Page 9

Hawk

Something in the early morning air… shifted. Every instinct I had in me said to hit the ground, but I couldn’t see a threat. “Everyone inside. Now.” I snarled the command before I thought better. I wasn’t the SAA of Kiss of Death anymore, but the sense of urgency was so strong I couldn’t stop the order.

As I turned my head, I reached out for Carrie. Her eyes widened in shock right before she launched herself at her brother. Carrie hit Vic hard enough for him to stumble back a full step. The steel post of the chain link gate next to where Vic had stood pinged with the sound of a ricochet.

“Sniper!” I wasn’t sure who yelled out the warning, but everyone scattered. Vic rolled with Carrie through the gate while three prospects scrambled to shut and barricade the entrance. There hadn’t been even a delayed retort so whoever was doing this had a suppressor.

Another shot hit the other side of the gate, almost like the first shot had missed intentionally when I was certain it had been meant to take out Vic. Once fully inside the gate to our compound, there was camo netting covering the alley-like streets between our warehouses. It wasn’t where we needed to be, but it made it harder for our attacker to pick us off one at a time.

“We need better cover.” Victor had Carrie pinned beneath him, his body shielding hers completely.

“A hundred yards behind you. Get Carrie inside the clubhouse.” The interior of the compound went dark a second later.

“The fuck!” Vic crawled over the pavement and dirt deeper into the canopy cover. “Did they cut the electricity?”

“No.” I led the way to the clubhouse entrance. “We did.” I knew Vic would understand it was to take advantage of the darkness. Once at the clubhouse entrance, I shoved Carrie inside. “Stay here. I’ll be back shortly.”

“You’re going hunting.” Carrie looked up at me with a mixture of shock and anger.

“I am. Stay here with your brother.”

“You know the sniper is Flagg, right?” Vic leveled a look at me.

“That’s what I thought, too, Hawk.” Carrie moved into my arms, and I couldn’t help but pull her close. She’d been so close to where the bullet had hit it took my breath. I hadn’t planned on holding her yet because I knew the urge to take her to the basement of one of the warehouses, wrap her up in my arms, and hide us both away from the world and any possible harm would be too strong to ignore. Spoiler alert! It was.

“We’ll know soon,” I said as I squeezed Carrie to me tightly. “Because I intend to bring whoever this motherfucker is back to kill him.”

“Not before me, you’re not.” Vic’s voice was calm, but his eyes were like steel. I’d seen that look on enough killers to know this wasn’t a debate we were having. Vic would do what he Goddamned well pleased, and I honestly didn’t blame him.

I hurried deeper into the clubhouse to the bar where Chains was readying weapons we kept locked away in a hidden locker. Several of them, actually. There was a weapons locker on every floor of every warehouse, all tucked away where they were safely hidden. All of us were ex-cons, so guns were a hard no, but we had plenty of knives and blunt instruments we could legally have on the property and not go back to prison for. And, of course, we did have guns; we just controlled when they were brought out and who had access to them. Again, that had been my job and it was hard not to fall back into that role when it wasn’t yet mine again. I picked a large hunting knife as well as brass knuckles, then turned back to Carrie.

“I want to go with you,” she said, picking her own knife as well as two push daggers she tucked into the straps inside her vest put there for just this purpose.

“Not a good idea, honey.” I motioned to Knuckles who was shouting orders as he stomped through the big front room. “Let me take care of this. It’s what I do. I’ll be distracted if you’re with me.”

“We’ve got to go now,” Knuckles said. “Knight says he has him, but he’s not sure how long he can keep from losing him.” He tossed me a radio. “Prospects are gettin’ our bikes. Me, you, and Tiny. Bohannon too. The rest will stay here to keep the women covered.”

Knuckles looked Vic up and down. “You gonna turn on us if we let you go with us? If this is your old man --”

“He’s a fuckin’ prick,” Vic bit out. “He’s getting old and it’s showing, but he’s still dangerous. I can, and will, help you take him down.”

“I’ve never known him to miss a shot,” Carrie said, her eyes still wide. The lights were still out in the compound, but with the blinds pulled, there were a few emergency lights we had on while we prepped for a fight. “And he used a visible red laser guide. It’s why I shoved you, Vic. I saw him target you. Why would he do that? And why would he want to kill you, Vic?”

“Because I’m the glue holding the others together. If I leave him, our brothers will follow me. He sent me to find you and bring you back, Carrie. He’d still have you even after he killed me.” Vic shook his head. “I led him right to you. It never even occurred to me he might follow me here.”

“I’m so over that bastard,” Carrie muttered. “Are you guys coming or what?” She stomped toward the door and I was helpless not to follow.

“Got your hands full with that one, mate.” Griffin was one of the most upbeat men I’d ever met. He’d also been through shit. I’d been the one who’d sent him to Kiss of Death after his stint in Terre Haute. I’d been with him in the same block, but a different wing. Guy had a knack for picking fights without even trying.

“Yep.” I clapped him on the shoulder and hurried after my woman.

As I stepped outside and situated the earpiece for my radio on my ear, I watched Carrie as she mounted my bike like she meant to take the fuck off. Jogging the short distance, I took the handlebar. “I got this, honey.”

She snorted. “Got your ass in gear, didn’t it?”

I barked out a laugh as I climbed on my bike. A prospect tossed us both helmets. We put them on and fastened the straps. “Remind me to spank your ass for that later, woman.”

“Only after we put this fucker down.” Yeah. Carrie was good and pissed now. I knew the feeling. But under the anger, there was a fear so bone-deep it brought me to my knees. Flagg had been aiming for Vic, but he could have just as easily hit Carrie when she lunged to push her brother out of the way.

I followed Knight’s directions as we sped through alleys surrounding our property. There were several warehouses besides ours in the area. Knight had found the bastard at the far end of the warehouses next to the shipping yard on the Cumberland River. I knew the place well because I’d told Knuckles years ago when we’d first picked up this property it would be the perfect place for a sniper ambush. He’d agreed but then life went sideways and we weren’t able to build a defense against it.

“There!” Carrie pointed to a figure sticking to the shadows. “What the hell is he doing?”

We were on the guy before I could answer. I couldn’t positively ID the man in front of us, but if Carrie said that was Flagg I was taking her word for it.

Just as I was about to run him down, something hit the front wheel of my bike. The machine jolted, then the back end tumbled over the front. Me and Carrie both went flying.

I hit the pavement hard, rolling to try and minimize the impact. Carrie landed a few feet away, her body tucked into a ball as she rolled smoothly to her feet, taking up a fighting stance as she tossed her helmet to the ground. The training her father had put her through was showing its value.

“Carrie!” I shouted, scrambling toward her. Blood trickled down her temple, but her eyes were clear and focused.

“I’m fine,” she called back, scanning the area. “Where is he?”

A sharp crack split the air and chunks of concrete exploded near my feet. I dove for cover behind a dumpster, pulling Carrie with me.

“He’s got help,” Vic’s voice came through my earpiece. “Looks like Gage.”

“My brother.” I glanced her way and saw a deep sorrow etched into her face. This was hurting her in ways I couldn’t imagine.

Knuckles and Vic continued on after the man on foot while Bohannon stopped to help us. The vice president fired his pistol back in the direction the last volley of shots came from. “Either of you hit?”

“We’re good.” I leaned around the dumpster, peering over the edge to get a fix on our attacker. Movement on the rooftop of the warehouse to our left caught my eye. A figure in dark clothing moved position to take another shot. “East side by the river. The weak spot, Knuckles.”

“I see him.”

“Don’t hurt him!” Carrie screamed. “Not yet!”

“Fuck,” I muttered. I’m sure Carrie needed answers, and I was going to give her everything I could. “Don’t kill the bastard yet, Knuckles. We need to know who it is. Carrie will have questions.”

There was a pause on the radio before Knuckles came back with, “No promises.”

“Carrie!” Our attacker addressed her directly. “It’s me! It’s Gage!”

“Vic said it was you.” Carrie’s voice was shaky. “You were always the rogue. Father always muttered about you being the only one he couldn’t predict. But I never thought you’d try to kill me for him.”

“Wasn’t trying to kill you. I was pushing you guys away until I could get your attention.”

“You shot at us!” Carrie yelled back, sounding as mad as she looked. “I’d say that’s trying to kill us!”

“If I’d been shooting at you, I’d have hit you. You know that.”

“What do you want, Gage?”

“Flagg wants you home.”

“I am home.” Carrie didn’t hesitate with her answer which made me more fucking proud than I could have imagined.

“OK.” He stepped into the light, his hands out as he slowly lowered his gun to the pavement. “That’s all I wanted to know.” I glanced at Carrie. Her jaw was tight. I could tell she wasn’t convinced of her brother’s change of heart. Gage seemed to know she wasn’t going to take his word at face value. “I swear it, Carrie. I knew Flagg had plans to get rid of Vic because he couldn’t control him. He thought he could control the rest of us if Vic wasn’t around.”

“Then who’s the sniper on the roof?”

“That’d be Flagg’s brother, Zeb Randall.” Gage stood there with his hands raised and out to his sides. “It’s him who wants you. Flagg’s just trying to get back in his brother’s good graces.”

“Randall.” I muttered. “Flagg and Randall.” Then added, “And Carrie.” I let the grin tugging my lips free. “Seems to fit.” If you know, you know.

“I got the bastard on the roof.” Torpedo’s voice over the radio surprised me. He was supposed to be back at the clubhouse, but I should have known the man wouldn’t sit this one out.

Knuckles and Vic approached us dragging an older man with them while he hurled obscenities and threats at both of them. Obviously, this Flagg wasn’t happy with the situation. His mood wasn’t likely to improve over the next few hours either. They’d zip-tied Flagg’s hands behind his back so he was already hampered. It didn’t take much to stifle his efforts to get away. Knuckles shoved Flagg to the ground. Vic kicked him over so he lay on his front with his hands at the small of his back.

Knuckles snagged his radio. “I ought to kick your ass, Torpedo. I might still if you didn’t bring help.”

“Griffin here. I got his back, boss. We can bring our guy to the cage if Tiny’s got room.”

“Always got room for one more.” Tiny’s voice held a wealth of humor. He’d brought an old Bronco for anyone we needed to bring back. Tiny was always ready when anyone left the compound.

“Vic.” Carrie stepped toward her brother. “You got him?”

“Yeah.” Vic spat on the ground next to the man on the ground. “Knuckles? Got someone who can take this piece of shit back to your compound? I’d prefer to just kill him, but this is your territory. Besides, I’m sure Carrie has questions for everyone.”

“She does.” I moved to stand next to Carrie, putting my arm around her shoulders. I didn’t miss the slight tremor running through her body. “You okay, Killer?”

“Yeah. It’s time to face my monster.”

“Little whore,” Flagg snapped. “You had one job and you failed. Should have strangled you when you were born, just like your mother.”

“That’s enough.” Knuckles motioned for Tiny to help Vic get Flagg in the back of the vehicle. “We can sort everything in a bit. Is anyone hurt?”

“I think everyone’s good, boss.” Tiny heaved out a grunt as he tossed Flagg into the back. The older man yelped but Tiny didn’t apologize, a sure sign of how irritated he was. While the big man was a terror when he had to be, he was unfailingly careful of anyone smaller than he was. Well, except when he’d been my muscle on the inside. He’d killed more men on the inside than he ever would have on the outside and he’d had zero remorse.

“Meet us around the corner, Tiny,” Torpedo ordered over the radio. “You know where.” Everyone knew where the blind spots were on the security cameras. We were always careful.

“On it, Prez.” Tiny confirmed the order as Vic jumped into the back with Flagg along with Knuckles. “This oughtta be fun.” Tiny slammed the tailgate shut, then stomped around to the driver’s side, climbed in, and took off.

I turned to Carrie. She looked shell-shocked. Like none of this was what she was expecting. I wanted to get her home and away from everything to let her process, but I knew she wouldn’t want to wait. Less than a fucking day and I was already in tune with her. “We need to get back. You ready to ride?”

“That was… disappointing,” Carrie mumbled. “Not sure what I expected, but I thought it would be harder than this to catch him.”

“Christ, baby,” I pulled Carrie into my arms and held her tightly. “You took a header off the bike and you’re complaining the chase wasn’t exciting enough?” I kissed the top of her head. “Ain’t sure I could take your brand of excitement.”

Gage cleared his throat. He’d been standing on the edge of the group watching, scowling at Flagg the whole time. “Father’s having a difficult time accepting that his control over us is slipping. He’s been making increasingly erratic decisions.” He looked at Carrie. “When you disappeared, he lost it. Started raving about traitors and how he’d kill anyone who helped you escape.”

“I didn’t escape. I left.” Carrie’s voice was firm, but I could feel her trembling against me. “There’s a difference.”

“Not to him,” Gage replied grimly. “Look, I know you don’t trust me right now, but I swear I wasn’t trying to hurt you or Vic. I was trying to get you to move out of Flagg’s line of sight so he wouldn’t take another shot at your man. He’s slipping, but I don’t see him missing a shot like that twice.”

Carrie was still for a moment before she nodded slowly. “I believe you, Gage.”

“I’m not asking you to trust me, Hawk.” Gage’s expression remained neutral, but his eyes were sharp, like he was assessing every movement I made. “You don’t know me. But Carrie does.”

Carrie looked up at me, her expression conflicted. “Gage was always… unpredictable. Father never knew what to do with him.” She addressed her brother. “Why? Why betray him now when you haven’t all these years?”

“Honey, as hard as you had it, it was worse for us boys. We all learned to cope and avoid a beating in different ways. I went along with him, doing what he asked when I had to. Other times, I mitigated the damage and worked out something I could live with.”

“We need to get back to the compound,” I said, not wanting to be out in the open too long. “Knight will have the place locked down tight, but I don’t want to take chances if there are more of your father’s men around.”

“There aren’t.” Gage said.

“Get in the back with Knuckles and Vic,” I told him.

“No.” Gage shook his head. “I’ll get in touch with Vic later, but I’ve got to let my brothers know what’s going on. There will be a power void in the city if we don’t move to shore everything up.” He paused. “I’m assuming Flagg won’t leave that compound.”

“No clue.” He absolutely would not be leaving that fucking compound. “Come with us and find out.”

“Let me check with Vic first.”

“Tiny.” I spoke into the radio, hoping the road captain could answer me. Should be an uneventful drive to pick up some passengers, but things were always easy until something went to shit.

“Yeah, Hawk.”

“Give Vic your radio.”

“Stand by.”

A few seconds later, I heard Vic’s voice. “What is it, Hawk?”

“Do you want Tiny to swing back by and pick up your brother?”

“No.” The response was immediate. “He needs to prepare for what happens next. Otherwise, it’s going to fuck with everyone’s business.” I knew Vic was being deliberately vague and I approved.

“He said as much. He’s leaving now unless you have instructions.”

“Gage knows what to do.”

“Copy that.”

Gage reached for Carrie, but I stepped in front of her, not wanting him near her. Carrie put a hand on my arm and stepped around me. “It’s all right, Hawk. I see it in his face. Gage isn’t going to hurt me.”

“You’re too trusting, honey.” But she still moved past me and into her brother’s arms.

Gage heaved a big sigh and hugged her tight, kissing the top of her head. “I’m so sorry, Carrie. We should have taken better care of you.”

“You guys weren’t much more than teenagers yourselves. You helped me when it mattered. All of you, though, I admit I wasn’t sure what to think of you guys. Half the time it seemed like you hated me. The other half like I was an obligation you had to do right by for whatever reason.”

“That was to keep Flagg from using you against us. We all adored you. Still do. But if he knew he could control us by threatening you, things would have been so much worse.” He let her go and I felt like I could finally breathe again. “Go on. Your man there looks like he’s about to lose his shit.” I growled but Gage just gave me a half smile. “Take care of my baby sister. I know where you live.”

“With my life,” was all I said. Then I urged Carrie to climb on Knuckles’s bike. Tiny would come back for mine and Knuckles wouldn’t want to leave his here in the meantime.

The ride back was short and uneventful. Thank goodness too because I wasn’t sure how much more I could take. My protective instincts had kicked in big time. I wanted to hole up in a dark room with her for several days until I was sure nothing was coming for her again. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hide us away. Not yet anyway. There was the matter of her father and uncle to deal with. And I sincerely hoped I got to kill at least one of the bastards myself.