Page 55 of Biker's Property
“What? Jealous?”
“Why would I be jealous?” Joslin responds with startling practicality. “These pictures are women who have been trafficked.”
“Looks like one escaped,” I mutter. “I’ve seen her recently… and that makes me wonder… Were there any maps in your stack?”
“Yes,” she says. “A couple.”
She takesout a map that looks like it could be in Oklahoma, out near the rez. I can see the outlines of various properties and then yellow highlighter along the highway. There are other routes colored in with orange highlighter, pink highlighter, purple, and then blue. I don’t know what all this means but… it has to be connected.
“Fuck. This is important shit.”
I look at Joslin,not suspicious of her, but suspicious of the damn universe for putting this woman in front of me. We could have spent months tracking this information down before narrowing in on that spot in Arizona that has brought us so close to answers. Joslin is a good luck charm, honestly.
After I went to prison, I thought for sure there would never be any good luck in my life again.
Prison has a way of bringing the bleakest mindset out of a man. Captivity is pure fucking torture.
“Who are these people?” she asks. “What do those maps mean?”
Joslin’s curiosity fascinates me just as much as her distinctive eyes and her sienna colored skin. I want to give her answers, but I’m almost as ignorant as she is.
“Could be routes they use. What interests me is right here.”
“The Indian reservation?”
She glances suspiciously at Oske’s picture.
“Yup.”
“What do you have to do with the Indian reservation?”
“Nothing personally,” I mutter. “But my brother’s best friend knows this woman… I suspect she’s his cousin or something.”
Joslin says. “Okay. Is she in trouble?”
“Sheisthe trouble. I’d better call Hawk.”
“Are you going to leave again?” Joslin asks, her voice carrying the strong suggestion that she doesn’t want me to leave. Or maybe I’m just hearing what I want to hear. I set down the picture and the maps, because I want to make my position absolutely clear to Joslin Overman. Slowly, I take her into my arms, and she eagerly accepts my embrace.
“No,” I say directly into her ear, taking the opportunity to nibble on her cute ass ear lobe. “I’m handing this shit over to my brother and the boss… then I’m taking you across the country to get married and tattooed.”
“I didn’t agree to the tattoo…”
“But you agreed to the ring,” I whisper. “And marrying a crazy biker who would do anything to protect you. So I’ll take my time convincing you about the tattoo.”
She shivers nervously and I wrap my arms around her more tightly. Part of me wants to comfort her, but a bigger part of me wants to let her know that there isn’t a chance in hell I’m ever letting her ass go. It’s just not gonna happen.
“You’re crazy.”
I pull away from her and reach for my phone without giving her a verbal response. Crazy? Won’t deny that.
“Give me a minute,”I tell her as I gesture towards the motel room door. “I’ll call my brother and then we’ll hit the road.”
Joslin nodsand waves me away. She’s still mesmerized by the files and evidence laid out on the table. I can’t blame her for her curiosity, but I’ll have to stop that curiosity in its tracks so we can get to more important business – our marriage. Hunter picks up after one ring.
“I knew you would call,” he says. “Did you lose Joslin?”
He’s such a dick.