Phantom Riders MC - Hawk (11 page)

“Dane liked to keep his business out of our personal life,” I explained, holding my ground when Hawk stepped away from the door. I didn’t know what his intentions were, but I didn’t think he would hurt me. “We attended a lot of social events, and if his business associates were there, he didn’t introduce them to me.” I thought about the country estate we’d visited recently. Even then Dane had kept me in the dark.

“So he just kept you around for fucking?” He stopped so close to me that I had to tilt my head to meet his eyes.

His words were meant to hurt, and maybe they would have once, back in a time when I’d thought I meant more to Dane. His secrets and lies, the fact that he beat me after witnessing a murder, had diminished my importance in his life, and now I had to wonder. Had I just been a fuck toy for him, someone to dress up his arm when he was portraying the wealthy, successful casino owner to the public? He’d never confessed his love for me, yet he’d seemed to care for me.

I wanted to slap Hawk for putting that thought in my head. I ignored the heat coming off his body, denying my insane attraction to his bad boy appeal. If he thought his intimidation was going to crush me he was in for a surprise. The last few days had proven to me that I was made of stronger stuff. I remained silent beneath his quiet scrutiny.

He took in a deep breath and released it slowly. “One, you’re right, I don’t trust any woman. So you’re going to remain my guest until I sort this shit out to my satisfaction. Two, no more calls, to anyone, unless I’m with you.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he kept going. “Three, if I find out that you’re a plant—,”
A plant!
“For Winthrop or Covacks, I’ll kill you myself.”

I swallowed hard, believing him, while trying not to imagine how he would do it. Those big hands of his could snap my neck easily. “Why would I be a plant?”

“Information,” he said simply, and then added, “to be used as leverage against us. A lot of people would like to have control over Phantom Riders, to do their dirty work. Some want to see us gone, as in dead or in prison.”

“Well, I’m not a plant,” I insisted. “I told you why I was running and it’s the truth. I have nothing to hide.” Except that I did. I hadn’t told him why Dane had beaten me. It suddenly occurred to me that Hawk’s keeping me there, even if it was against my will, was the answer to my prayers. I would be safe there without putting Carol at risk.

“We have dealings with Covacks, and you conveniently show up on my bike outside of Last Hope.”

“A coincidence.”

“You have a GPS tracking device on you.”

I was beginning to understand why he was so suspicious. “I didn’t know about it.”

His dark gaze dropped down my body in a lazy sweep. “You fucked me.”

The age old ploy used by women to obtain information from men. Well, I wouldn’t let Hawk use it against me when it wasn’t true. “
You
fucked me.”

His jaw hardened, if that were possible, and his lips pulled back in a sneer. “Had any dental work done recently, any minor surgeries?”

What?
“Are you talking about tracking chips?” It sounded like something out of a syfy movie, yet I knew that could be a possibility. I tried to pull away but the bite of his fingers kept me right where he wanted me. “No! Nothing! I don’t want to be found, Hawk!” I reminded him with a hiss.

“A good cover story, but there’s something you’re not telling me.”

I stopped my struggling and glared up at him. “Who was she, Hawk? Who was the woman who made you so distrusting? The one who turned you into a cold, selfish bastard? She must have been someone important if whatever she did affected you this strongly.”

“Don’t make this about me, lady,” he sneered, lightning flashing in his eyes. He looked like he was about to explode.

I was too stupid not to pay attention to the warning signs that I might be pushing him too far. “What did she do to make you—?”

“Quiet!” he snarled, shaking me like a rag doll. “I want to know what you’re hiding!”

I finally jerked free and stepped back, slamming my hands on my hips, tired of his caveman tactics. We were both wound up and breathing heavily. “You know you don’t own me, Hawk. You’ve got to stop ordering me around and man handling me—”

“Your pussy filled with my cum says that I own you.”

He
would
remind me that he hadn’t used a condom the second time. My eyes grew bigger with every word out of his mouth, my jaw dropped. I’d never had a man talk so filthy to me before, and while it shocked the shit out of me, I couldn’t deny that his words also turned me on. My body responded as if it had a mind of its own, flushing with arousal. Wet warmth seeped from between my legs, and I knew that it was my arousal mixed with his semen. I should have showered and washed the evidence and memory away.

“I bet it’s leaking out of you right now.”

I ignored everything this man did to me. I had to. It was the only way I’d survive. He was too primal, too raw, too appealing and dangerous to my libido. “You’re a pig!” I was angry at myself. My wanting Hawk the way that I did, so soon after leaving Dane, confused and frightened me. The sex between Dane had never made me want to lose control like this, had never left me feeling the consuming hunger that was even now claiming my senses.

“Is it?” He took a step forward as if to intimidate me, his expression never changing. “Answer my fucking question.”

“You can go to hell!” I swore, losing control because at that very second it seemed as if everything I’d been through since watching Dane commit murder was choking me and slowly squeezing the life out of me. The desperation I felt, the helplessness, it was just too much. I had nothing, not even the clothes on my back, and the man who had all the control was using my weakness for him against me.

“Maybe I’ll just find out for myself.” He reached for me.

“No!” I ducked, but he managed to grasp my arm. Without thinking I swung, slapping him across the face as hard as I could. The sound echoed through the room like a gun blast. As I struggled to get free, he easily dragged my arms behind my back and secured my wrists in one of his big hands.

“What are you afraid of?” he grated down at me between his teeth.

“Not you!” I fired back, aware that we were flush against one another. I could barely breathe against Hawk’s unyielding form, the man felt like a pillar of concrete. There was nothing I could do to hurt him, but my frustration level was at its highest and everything in me wanted to fight him. Our close proximity was making me feel things I should be too angry to notice.

“Prez—” We both stopped and swung our gazes to the door. The man I knew as Rock had opened the door and was standing in the threshold. “Sorry for interrupting,” he smirked. “Dirk just rolled in and he’s fucking pissed.”

“Alone?” Hawk snapped.

“Yep.”

“Fuck.” He looked down at me. “Take Audra to my room—”

“Wait,” I cut him off in a desperate tone. There was no way he was going to keep me prisoner somewhere. “You can’t lock me up in some room. It’s against the law.” A laugh burst from Rock at that. “I’ll, I’ll be good!” I cringed at the sound of those pitiful words leaving my lips. I was an adult, for Christ sakes! But something in me knew that I was in a situation beyond my control at the moment.

One menacing brow rose at my comment as Hawk’s eyes blazed down at me. He kept me trapped against his unyielding body, and while I was aware of every hard inch of him, including the throbbing bar between his legs, it occurred to me that if I was going to get any control that I was going to have to say and do things that I might not be otherwise be accepting of. I reminded myself that staying here under his protection was an unexpected benefit.

A gift.

A muscle twitched in his jaw as he weighed my words, and then he released a deep breath. “Rock—”

“I’m not a fuckin’ babysitter,” he growled, obviously anticipating what Hawk was about to say.

“He killed someone!” I blurted out, gaining both their attention. Hawk’s sharp gaze swung back to me, demanding that I explain my sudden outburst. “Dane. I saw him kill someone. That’s why he’s after me.”

“Fucking hell, woman.” He stared at me long and hard, digesting that news before turning back to Rock and warning, “Keep her with you while I deal with Dirk.”

Rock looked like pure evil on a stick, but I sensed that he wouldn’t hurt me. Hawk handed me off to him and then we were walking to where their club room was in the back. The same activities seemed to be going on as before, with the same people. Only this time there were a few more women present.

Hawk continued to where a tall, young biker was standing at the bar, drinking and chatting up one of the women. I noticed right away that he wasn’t wearing a Phantom Riders cut, his said “Blue Knights.” Rock directed me to the corner pool table with a firm hand at the small of my back, but I kept my gaze on Hawk. I noticed when he and the Blue Knights biker finally acknowledged each other that there wasn’t any man hug or fist bumps, which told me a lot.

“I don’t play pool.” I wasn’t sure why I said it, except that Rock had taken a pool cue from a rack on the wall. There were four other men already playing, and I had to suffer their leering appraisals.

“Didn’t ask you,” he responded gruffly.

“You’re such a nice man,” I said sweetly, receiving a round of chuckles from the others. Rock just glared at me and proceeded to line up for a shot.

I shrugged and sat down on one of the vacant stools, and it was then that I noticed that Hawk and the other man had disappeared.

Chapter 13

Hawk

“What the fuck is going on, Hawk?”

I smirked at Dirk’s attempt to come across as a hard-core biker, which took years to accomplish and could not be faked by dressing in leather and riding a bike. It didn’t help that he wasn’t born to the life. His clean, yuppie looks made it hard to take him seriously. He looked more like a poster boy for a jeans commercial, or some shit like men’s cologne. There wasn’t a muscle on him.

I already knew why he was there. His loud comment drew several pairs of eyes, and I decided to take him outside for our conversation. I trusted my brothers, but the women present were another issue. I motioned for him to follow me and we left the building, ending up where his bike was parked.

“I want to know why Phantom Riders is spreading rumors that we offed Covacks’ son.” He leaned his lanky frame against his bike and crossed his arms, his expression set in a dark scowl.

He had balls, I’d give him that, but the way he handled shit, like this, was irresponsible and dangerous as fuck. You
never
showed up at a rival club without your brothers at your back, especially if you were set on making accusations. He was lucky I knew enough about his club, and how inept they were, not to have shot him first and then asked questions.

“If you thought we were spreading shit about your club you would have come with back up,” I said, giving him a free lesson on the proper etiquette of doing biker shit.

“I figured I’d show you respect by confronting you first,” he fired right back. I had to give him that one. “It’s going around that you saw two Blue Knights leaving the scene of a fire that involved Dominick Covacks.”

If it was going around it wasn’t coming from my club. I shrugged, crossing my own arms. “The fuckers were wearing your colors, and whether it’s Dominick or not hasn’t been confirmed.” I’d already been in touch with Covacks, and was waiting to hear back.

“So in the mean time you incriminate us?” Dirk sneered.

I looked the fucker straight in the eye. “Blue Knights was never mentioned, if there’s a rumor going around, someone else started it.” I gave pause so he could digest what I was saying. “Maybe you’re being set up.”

“None of my brothers are involved in that shit.”

“Then you have nothing to worry about.” I knew Covacks. He wasn’t a fly off the handle kind of man. He was patient, weighing his actions carefully to get the results he wanted, and he rarely made mistakes. He’d make sure he had the people that were responsible, and then he’d make sure that they suffered in the worst possible way before burying them. If it turned out the Blue Knights were involved in his son’s death, Covacks wouldn’t rest until they were all six feet under.

“Maybe Phantom Riders killed him and are setting us up,” he tossed out in a desperate tone. “Seems funny it was your man who discovered the body and saw some of my guys riding away.”

The man was a fucking idiot. “I’d watch myself if I was you.” I took a threatening step closer to him, satisfied when he backed down, seeming to shrink against his bike. I could see it in his eyes that he knew he’d made a fucking mistake. “You don’t come into my club, accuse us of shit, and expect to leave here in one piece.” His eyes flared slightly, but it was the only outward sign that my comment had made him nervous. “Get the fuck out of here.”

I took a few backward steps, giving him enough room to turn his bike around and leave. His club was in some serious trouble. Either he had a couple of bad apples, off doing their own thing or he was being set up to take the fall for Dominick Covacks’ murder. My gut told me that Dirk hadn’t been lying when he’d said his brothers weren’t involved. I was also fucking certain that the charred body we’d come upon
was
Covacks’ son. There was going to be a lot more killing before this shit was done.

I walked back inside the club, adjusting my eyes to take everything in at once. Rock shot a brief glance at me, but continued with his shot. Audra was sitting against the wall, arms crossed and glaring at me. I almost smiled. The woman was a real firecracker. I didn’t trust her, but I sure as fuck liked her big tits and tight cunt. I’d have to be careful, because things could get messy if she discovered how much. Hell, I was pretty sure that if Rock hadn’t come in when he had I would have fucked her right up against the wall.

A commotion pulled my gaze to the card game that was going on. All I wanted right then was a drink, so I pivoted to the bar and took up a stool. Sid was behind, serving up the brothers, almost naked as usual. Kind of sad that even on her night off she hung out there, but she’d always been insecure with her place within the club and thought that being available all the times would work out in her favor. Like most sweetbutts, she had her heart set on becoming an old lady, but free tits and pussy didn’t make the girls attractive as permanent partners.

“Give me a shot,” I said, turning sideways so that I could keep Audra in my sights.

“Sure, honey,” she gushed. She set the glass down and made her way around the counter to my side. “Can I do anything else for you?”  Her hand fell on my thigh, giving it a squeeze.

“No.” Most sweetbutts knew enough to leave me alone after that. They were afraid of me, and they knew my likes in the bedroom didn’t include making them happy. I picked up my glass and tossed the liquid back in one swallow.

As I sat there staring at Audra and wondering why she was getting to me, I began to think about Sonya. There was nothing in Audra to remind me of the woman who’d ripped my heart out. Sonya had won me over with her sophisticated beauty and worldly ways. Ten years older than I, she’d entered my life like a whirlwind, knowing what she wanted and demanding it, and she’d wanted me. I’d fallen fast and hard for her, too young and inexperienced to see the warning signs, too stubborn to listen to anything negative about her. We’d loved each other, and that’s all that had mattered.

Yeah, like she’d known what love was. She’d seen an opportunity to wiggle her way into my club while all along she’d been working for the enemy. I thought about the damage she’d wrought, almost crushing the glass in my hand. Thinking about her only made me want to fucking destroy something. I slammed the glass onto the counter, noticing Audra jump. Her eyes were on me, and it was then that I realized I’d been staring at her the whole time.

“Baby, you’re so tense,” Sid cooed, moving her hand further up my thigh. My cock twitched, but it wasn’t for her. The woman I wanted was across the room, looking so poised and untouchable in a room full of fucking bikers, killers, all of us. I could see it in her green eyes that she was trying to figure me out and thought she was halfway there.

I had half a mind to order Sid down on her knees and let her blow me just to see Audra’s reaction. To prove to myself, and to her, that any woman would do to ease my needs, and that she wasn’t special. But when Sid’s hand began to squeeze my dick all it did was make me angry because it wasn’t Audra’s hand.

“Get me another drink.” Sid jumped, always eager to please.

The pool game ended, Rock hung up his cue and pivoted in my direction. Audra slid off the stool to follow, but Painter said something that caused her to stop and look up at him. Whatever he’d said made her smile, and then she was grabbing a cue.

“Beer, Sid.” Rock leaned against the bar next to me.

The door opened and a couple of girls walked in, barely legal and dressed like cheap hookers. I clenched my teeth. I didn’t like this shit. Socializing was to be done in the public bar out front, and the only women we welcomed back here were sweetbutts and old ladies, unless it was a special event. This was the clubhouse where we said and did shit that didn’t need to be observed by civilians. I shot a look at Rock, reading his expression of disgust. He wasn’t happy either, and took off to meet them before they got too far.

“You bitches came in the wrong door.” I smirked at Rock’s less than polite greeting. He swung them around and directed them back toward the door. “Door to the bar is around front.” Both girls shot him pouty looks that I knew would have no sway with my VP.

A husky laugh drew my attention to Audra. She was bent over the pool table getting ready for a shot. Clay and Ned looked on while Painter positioned himself behind her as if to get her in the right position. His body was bent over hers, lining his dick right up to her ass. Heat exploded in my blood when I realized that Painter was taking full advantage of her position. Then, without warning, Audra pulled her cue back to take her shot, hitting him hard right where it counts.

She feigned innocence, but I could tell that it was all an act. Painter was doubled over in pain, while laughter broke out among the brothers who’d witnessed it. After making sure that he was okay, Audra stood, smiled down at him, and went back to take her shot. Her message was clear.

“She’s trouble.”

I agreed with Rock. “Her boyfriend is bigger trouble. She saw him kill someone, and he wants to keep her quiet.”

“Same story, different characters,” he murmured.

I nodded. “Need to keep her around until we sort out what’s what.”

“Is that the only fucking reason?”

I shrugged.

“You tapped that sweet ass yet?”

“Does it matter?”

His snort told me that it did. Rock was one of the few brothers who had the balls to look me in the eyes and tell me how it was. He’d been there during the whole fucking mess with Sonya and probably thought this was going to be a repeat, but there was no fucking way that was going to happen. I was a man without a fucking heart, and no bitch would ever come between me and my club again.

“Don’t fuckin’ worry about it, bro.”

“I wouldn’t if she was club pussy.”  He chugged his beer down and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His gaze scanned the room before landing on one of the club girls who was giving a prospect a lap job. “Marnie!” he hollered, drawing the girl’s attention. A sharp nod from him had Marnie slipping off the prospect’s lap and walking toward us.

The prospect knew better than to complain. A patched member had priority. Rock gave me a knowing sneer, wrapped his arm around Marnie’s shoulders and steered her away. In all the years I’d known him he’d never fucked any woman who wasn’t a sweetbutt. Even when we were on the road, visiting another MC, he preferred the club whores. Hell, maybe he was on to something, because the brother always seemed content.

Getting involved with civilians was complicated and often messy. Most of them didn’t know the first fucking thing about a motorcycle club. We were fucking warriors living life the way we wanted. We took, but we also gave, and gave big. As Rock disappeared down the hallway my gaze swung back to Audra.

What the fuck?

She and Painter were locking lips, and I saw red. It didn’t fucking matter that she brushed his roaming hand away when he’d tried to touch her hip. It didn’t matter that I had no claim over her, even though I
had
claimed her. An animal was let loose inside me, and I wanted to rip them apart and fucking hurt someone. My expression must have conveyed my feelings because as I stormed across the room toward them, my brothers practically tripped over themselves to get out of my way.

My hand wrapped around Audra’s upper arm and I yanked her away from Painter. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I snarled. My gaze shifted to Painter before settling back to the surprise in her eyes. It occurred to me that I should have knocked the fucking amusement right off Painter’s face, but my anger was directed at
her
. “Trying to stir up trouble?”

“No,” Audra said, a slight smile spreading across a mouth that was still wet with Painter’s fucking kiss. “Why would I want to stir up trouble? I was paying off a bet.” She made a half-hearted attempt to pull away.

My gaze shot back to Painter for an explanation. He shrugged with a smug look on his face. “She wouldn’t bet me a game with the usual pussy as payment, so we compromised with a kiss. She lost.”

By the time I swung back to Audra, humor was dancing in her eyes. It was clear that she wasn’t afraid and that she wasn’t backing down from my mood. “You remember what a kiss is, don’t you Hawk? It’s when two people put their mouths together. Sometimes tongue is involved.”