‘Well that’s gonna piss the other Families right off.’
She thought she’d misheard and asked him to repeat himself. He looked at her as if she were slow but explained his statement anyway.
‘He’s a Mason Captain and you’re a Hannam Rose, not to mention the sister of the boss. That’s going to create one hell of an alliance.’
‘Did you not hear a word I just said? Hawk doesn’t want me.’
Cross shrugged again and turned away. She stepped forward and grabbed his arm. He looked down at her hand and she pulled it away. Then he looked her in the eye.
‘Hawk Mason has loved you since he was five years old, ever since his mother placed you in his arms the day you were born. Maybe you don’t remember and maybe he’s trying to forget but a Mason never changes their mind. When he told both your parents that he was going to protect you forever, you better believe that he meant it, no matter how young he was. If he hadn’t been messed up so early, Mike wouldn’t have had a chance to get anywhere near you. You don’t just walk away from everything he’s done without any battles scars, so if you thought you and Hawk coming together was going to be easy, you’re out of your mind. Hawk is a fighter who’s not right in the head and you’re just beginning to know yourself, maybe you don’t want to hear me say that but it’s time for you to face facts. You need Hawk and he needs you. You can both fight it all you want but mark my words, you belong together.’
She was stunned. Cross had just confirmed what she had always hoped for yet never dared believe. The fairytale Hawk’s mother had told her night after night had been about them. But she shook her head, her mouth dry.
‘You’re wrong.’
Cross stepped in close, forcing her to look up into his eyes and snarled.
‘Why the fuck do you care what I believe?’
She couldn’t bring herself to answer. It wasn’t that she cared what he believed, it was that she knew that everything he was saying was true, but that it didn’t make a difference, and knowing that destroyed her. When it was clear that she wasn’t going to say anything, Cross spoke.
‘That’s what I thought. Now leave me alone for fifteen minutes so I can shower and then I’ll take you home.’
As Cross hit the showers, she punched the boxing bag in frustration and slumped down to the floor, resting her back against the wall. Their story had been beautiful; was it really possible that it had ended so wrong?
Twenty Five
Aurora stood with her hands on her hips staring at the wall of Blu-Rays in the theatre room. She hadn’t slept since her show down with Hawk, haunted with memories from her childhood. Intimate moments that she hadn’t noticed when she was young plagued her, words and expressions and stolen glances, all revealing her true relationship with Hawk. She was pissed off and tired and couldn’t decide on a movie. Kneeling down to check the lower shelves, she frowned as she came across romance movies and realized they were ones that Eve had brought over and forgotten. She rolled her eyes as she ran her fingers over their spines. She hated romance flicks and felt the anger rise inside her as she continued to recognize titles, one after another, all promising bullshit like love and happily ever afters.
When she got to one particular title she pulled the case out, ground her teeth and hurled it across the room. She sat down and rested her head against the cases, rubbing her eyes and groaning. She knew Cross was right. Her and Hawk needed each other. Well, she needed him. But he had made a conscious decision that he didn’t want to be with her, so that was the way it was going to be, promises or not. She sighed and stood up, walking over to pick up the Blu-Ray when her cell rang. It was a number she hadn’t seen for a long time and she was smiling before she answered.
‘Hello stranger.’
The line was crackling and as Eve laughed, Aurora could tell she was in a car with the window down. She started saying something but Aurora couldn’t hear and had to keep asking her to repeat herself. It turned out she was trying to be cryptic and eventually gave up, letting Aurora know that she was moving back to L.A and asking if she could meet her at her place.
‘Yeah of course, when are you coming?’
‘I’ll be there in half an hour. See you soon!’
Aurora let out a sharp laugh and hung up, grabbing the keys to her car and preparing herself for what was coming. She hadn’t set foot in the Evans’ house since Mike’s funeral. She didn’t know what to expect and she was worried she’d find it difficult to cope. But what worried her more was if she didn’t find it difficult. What would that say about her as a person? She pulled into the driveway as the cab was leaving and found Eve surrounded by luggage, staring up at the old Tudor home. She was lost in her own world and didn’t realize Aurora was there until she spoke.
‘Didn’t want to walk in by yourself hey?’
Eve threw herself at Aurora, hugging her tight and kissing her cheek. She squeezed back as Eve said thank you over and over. When she pulled away, she noticed tears in Eve’s eyes.
‘Come on, let’s not make this a big thing.’
When they were standing in the foyer, she looked around, taking in her surroundings and trying to adjust to the time warp. She noticed that Eve’s breathing was heavy and that she had a tight grip on the handle of a suitcase, so she nudged her and smiled.
‘Let’s get your stuff upstairs.’
They made their way up the stairs but to get to Eve’s room they had to walk past Mike’s, and Aurora couldn’t do that. She stopped in front of his bedroom, surprised to find the door open, and realized that she had unfinished business. Eve understood and said she’d be in her room if she needed her. As Eve disappeared, Aurora crossed the threshold into Mike’s room. Everything was the same. The blue sheets they’d laid on night after night were still there and she let her fingers graze the soft cotton. She massaged her temples, not sure if she wanted to remember or forget, and found the bathroom door open. An image of a half naked Mike standing in the doorway and inviting her to join him in the shower flashed before her eyes. Taken aback by the clarity of her vision, she turned and found her reflection staring back at her in the dresser’s mirror.
Picking up a bottle of Mike’s cologne, she took off the lid and almost dropped it. The scent laced its way up her nostrils and into her head, hammering her brain with memories. She put the lid back on and slammed the bottle down. Bracing herself on the dresser, she turned to face the room. She almost expected Mike to walk through the door and ask if she’d missed him. She leant back and waited, staring at the door, and realized that she really did miss him. She shook her head but when she straightened her bracelet caught on the top drawer and pulled it open. Inside was a book and she frowned as she picked it up, remembering how Mike had distracted her from opening that drawer the night before he died.
She opened the first few pages and realized it was a diary, one that stretched back over a decade, and the page she’d landed on was an event Mike had never told her about. Her eyes scanned the page and she dug her fingers into the paper, stopping herself from smashing the book against the mirror. As the pages began to crinkle under her nails, she heard a sound and looked up to find Eve watching her from the doorway. The look on her face told Aurora everything she needed to know. She whacked the dresser with the book and Eve jumped.
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘It wasn’t my place ok! Mike told me what Dante said and asked me to go with him to choose a ring. I didn’t think anything of it, I assumed you knew!’
Eve was telling the truth. She finally knew why Mike had proposed. Dante had told him that their relationship was in danger because she was in love with Hawk and at any moment Hawk could decide to tell her he felt the same way. Dante had told Mike about their fairytale. She wasn’t sure what she was more upset about, the fact that Mike had tried to trick her into marrying him or the fact that everyone had known about Hawk’s vow and nobody had told her.
‘Mike felt forced to propose! My family pushed him into a corner and thr
eatened him with a fairytale that I didn’t even know was real.’
‘And if you had known?’
‘If Mike had told me than I could have said yes because I wanted him, not because Hawk wasn’t an option!’
‘What difference does it make Aurora? Are you saying that you wouldn’t have chosen Mike if you thought you had a chance with Hawk? My brother loved you, and if you didn’t want to marry him you should have said no so he could have found someone who deserved him! And, if Hawk cared about you so damn much why didn’t he tell you himself?’
Eve was right. Hawk had never approached her, even when her wedding was weeks away. So why was she standing in Mike’s bedroom yelling at his sister for not telling her the truth behind the fairytale? She slumped back against the dresser, setting the diary down beside her.
‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be yelling at you. It wasn’t Mike’s responsibility to tell me any of it. I can’t blame him for not wanting to lose me…’
‘It wasn’t about not wanting to lose you, he wanted to spend his life with you, to build a home and a family with a white picket fence and all that shit. I get that you’re angry and yeah you have every right to be, but don’t be angry at Mikey. If you want to be angry at anyone, it should be your family.’
Looking at Eve glaring her down with no fear, Aurora knew she would make one hell of a Rose. She was also right again. It wasn’t Mike or Eve she should be angry at. It was her own family who had pushed her boyfriend into a corner and never told her about Hawk’s vow. She grabbed the diary and walked out of the bedroom. She couldn’t confront her parents or Dante, but there were two people she could. She was going to find Johnny and Vince.
V
‘Hey there’s my man now! Come here you sexy son of a bitch.’
Mike smiled as Dante wrapped him up in a hug and pulled him into Hunter’s. He had been hounding Mike to hit the clubs with him for over a year, so finally Mike had given in. Dante’s friend passed him two shot glasses and he shoved one into Mike’s hand, toasting him and knocking it back before he had a chance to think. Dante handed the glass back to his friend, so Mike knocked his back and handed his glass over too. Coffee flavored tequila ran down his throat and he exhaled a short breath. Dante grinned.
‘There you go! Plenty more where that came from. Take a seat.’
They dropped onto a couch in the corner of the club, the beats consuming them as girl after girl walked by and smiled. Dante winked at one and called her over, cupping his mouth against her ear as she leant down. She giggled and he kissed her neck before she walked away.
‘What did you say?’
Mike had to yell to be heard over the music. Dante threw his arm around him and leant over.
‘I told her to meet me in the bathrooms in fifteen minutes.’
‘Who is she?’
‘The next chick I’ll be banging.’
Mike wasn’t sure why he was surprised, he’d heard all the stories about Dante and his reputation. He’d just never realized how accurate they were.
‘I’d invite you to join me but you know, you’re dating my sister so I’d have to kill you.’
Dante laughed and called out to one of his friends to get them two glasses of scotch.
‘Talisker 30 alright with you Mikey?’
‘D, that’s like $650 a bottle.’
‘Good point, hey Julian! Make that two 35s!’
Mike couldn’t believe the amount of money Dante had just dropped, and he knew that was nothing compared to what the total figure would be for the night.
‘I’ve been wanting to drink with you for years.’
Mike was about to point out that he had been underage until recently but looking at Dante made him remember that the guy had been clubbing since he was seventeen and Mike didn’t want to look like a loser. Julian came back with two glasses and once again, Dante knocked his back so Mike followed suit. He could feel his chest burning. The night was going to get messy.
‘Does Roar know where you are?’
‘She didn’t ask.’
‘She doesn’t care hey?’
‘She does care, I think it’s just…’
‘You’re lucky, you’ve got a chick who doesn’t give a shit what you do.’
Mike didn’t agree with Dante. Aurora cared what he did, she just wasn’t one of those possessive girlfriends that had to know where he was and who he was with every second of the day. He knew there was no point in arguing with Dante though so he watched the crowd dance, grinding on each other, everyone trying to find someone to go home with. He turned back to find Dante hunched over the table.
‘What are you doing?’
As Julian handed Mike another drink, Dante sat back and handed him a rolled up hundred dollar bill.
‘You can’t snort the finest with anything less than a Ben Franklin.’
‘You’re doing lines in the middle of a club?’
Dante looked confused at Mike’s alarmed tone and Julian laughed, pointing his thumb at Mike.
‘Where’d you find him D? They don’t get much greener than this.’
‘Shut up man he’s gonna be my brother one day, I don’t want him anything but green!’
‘Then what’d you bring him here for?’
Dante opened his mouth to argue then burst out laughing, pushing Mike’s head forward.
‘Welcome to the family! Both of them.’
As Mike snorted the white powder, he tried to figure out what Dante meant by both families, but once he’d sat back up his brain went flying and he no longer cared.
‘That shit is gold!’
Had those words just come out of his mouth?
‘Hell yeah, don’t worry we’ll keep it coming.’
He wanted to get up and dance but Dante wrapped his arm around him and pulled him back, leaning towards him.
‘I know you and Roar aren’t engaged or anything, but I just want you to know I hope you end up with her. You’re a decent guy.’
Mike laughed.
‘Thanks, I think.’
Dante shook his head.
‘I’m serious, you don’t understand what you’re up against!’
‘Then tell me.’
He had no idea what Dante was talking about. He just wanted him to rack up more lines and if letting him rant about the future was what it took, he was willing to listen.
‘I’ll do better than tell you, I’ll show you.’
Dante grabbed Mike’s face and turned it towards the front door just as a bulked up guy with dark hair walked in. He was accompanied by a blond guy dressed the same and they both shook hands with the bouncer, stopping to survey the crowd as the bouncer spoke to the dark haired guy. They were approached by two chicks who they dismissed without looking at.
‘Who’s that?’
But Dante didn’t need to answer. As they headed towards the manager’s office, both men looked in their direction, sending a chill straight through Mike. He’d know those mismatched eyes anywhere. Dante waved at Hawk and Hawk nodded his head in acknowledgment, his gaze going right through Mike as if he were invisible.
‘That’s Hawk Mason, the guy Roar’s supposed to marry.’
Mike looked over at Dante, who’d leant forward with a razor blade in his hand.
‘What do you mean she’s supposed to marry him?’
Dante looked back at him and laughed.
‘He basically asked my parents for her hand the day she was born. He’s loved her since he was five years old and when he decides he’s ready to marry her, you better hope she’s already married to you and knocked up cause that’s the only way you’ll get to keep her.’
His mouth went dry.
‘Does she love him?’
Dante snorted a line through a fresh bill and handed it to Mike as he sat back.
‘Fuck yeah. My advice to you? Propose to her soon otherwise you’re gonna lose her. Don’t get me wrong, you guys are cute, but my sister and Hawk are meant to be together.’
He didn�
��t remember the rest of the night and when he called Dante the next day, Dante didn’t remember the night at all.
‘You finally came down to Hunter’s hey? Did you have a good night?’
He wouldn’t call it good but it had definitely been enlightening. He was running out of time, and if he wanted to keep Aurora he had to get her to say yes. Fast.
Twenty Six
They’d reached the fifth round and neither Hawk nor Ty were backing down. The other soldiers had stopped training to watch the match between them. Ty threw a right hook followed by a left uppercut and left knee but Hawk spun around and came back with a right elbow and left round house kick. Ty had anticipated the move and ducked before slamming a double fisted punch into Hawk’s gut. Hawk doubled over but tucked and rolled before sweeping his right foot around in an attempt to trip Ty. But Ty saw it coming and slammed a right sidekick into Hawk’s jaw. Hawk flew across the ring and almost tumbled over the ropes but regained his balance and went straight back at Ty. There were no jeers or cheers from the other soldiers, the atmosphere called for silence. Hawk tackled Ty and started laying in to him with quick punches, but just when it looked like Hawk had won, Ty smashed both his fists into Hawk’s head and knocked him over.
Ty jumped up breathing heavily, taking his fighting stance and waiting for Hawk to attack again. Instead, he took off his helmet and sat up, rubbing the right side of his head.
‘That was a dirty trick.’
Ty took off his own helmet and snorted.
‘You should know, you taught it to me.’
He shook his head before realizing they had taken center stage.
‘Which one of you ladies wants to tell me why you’ve stopped training?’
The soldiers were quick to disperse and Ty offered him a hand which he accepted.
‘Hey, those were some moves back there. You been training with Honor?’
Ty avoided eye contact and mumbled that he trained with her occasionally. When they reached the locker room, Hawk slumped down on to the wooden bench. He was worn out, yet his brain was racing. He groaned, forgetting that Ty was still standing beside him.
Poisoned Rose (Dark Roses #1) Page 13