Secrets and Lies | ✔️

Chapter 29 - Jackson

Ch.29 - Jackson

Once the sun rose from the horizon, the chill of the morning dissipated quickly and a thick layer of sticky moisture covered Jackson's skin underneath his camouflaged jacket. The ground was wet and soggy from an overnight storm and the chunky soles of his boots sank into the soft grooves of the earth as the men moved through the woods.

Jackson propped the butt of the rifle into the palm of his hand, the barrel leaning against his shoulder, while the other hand swatted at the swarm of mosquitoes that were trying to make him their breakfast. The only sound that could be heard was the occasional twig snapping underfoot as Charlie, Ryan and himself made their way deeper into the thicket of trees.

He'd been so close to taking Charlie out, so close the sweet taste of victory still lingered on his tongue, until that piece of shit Ryan pulled up in his poor excuse of a truck. Jackson didn't like the gruff young man. He didn't like the strawberry-blonde of his hair, the way the curve of his thin lips were set in a perpetual smirk or the cocky way he studied his every move, as if he somehow knew he was up to no good.

But the man couldn't possibly know what he had planned, and what seemed "no good" to some was "just right" for others. Taking Charlie out of the picture felt "just right" to him. It fact, it felt downright justified.

Jackson looked toward the ground, his eyes still attempting to adjust to the mottled sunlight between the trees, trying to plot out a new plan. As far as he could tell, the two young men were taking turns watching him like a hawk, careful not to let him out of their sight for even a moment. All that crap he'd fed them about being an inexperienced hunter was making it increasingly difficult for him to slip behind them unnoticed, they were taking extra precautions to ensure he kept up the pace.

Even though Ryan tagging along was less than ideal, Jackson was unable to fight the wild beating of his heart. One of the moments that had been years in the making had finally arrived and he'd be damned if some blue-collar redneck was going to ruin it for him. He would just have to forget Ryan was there and focus on Charlie, eventually he would find a way to separate himself from their view and then BAM! Goodbye, Mr. Wilson. Forever.

Jackson took a deep breath as he surveyed the woods in front of them. Hunting wild boar in the backwoods of Florida was not something he'd foreseen himself doing, yet here he was chasing down a herd of nonexistent swine, pretending to give a shit. He was a big game hunter, not some two-bit hog stalker. There was nothing he enjoyed more than taking down something thirty times his size. Elephant, lion, buffalo; he'd overpowered them all. A collector of trophies, that's what he was. Wild boar was beneath him. But if this is what he had to do to get Charlie alone, then so be it. He hadn't risen to the top being hasty and foolish. He knew when to go with the flow and when to move against the tide, and to accomplish this goal he needed to lay low. Rocking the boat would get him no where fast. Especially with that low-life Ryan around.

Ryan suddenly stopped moving and held up his hand, signaling for them to be still. Jackson strained against the quiet sounds of the forest, just waking up from a long night of sleep.

"Over there," Ryan whispered. He cocked his head, his eyes swiveling to the right.

Jackson followed his gaze and off in the distance, about 300 yards away, he could just make out the course bristles of dark brown fur. The beast appeared athletic and tough even though it was on the smaller side, most likely weighing in around 150 pounds. Its snout receded into a sturdy, long head with small ears on alert, and broad shoulders that tapered down to narrow hind quarters. Long legs held the hog motionless as the men sized him up.

"Holy shit!" Ryan leaned his head closer toward the men so the swine wouldn't hear him. "Nothin' beats the pure adrenaline rush of going up against a wild boar!"