make him tell me where she is, and I will bring her back to you.”

“How did she get taken?” Lindsay asked. “If you don’t mind my asking.”

“We don’t know with absolute certainty,” Neha said. “Last Saturday, she went with two of her friends to the Wolf Point Mall. They were hanging out at a soda shop and ended up separated. They tried calling her cell phone but there was no answer. They searched every store for her but didn’t notify mall security for almost an hour. One of the guards found her cell phone in a trash receptacle. She was gone.”

“Jesus, and in broad daylight?” Lindsay gasped. “What about security cameras?”

“This is the res,” Neha said, “not some fancy mall in Chicago. There are few cameras, and the people who took her knew right where they were.”

“Neha, I’m so sorry,” Lindsay said.

“It happens so often here on the res, people are almost numb to the news, unless it directly affects them,” Neha said. “That’s why she was only allowed to go places in groups. They are supposed to watch out for each other. Lona got complacent—wandered away.”

“If it happened Saturday, they have probably not moved her off the res yet,” Rainhorse said. “We have time.”

“Don’t worry, Neha. Jackson . . . I mean, Rainy, will find her,” Lindsay said.

She looked at Rainhorse and smiled, “I believe he will.”

She looked at the big man, “Jackson?” she asked.

“Huh?”

“Lindsay . . . Why does she call you Jackson?”

He shrugged, “Long story.”

Lindsay noted Ska was almost asleep in her chair. The tea had worked—it was working on Lindsay, too.

“If it’s ok with you guys, I think I’ll help Ska to bed and then turn in myself,” Lindsay said.

“Rainy told me that all your bags are back in Plentywood,” Neha said. “I have some spare nightclothes for you and Ska, if you like.”

“That’s very nice of you, yes,” Lindsay said. “Also, if you wouldn’t mind, may I borrow your washer and dryer? I don’t have any other clothes with me.”

“You certainly may,” Neha replied. “Lona’s clothes are about your size as well. You are welcome to pick through and wear anything you want.”

“I wouldn’t feel right,” Lindsay said.

“No, really,” Neha insisted. “She would not mind a bit.”

“Well, thank you. Good night.”

Neha nodded, “We’ll keep the noise down. Rainy and I still have some catching up to do. I’d like some details of his . . . occupational activities over the last few years.”

Lindsay nodded, offering a shrug and a look of embarrassment in Rainhorse’s direction. He glared at her.