Hawk_Devil's Fury Book 3

by Torrie Robles

  I let go of the knife, leave the bedroom and make my way outside. The container is right where I left it. I pour its contents, splashing it against the wood of the house, I take a few steps back off the porch and admire my work. When I hear feet approaching from behind the house, I look over and see Cruise.

  “You do the honors?”

  “My pleasure.”

  Hawk

  The sounds of sirens blare in the distance as we make our way back to the bar. The air is heavy with the smell of smoke. Hopefully, by the time they reach the house, his body will be burned beyond recognition. Cruise made sure he grabbed everything we brought in, and as soon as we were far enough from the scene, I stopped and checked the bag myself. I wouldn’t put it past him to leave something that would tie Lick to the house, not with whatever bad blood is between them.

  I tied the pack to the bike and swing my leg over. “You good?” Cruise asks me as he straightens out his handlebars.

  “Yeah.” There really isn’t anything more to say.

  “I’m going to head out. I need some time.”

  I’ve never been close to him. I never wanted to know what ghosts he’s been running from. I’m not gonna pry when it seems that he’s not too keen on giving up any information without me asking, so I don’t. “Will you be back?” I ask as I tighten my helmet.

  “Maybe.” He stands and kicks the bike over, making the engine roar to life. With a few twists of the handle and a jerk of his head, Cruise takes off.

  In the opposite direction of Las Cruces.

  Tessa

  My head whips up when I hear the back door of Bianca’s open. “Tessa?” Hawk’s voice is full of concern.

  “I’m in the bedroom,” I call out as I put my kindle down on the table next to me.

  As soon as he reaches me, he lifts my legs and takes a seat. He grips my legs and pulls me on to his lap. Wrapping his arms around me, he buries his face in my hair. I feel him inhale deep and release a shuddered breath. “It’s over, Tessa. You don’t need to worry any longer.”

  I pull away from him. “What are you talking about?” I search his eyes to give me some clue as to what he’s talking about.

  “We found him, we found the last of them. You don’t have to worry about coming in contact with any of those bastards who hurt you again. It’s over.”

  It takes a moment for me to understand what he’s talking about when, but I do, I gasp. “Hawk–”

  “They’re all gone, Tessa.”

  “No…” I can’t believe what he’s telling me.

  “It wasn’t me, baby. It was Cruise.”

  Cruise? I can’t believe it. “What are you talking about, Hawk?”

  “He’s spent the past few years righting a wrong. There was one guy left, but we found him last night.”

  The faces of the men who took so much from me flash through my mind. Their sneers, the laughing. Their grunts. For years it has haunted me. “It’s over?” I can’t believe this is happening. “Cruise, he’s the one–”

  He nods. “He’s the one.”

  I grab onto Hawk’s shoulders and pull him to me when a sob breaks from my chest as relief floods my body. “Oh my God,” I cry. “You’re serious? It’s over.” I kiss his neck, up his jawline and make my way towards his lips.

  “Baby,” he rasps.

  I look him in the eye, “Make love to me Hawk. Please, love me.”

  He picks me up and places me on the bed. I blink back the tears of relief as I take in his face. “Thank you,” I tell him.

  “I love you, Tessa. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.”

  The feel of his body against mine and the heat of his skin as he shows me just how much he loves me is the best feeling in the world. I’m free. After all this time I’m free, and he’s showing me just how much I have to live for.

  Hawk

  “What are you working on, buddy?” I muss Sam’s hair as I walk by and grab myself water from the fridge.

  “Math.” His shoulders slump as he drops his pencil.

  “Let me see.” He’s seven, how hard can math be? He’s adding two-digit numbers. Even though it’s not hard, I’m not sure I can explain it to him the right way. Shit, I don’t remember doing this type of math in the first grade. To be honest, I don’t recall the first grade.

  “And you have to show your work?”

  He lifts his head and looks at me with his steel blue eyes, the same eyes of the man that I know are no longer walking this earth. “Yeah.”

  He sounds so defeated, and I want to do anything I can to help him. My gaze lifts when I hear the back door open and see Jenni walkthrough. “Oh, hey!”

  “Just the person we need.”

  She pulls out a chair and sits on the other side of Sam. “What’s up?”

  “Sam’s having issues with his math. He’s adding two-digit numbers.”

  “Ahh, say no more.” She gives Sam a smile. “Grab your stuff, and you can come over to my house. The kids are getting ready to do their homework, so I’ll be able to help everyone.”

  I pat Sam on the back then stand, pushing in my chair. “See how lucky you are to have a teacher in the family?” He nods his head as he stands as he stands, stuffing his book and papers in his backpack.

  “I’m not a teacher until I get an actual teaching job.”

  “Hey.” Tessa comes from the hall. The dark circles from under her eyes have lightened up a bit. She’s still on the thin side, but Bianca is making her eat more. “Where are you going? You have homework.”

  Jenni gets up from her chair. “I’m taking him to my house. He needs help with his math, and Roxy and Ryder need to do their homework, too. I thought it would be easier. I’ll bring him home before dinner.”

  The front door opens, and I hear Sin, Cut, and Bianca’s voices. “Mija,” she addresses Jenni.

  “Hey.” Jenni eyes the boys. “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know. Mom told me and Cut to head over, so here we are.”

  A knock comes from the front door, and Cut goes to answer it, but Bianca grabs his arm before he can take more than one step. Bianca looks at Jenni and Sam. “Do you think you can take Sam to your house, mija?”

  The corner of her eyes crinkle when she looks at Bianca. “I had already planned it, but now I’m curious as to why you want me to take him.”

  The doorbell rang this time. “Ma.”

  “I’ll open the door. Jenni, please take Sam. Now.”

  Jenni looks at the four of us. She raises her hands. “I can take a hint when I’m not wanted.”

  “It wasn’t a hint, really. I think Bianca told you to leave.”

  “Don’t make me flip you off, Hawk.” She pulls Sam’s bag from the table. When she sticks her hand out, Sam takes it.

  “Seems like that husband of yours is rubbing off on you.”

  “Only in the best possible ways.” She gives us a wink, and both Cut and Sin groan in protest. She shakes her head. “I’ll just take him out the back.”

  Bianca sticks her head around the corner. “Are they gone?”

  “Yeah, Mama, they’re gone,” Sin responds.

  She drops her head then appears with one of the last people I ever thought I’d see in this house.

  “Mom?” Tessa questions. “What are you doing here?”

  Gloria stands with both hands gripping the brown leather of her oversized purse. The tension is radiating from her body, and I almost want to laugh at her uneasiness.

  “Mija,” Bianca interjects. “I think it’s time that you and your mother have a heart to heart.”

  Tessa

  My mother looks at me, and I can feel the coldness of her stare. She doesn’t want to be here any more than I want her here. I swallow the lump in my throat because I know my mother’s rejection is imminent.

  “Not to sound like a dick, but what does their family issues have to do with the two of us?” Cut asks his mom as he moves his thumb between him and Sin. Bianca doesn’t acknowl
edge him she and keeps her eyes bored into the side of my mother’s head.

  “Shall we sit?” my mom asks.

  “I’ll stand,” Sin says.

  “Yeah, me too,” Cut responds.

  Bianca pulls out a chair and takes a seat. I look at Hawk who drops his head towards the chair I’m currently standing in front of. I collapse onto the wooden seat, and my mother gingerly takes a seat next to me.

  “Before we start,” Bianca says, “before Gloria tells you what she needs to tell you, I think Tessa has a little bit of information that she didn’t get a chance to make known the other day at your house.”

  I feel Bianca’s eyes on me. Hawk’s hand lands on my shoulder and gives me a slight squeeze. With my hands resting in my lap, I take a deep breath and say the one thing that I hope will thaw the coldness my mother feels when she sees me. “I have a son.”

  “Excuse me?”

  I lift my chin towards her. I’m not ashamed of Sam. “I have a son. His name is Sam. And he’s just about seven.”

  I watch as her eyes narrow then widen at the realization of what I just said. “No… Impossible…That can’t be.”

  “It is,” Hawk says, “and he’s the best kid I know. Polite, respectful.”

  “But the father—”

  “Biology doesn’t factor into this,” Hawk states. “If Sam will have me, I’ll gladly fill the role.”

  My mother’s eyes shoot up towards Hawk. Her lips thin, but she doesn’t say a word.

  “Funny how you bring up biology, Hawking,” Bianca says. “Now it’s your turn.” She nods towards my mother.

  “Right.” She brings her hand up to her necklace, the same gold chain that holds the cross of my great grandmother. I watch as she rubs her thumb along the back of the metal. “There’s no easy way of saying this. It never has been. I think that’s why I’ve never told you before now. There are only a few people who know this, and one of them is now dead.” Her eyes flash to Bianca’s. “I lied to you about how your father and I came to be together.” She squeezes her eyes tight causing a lone tear to drop and hit the table.

  When I see Bianca reach out and grab her hand, I start to panic. “You’re starting to scare me.”

  Her chest rises as she takes another deep breath. “I had only met your father maybe two weeks or so before. He was out of town, and I was out with a couple of cousins. We went to a bar a few towns over, thinking we’d have some fun. I never meant to step out on him, but we were so new. I had some drinks, and lost my moral compass, I guess. There was a group of guys at the bar. We knew who they were. They had a reputation. One thing led to another and the next thing I knew, I was in the supply closet with a man who wasn’t the man I was dating. Alcohol fogged my judgment. It allowed me to do things that I normally wouldn’t do, but no matter, I did it.” She wipes the tears from her eyes.

  “I didn’t tell anyone–not even my cousins. They were pre-occupied with the other guys, so they never realized that for thirty minutes I wasn’t around. By the time it was over, the bar was calling the last call, and we grabbed a cab and left. I swore that I’d never tell a soul as to what happened, but fate didn’t seem to play in my favor because three weeks later I found out that I was pregnant.”

  I push back from the table and stand. I feel sick to my stomach.

  “When you were born, and you were sick–”

  “Did Dad know that I wasn’t his when he married you?”

  She nods. “He wanted to do right by you. He never wanted you to suffer because of my lack of responsibility.” Bianca stands, grabs a box of tissues from the counter and hands them to my mom. “Anyway, when you were born sick, we didn’t know what to do. Research on your type of cancer was still on-going, much like it is today. The one thing that we did know was that your biggest chance of survival was stem cells. So–” she chokes, unable to finish her words.

  “So she came to us and asked us if she could use Sienna’s cord blood,” Bianca finishes what she can’t.

  “Bullshit!” Sin slams his hand on the table. “This is fucking bullshit. Do you know what you’re implying?”

  Bianca places her hands on the table and leans towards Sin. “She isn’t implying anything, Matthew. She is telling the truth.”

  “I don’t fucking believe it,” Cut says.

  “Believe it because it’s true. Your father and I weren’t in a good place. I had taken you boys and left. I refused his calls for days because I was trying to figure out what I wanted for my future. I couldn’t allow him to manipulate my love for him to get me to do what he wanted.”

  “I never planned on telling Devin,” my mother goes on. “That was one of the conditions your father put on our relationship. He didn’t want to share you. You were his, for all intents and purposes, and he didn’t want to do with the weekend visitations.”

  “This is fucking bullshit.” Sin gets up and walks out the back door, slamming it in his retreat.

  “My father would never have allowed another man to raise his child,” Cut states.

  “It was a moot point by the time he found out. Tessa was sick, and I needed his help. I needed Bianca’s help.”

  “And Sienna’s,” Bianca adds.

  “Yes, and Sienna’s.”

  “We came to an agreement. Once the girls were of school age, I would make sure that Tessa went to the same school as Sienna. By doing this, Devin had hoped that the two girls would start a friendship on their own––giving him access to his daughter without disturbing the family he already had and the one I was just starting.”

  I place my hands on the table and lean on it, letting my head fall. The information is running through my head. I have four brothers. “Oh my god…”

  Sienna was my sister.

  My knees buckle, and this time I don’t feel the comfort of two arms wrap around me before I pass out.

  Hawk

  “If I never see the inside of this fucking ER again, it will be too soon,” Cut says as he drops down in the seat next to me.

  “I agree, but I don’t think I’m going to get so lucky.” I know this is only the beginning when it comes to Tessa and her trips to the hospital.

  She’s a fucking Sinclair. Her best friend was actually her half-sister. My mind plays back memories of our childhood, times when the guys and I would sit and talk shit about the chick we wanted to bang. Sin never brought her up. She was his honorary sister, all because of Sienna.

  I watch the medical staff hustle down the hall. There was a massive crash an hour ago on the interstate. “Have you got ahold of Sin?” I ask Cut.

  “No. He’s not answering. Savannah isn’t answering either, so I take it they’re together, not wanting to deal with the outside world yet.”

  “He’s going to need to deal with it sooner or later.”

  “You know Sin. He does shit in his own time.”

  “What do you think of everything?”

  “Fuck man, I don’t know. I always wondered how my father could be one hundred percent faithful to my mother living the life that he did. Not when I saw other members openly cheat on their wives. I thought my father loved my mother too much, but I guess fucking doesn’t usually involve feelings. Not everyone stays faithful to their hearts when their dick is hard.”

  I think of my father and what he did to my mother. If he’d be willing to share his wife with the enemy, I’m sure he didn’t give two fucks about the sanctity of marriage.

  Brass walks into the room and gives a tight nod. “Did you know?” I ask. His eyes narrow at my question. “That Tessa was Devin’s biological daughter?”

  “Fuck,” he sighs. “Had no clue. Devin and I weren’t close when you kids were younger. I was new to the club, too much shit going on in my own life that I didn’t have the time or desire to get involved in anyone else’s shit. He never said anything to indicate that Tessa was more than just a friend of Sienna’s.”

  Silence keeps us company, each of us in our own heads. My mind is reeling with the things that
I need to do. A clearing of a throat has my head snap to the entrance of the waiting room.

  “She’s being admitted for observation,” Gloria says with Bianca standing next to her. They both step farther into the room. “Her blood pressure spiked,” Gloria continues, “and her heart is weakened. They want to get her blood pressure under control before they release her.”

  “They pulled her charts and found the result of the test they ran earlier this week. They determined the cancer hasn’t spread past the marrow, which is a good sign,” Bianca says. “She needs to rest. They’re concerned the weakened state of her body isn’t boding well for what they need to do to treat cancer.”

  “Do they know what their plan of treatment is?” I ask.

  “They’ve told us their options, but we won’t know anything until they stabilize her blood pressure.”

  “Gloria?” Frank Reese, Gloria’s husband and the man who raised Tessa, comes into the room. He wraps his arms around her as she buries her face into the crook of his neck. His eyes harden as he takes in me, Cut, and Brass. “What have the doctors said?”

  “They’re keeping her for observations,” she mumbles into his shoulder. She backs away from him and busies herself with her purse, pulling out a tissue.

  He turns his back from his wife and shoves his hands into his front pockets. “Thank you for being here for Tessa, but we’ll take it from here.”

  I stand from my seat. “Wait... excuse me?”

  “This is a family matter. We’ll make sure she gets the help that she needs.”

  “Bullshit you will.”

  “Hawking!” Bianca scolds me. “This isn’t the place.”