Page 5

Hawk

I couldn’t help it. I barked out a laugh. Which wasn’t the smartest move because everyone except Knuckles and Knight looked at me like I’d lost my mind. Carrie flinched. She tried to let go of my hand, but I held onto the one I had laced my fingers through.

“Not helping, Hawk,” Gunnar muttered.

“You don’t believe me.” Carrie still tried to twist her hand out of my grip, but I held on tight. No way I was losing this silent war we waged under the table. If I was going to convince her to be mine, I had to make her understand I was on her side. Even over the club. That thought was so much of a surprise I nearly allowed her to slip out of my grip. Her hands were clammy, so she was hard to hang on to, but I managed.

“Sorry.” I adjusted my hold on Carrie’s hand, trying to reassure her. “Just not what I was expecting you to say, Killer.” The second I uttered her nickname, I knew I’d shown my hand to the brothers. They’d know Carrie was mine without me saying a fucking word. I’d have to eventually make a loud and proud statement to the fact -- like getting her a property cut -- but for now, the silent meaning would work.

“Everyone has a last name,” Knight said, his voice neutral but his expression skeptical. “Birth certificate, social security card, driver’s license…”

“I don’t have any of those things,” Carrie replied quietly. “At least, not with a real last name on them.”

The room fell silent. I could practically hear the gears turning in everyone’s heads. Carrie’s shoulders hunched slightly, as if she was bracing for an attack.

“Explain,” Knuckles said, his voice surprisingly gentle.

Carrie took a deep breath. “My father is… well, he’s paranoid about leaving paper trails. I was born at home. No hospital records or anything. I don’t know if it was the same with my brothers, but I’m pretty sure it was. He taught us to be ghosts. To hide in plain sight. I shouldn’t have been near the warehouses because there’s always so many security cameras, but it was raining and cool and I didn’t want to sleep in the woods again.”

“Any idea why he had you living like that?”

“Only that he said last names and medical records and such are for people who need to belong to a system. He wanted us to be self-sufficient.” She looked down at our joined hands and took a deep, trembling breath. “Saying it out loud sounds so fucked up.”

“Why teach you to fight like you do?”

I shrugged. “He said it was for when society crumbled. That we’d need to know how to defend ourselves and our territory, but there was more to it than that.”

“How much more?” Knuckles had his full attention on Carrie, and I wanted to slide her behind me for some reason. Knuckles wouldn’t hurt her. He detested harming women for any reason.

“I know he’s sent my brothers to kill people for him.” She imparted the information so quietly I barely heard her.

“You’re gonna have to speak up, darlin’.” Gunnar kept his voice gentle but insistent. “We only want to know what we’re facin’ if they come our way.”

“I know --” she broke off and a small sob escaped her. “God, I’m so stupid,” she muttered as she wiped angrily at a tear tracking down her cheek with her shoulder. It made my chest puff up a little that she hadn’t tried to let go of my hand. In fact, she held on tighter.

“Look at me, Carrie.” We needed this information, but I didn’t want her to feel threatened or bullied. When she looked up at me, I reached out and brushed a tear from her other cheek. “I’ve got your back. With these guys. With the club. With your family if you need it. I will not let anyone hurt you because of information you give us. You’re not your father or your brothers. We’ve all been judged at one time or another, so we’re not gonna automatically say you’re guilty by association.”

“My father would kill me if he were here now,” she confessed softly.

“He’s not here. And if he was, I’d eliminate the threat.” My reply came without hesitation. Not only did I want Carrie to understand I meant business, but my brothers needed to understand as well. And pass it on to any motherfucker who’d fallen in love with her when she’d walked out of the fucking fog covered in the blood of her enemies. I nearly smiled at the memory. She’d liked the phrasing then, but I didn’t think she’d appreciate it now.

Her eyes widened. “You’d kill him for me?”

“Without hesitation. You say he needs killin’, I’m all over that shit.” I saw Knuckles shift, but a quick glance in his and the other officers’ direction told me they were all hiding smiles. Yeah. They knew. Killing wasn’t something we took lightly since every single one of us had done time and had no desire to go back, but they weren’t laughing at that. They were laughing at me. Because I’d laughed at both of them, and had done the exact same thing I’d made fun of them for. I’d fallen in love with a woman at first sight. Yeah. That wasn’t going away any time soon.

Carrie was silent for a long moment, then she nodded. “I believe you.”

“Good.” I smiled at her. “Tell me what I need to know.”

She took a deep breath, seeming to gather her courage before taking the plunge. “My father trained me since I could walk. I don’t know how long he did my brothers, but I’m pretty sure it was all the same. All his kids are trained to kill. He has connections. Scary connections. I don’t know who they are exactly, but they’re all the kind of people who can, and do, make others disappear on the regular, including my father. Especially my father. My brothers are his soldiers. Victor is the most independent of the bunch. He doesn’t always follow orders blindly and the others will usually follow his lead. He’s protective of all his siblings and always weighs his chances of success against the risks. I’ve heard him and my brothers planning to make changes to the strict protocols my father tried to make them follow on a mission. Vic puts the team above the mission.”

“Which is why he might be protecting you instead of dragging you back,” Knuckles mused.

“Yes. Maybe.” Carrie’s voice trembled slightly. “But if my father decides he wants me back, he’ll come himself or send a couple of the others. And they might not be as gentle as Victor or Zach.”

“Your other brothers hurt you?” I couldn’t keep the question back any longer. I had to know exactly how many of these fuckers I was gonna have to kill.

She shrugged. “Only during training, and never very much. They always pulled their punches. At least, that’s what Father accused them of. They’d get rougher on me when he pushed like that, but they still held back.”

“So Goddamned many people to fuckin’ kill,” I muttered. Carrie stiffened. This time, she yanked her hands away from mine, meaning it. Yeah. I knew she didn’t really want free earlier. If she had, it wouldn’t have mattered how hard I tried to hold this woman; she wouldn’t be touched by anyone she didn’t want touching her. Now, I got to see her temper in the flesh.

“You’re not killing my brothers.” Her gaze was fierce as she stood. I watched her quarter the room, assessing the men closest to her. I’d seen that look so Goddamned many times in the yard just before a fight.

Knuckles saw it too. “You’re good, woman.”

Carrie’s brow ruffled her brow in confusion. “What?” She shook her head. “I didn’t do anything.” She took another step back but hit the table behind her.

“Hey, honey,” I soothed, raising my hands so she could see them both clearly. “No one’s accusing you of anything.”

“Well, what am I good at? What did he mean?”

I smiled. “Well, not that you’re trying to deceive us, if that’s where you were going. He was complimenting the way you assessed the room. You were going to go for Tiny first. Then Pain. After that, I’m not sure who you were gonna hit, but I’m guessing me, since I’d be less likely to hurt you than anyone else. What I want to know is why Tiny first?”

She eyed me warily, like she sensed a trap but was ninety percent sure the bait was a free meal, but was still skeptical. Her gaze flickered from me to Tiny and back. “Because I can’t win this fight. He’s big. Like really big. Perfect name, by the way.” She gave a nervous laugh, likely trying to deflect her nervousness.

Tiny grinned, not offended in the least. “Size matters, little lady.” That got a round of chuckles from everyone. It seemed to put her more at ease and she continued.

“Anyway, if I went low, I could take out a knee with a good solid kick inside. He’d go down and everyone else would hesitate just because of our size differences. The shock value would only be a couple of seconds, but I’m betting I’m faster than everyone here other than maybe him.” She pointed to Knight. Though still heavily muscled, Knight was leaner and not quite as tall as the rest of us. “But I’m also betting that, though he can fight, I can take him if it doesn’t matter if he’s dead or alive. So, get free of the compound, disappear into the fog if it’s still as thick as it was. If anyone catches me, Tiny is probably the only one here I can’t take one on one.” Carrie sounded so confident I had to grin. She might be timid, but she knew what she was about. “Unless I got a good jump on him, that is.”

“You decide you can’t handle her, Hawk, I’ll take the little lady.” Tiny had his arms crossed over his massive chest. The man really was huge. Like fucking huge.

“I can’t kick your ass hand-to-hand, but I can stab the shit outta you.” I let go of Carrie’s hand to drape my arm around her shoulders. That got a roar of laughter from my brothers. I felt her exhale a relieved breath and leaned in to kiss the top of her head. I was afraid she might flinch at the memory of her killing the men she had, but if it bothered her, she didn’t let on. At least, not much. Her hand went to her stomach just below her breasts, like she had a cramp right before she needed to hurl again but fought it back.

“All right,” Knuckles said with a slight grin. “Settle back down. Your woman’s a badass, Hawk. Get used to brothers tryin’ to coax her away from you before you put your property cut on her.”

“So, bottom line,” Knuckles continued once everyone had settled back down, “is that your brothers and father are badasses, and we’re not exactly sure what your brother, Victor, is up to but we should assume he’s here to either take you or kill you.”

“You’d know it if Vic was here to kill me.” Her softly spoken declaration sent chills down my spine. She believed what she was saying. “Vic is his right hand. The others are all good at what they do, but Vic is the one he sends when he wants someone to speak on his behalf and either doesn’t want to go himself, or if he believes there would be a threat to him.”

“And what about you?” Torpedo’s question was soft, and I didn’t think he was judging her, but I shot him a look just the same. He merely gave me a challenging glance before he turned his attention back to Carrie. “What did your father expect you to do?”

She shrugged. “Not much of anything, I don’t think. What I mean is, I never met his expectations. If anything, I think he planned on marrying me off to one of his associates.”

“To make an alliance.” Gunnar drummed his fingers on the table even as he frowned. “Doesn’t sound like something a man with so many secrets would want to do. Especially if you could give that associate information on him. What’s your father’s name?”

“His name’s Flagg. At least, that’s what I’ve heard people call him. We were never allowed to call him anything other than Father or sir. Flagg is all I’ve ever heard anyone else call him.”

“I’ll get that information to Data,” Knight said, tapping on his tablet. “I’ve got Rocket’s contact info. Do you want me to go to him directly or keep Bones in the loop?” He addressed this question to Torpedo.

The other man curled his finger over his lip, obviously thinking hard about this. “From here on out, cut Data off. Ain’t tried to stifle your game, Knuckles, but I’m not comfortable getting Bones too involved with Kiss of Death.”

“You knew what we were about when you agreed, Torpedo.” It surprised me that Knuckles was talking about this in front of Carrie. We weren’t talking about anything sensitive, but his willingness to pick this up with Carrie here told me he expected she’d be around for a long time. Manipulative, maybe. But it was yet another way my president was looking out for me. If he accepted Carrie, the others would too.

“I did. And as long as you ain’t hurtin’ innocents, I could give a good Goddamn what you do. My only concern was that you not fall into the same pattern Slash and Rat Man fell into. You guys are vicious to your enemies, but you don’t kill or harm needlessly.” He shrugged. “I can respect that. Bones has done its share of killin’, too. They’ve done things on the wrong side of legal, too. But with ExFil getting bigger and coming under closer scrutiny, it’s best if Bones goes the other direction.”

“You afraid this is gonna come to a boiling point?”

“I’m afraid there’s gonna be a lot of killin’. I’ll be right there in the middle of it with you. But I’d prefer not to bring the fuzz to Ice and Cyclone’s front door if I can keep from it.”

Knuckles nodded in acknowledgement. “Understandable. Always believed in cleanin’ up my own mess.”

“Now, having said all that…” Torpedo grinned. “I’m pretty sure Grim Road MC is the club you want helpin’ on this.”

“I hear ya.” Knuckles chuckled. “Spooks to catch spooks.”

I glanced at Carrie. She looked like she was deep in thought, so I leaned in. “What’s goin’ on, Killer? Somethin’ buggin’ ya?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know what.”

“Tell me.” I put my full attention on her while Knuckles, Torpedo, and Knight did their thing. I could hear a few of the others offering input but I tuned it all out and focused on Carrie.

“Grim Road. I’ve heard that name before.”

“Good or bad?”

She shook her head. “I’m not sure. I wish I could tell you.” She frowned, trying to remember where she’d heard the name before. “Father wouldn’t have mentioned them unless they were a potential threat or ally.”

“Grim Road MC is a motorcycle club made up of mostly former black ops soldiers,” I explained quietly. “They’re extremely dangerous and extremely loyal to their own. If Knight can get their help, we’ll be in a much better position.”

Carrie’s eyes widened. “Wait. I remember now. Victor mentioned them once to Father. He said they were off-limits. Completely. Father was furious, but Victor wouldn’t back down.” She leaned closer to me, her voice dropping to a whisper. “That’s the only time I ever saw Father back down from one of my brothers.”

That was interesting. Very interesting. I caught Knuckles’s eye and gestured for him to come over. When he approached, I relayed what Carrie had just told me.

Knuckles’ eyebrows shot up. “Well, ain’t that something.” He turned to Knight. “When you contact Rocket, Knight, ask him if he knows either Flagg or Vic.”

Knight nodded and tapped at his tablet, his fingers flying over the screen. “Already done. I’ve sent him an encrypted message with the names and a brief summary of the situation.” He glanced back up at Knuckles. “Headed to my office to do this. I’ll give you an update as soon as I have it.”

“Good.” Knuckles stood. “I want round-the-clock lookouts by patched members. Keep the prospects already assigned guard duty with you. We sleep in shifts until this is over. Though, honestly, if he’s half as good as Carrie says, I expect he’ll get in without us knowing much.”

“I’ll know.” Knight gave an arrogant lift of his chin.

“Good.” Knuckles turned back to me and Carrie. “For now, you stay with Hawk. If your brother Victor is still watching, we want him to know you’re protected.”

“I really don’t think Victor would hurt me,” Carrie insisted. “He’s the only one who ever really stood up for me.”

I exchanged glances with Knuckles. Neither of us was convinced, but pushing her on this wouldn’t help. “Maybe so, but until we know his intentions, we play it safe.”

Just as he’d turned to leave, Knight’s tablet pinged. He glanced up at Knuckles who sat back down.

“What is it?”

Knight frowned at his tablet. “Rocket.” He looked up, his expression serious. “He wants a video call. Now.”

“Do it,” Knuckles ordered, gesturing to the tablet. “Can you put him somewhere we can all see him?”

“Yeah. Give me a second.”

Knight tapped out a few commands and the big screen TV along the wall flickered to life. Followed soon after with the image of a man with a closely cropped dark beard appeared. His eyes were sharp, assessing. I got the feeling he didn’t miss much. The plain black T-shirt he wore molded his powerful arms and shoulders. Over his shirt, he wore his colors with his name and rank as president on the chest. Beside him, a fierce-looking blonde pixie stood with her hand on his shoulder. I noticed she also wore a vest, but instead of something like “Property Of” and the name of her man, the patches said, “Lemon” and “Vice President.”

I gave Rocket a questioning look. The other man raised an eyebrow and practically dared me to say something. Right. Not on my life.

“You’re on the big screen, Rocket.” Knight held the tablet up so he was looking into the camera as he spoke. “Everyone can see and hear you.”

“Understood.” He sat back slightly, ready to start the conversation. “This is my vice president, Lemon. Any time there’s a woman involved, Lemon is in on the conversation. While I know Flagg and Vic, I’m not familiar with Carrie, though I know of her.”

“Will you tell us what you know?” Knight was soft-spoken and delicate as ever. He had an arrogant streak with us, but he was always respectful when dealing with another club. He always said his job was to make them comfortable. Despite his appearance, Knight was an expert at putting people at ease.

“First, let me meet the young woman, Carrie.”

Knight brought the tablet to us and I took it from him, holding it so Carrie and I were both in frame. “I’m Carrie’s protector,” I said by way of introduction. “This is Carrie.” Carrie gave a small wave but said nothing.

Rocket stared at us for several seconds. Then his expression changed subtly. Had I not been watching so closely, I doubt I’d have seen the slight widening of his eyes or the tightening around his mouth. “Well, shit,” he muttered. “You’re Flagg’s daughter.”

“Yes.” Carrie’s chin went up and she put her shoulders back slightly. An expressionless mask fell over her face as she met Rocket’s gaze calmly. “I am.”

Rocket took a breath, closing his eyes as he held it in. Then he exhaled and put his hands flat on the surface in front of him. Lemon glanced his way before putting her hand over his. Rocket turned his hand over and grasped her hand in his. That told me I wasn’t going to like what he was about to say.

“Carrie, did you know your mother?”

I didn’t want to take my eyes from Rocket, but I needed to see Carrie’s face. That mask was still firmly in place, giving nothing away when before she’d been an open book. “No. She died shortly after my birth.”

“Your mother was the daughter of a mafia boss named Seth Miles. Flagg made a deal with him years ago that was supposed to unite his army and the Miles Syndicate. I knew her when my father was still alive and a patched member of Grim.” He glanced at his VP and she nodded at him. “One of my first missions as team leader was with Vic.”

“You know my brother.”

“I do. But your father doesn’t know. If he did, he’d be furious. Vic was supposed to kill me on that mission. Something about closing a trade route and rerouting it to another port to shift the flow of money. I honestly didn’t pay much attention past he was supposed to kill me.” Rocket shook his head as he chuckled. “The point is, I don’t think Vic is there to hurt you, honey. I also don’t think your father knows where you are or Vic wouldn’t have let anyone catch even a glimpse of him.”

“I did think it was odd Vic got caught.” Carrie’s expression still gave nothing away. This was the woman who’d been so open before. Now it was like she’d closed herself off.

“It’s exceptionally odd,” Rocket agreed.

“Unless he intended for you guys to see him and show me.”

“Carrie trusts her brother, Rocket,” I said. “Should she?”

Rocket nodded his head crisply. “Absolutely. He might not show himself if her father was on to where she went, but he would always look out for his sister.”

“What does she need to do?”

“I suppose that’s up to you, Hawk.” Lemon took over the conversation. “You said you’re her protector. What’s your gut tell you?”

I shook my head. “Well, I’m not gonna meet him on neutral ground. If half the shit Carrie’s told us about Vic and the rest of her brothers is true, I’m not sure I’m comfortable meeting him at all.”

Lemon raised an eyebrow, a grin tugging at her lips. “But?”

The chuckle bubbled up from my chest. I liked this woman. “But I think it’s better to meet him now and figure out what the deal is.”

“It’s what I would do.” Rocket leaned back once more. “I’ll reach out to him, assuming my information’s still good. I’ll tell him to show himself at the front gate, if that’s OK?”

Knuckles nodded. “Yes. We can work something out from there.”

“Good. If there’s anything else we can be of help with, let me know.”

“Appreciate it, Rocket. Good to meet you.”

“Same, Knuckles. Torpedo, Tell Venus and Piston we said hello when you see them.”

“Will do. Venus said to tell you she’ll call you in a few days, Lemon. Something about getting a ride together for the women from Evansville to Lake Worth and back.”

“Bitchin’!” The smile that split Lemon’s face was just shy of maniacal. “Pink Harleys unite!”

Everyone groaned. “Pink” and “Harley” should never be mentioned in the same sentence. Unless it had to do with pussy. Then they could be in the same sentence.

Knight broke out laughing as he ended the call. “I bet she creates more than a little havoc.”

“All right.” Knuckles stood again. “Got a feelin’ it won’t be long before we have company. Hawk, do you want a buffer between Vic and Carrie?”

“Might be nice. She’s not had much sleep. I could use a few Z’s myself. I’d like to be on top of my game when we face him.”

“Fine. Assuming he contacts us in the next couple of hours, me, Torpedo, and Bohannon will talk to him before we get you and Carrie. I’ll send someone for you when we’re ready. Until then, I suggest the two of you decide what you’re gonna tell him when he gets here.”

“What do you mean?” Carrie looked from me to Knuckles and back.

“If we tell your brother I’ve claimed you, I’ll need to get you a property vest ASAP. If you don’t want to do that, we need to come up with an excuse for you to stay here.”

She gave me a thoughtful look. “Yeah. I guess we need to get that straight.” Kid looked almost resigned, like she wasn’t sure her new life was going to be better than her last. I had news for her. If she let me make her mine, I’d treat her like a fuckin’ princess. And kill any son of a bitch who tried to take her from me. Including, but not limited to, her father and brothers.

Her willingness to discuss the topic was more than I expected. I kind of thought she’d balk at telling her brother she was going to be a biker’s old lady, and she might still. Also, she needed to know what I’d done to earn my place in Kiss of Death. We’d get to that. First, she needed sleep. And I needed to really think this through. Because if she decided she wanted to be my old lady, it had to be all the way. I’d done things in my life I wasn’t proud of, but I prided myself on keeping my word. If I pledged myself to her, if I took her as my old lady, I wasn’t letting go. I couldn’t. Because, for some fucked-up reason I couldn’t even imagine, the few hours I’d known Carrie were enough for me. This woman was my destiny, and I didn’t want to fight it. I wanted her to be mine. Once she was, I’d fight to the death to keep her.