Hawk (8 page)

Her shoulder bumped into his arm as she brushed past, pushing him to the side.

“
Piccolo diavolo
?” Kaleb stopped her with his acquisition.

Hand on the door knob, her spine stiff, she kept her gaze on the door.

“That fiancé of yours?”

She glanced over her shoulder, her blue gaze so cold that a shiver passed down his spine.

“What of him?”

“He best not be fucking you.”

Kaleb heard a colorful stream of curses and her hope to one day castrate him as she stormed from the room and descended the stairwell. Biting back a blaspheme of his own, Kaleb released his cock, wrapped his fist around it, and jerked it until he reached his own climax with the name
piccolo diavolo
roaring from his lips.

Chapter 8

“Little brother.”

Kaleb turned his head and caught his twin strolling into the clubhouse as if he hadn’t been absent the last six months. His mate, Cara, followed him through the door, a khaki-colored backpack slung over her right shoulder. Her features had changed a bit, due to the changes in her DNA and becoming one of them. In truth, Kaleb thought she had never looked better.

“Only by minutes.” Kaleb skirted the bar and walked over to his brother, capturing him in a one-armed hug, while the other hand clapped his shoulder. “About damn time you remembered where the hell you live. And speaking of…” He glanced at Cara, offering her a small apologetic smile. “No offense, but I do hope you two plan on getting a place of your own. I don’t think I could possibly stomach the honeymoon noises coming from your room.”

Kane laughed, the smile easily reaching his eyes. Kaleb hadn’t seen his brother this truly happy in a very long time, not since Ion’s loss some ten years back. It would do him well to remember that Kane’s mate had everything to do with that. Kaleb would need to cut her some slack, no matter how rocky the beginning of their relationship was. If she made Kane happy, then who was he to get in the way of that?

“Duly noted, Hawk.”

Kaleb rubbed his nape. “You bring news?”

“Mircea says he wasn’t involved in Wheezer and Red Dot’s beheading. He assures me that he has not put a hit out on you.”

“And you believe him?”

“I do.”

“And Rosalee?”

Kane sighed heavily, blowing air through pursed lips. “She’s still missing, bro. Mircea hasn’t seen her. If she’s in the States, then she left without his permission and is acting on her own.”

“I’m going to leave you two to talk,” Cara interrupted. She rose on her tiptoes and briefly kissed Kane’s lips. “Besides, I need a shower. That plane ride was hell.”

Kane patted her on the backside as she turned and headed for his room. The door softly closed behind her before Kane turned back to Kaleb. “I’d stake my life on the fact she’s here and behind this. But you and I both know Rosalee never acts on her own, case in point, Ion and then Alec. So the question is, who the hell did she recruit this time?”

Kaleb strode to the bar and pulled a bottle of Jack from the top cupboard and two highball glasses. After pouring two fingers of the amber liquid into each crystal cut glass, he carried them back over to Kane and handed him one. He held his glass up and touched the rim of his to Kane’s.

“Salute,” Kaleb said then downed his glass, the liquid warming his esophagus, then his gut. “Glad to have you back, Viper.”

Kane wiped a palm over his lips. “Glad to be back. Good whiskey. Single Barrel?”

“Only the finest,” Kaleb said, sitting heavily onto the leather chair in the living area and kicking his bare feet up onto the scarred center table. “Any ideas who she might’ve gotten involved in her schemes this time?”

Skirting the lone chair Kaleb sat in, Kane made himself comfortable on one of the sofas. He rested one arm along the back, giving Kaleb his full attention. “I called Mircea before we left Italy. The old man swore that all primordials other than his bitch of a stepdaughter were accounted for in Italy. No one knew of her whereabouts. The witch has definitely flown the coop.”

“So she’s most likely here in the States. But why come after me? Her beef is with you.”

“Because she knows the easiest way to hurt me is through my family. You killed Alec, and because it’s forbidden to kill an ancient, she probably feels justified, and that she’d have Mircea’s blessing in coming after you. If she targeted me, then it would likely mean certain death for yet again disregarding Mircea’s wishes. Rosalee’s not stupid. She knows how to work the old man.”

“How did Mircea handle the accusation?”

“How do you think? The old man pretty much demanded that we not take retribution, that he’d handle Rosalee if she indeed were the guilty party. He pretty much forbid us to act on our own.”

“And what do you say?”

“I say fuck that. She entered our territory looking for a fight. Well, dear brother, I’ll damn well give her one. Mircea better pray he gets to her first or I guarantee that I’ll be taking her fucking head.”

“You get a hold of Red? Find out what the Knights might have to do with all this?”

Kane nodded. “He knew nothing of the phone call made to you. As far as he knew, none of his men made that call. He assured me if he heard otherwise, he’d call. We have his and the club’s support if we need them to help find this fuck who took Wheezer and Red Dot’s head. He wasn’t too happy to hear that someone had posed as a Knight when calling you. Both Red and I feel it’s got to be someone close to the Sons or Knights who’s helping her.”

“Because they knew by calling me that I would set out to find you myself?”

“No, because they knew of our rapport with the Knights. Why else would the caller assume that you might believe I would call Red if I were in some kind of trouble?”

Kaleb scratched his nape. Damn, but he had acted the fool, even if he hadn’t one hundred percent believed the caller. He had, though, organized a rescue mission due to that phone call. “But I didn’t believe it without question, at least not fully.”

“No, but you believed it enough so that you set out that night, organized a ride straight into the waiting trap. And whoever the caller was counted on you doing so.”

* * *

Tamera sat at the wooden table of Murphy’s Tavern looking much like a fish out of water, twirling a ringlet of red hair around her forefinger. She wore fishnet stockings under a tight, black leather skirt, with five-inch patent leather heals to compliment the outfit. On top she wore a white halter tank that dipped well into her cleavage. In truth, with her fiery-red hair, Suzi thought she looked smoking hot. Most the guys in the place were guilty of ogling her, and yet Tamera seemed completely oblivious to the attention. The large barkeep, who had to stand at least six-foot-eight, with shoulders like a linebacker, made his way toward them.

He seemed friendly enough as he stopped by several tables and talked to the various patrons who filled his bar on a Tuesday night before making it to their table in the back of the crowded room. A smile crawled up Tamera’s cheeks. Obviously she knew the giant of a man by the warm look she bestowed him with upon his approach. Even dressed a bit more conservative, Suzi still felt a tad out of place as well where most patrons wore jeans, cowboy boots, and either T-shirts or flannels. Tamera and Suzi’s attire was much more suited for the bar around the corner, the Blood ‘n’ Rave. Country music and the din of conversation made it difficult to carry on  normal conversation. Murphy’s Tavern had the reputation of being a rowdy bar at times with some guys having more braun than brains.

Tamera rose as the owner stopped at their table and leaned down to give her roommate a bear of a hug. “Hey, beautiful. How’s my favorite niece?”

“I’m great, Uncle Lyle. You’re handsome as ever.”

“This ugly mug?” He chuckled. “Couple of beers on the house?”

Placing her hand on his large biceps, Tamera raised her voice to be heard. “A couple of pinot noirs and you have a deal.”

Lyle turned toward the bartender, used his fingers to indicate a couple of glasses, then shouted, “Pinot noirs,” over the loud hubbub.

Tamera’s uncle had barely put his backside into a seat at their table when two long stemmed glasses, half-filled with the deep red wine, were set on the table in front of them. “You going to introduce us, Tamera? Or do I need to embarrass myself and make assumptions this lovely lady doesn’t even know you and came here just to see me.”

He winked, followed by a deep robust laugh that rumbled up from his chest. Suzi already liked the barkeep. Rounded cheekbones and deep set eyes, gave him that teddy bear appeal that made her want to wrap her arms around his waist and squeeze. In short, the big guy looked harmless, and a whole lot of fun. No wonder his bar was filled to capacity on a weekday night.

“I’m sorry. Suzi, this is my mother’s little brother, Lyle Murphy. He owns this establishment.”

“Little?” Suzi laughed, extending her hand, which he took to his lips and briefly kissed the back of. “I’m Suzi Stevens, your niece’s roommate who can’t seem to stay out of trouble. I’d say you are anything but little, Mr. Murphy.”

“Oh, please don’t call me mister. That’s my dad’s name. I’m Lyle. I don’t answer to anything else accept maybe ‘Hey, asshole,’” he said rubbing the bridge of a crooked nose.

Obviously he had been in a fight or two, resulting in a broken nose. By the size of Lyle, she had to wonder what broken bones the other guy received. Anyone would be a fool to call a man the size of Lyle an ass.

“I doubt anyone would call you that.”

“You’d be surprised when it gets late and you have drunks not wanting to call it a night. I call them a cab, and I get called asshole.” He looked from Suzi to Tamera. “What brings the two of you in tonight?”

Tamera held her glass to her lips and took a sip of the deep red liquid, before replying. “Do we need a reason?”

Tamera and Suzi, given the option, wouldn’t normally have chosen Murphy’s Tavern as a night out, and Lyle undoubtedly knew that. It was more of a known hang out for the Sheriff’s Office and their ilk. Cara Brahnam would be more likely caught here knocking back a few than Suzi ever would. At least before meeting Kane anyway. Suzi couldn’t help wonder what Kane and her childhood friend were up to. Suzi had heard from Cara at least a couple of times since they left town six months ago, their whereabouts unknown, but it had been at least three weeks since her last call. Cara’s grandfather being a resident in the nursing home Suzi worked for, Cara had checked in frequently on his welfare.

She used the excuse she had wanted to make sure the old man behaved himself in her absence, when Suzi knew Cara worried about his health and well-being. The thought brought a smile to her face. Grandpa Brahnam had a way with the ladies at the nursing home and was way too ornery to die. Suzi had taken a job as the resident LPN at the Pleasant Care Nursing Home shortly after Cara and Kane had left town as her way of helping Cara, knowing that she would feel comfortable leaving her grandfather in her capable hands.

Suzi planned to go back to school to continue her education so that she could get her RN license, and open up her career opportunities now that she had put the Sons of Sangue behind her, or at least she had until Kaleb came crashing back into her life. She supposed she was partly at fault. But how could she have known her trip to the Rave, out of concern for his welfare, would end as it had?

“No, sweetheart, but I suspect you have one anyway. What can I do for you?”

“Suzi needs a pretend fiancé.”

And she did, but Tamera could’ve at least forewarned her. Suzi damn near spit the wine she had just taken a sip from. Heat rose up her neck and warmed her cheeks. Tamera had said they were stopping by to have a drink with a family member. That family member now sat at their table scrutinizing her. Probably wondering what ailment she had that she couldn’t get a boyfriend on her own. She had a disorder all right in the name of Kaleb Tepes. The corners of his lips lifted his cheeks as he slowly smiled, then guffawed, so much so that they now attracted the attention of several nearby tables. Suzi leaned forward, placing her chin on her palm. Sure it was all fun and games … at her expense. She’d definitely kill Tamera when they got home, if they even made it that far.

Her uncle finally contained his mirth and smiled widely at Suzi. “So you’re in need of a pretend boyfriend? Or are you looking to shack up, darlin’?”

Suzi knew he jested, trying to lighten her embarrassment, but it wasn’t helping. She rolled her eyes, then placed her left hand out so the bauble on her ring finger reflected in the low lighting.

Lyle whistled. “That’s some rock.”

Suzi grimaced. “It’s a fake.”

He studied her for a moment, then said, “So why the pretend fiancé, and why now do you need to produce him?”

“I was hoping to dissuade someone’s unwanted attention.” Suzi leaned back in her chair. “I thought the ring alone would do it. I was wrong.”

“So you need me to appear with you somewhere this man happens to be. He sees me with you and what? Backs off? “ Lyle patted her ring hand that now lay flat on the table, then gave her fingers a warm squeeze. “You need me to rough him up too, darlin’?”

She looked at Tamera, giving her the stink eye. Telling Suzi about her little plan beforehand would have been preferable. But then again, maybe Tamera knew Suzi would’ve never agreed to such an outlandish scheme.

“I’m sorry, Lyle. Tamera shouldn’t have brought you into my mess.”

Lyle’s warm blue eyes held her gaze. “Why not let me decide what I should get involved in? Tell me about this problem you have.”

“I’m not even sure that I need someone to run interference.” Suzi sighed, on the verge of tears. She quickly blinked away the wetness, before anyone commented on her misery. “I allowed someone to believe I had a fiancé.”

“Because you didn’t want his interest?”