“Oh, by the way, Wes, you’re fired.” Josh throws the comment over his shoulder, and Wes’s head droops a little more. “And if I see you in my shop again, it’ll be more than just your hand that you’ll have to worry about.”
Wes nods quickly, his gaze never flicking up from the floor. Melissa is shocked beyond belief. Whatever Josh and Hawk had said to Wes, it must have put the fear of God into him—and then some.
“I think it’s time you left, don’t you, Wes?” Hawk’s fingers thrum over his folded arms.
For the first time, Wes looks up. “I can’t drive with this.” He motions towards his hand.
“Then you walk.” Hawk says the words slowly, as if he were speaking to an idiot. “I thought you were anti-technology, seems like walking would be right up your street.”
Wes stutters, struggling to get his words out. “But…but it’s miles to the hospital.” The panic causes his voice to rise. “What if…what if I faint from the pain? It’d be days before anyone would find me.”
Melissa rolls her eyes at the fact that even now, after everything, Wes is still playing the role of the drama queen.
“Faint from the pain?” Hawk is completely unmoved. “Your wrist isn’t even broken, you pussy, it’s sprained at the most. That’s what happens when you try to punch someone without knowing what the hell you’re doing.”
Melissa’s eyes widen at the image of Wes trying to fight Hawk. She should have known that he and Josh wouldn’t just break his wrist for fun. He’d provoked them, and he could have been walking away with something much worse than just a sprain and some wounded pride.
“Get lost, Wes. And remember what we said.” There’s no mistaking the threat in Hawk’s voice.
Wes ducks his head again, deferentially. Clearly, he wasn’t going to be forgetting whatever Josh and Hawk had drilled into him anytime soon. Slowly, he starts walking towards the open road, but he jumps as Hawk’s voice pierces the silence of the night.
“Wes! Aren’t you forgetting something?” Hawk looks at him meaningfully, the anger in his eyes more powerful than any punch most men could throw.
Wes’s eyes flick between Hawk and Melissa, seemingly weighing up his options. But it only takes a slight shift in Hawk’s position to make up his mind for him. “I’m sorry, Melissa. I didn’t mean any of the things I said about you.” The words come out grudgingly, and he doesn’t meet her eyes, but that doesn’t take any of the sweetness out of the knowledge that he’s been taken down a few pegs.
“And?” Hawk gestures with his arms that Wes should continue.
Melissa watches as Wes takes a deep breath and then looks at her directly. “And I’m an asshole.”
Hawk smiles broadly, giving the smaller man a patronizing slap on the back, which, judging from Wes’s expression is a little harder than it probably needs to be. “Good job, man. Good job.” His features turn serious again. “Now get the hell out of here and make sure I never see you again.”
Wes doesn’t wait to be told twice. Instead, he shuffles off towards the road. Melissa watches his retreating back, absently wondering if they’ve just made an enemy that one day might come back to bite them on the ass.
“It’s over, ‘Mel. Stop overthinking it.” Hawk’s hands runs up and down her arms, warming her through the way that his presence always does.
“What did you two say to him? Or do I not want to know?” Melissa gives Hawk a concerned look.
“Well, I sure as hell want to know, so spill. And don’t leave anything out!” Felicia pipes up from behind Melissa, looking between the two men, her expression telling them that she’s expecting all the gory details.
“Not much to tell, Felicia.” Josh shrugs, as if he intimidates people every day. “We just showed him the error of his ways.” His eyes twinkle at that, and he can’t seem to help but let a smile spread across his face.
“Bullshit.” Felicia crosses her arms, waiting for them to come up with something better.
“Ask Hawk; he did most of the talking. I was too busy trying to keep a straight face. The expression on that kid’s face was priceless. He didn’t know what hit him!” Josh looks like he’s about to double over with laughter.
Melissa raises a questioning eyebrow at Hawk. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little curious about how you managed to brainwash him in less than fifteen minutes.”
The corner of Hawk’s mouth quirks up. “I just told him that if he published anything on the Caged Kings or any of us individually, ever, that I would find him and that we’d have a very different conversation.”
Melissa looks doubtfully at him, knowing that there was way more to the story that he was keeping under wraps. “And when did he try to hit you?”
“About the time that he started ranting about who his family was and what he was going to do to me.” Hawk shakes his head at the memory. “The guy can’t punch worth a damn.”
Melissa looks at him now, concerned. She knows exactly who Wes’s parents are and exactly how prominent they are in Portland. “How do you know he won’t go to the cops, Hawk? Or to his family? They’re not just empty threats.”
Hawk threads his fingers through her hair, looking calmer than Melissa thinks he has any reason to be. “We reached a little understanding. I told him if he said anything to anyone, then his little problem would go right on that world wide web that he hates so much.”
Melissa frowns, confused. “What problem?”
Hawk looks at her as if he thinks she’s joking. “You really didn’t know?” Melissa shakes her head, impatient for Hawk to drop the bombshell. “He’s a junkie.” The disdain in Hawk’s voice is clear.
“Wes?” Melissa shakes her head; it just wasn’t possible. “He’s got some problems, but he’s not a drug addict!”
“They don’t all come from the back-streets and pimp themselves out for their next fix, Melissa. Some of them come from rich families, too.” Felicia’s voice is full of reproach, and Melissa wonders if they’re ever going to get past that chip on her shoulder that’s the size of Oregon.
“That’s not what I meant.” Melissa focuses her attention back on Hawk.
“Honestly, I thought you already knew.” Hawk shakes his head, surprised by her naiveté. Melissa didn’t blame him; she was feeling pretty stupid about it now too. “You didn’t notice how edgy he always was, how he’d be constantly rubbing his nose, or how his pupils were the size of pinheads? He’s a cokehead, Melissa. That night he came to your house, when you’d broken up. He wasn’t drunk; he was high.”
It takes a few moments for the news to sink into Melissa’s brain. It wasn’t possible, surely if Wes, someone that she thought she knew, was into drugs she would have noticed. Surely there would have been some sign? But perhaps there had been. She starts thinking back over the months that they’d been together, the good times, the bad times, the times when he would get so angry he seemed like a different person, the night that he almost…She shudders, not wanting to go there again. Hawk’s arms wrap tighter around her, and she leans into his touch.
“It’s a lot to process.” He reads her mind yet again, hearing everything that she’s not saying.
She nods mutely, struggling to put her personal feelings aside and look at the bigger picture. It’s not hard to understanding now why Wes would have left so quietly, without making one of the scenes that he loves so much. “His parents are some of the biggest anti-drugs spokespeople in the state. His mom set up a foundation.” Melissa shakes her head. “He knew what the fallout would be for his family if his problem came out.”
Hawk shakes his head. “You can still see the good in him, even though he doesn’t deserve anything close.” Melissa looks askance at him. “I don’t think his change of heart had anything to do with not wanting to put his family through the scandal. That’s a little too altruistic for our Wes. I think he was more worried about what it would do for his career.”
Melissa nods in agreement. “That sounds like Wes.”
“Can we get back inside now? There’s a cold beer waiting for me with my name on it.” Josh nods towards the bar, not making any bones about his priorities. Melissa still can’t get over how normal he seems, as if this were just another day in the life of Josh. It was hard to reconcile the kind, almost fatherly like man, who’s only been kind to her with the ‘Nobody fucks with me or mine’ biker that she knows he must be.
“The beer’ll keep, Josh.” Felicia has been quiet for a time, and it’s clear that she has something on her mind. “What about The Tribune? Like you said, Melissa, dealing with Wes isn’t going to solve the whole problem. They’ll just send someone else.” Felicia looks between them all.
“Let ‘em try!” Hawk looks as if he’s ready to spit nails just at the thought.
Melissa puts a calming hand on his shoulder and takes a deep breath. It was a decision that she’d been mulling over for the past couple of days, but being with them tonight had made her mind up. “I’ve got a better idea. One that will get The Tribune off the Kings’ back for good.” They all look at her expectantly. “But I’m going to need you to trust me.”
Felicia raises her eyebrows, smiling. “I think we can do that.”
Josh claps her on the back so hard she almost falls over. “You don’t have to ask us to trust you, ‘Mel. You’ve proven we can over and over again.”
Melissa feels her eyes misting up at Josh’s words. Hawk pulls her into his arms and leans down close to her, their lips almost touching. “You’re family now, ‘Mel.” She feels her mouth spread into the goofiest of smiles, as he kisses her, and she wonders if life can get any better than this.
EPILOGUE
It doesn’t take long for Melissa’s question to be answered, only a couple of weeks in fact. It’s the time that it takes her to write and publish her story on the Kings. It wasn’t anything like the exposé that The Tribune had wanted her or Wes to write. If anything, it was a love letter to the club, complete with name changes. She’d been through a few different pseudonyms for the Caged Kings but finally settled on “The Wandering Tornados.” Felicia and Josh had gotten a good laugh out of that.
She’d glossed over the illegal stuff and focused on the sense of community of the club, the brotherhood, and the way they kept criminals off of the street of Portland and protected the common man. Ali had teased her, saying that she’d romanticized the club, and Melissa knew that she was right. How could she have written about it and the man who had stolen her heart in any other way?
Melissa had published the story on her blog and word of mouth had spread like wildfire. After only twenty-four hours, it was picked up by some national newspapers. She couldn’t help but feel a little smug that she’d managed to get her name in The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal before Wes, and she’d done it without compromising herself. The Tribune had been left with nothing to write. Melissa had beaten them to the punch, and she’d painted the bikers in such warm a way that it made it impossible for DeVry to come up with a counter-article. She’d killed it with kindness, her default setting. Pollyanna that, she’d thought.
Melissa smiles to herself as she checks her emails on her iPhone for the hundredth time that day. “You know that this is bordering on obsessive behavior, right?” Ali tries to snatch Melissa’s phone away but is too slow.
“It’s just they said they would get back to me by the weekend and, hell, it’s almost the weekend!” Melissa makes a frustrated sound in the back of her throat and wills her foot to stop tapping impatiently.
“Well, it’s only three o’clock, you’ve still got a few hours, so I don’t know why you’re getting your panties in a twist.” Felicia takes a drink of her beer before she notices that Melissa’s frustration hasn’t eased.
“It’s three in Portland, but it’s six in New York.” Ali says the words as if they should mean something to her.
“And what’s in New York?” Felicia looks between the two women, none the wiser.
“Oh you know, the Empire State, Statue of Liberty, and The New Yorker.” Ali rolls her eyes. “Melissa has been submitting stories to them since she was in kindergarten, and after all the attention her piece on the club got, she reached out to them. They said they’d read a new fiction story she’s been working on.”
“Let’s just forget about it.” Melissa pockets her cell, waving away Ali’s words as if that will stop her from worrying herself sick over the email that she hasn’t yet received. “We’re here to enjoy ourselves, not to stare at a goddam cell phone.” As if to highlight her words, she takes a swig of her beer. She keeps stealing glances towards the room at the back of the bar, and her foot keeps on tapping.
Felicia gives her a frank look. “Are you more nervous about the New Yorker thing or the vote?”
Melissa smiles sheepishly. “I’ll take the Fifth on that.” She looks at the clock on the wall again, which has only advanced by a minute since the last time she looked. “What’s taking so long anyway? I thought this was pretty much a done deal?”
Felicia shrugs. “It’ll happen, don’t worry.”
It better, Melissa thinks. Today was the day that Hawk was going to get patched. That morning, Hawk had woken up so excited, like a kid who knew he was on his way to Disney World. It was the one thing he’d been working towards his whole life. It was such a big deal for him that Melissa had tried to persuade him to invite his mom to the Patch Party. Whereas once he might have railed against the idea, gotten mad, and told Melissa it wasn’t any of her business, he’d thought about it. He’d really considered it, but eventually he’d told Melissa that he wasn’t ready to share something this big with his mother, not yet. Melissa had told him that when he was ready, she’d be standing by his side every step of the way.
Melissa smiles as she thinks back to that morning when Hawk had wrestled her back to bed. He’d swiped her hair away from her face and looked down at her oh so tenderly.
Suddenly, he’d turned serious. “If it doesn’t happen today…”
“It will! What are you talking about?” Melissa had nudged him, playfully wondering where this self-doubt had come from that was so unlike him.
“But if it doesn’t, then I want you to know that it’s alright.” His dark eyes remain trained on her.
“What do you mean, it’s alright? This what you’ve always wanted! It’s more than important to you; it’s everything. I know that already.” She’d traced the line of stubble that he always seemed to carry no matter how often he shaved. To Melissa, it just made him even sexier.
“It’s not everything.” He looked at her pointedly. “There’s something more important in my life now.”
Melissa had to swallow the lump in her throat before she could speak. “And what’s that?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “And if you say my car, then I’m going to seriously hurt you.”
Hawk threw back his head and laughed, and Melissa thought yet again how lucky she was to have this gorgeous man in her bed. “Well, the car is a bonus.” He catches her fist before she can punch him. “But I was talking about you, Melissa Potter. You’re the most important thing in my life. I need you to know that.”
Melissa pulled his face down to hers, kissing him with all the emotion she felt bubbling up inside of her. When they’d broken apart, breathless but both wanting more, she smiled at him. “Consider me informed, Hawk Ownes.” She giggles, as he kisses the sensitive spot on her neck. “But I’m pretty sure I signed up to be a full-fledged patched biker’s girlfriend, and that’s what I’m intending to be in a few hours from now.”
Hawk blinks in surprise. “I think I’ve just fallen in love with you all over again.”
“Don’t tell me, Ownes, show me.” She’d stretched out underneath him, and he’d done just that.
***
“Hey, Potter! Get your mind out of the gutter. Some of us aren’t getting any!” Felicia gives her a disparaging shake of the head, and Melissa knows without having to look in a mirror that the goofy smile is back on her face. “Speaking
of which, how are things going with you and young Vince?” Felicia gives Ali a knowing look, and Ali obliges by turning a particularly unflattering shade of red.
“I don’t kiss and tell, Felicia!” But her giggles tell a different story.
Melissa reaches over and hugs her best friend, impulsively. “I’m happy for you, Ali. It was about damn time.” A week ago Vince had turned up at their door, and he’d done what Ali should have done years ago. He told her that he couldn’t stop thinking about her, and not just as a friend. The rest, as they say, was history. Vince had become a permanent fixture in their little house, and things were made even easier with the fact that he and Hawk got along like a house on fire.
“Hey, it looks like something’s happening.” Felicia’s urgent whisper jerks Melissa’s attention back to the fateful door—now being pushed open. Various high-ranking club members file out looking serious. Hawk is the last one out, and Melissa’s heart only slows when he winks at her, telling her that everything is going to be alright.
HAWK: The Caged Kings MC Page 24