Chapter Seventeen

 

 

 

Riding on the back of Jordan’s bike, going God knows where, it all felt surreal. I kept wondering if last night’s fiasco even happened and if the intriguing man in front of me was part of a dream. I almost hoped not, because there was something about him that got under my skin. Yes, I knew that he was dangerous and had done some pretty dark things, but, there was no denying that when he looked at me, my knees felt like jelly and my heart beat a little faster. It wasn’t just that he was gorgeous, smelled amazing, and had a smile that belonged in the movies; there was something in his eyes…

I’d always heard that they were the windows into the soul and when I looked into his, I wondered if we had much more in common than either of us realized. We’d both been victims of monsters and although we were dealing with the abuse in totally different ways, it was obvious that we’d both survived some pretty unspeakable horrors.

“You okay?” he hollered, as we left another small town.

“Yes. How much longer?” I yelled back.

“Another forty minutes!”

“Okay!”

I thought about the days ahead and wondered again where this intriguing man was taking me. The thought of being alone with him had been frightening, at first, but now I was feeling more of a squirmy excitement. The man, who everyone called ‘The Judge’, wasn’t what I’d expected and it was definitely a relief. Of course, I was basing what I felt by looks, which I knew was wrong, but something in my gut told me that although he was a killer, he wasn’t necessarily a bad man.

Jordan suddenly pointed up at the sky, toward a beautiful eagle and slowed slightly. As we drove, it almost appeared to be following us and I had to smile.

“Those were endangered, not too long ago,” he hollered as it veered away from us.

“I know.”

“The world is pretty messed up.”

“It certainly is,” I answered, staring at his gloved hands.

 

***

 

 

Twenty-five minutes later, we were entering Cedar Rapids.

“What are we doing here?” I asked, stiffening up as we passed the sign welcoming us.

“We’re catching a plane.”

I relaxed. “Oh. Okay.”

As we drove toward the airport, I half-expected that we would run into one of the Devil’s Rangers. We lucked out.

When we arrived at the small airport, we dropped the bike off at a rental garage and grabbed our belongings from the saddle bags. Then he made a phone call to someone named Barney. When he was finished, he nodded toward the restrooms.

“I need to use the bathroom. I’ll be out shortly.”

“Okay,” I replied.

“Would you like something to drink?” he asked, motioning toward a small café that was down the hall.

“Actually, that sounds like a good idea. I’m a little thirsty.”

“Here,” he said, pulling out his wallet. He handed me some cash. “It’s going to be a long flight, so if you could get us a couple of sandwiches and maybe a bag of pretzels? Also, grab a couple of bottled water.”

“What kind of sandwiches?”

“Whatever looks good; I’m not picky.”

“Okay. I have money, too, you know. I can help pay for some of this.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just thank Slammer when you see him, next. This trip is on him,” he replied, smiling.

I smiled back. Of course it was. “Will do.”

“I’ll meet you at the café.”

“Okay.”

After he disappeared into the bathroom, I headed over to the small bistro and did what he asked. Then I sat down and began drinking one of the bottles of water. As I was screwing the cap back on, a man sat down next to me. Before I could tell him the seat was taken, he smiled and my jaw dropped.

Jordan.

“Why are undercover?” I whispered, stunned that he was now wearing a short blonde wig and glasses. He’d also done something to his jet-black eyebrows, because they were now much lighter, matching the new goatee surrounding his mouth.

“In my line of work, I wear many disguises,” he said softly. “This one I use for traveling with the man who’ll be flying us to my cabin. He thinks my name is Jim, by the way. Jim Blake.”

“Not very original,” I replied, smirking “What about me? Shouldn’t I be wearing a disguise?”

He looked around. “Maybe, but there’s no time. Here comes our pilot, by the way.”

I followed his eyes and saw an older man with grey hair heading toward us. “Long time no see,” he said, smiling as he shook Jordan’s hand. “What happened? They fire you, Jim?”

“No. Had a family emergency. This is my cousin, Jessica. She just separated from her husband and needs a quiet place to stay. Figured the cabin would be perfect.”

“Nice meeting you, Jessica,” said the man, holding out his hand. “I’m Barney.”

“Hi,” I replied, shaking it.

“I didn’t know you had family in Iowa, Jim,” said Barney, staring at me curiously.

“I’m actually from Minnesota,” I replied, before he could answer. “I drove out here earlier today, to meet up with him.” I grabbed Jordan’s hand and noticed him flinch, but thankfully, Barney didn’t seem to notice. “I’m so grateful that you’re letting me stay, Jimmy.”

Regaining his composure, his lip curled up in a half smile. “We’re family. It’s the least I could do.”

“I’m sorry to hear about you and your husband,” said Barney, as I released Jordan’s hand. “But I have to say, it’s nice meeting one of Jim’s family members. He’s so quiet about his personal life. Sometimes I wonder if he’s a Martian from Outer-space, sent here to spy on all of us.”

I laughed. “Oh, he’s always been like that. Doesn’t like to share anything. Hell, sometimes I wonder if he’s an alien myself.”

Barney chuckled.

Jordan yawned. “If I am then you’re both in trouble, once we get into the sky. Especially now that you’ve blown my cover.”

Barney waved his hand. “Eh, I’ve already had run-ins with aliens. We’ve got an agreement. I don’t rat on them, and they keep it quiet about the pot I’ve got growing in the backyard.”

I stared at him in surprise. “Barney, you’re growing marijuana?”

He chuckled. “It’s for my wife. She uses it for medicinal purpose. She has Crohn’s Disease and says it helps with inflammation and pain.”

“Aren’t you afraid of getting arrested for growing it, though?” I asked.

His eyes sparkled. “Growing what? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I smile and looked at Jordan, who I noticed was staring at me.

“We should get going,” he said, looking away quickly. He checked his watch. “It’s almost seven.”

“Yeah. We’d better get a move on,” agreed Barney.

“I’m just happy that you were still in Iowa,” said Jordan, as we began walking toward the gates.

“To be honest, I took my time today. I didn’t feel like rushing back home to an empty house.”

“So, where do you live, Barney?” I asked him.

“Alaska. Just like Jim,” he replied.

And there it was. We were going to Alaska.

I glanced over at Jordan. “Aren’t there a lot of bears in Alaska? Like Grizzlies?”

Before he could answer, Barney snorted. “Honey, there are much scarier things in Iowa then there are in Alaska. Mark my words.”

I believed him.