CHAPTER THIRTY

-:- JIG -:-

The women were certainly in high spirits last night after their meeting. They were all tight-lipped about anything they’d agreed on, too. I did get the impression, from what I overheard, that Kayla had taken the reins where the planning was involved. Mia seems fine with that, although I got the feeling at first that the idea of the meeting was for her to be the leading planner.

Now it’s my turn to be all excited, because this morning I hand over Kenzie’s trike. I’ve arranged for Fist to bring it over while Kenzie is showing off at the club shooting range in the compound. I know she’ll love it, and at the same time, I’m scared to death that she won’t.

BigDog has a part to play in the handover, and I’ve been secretly rehearsing with him whenever I’ve had the chance. Kenzie almost caught us one morning, but I just averted a disaster by the skin of my teeth. He’ll be the icing on the cake at the handover, I’m hoping.

Taking Flynn to one side, I explain that I need everyone ready on time to go to the clubhouse. I tell him I have a surprise for Kenzie when she finishes showing off her shooting skills, but not what the surprise is. He’s intrigued and I hope he can keep the secret for a couple of hours.

Kenzie knows when she looks at me I’m up to something. She says nothing, but she’s watching me like a hawk.

“So, Beautiful, you’re happy with your surprise visitors?” Maybe I can convince her that’s why I’m grinning. I sure as hell can’t stop grinning every time I think of her trike.

“If that’s what you’re grinning about, I know that you didn’t arrange it, so don’t try taking the credit.”

“I’m happy that you’re happy. Can’t that be enough?” Reaching out, I give her a hug and I can feel the tension in her. Getting one over on this woman is going to be difficult, I can see that.

“Let’s have breakfast with everybody. It’s nice to have the house full, don’t you think?”

Giving me her suspicious look, she grabs a bowl and fills it with cereal and milk. Leaving her to chat with Kayla, I head off to the bathroom.

Me: Is everything set?

Fist: Sure is. Just waiting for the go from you.

Me: Great. I owe you for this.

Fist: Don’t worry, I won’t forget. {a laughing and a winking emoji.}

Dropping my phone in my back pocket, I flush the toilet. Walking out the door, I almost knock Kenzie over.

“You didn’t wash your hands and we’re all waiting for you.”

I’m just about to say I don’t need to wash them when I realize I’d be admitting I was up to something other than a toilet break. After I wash my hands, I leave the cabin and head for my hog. Kenzie has BigDog in the Jeep and Flynn has his family in the rental, then we head off to the clubhouse. On arrival, I play car park attendant so I can get them parked exactly as I want them to make space for the trike when Fist arrives.

Seeing Winter here already has me on edge. This means there could be something else going on I’m not aware of. Grabbing Winter’s attention, I quickly ask what’s happening and let her know that I have something planned as a surprise.

“Kenzie told me she was going to be here this morning, so I thought I’d surprise her and let her show off in real style. She’s had a couple of lessons with a bow and she’s good at that, so I brought one. She said she wants to try my sniper rifle sometime, so I brought that for her to shoot, too. If it’s a problem, I’ll just say I came to watch.”

“No, that’s not a problem. I just don’t want her whisked away after her shooting, that’s all.”

“I think you’re the only one that’s done any whisking as far as Kenzie is concerned.” Laughing, she walks over to say hi to everyone and we all wander off through the compound to the range.

BigDog doesn’t have his leash on and is off exploring with Lynx and Phoenix. I notice he stops every so often and gets his bearings as to where Kenzie is. Even now, he does everything at such a leisurely pace, yet still keeps up with the kids.

Arriving at the range, Winter lets Kenzie show everyone how she checks that her weapon is safe, then she pulls a blindfold from her pocket.

“You want to show off, Kenzie, let’s do it in style.” Putting the blindfold over her eyes, Winter stands her in front of the table. She explains what Kenzie is going to do and then asks if she’s ready. Before Kenzie can answer, Winter shouts, “Go!”

Kenzie snatches up her Glock and starts to strip it down. As soon as the last parts are on the table. She holds her hands out so that we can see they’re empty and then she starts again, re-building it. Her hands move like a robot and it’s not long before she puts down the Glock, back in one piece.

Kayla and the kids clap loudly in excitement and Flynn stands there mesmerized by what he’s just witnessed. Taking off her blindfold, Kenzie beams at them all in turn.

“Now for the best part.” Picking up the Glock, she takes off the safety and fires off two shots at the closest target, two at the next two targets and then empties the magazine at the farthest one. We can all see the accuracy of her shots from where we stand. This is the first time I’ve seen her shoot and by God, she is good.

Positively glowing with excitement, she reloads and fires again. This time, the first two targets are shredded and the farthest just has the top half left.

Winter walks to a bag she must have placed earlier and takes out her bow. Handing it to Kenzie, she says, “Go on, show them what you can do with that. Didn’t know she’d been learning archery, did you, Jig?”

“It’s not learning anything from you that worries me, Winter. It’s the damn cleaver throwing that has me the most concerned.”

With a bigger grin than the one I’m wearing, Kenzie gets ready, showing that she’ll be aiming for the fifty-yard target. She takes a deep breath. Her first arrow is on the bottom edge but inside the first circle. The rest get progressively better and closer to the bullseye. Although she doesn’t hit the bull, she’s still very close.

Thinking she’s done, she hands the bow back to Winter, thanks her and talks to Flynn and Kayla. Winter takes the bow back to the bag, but when she returns with her sniper rifle, Kenzie looks green with envy.

Lying on a mat, Winter looks through the scope on her rifle. After making some minor adjustments, she speaks to Kenzie.

“Take the binoculars I left on the table and you’ll see a target at three hundred yards. You can be my spotter.”

Winter relaxes and almost molds into the mat. Her concentration is totally focused on the target. When she fires, the rifle is surprisingly quiet. Kenzie, watching the target, tells Winter she’s level with the bull but in the ring next to it. Making another minor adjustment to her scope, she relaxes into the mat once again. You can almost see her muscles relax as she concentrates on the one thing that matters. The target.

Firing again, Kenzie squeals with excitement. “Bullseye... Dead center... What a shot. I want to be that good one day.”

“Come and have a go. Show us what you’re made of.”

“Honestly? With your rifle? Oh my God. This is a dream come true. Can this day get any better? What do I need to know?” Kenzie is ecstatic that she’s getting to fire Winter’s personal rifle. Lying on the mat, Winter talks her through the shot. Kenzie holds the rifle like it’s the Holy Grail. She pays rapt attention to Winter, hanging on her every word. Placing her eye to the scope, she breathes slowly, relaxing her muscles as Winter did. When she fires, she looks up at Winter expectantly. “Miss... Too high... Try again.”

Settling into her position again, Kenzie shoulders the rifle and prepares herself. After she fires, she waits for Winter to report on the shot.

“High, left, two inches. Last chance.”

Once more Kenzie settles herself on the mat and takes a moment longer this time to calm her breathing. When she’s ready, she steadies the rifle and pulls it tighter into her shoulder. Taking the shot, she stays lying on the mat waiting for Winter.

“Left center... You just clipped the ring of the bullseye. That’s darn good shooting at that distance and with a rifle you’ve never used before. Well done.” Winter looks almost as pleased as Kenzie, though I don’t think anyone could be more excited than her right now.

Jumping up, she lays the rifle on the table as though it’s made of glass, then hugs Winter. “Thank you. That was an amazing experience. I can’t tell you what a high that gave me. I’ve got to get me one of these.”

“Movie quote. Can’t remember which.” Winter looks at Kenzie as though it was an everyday thing.

Lynx quotes, “Independence Day.”

Phoenix says, “Batman begins.”

Winter looks at them. “You are both too young to have watched either of those movies. How would you know that?”

“We used to play a game with Auntie Mack. She made it up one night while she was babysitting us.”

“Hey, what can I say? It kept them off their tech shit for a while, if nothing else.” Kenzie looks at Flynn and Kayla and shrugs.

Kayla looks at Flynn. “Well, that explains a few things as they were growing up.” Flynn just nods.

Taking Kenzie’s hand in mine, I smile at her. “That was awesome. I now know if I ever piss you off, I’ll need a thousand-yard head start, just to be on the safe side.”

“You know Winter’s rifle is accurate to one thousand six hundred yards? You’d never make it, so don’t piss me off, Handsome.” Laughing, we all head back to the clubhouse, BigDog still hanging out with the kids.

When we reach the clubhouse, I stop everyone just before we go round the corner to the front of the building. “Wait here until I fetch you. I’ll just be a minute. Okay? BigDog... Come on boy.”

Disappearing for a minute, I set BigDog up in his special position to help me pull this off. Walking back to collect Kenzie and the rest of the crew, I can’t help my stupid grin. Coming to the front of the clubhouse, everyone looks suspicious when they see nothing out of place.

“Keep walking Kenzie. I have something for you.”

As we pass by the Jeep, the trike comes into view. Being so low, the jeep hid it perfectly.

“What on earth is that?” Kenzie is looking at me as though I have two heads.

“It’s your girl gang trike, fitted with a special seat so you can take BigDog with you. It’s a perfect fit, don’t you think? He loves it already. He has the keys for you.”

Sitting behind the driver's seat on a special wide seat, sits BigDog. He has a leather helmet and goggles on with the keys hanging from his mouth on a bone shaped keyring.

Walking around it, she says, “It’s absolutely bonkers. Look at that driving position. How big are those rear tires? What did that engine come out of? A truck? It’s huge. It has an automatic gearbox? I’ve never seen anything so ridiculous in all my born days. Jig, I love it.”

Taking the keys from BigDog she starts asking questions. Where’s the ignition key go? Where’s the brakes? Lowering herself into the driver's seat, she looks over the controls. Stretching her legs out to the pedals and footrests, she wriggles lower in her seat to be comfortable.

Starting the engine, she gives it some gas and the exhausts positively purr back at her. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so happy in all my life.

“Is BigDog okay where he is?” She shouts over the noise of the engine.

“He’s buckled in. He’s fine.”

“In that case, get your hog. We’re out of here.” Before I get to my hog, she’s rumbling towards the gate, Flynn, Winter and everyone else, forgotten.

We’re gone around thirty minutes and apart from a couple of minor hiccups, she handles the trike very well. Arriving back at the club, I’m only just off my hog when she grabs me and kisses the ever-lovin’ shit out of me.

“You like it then?” I ask when I get my breath back.

“I love it. It’s the most least motorbike looking thing I’ve ever seen, if you know what I mean. It rides or drives or whatever it does, like a dream. It goes like hot shit off a shovel and sounds like nothing else on the roads. I never thought in a million years I’d ever have anything with less than four wheels, but I’m going to use that thing as much as the Jeep. Matching the color was genius. You got me hooked as soon as I saw it. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Trotting back to her trike, she releases BigDog from his harness and takes off his helmet and goggles. He shakes his head and I swear he grins, too. Walking into the clubhouse, everyone waits for her verdict. Standing in the center of the common room, she looks around.

“That thing is totally fucking badass, and I love it.” Hearing Lynx and Phoenix giggle, Kenzie blushes. “Sorry guys. I forgot there were children present.”