by Shyla Colt
Hilary took a deep breath. Embrace the experience. At the very least it could be good book fodder. “Okay. I’m your canvas.”
* * * * *
Things were happening fast, and it had the boys nervous. Hawk sat beside Tiny in the crowded church session. Tensions were high, and it had the group of men acting like long-tailed cats in a room full of rocking chairs, as his grandmother would say. They’d come up with a plan to take the rest of the Peter’s crew down permanently, but it was unorthodox.
“Now I’m going to bring up something and I want everyone to keep an open mind,” Tiny said.
Here we go. Hawk sat up in his chair.
“We found the rest of those motherfuckers. We could kill them, but I don’t like the thought of it somehow coming back around to us. Two was enough. People with money have a way of being relentless. They leave no stone unturned, and there’s always someone who doesn’t mind getting their hands dirty for the right price.”
“So what are you suggesting?” Shooter asked.
“We cut off their money flow and send them to jail,” Tiny said.
“Wait, the legal route? How in the hell do you expect to pull that off?” Maverick said.
“The paper trail is there. If we get the victims on board, they’ll put these assholes under the jail for us. Human trafficking, murder when the girls wanted to leave or got used up.Now, that’d mean getting the librarian and Hilary on the stand. We need them to be the glue. Juliette has to be willing to take the stand and talk to the victims along with Hilary. As long as these men are free, all of these woman will remain in danger. We’re doing them a favor as much as they’d be doing the same for us.
Murmurs went up in the space. Tiny held up a hand. “I know it’s not our usual style, but it leaves us with clean hands. That’s what matters. We’d be seen as protection only. Nothing new for an M.C. really.”
“And you think this would work?” Shooter said.
“With the dirt we have on them, no lawyer in America is going to get them off,” Tiny said.
“And how does Hil feel about this?” Moose said narrowing his eyes.
“She’ll agree,” Hawk said. I won’t let her do otherwise. “This needs to come to an end yesterday. They’ve hit too close to home. We can’t give them another chance at us,” Hawk said.
“Jesus, these guys don’t have anything better to do?” Maverick asked. “If I had half the money they did this is not what I’d be doing.”
“Well you’re not completely fucked in the head like they are either,” Hawk said.
“Says a lot after all the time I did in the service,” Maverick muttered.
“So we’re all on board with what’s happening? Because I want to get this shit started now. Mav, I’ll need you to do your legal thing and make sure it’s all airtight.”
“I can do that. I’ll need to talk to the girls and see what they’ve signed. Do we have them on board?”
“We’ll get things smoothed over with them soon. I think Hil’s been working on them for a while now,” Hawk said.
“She keeps a lot of secrets,” Shooter said. His frown spoke volumes. He didn’t trust her.
“Won’t be any soon,” Hawk said.
“You make sure of that,” Tiny said.
Hawk met Tiny’s gaze and nodded, silently giving him a promise. They had a lot riding on Hilary. It wouldn’t take much to get what he needed from her. She had the aura of a soda filled with Mentos and shaken. A few more gentle nudges and she’d blow. Secrets were a slow poison. They crept in and began to turn things bad little by little until suddenly they were at max capacity and someone’s life was on the line. There was no room for them here in Mayhem.
“That being said. We’re going off lockdown. We need to make these clowns think they have the upper hand. This weekend we go back to our houses and our regular lives. We’ll keep tails on the girls. Security’s been tightened. I don’t anticipate any trouble. Once this case hits their door, the focus will shift off us, and that’s when we’ll start tearing down the organization them from the inside.” Tiny grinned. “They don’t really need all that money and with the media circus they’ll be doing they won’t notice a thing right away. By the time they do, the money will be safely stowed in an offshore account made for someone who doesn’t actually exist. Mayhem can be called many things, but dumb isn’t one of them.”
Laughter filled the space. “Now that you know the basics you’re dismissed, except for tech squad, Hawk, and Maverick. I want this shit wrapped up with a bow and ready to be delivered by the end of the day.”
Legs of chairs scraped on the floor as people stood and began to leave the room. Hawk watched them wistfully, settling in for a long night.
When he finally emerged from the room the sun had long set and the hallways and main room were quiet. He pulled out a cold bottle of beer, popped the tab, and took a long pull.
He could hear Hilary’s voice through the door to her room. “Because I need a break, Mom, that’s why. You can’t keep blowing up my phone. I’m a grown woman and I made my decision. I need to be away from this mess. I’m in way deeper than I should be. It’s not my marriage.”
His eyebrow quirked. So the opinionated woman had been listening to him. Right on, Harpy. Stand up for yourself. He heard her feet move across the floor as she paced in her room. The crack in the door let out light and allowed him to see glimpses of her as she walked past the threshold.
“What do you mean how can I abandon you? Mom, what can I possibly do?”
He sat at the bar and waited to see how her argument would pan out.
“No. I told you I’m not going to take sides. No I don’t think Dad was right for what he did. But he’s still my father. You know what? All you need to know is I’m going to be away for a while. If you need me, leave a message on my voicemail. Bye Mom, I love you.” She took a shaky breath, and he knew she’d hung up. She slipped out of her room.
He cleared his throat to announce his presence. “I take it you told them.”
She jumped, then turned to face him, wiping at her eyes. “How long were you there?”
“Long enough. You did what you needed to.”
“You didn’t give me any other choice,” she snapped.
“There wasn’t one.” He shrugged. Used to being the bad guy, he let her disdain roll off him like water on a slip-n-slide.
“You’re all heart, Hawk. You know that?” she said, exasperated.
“We have bigger things on our plate than your parental issues.”
She scoffed at him. “Asshole.”
“You keep talking to me like that I’ll think you’re starting to like me, sweetheart,” he said.
“You wish. What are you doing out here? You were gone ten minutes ago.”
“Just got out of church. It was a long one. We got everything figured out. Tomorrow people will start heading back home. You take care of those loose ends?” Hawk said.
“Yeah. I’m ready. Disappearing for a while is looking better by the minute, actually.”
“Good and leave your dislike for me at the door. We’re going to be spending a lot of quality time together.” He grinned wolfishly.
She glanced away, fidgeting with the edge of her T-shirt. Either she hadn’t gotten any in a long time, she wasn’t used to a man who knew how to stand up to her, or she was a virgin. The last thought made him hard. What would it be like to be the man who took that prize from her? He narrowed his eyes, studying her in the low lighting. What was it about this woman that drew him in?
She tensed her jaw and glanced up at him, recovered from her bout of shyness.
“When are we going around the club?”
“Saturday.”
“That’s like four days away.”
“Yep, so get ready for me, babe.”
“I don’t think you’re any experience anyone can prepare themselves from,” she said.
“Shit, now you’re just flattering me,” he said. She ducked her head, and
he chuckled. “Am I embarrassing you?”
“No.” She lifted her chin. “I’m just not used to a man being so…”
“Real?” he guessed.
“Blunt,” she said.
“That’s because they didn’t know what to do with you,” he said.
“And you do?” She cocked her head to the side.
“Best believe I do, babe. Now, I’m going to finish this beer and head to my room. I’m not saying you need to do the same, but no leaving the cabin. I don’t like the thought of you wandering around here at night by yourself.”
“I’m perfectly safe here,” she protested.
“Hmm. We’ve been holed up here for a while now, and you’re not claimed. No reason to press your luck. Most of the guys here respect things but we got a few rebels who skate the line. You’re under my protection now. You want me to start our partnership off by busting some fool’s head open? ’Cause I got to say, you in my bed is sounding pretty damn good right now.”
She shifted her weight. “No, I don’t want to cause in trouble, and I’m tired anyway.”
“Good. Get into the mindset of listening, Hil. It’ll only make things easier for the both of us.”
“No, it’ll be easier for you,” she said. “No one tells you what to do.”
“Yeah, his name is Tiny, and he runs this M.C.”
“It’s not the same.” She shook her head. “You choose to follow him.”
He grunted. “Not me who put us in the situation, babe.”
“I know.” She walked toward the bar. “Good night, Hawk. I really do appreciate you keeping me safe.”
He gave a small nod and watched as she moved down the hallway. He watched her ass give just the right amount of bounce as she disappeared into her room. His pants grew tighter. Maybe this wouldn’t be the nightmare he’d expected.
Chapter Five
Hawk eyed the woman sitting across from him at the kitchen table cradling a mug of coffee. He had a week to work on her before they went public, and Tiny wanted more than guesses about what she knew.
“Be straight with me. Have you spoken with the victims?” Hawk asked.
Hilary spluttered and blinked owlishly. She cleared her throat and wiped away the droplets of coffee that clung to the corners of her lips. “Hell of a way to start a morning conversation.”
“We’re going public in a week. You had to know this was coming. We need more than you to seal this thing shut. They’re out there in the wind right now with no protection. What happens if Emmit and Linden send people after them?”
“Jesus, ’cause these women haven’t been through enough,” Hilary said.
“Yes, which is why we’re ready to offer up protection until all of this is finished. I’d think they’d want this put to bed permanently as much as we do,” Hawk said.
“Fear defies logic when it’s intense enough,” Hilary said glancing down. She swirled the mug in her hands.
“They’re still scared of these guys?” Hawk said.
“Let’s just say Linden and Emmit drop gifts off now and then to let them know they’re still watching.”
“Fuck, these guys are sick.” Hawk shook his head and took a sip of his alcohol-laced coffee. “Legally can any of them actually talk?”
“There are a handful of these girls who escaped who have formed a sort of sisterhood. They keep track of one another, compare notes and do their best to move on from what’s happened to them. Which is nearly impossible with the threat of Linden and Emmit reappearing at any given moment.”
“You realize this shit is sounding like an eerie television show, right?” Hawk said, trying to wrap his head around the new information.
“I wish for their sake it was. No one should have to live like this. I keep telling them, but they won’t listen. They warned me if Linden or Emmit found out they’d hunt me down. I told them I didn’t care.” She shook her head. “This is all wrong and needs to be exposed.”
“At the cost of your life?” Hawk said.
“I’m hoping it won’t come to that. But yes. We both know they’ll never stop. My life is basically forfeit now because I know too much.” She shrugged.
He had to admire her courage. She was rock steady right now. It was a rare trait. Hawk nodded. “We’ll give them protection if that’s what they’re afraid of.”
“It might help some. But the true terror is locked away in their minds, always with them, forever tormenting.” Hilary sighed and shook her head.
“You know a lot about this kind of thing.”
“I went through this with Juliette, and I’ve formed a tight-knit friendship with these girls. Compared to some of them, Juliette had it easy.”
“You’ve been busy keeping secrets. Not a smart thing to do around here. It makes people nervous.”
“No. I was doing what I could to protect the people I love.” She narrowed her eyes. “How is that any different from what you do?”
“I got the means to back myself up, babe,” he said studying her.
Her cheeks puffed out, and she inhaled through her nose and released. “I wasn’t expecting it to go this way,” she said, speaking through her teeth.
I bet you want to cuss me out right now, don’t you? “No, but you had to know it might.”
She gave a curt nod.
“From now on, no keeping shit. You got any other bats hiding in your belfry, you’d best let them out here.”
Her eyes widened.
This ain’t my first rodeo. I know stubborn people. I come from the bear clan. He snorted. “Yeah, I’m not just some stupid biker you can pull one over on, college girl.”
“I-I didn’t say you were,” she said.
You didn’t have to. “It’s okay. I like that people underestimate me. It gives me an advantage. How soon can you arrange a meeting?”
“I’m not sure. I mean I can ask them today, but I don’t know what their schedules are like.”
“Fuck, girl. Tell them they’re in danger. I’m pretty sure that’ll clear the day calendar.”
“I don’t want to cause panic.” She shook her head.
“I think it’s time for that. Once Linden and Emmit lose track of you…they’re going to retrace your steps.”
“Fuck. I’ll call them right now.” She set her mug down on the table and stood.
“Make your call but don’t think I forgot what we were talking about before this.”
She ignored him as she rushed for the backyard to keep a semblance of privacy. He shook his head. The woman was a frustrating combination of contradictions. Damn near meek one minute and roaring like a lioness the next. It created a kind of crazy he found himself drawn to. Of all the times to be attracted to a female. He slowed his thoughts down, the way he did everything when he had a mission to carry out. A few minutes later she returned.
“I left a few voicemails and sent some texts. We’ll see what happens next.”
“Anything else you want to share?” Hawk finished his coffee set the mug on the table and leaned forward, studying her.
“That was it.”
“You sure about that?”
“What?” She laughed. “You don’t believe me?”
“I’m still deciding. But for your sake, I hope you’re telling the truth.”
She swallowed hard. “I am.”
“We’re in this thing together now. So, I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt. I need your complete trust. There are things I won’t be able to explain to you, but my directions, no matter how infuriating they may seem, should be followed to the letter. It might mean the difference between life and death.”
“I get it, Hawk. I’m not stupid.”
“No, but all of this is new to you.” He studied her face. “You done with your food?”
“Yeah.”
“All right, then let’s get dressed. I want to take you out and teach you how to shoot.” She opened her mouth, and he shook his head. “No. This isn’t an optional. You strike me as the type
of woman who likes to be her own hero, and the people we’re up against don’t fight fair. To even the odds you need to be ready to get your hands dirty. You feel me?”
“Y-Yes.”
“If it’s going to be them or you, babe, they’re always going to choose them. So you need to get your mind right and adopt the same mentality.”
“Is that what you do?” She glanced up at him from beneath curly, thick lashes. Without a stitch of makeup on, she might be the prettiest thing he’d seen in months.
“Damn straight. I was born into this chaos. I live that philosophy. This world is a cruel, cold, callous place where mostly might makes right. You got to be prepared to take what you want and kill to protect it once you got it.”
“Seems so cold.”
He shrugged. “Maybe. It’s never steered me wrong, though. To make it out alive you got to get a little hard.”
“I don’t want to believe that,” she said. Her shoulders slumped, and some of the liveliness left her.
If she were anyone else, he’d have told her to suck it up and get a move on. But her vulnerability did funny things to him. “Not hard to the core. Just enough to protect your delicate bits and do what you have to.”
She peered up at him as if he’d suddenly hung the moon, and warning bells chimed in his head. He pushed back his chain and stood. “I’m going to get ready. I’ll meet you in the living room in twenty.” The more distance he put between them, the better he felt.
He cursed her as he shed his clothes and stepped inside the shower with a raging hard-on. Images of her full lips parted and trembling while she looked at him with dewy eyes made him groan. No one had ever looked at him that way before. After Rayen had been locked up, he’d gone on a spree, fucking and fighting his way through the pain. The fighting had slowed down, but the women continued in and out of his life like a revolving door. Now he had a proper fucking lady with the body of a goddess making him feel things best left to others.
He palmed his dick and stroked, imagining her lips parting as she sucked him down. He grunted, tugging harder. He could practically feel the slick heat of her mouth. Thrusting his hips, he fucked his hand until he found blissful release and emptied all he had to give. Learning to shoot was an up close and personal task. Now at least he wouldn’t embarrass her and distract himself. Slumped against the shower, he groaned. Shit, I need to get laid soon. He caught his breath and stood up, grabbing the shower soap from the shelf and squirting some in his hand. The familiar scent grounded him and he got his eyes back on the prize.