Search Me (18 page)

We didn’t stop running until we reached the truck and clambered inside. Maddox dug the keys out and fired up the engine. He threw the gear into reverse and squealed tires out of the parking space, narrowly missing a Senior Citizens group. They gave us evil looks when we pealed past them. But their expressions quickly changed to horror when Jensen’s two men came rushing out of the exhibition hall with guns in hand. I cringed in anticipation of bullets flying at the truck, but instead, a police siren screeched in my ears. Park security followed by two Gordon County Sheriff’s cars came roaring passed us.

“Looks like the Calvary finally showed up,” Maddox said as he gunned the truck. We tore out of the parking lot practically on two wheels. Both of us were breathing hard and grasping at our chests. It took us a few minutes to calm down and get our breath back. Once Maddox had put enough distance between New Echota and us, he asked, “How in the hell did Jensen know where to find us?”

“Maybe he did a little research and figured out the one place in the state we could go to get the translation?”

“That’s just great.”

“I guess a hotel room is out of the question now, huh? With Jensen and his men all over the area.”

Maddox dug his phone out of his pocket. “Actually, I think I’ve got the perfect place for us to crash, and it’s only about thirty minutes from here. It’s probably the one place Jensen wouldn’t think to look for us.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I exclaimed, taking in West’s Roadside Diner.

Maddox killed the engine and then glanced over at me. “What’s the problem?”

I couldn’t even speak—I was that shocked. I mean, when I heard the words, ‘roadside grill’, I expected some kind of restaurant. Instead, I got a stop on the Highway to Hell. All I could do was stare at the gleaming chrome of twenty-something motorcycles littering the front, not to mention the three eighteen wheelers parked in the side lot. “You can’t honestly expect me to go in there!”

Maddox frowned. “And why not?”

“I-It’s like a biker bar from hell or something.”

He chuckled. “Are you seriously afraid?”

Even though I hated to admit it, I bobbed my head.

“Don’t worry. Stick close to me, and you’ll be fine.”

Maddox started to open his door, but I grabbed his arm. “But I’m underage.”

He shrugged. “West’ll smooth it over.” My continued apprehension caused him to make a frustrated noise in the back of his throat. “Look, princess, I’m sorry it’s not the Four Seasons, but with Jensen’s men snooping around, hotels are kinda out of the question.”

His sudden attitude caused me to snap, “And just where are we supposed to sleep? On the pool table or behind the bar?”

Maddox gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. “West said there’s a room upstairs with a bed and a bathroom that we could crash in.
Free
of charge.”

I didn’t want to contemplate what the so-called accommodations might look like. I released a sigh, realizing with armed men tracking us and a treasure to find beggars couldn’t be choosers. “Fine, let’s go.”

“Jeez, don’t hurt yourself saying thanks for finding us a place to unwind and sleep,” he grumbled as he slammed the door.

Rolling my eyes, I slung my purse over my shoulder and then hoisted the Cherokee Lore book into the crook of my arm. He came around the front of the truck with a sour look on his face. “I’m sorry, okay? I really appreciate you hooking this up for us.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. In the vast scheme of things, I don’t think Jensen and his men would even think twice about us being holed up in a biker bar.”

Maddox laughed. “No, I don’t suppose they would.”

We started across the parking lot. “So this West guy—you were in the Army together?”

“Nah, we ended up in the same VA hospital. He actually did a tour in Afghanistan—roadside bomb took him out of commission for a while. He’s doing much better now that he’s home and working for his old man.”

“And does this West have a first name?”

Maddox shrugged. “He’s always been West to me.” With a short laugh, he said, “He’s probably got some fruity first name he’s ashamed of like Terry or Sebastian.”

He held the door open for me, resting a hand on the small of my back. The tiny gesture was comforting, but I would have preferred his entire arm around me. Hazy rings of smoke filled the air, stinging my eyes and making me cough. Through my clouded vision, I saw several of the booths and tables were filled. Even though it wasn’t yet Happy Hour, some men in trucker hats lounged at the bar, nursing foamy beers.

A tall, lanky guy with shaggy dark hair stood under a neon Budweiser sign, cleaning glasses with a rag. Even from where I stood, I could see the shrapnel scars on his neck. The sight of us caused his face to stretch into a wide grin. “I’ll be damned! Look what the cat dragged in.”

Maddox’s hand dropped from around me as he reached out to pump West’s hand. “It’s good to see you again, man. Especially outside that shithole of a VA hospital.” He then turned to me. “Lane, this is my buddy West I was telling you about.”

West eyed me from head to toe before grinning slyly at Maddox. “Pickin’ ‘em kinda young now, aren’t you?”

Maddox grimaced as I blurted, “Oh no, we’re not together like
that
.”

West snorted. “Yeah, like I haven’t heard that one before.”

Rolling his eyes, Maddox argued, “She’s nineteen, asshole, and we grew up together. Her dad spent some time with Maudie.”

West didn’t seem to buy Maddox’s explanation. With a wink, he leaned in over the bar. “Can I get you something to drink, sweetheart? Maybe some milk?”

Maddox gave a frustrated grunt. “Listen, man, just give us a break. The last twenty-four hours have been pure hell.”

“Lemme guess. You knocked her up, her parents hate your guts, and now you’re on your way to Ringgold, the elopement capitol of the world this side of the Mississippi?”

Blood rushed to my face. “Excuse me?”

“Lane, he’s—” Maddox began.

“Do I actually look pregnant…you…you asshole?”

West shrugged. “Takes a while to show.”

I jabbed my finger at Maddox. “I haven’t had sex with him in three years!” I shouted over the music. Just as I finished, I realized the jukebox had shut off. My statement echoed around the room, causing the truckers to turn around and stare at me. “Oh God,” I moaned, burying my head in my hands.

“She’s serious, man. We…” Maddox scratched the back of his neck and grimaced. “We hooked up before I left for Basic, but nothing else now and we’re sure as hell not heading to elope,” Maddox said.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.”

I jerked my head up. “I would hope so.”

“You can’t fault me for thinking it though. I mean, old Mad Dog Diaz here was known for being quite a ladies’ man.”

I glanced over at Maddox to find his eyes wide as saucers. He frantically shook his head at West while giving him a pleading look. “Did you just call him
Mad Dog
?” I asked, enjoying watching Maddox squirm.

West grinned. “Oh yeah. He practically charmed the scrubs off of every nurse in the hospital.”

“Dude, do us both a favor and shut the fuck up!” Maddox growled.

“Okay, okay, point taken.” West held his hands up in defeat for good measure. “Why don’t you let me make it up to you with a free lunch?”

My stomach rumbled at the mention of food. “That would be great, but we can’t let you treat. I mean, you’re already being nice enough to let us crash here for the night.”

“Lane’s right,” Maddox replied.

West nodded. “All right then. Lunch it is, just not on the house. Why don’t you two head over to that last booth in the corner?” He motioned to a secluded area away from most of the noise and smoke. “I’ll send Tina over to take your order.”

“Thanks, man.” Maddox grabbed his bag and then motioned for me to go on ahead of him. I think it was less about ladies first and more that he wanted to keep an eye on my butt in case one of the patrons got fresh. I slid into the booth and pushed the
History of the Cherokee
book over to the side of the table. Maddox grabbed two menus out from behind the napkin canister and passed one to me.

They didn’t have a whole lot to choose from, but it didn’t take me and my hunger too long to decide. Tina appeared to take our order decked out in a skin-tight shirt and Daisy Duke shorts. “What can I get you two?”

“I’ll have a double bacon cheeseburger, an order of fries, a side of baked beans, and a Diet Coke.” I glanced up from the menu to see Maddox staring at me, open-mouthed. “What?”

“Call me crazy, but I thought ballerinas existed on celery and tofu.”

“Yeah, well, this ballerina is extremely stressed out and wants a heaping helping of grease.”

He grinned and shook his head. “Give me the same. Except I’ll take a Budweiser.”

“Comin’ right up,” Tina said.

As soon as she left the table, Maddox got down to business. He took out a notepad and a couple of pens from his bag. He unfolded the paper with Paul’s map decoding and slid it to the middle of the table where we both could read it. After we were organized and ready to go, we just kept staring at the words long after Tina returned with our drinks.

Maddox took a giant gulp of his beer and then rubbed his hands together. “Okay, here’s what I’m thinking. The yellow gift has to be gold, right?”

“Yeah, I think so, too. And if the yellow gift is gold, then the place where it was first found has to be Dahlonega—the former gold mining capitol of Georgia.”

Maddox scribbled down
Dahlonega = yellow gift
on the legal pad. He glanced back up at me and grinned. “Hey, we actually figured something out!”

I laughed. “I think it’s a little early to be celebrating.”

He tapped his finger against his temple. “Gotta think positive now.”

“And on the positive note, I think I’ll make a quick bathroom stop.”

“Go right ahead.” Maddox craned his neck over to the bar. “Hey West, where’s your little girl’s room?”

“That way,” West replied, pointing over his shoulder.

“I could’ve found it myself,” I muttered, rising up out of the booth.

I hustled in and out of the bathroom that had not only graffiti-filled stalls, but the walls were covered as well. I arrived back to the booth just as Tina was setting down our plates. Momentarily the map was forgotten as the heavenly aroma of grease invaded my senses. I took a giant bite of my burger. It was so good and I was so hungry that I practically inhaled it in three bites.

With a little fortification, I pressed on. “Okay, Paul said that colors and numbers were symbolic, so we should probably start there.” I popped a fry into my mouth and flipped to the back index, found the page I wanted, and started reading aloud. “Color symbolism played an important part in the shamanistic system of the Cherokees. Each one of the cardinal directions had a corresponding color and meaning. Shamans used the colors to invoke the spirits.”

Maddox’s eyes widened. “So ‘power of the white’ and ‘ward off the Black Man’ are giving us actual physical directions somewhere?”

I nodded as my finger ran along the lines. “North is blue, south is white, west is black, and east is red.”

Once again, Maddox scribbled on the notepad. “Okay, so we’re looking at going first south and then west.”

“Sounds like it.” My brows furrowed in frustration as I read over the lines again. “But where in the hell do we start from?”

We sat lost in thought for a few moments before Maddox leaned forward. “Okay, the whole ‘leave the place where there are tracks’ has got to mean something. When you leave, you’re going in a direction, right?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Okay, so check and see if you can find anything in the book about a place with the word ‘track’ in it, and I’ll check on my phone.”

While Maddox used a modern Google search, I flipped through the book. Minutes ticked by, and I started getting a little antsy. I had just honed in on a list of places when Maddox said, “I think I found something.” He held out his phone, so I could read the screen. “See that weird word
Datsu’nalasgunyi
? It means ‘where there are tracks’.”