Phantom Riders MC - Hawk (17 page)

Yeah, but how did he expect to find out who Dane had killed when I didn’t even know myself? “So, who do you think is the mutual friend that told Dane where to find me?”

His expression hardened. “Covacks, the man who freaked you out at the clubhouse. The way he was looking at you warned me that he thought he recognized you from somewhere. He must have figured out where after he left, and called Dane.” He palmed my cheek. “He and your ex
are
partners.”

“But you do business with him, too.”

“He pays us for protection. Not the same kind of partnership,” he smirked. “I don’t think Covacks called your fucking ex with the intention of telling him where you are, that’s not his style.”

“Then why?”

“He was probably curious as to why the girlfriend of his business partner was in the company of an MC, not realizing that your ex is after you.”

That made sense,
if
it had happened that way. I had to trust Hawk, though, he knew Covacks and he knew what he was doing. Then a thought occurred to me. What if Dane decided to hire Phantom Riders to kill me? He had enough money to tempt them.

“What’s wrong?”

I guess the worry showed on my face. Shrugging, I said, “I was just wondering how much money it would take for you to change sides.” It was the wrong thing to say. I realized that immediately. Hawk’s face darkened with anger, lighting a spark in his eyes. “Well, it’s only natural that I think like that. I thought Dane loved me, and yet he didn’t hesitate to beat me after I saw him murder that man. You and I are nothing to each other, even more reason for you to turn me in if there’s enough money involved.”

I walked to the window he’d just pulled the curtains back to and crossed my arms. Hawk’s house was located on a hill-top. The view of the forest and distant hills was breathtaking. Comparing Dane and Hawk was like comparing rust to gold, and yet both men were alike in one thing. The thought made me snort. “Dane liked fucking me, too.”

“Don’t compare me to your fucking ex,” Hawk snarled behind me, and then he must have made a phone call because the next thing I heard was, “Send Popcorn out here. I want a prospect on Audra until this shit ends.”

I heard footsteps, and then the door open and close. I spun around and rushed to it, thinking that Hawk was leaving, just like that, but he just went to his bike to get the clothes we’d purchased in town. When he came back in he thrust the bag into my arms.

“The bedrooms are upstairs. Take your pick. Make yourself to home.” I just stood there for a minute, feeling lost. “Make a list of what you want to eat and I’ll get it for you.”

“When will you be back?”

“I don’t know, probably later tonight. I’m used to sleeping at the clubhouse for convenience.” Was that his way of warning me that he might not come back? I didn’t relish the idea of staying alone out in the middle of nowhere with someone I didn’t know.

“Is there a phone here that I can use?” I was thinking about Carol and how I could at least talk to her, explain what was going on. It would feel so good being able to connect with someone I loved and knew cared about me.

Hawk was shaking his head no before I even finished getting the words out. “Too dangerous. Popcorn will have a phone, but I don’t want you on it.”

Hawk put a pen and pad down on the harvest table against the wall. His eyes met mine. “Anything you want, baby.”

“Are you keeping tabs on what I owe you?” I smiled, making my way to the table, dropping my bag of clothes on a chair on the way by.

“Let’s worry about payment later.”

“What if I don’t have enough money to pay you back?”

“Then I’ll take it out on your pretty ass.”

The unusual amusement in his eyes warmed me. Then the sound of a motorcycle coming our way turned things serious again. Hawk turned and went back outside as Popcorn came closer to the cabin. How was a man with the name of Popcorn supposed to protect me? Chuckling quietly, I quickly composed a short list of the items I wanted, going on the assumption that Hawk didn’t have anything.

Everything I listed was practical, and I was about to fold the list to give to Hawk when I decided on a last minute item. He’d said anything I wanted, so I added a bottle of Arbor Mist Strawberry White Zinfandel. It was a cheap, girly wine, and I couldn’t help smiling when I pictured the huge, dangerous biker walking around with it in the store. He probably wouldn’t even get it for me.

I hurried up and folded the list when I heard the door open again.

Chapter 19

Hawk

I was glad to get back to the clubhouse. I had to distance myself from Audra and those fucking green eyes of hers. They were eyes that could look into a man’s soul and figure shit out. I didn’t need her figuring things out. Craving her delectable body was becoming a habit, the kind that was hard to break. It had been hell leaving her with Popcorn, when what I’d really wanted to do was take her up to bed and fuck her until she couldn’t walk. The shit that had gone down on the road was still simmering in my blood, it was nothing Sid couldn’t take care of with a quick blowjob, but I wanted to pound something.

I didn’t want Sid.

I didn’t want any of the club girls.

I slammed a fist down on the table, the urge to fight stronger than ever. A trip to Last Hope might have been what I needed, but in my present mood I’d probably kill anyone who was stupid enough to get in the ring with me. A good fight always cleared my head for what I needed to do, while working out the fucking violent behavior I couldn’t seem to control. Not that I really wanted to. I was the fucking president of an outlaw MC, not a pussy.

“You want to take a trip to Last Hope, brother?”

It didn’t surprise me that my VP knew the turmoil I was feeling,
and
the solution. I grunted at his suggestion. “Maybe when this is all over.”
This
, meaning the shit with Audra, the shit with Covacks, and the shit with the Blue Knights.

“Well, at least we know Covacks tipped off Audra’s ex that she was here.”

Yeah, it had been exactly as I’d thought. He didn’t know about the situation with Audra and Dane, and I didn’t enlighten him when I called him. All Covacks knew was that Audra was Dane’s girlfriend, and he’d expressed surprise to Dane that he’d seen her with us. I was fucking sure it wasn’t as innocent as Covacks insisted, the man had a reason for everything that he did, but there was nothing I could do about it. The damage had been done.

I scowled, thinking about those assholes on the road and wondering how many more would be showing up, hoping to make easy money. “Fucking mess, brother. Whoever Dane murdered, he’s worried about it if he’s going to this extreme to get his girl back. She could have been killed during that chase.”

“Yeah, a woman he’s supposed to love,” Rock added.

I shrugged at that, doubting love had anything to do with the relationship between Audra and Dane Winthrop. She was beautiful and fucking hot. Any man would like that kind of arm candy.

Christ, I was getting hard just sitting there thinking about her.

“You’re hooked, brother. Face it. Never thought I’d see the day.”

I glared at Rock and his stupid as fuck grin. He was lucky we weren’t in church, because then I’d be forced to knock him on his ass. His comment, too close to the truth, didn’t diminish my erection. Nothing was going to do that until I was buried balls deep in the woman in question. Fucking hell…I had to add getting rid of Audra as soon as possible to our growing list of shit that needed to be handled. I didn’t want, or need, her.

Okay, want-yes. Need-fuck no.

As I was still glaring at Rock, he tried to wipe the grin off his face, failed at it, and finally said, “You want to deal with Dirk now?”

“Now is as good a time as any.” We got to our feet because Dirk was in the cellar, where they used to do embalming when the place was a funeral home in the 1800’s, before it was purchased around the turn of the century and turned into a farm. Some of the old embalming equipment, the tables, sinks, and tubs came in handy for interrogation and clean up.

Jumper was at the foot of the stairs, keeping watch in front of the door where Dirk was being kept. “Big John in there?” I asked.

“Yep.”  He got to his feet. “Hasn’t changed his story, Prez, says his club isn’t involved.”

That was still up for debate. Either he was the worst MC president out there and didn’t know shit about what his crew was up to, or someone was going to extremes to set his club up. The question was, why? I opened the door, taking in the scene before me. Big John was circling Dirk, who was tied to a chair in the center of the room. It was clear he’d taken a few punches to the face, he was bloody and swollen.

I walked further into the room, grabbed a chair, and positioned it directly in front of Dirk before straddling it with the back to my front. Big John ceased his pacing and joined Rock and Jumper where they were leaning against the wall next to the door. I took a deep breath, meeting Dirk’s eyes. In spite of his injuries he was aware enough to know what was going on.

I knew Big John had filled him in on why he was there. I exhaled a deep breath. “Talk.”

He began to shake his head. “I don’t know what you want, man. I’m not fucking admitting to something we didn’t do.” His tone was weary. “We had nothing to do with offing Covacks’ son, and we didn’t shoot up your bar. Someone is out there to get us,” he insisted.

“Why?” I asked. “If someone wanted to take out a club why would they focus on a new one like yours? Why not an MC that’s been around for a while and has caused a lot more trouble?”

“I don’t know,” he said, sounding perplexed. “Fuck, if I knew I’d do something to change it if I could. This isn’t why we became a club.”

I wondered about that. I hadn’t paid attention to the Blue Knights until they were suddenly thrust on our radar. Fox’s research had revealed that they gave off the appearance of being big and bad to the locals, but in reality they were fucking pussies. They were not even on the same level as an outlaw club, or showing signs they were heading in that direction. They mostly just rode around, and hung out at a few local bars, a bunch of rich boys who didn’t have to sweat or work at building their club.

“Where the fuck are your crew?” Dirk stared up at me. “They should be out front, demanding your release, fighting to get you back. Big John said he grabbed you at a table you and your boys were sitting at, yet they didn’t even protest.”

He blinked rapidly as the blood ran down into his eyes. I turned to my brothers. “Someone get a rag and clean his face up.” Jumper grabbed a crusty rag next to the sink and ran it beneath the water. I waited for him to run it over Dirk’s face before continuing. “You know what I think? I think you’re right, that someone is using your club to take the fall for some serious shit. But because Blue Knights are weak and don’t know what they’re doing, you don’t have the means or smarts to get yourself out of trouble. Your club is being manipulated.”

I could see it in his eyes, he was digesting what I said, thinking about it, slowly drawing the same conclusion, albeit reluctantly. He didn’t want to believe what his ears were hearing, but he was smart enough to know the truth when it was staring him in the face. He kept swearing his innocence, so this was the only thing that made sense.

“Are you fucking sure none of your club is involved?”

Dirk shook his head dejectedly. “Pretty fucking sure, man. We started the club just for something to do and to get the girls, you know?” He hesitated, as if he didn’t want to finish. “It’s a hobby, man.”

A hobby? I glanced at my brothers, who were smiling and shaking their heads with disgust. A fucking hobby, funny if shit wasn’t real. Something in his tone told me that he was speaking the truth though, and he was looking at me head on. I thought for a minute, trying to put the facts together in the sequence they’d occurred, deciding that church would be a better place for that.

I looked directly into Dirk’s eyes. “You a smart man, Dirk?” He nodded. “I really fucking hope so. Because I want you and your club to stop wearing your cuts and lose the bikes.”  I held up my hand in warning when he opened his to protest. “If this really is just a fucking hobby then you’ll listen, because this isn’t a fad for us. This is our way of life. So I’m making a strong suggestion that you boys go back to civilian life for a while.”

“Won’t that make us look like pussies?”

Big John spoke up from the sidelines, drawing Dirk’s gaze and saying what we were all thinking. “You are pussies. At least this way you have a chance of staying alive.”

Dirk looked to me for confirmation. “He’s right. There’s no fucking way you guys can handle what’s coming your way. You’re not tough enough, and you sure as hell don’t have the experience.”

“Why are you helping us?” he asked.

I shook my head. “We’re not helping you, we’re helping ourselves. With Blue Knights out of the way, you’re one less obstacle we have to deal with.”

“You believe what I’ve been telling you? That we didn’t do those things?”

“If I didn’t, you and your members would all be dead by now.” Even through the bruises and blood on his face I could see the color drain from him. “Don’t talk to anyone about any of this, tell your men the same thing.”

“Someone mentions the name Blue Knights to you, you act stupid and say, who?” Rock added.

Dirk digested everything being thrown his way and nodded in obvious defeat. Good. The man wanted to stay alive, and having him and his club off the streets would benefit us all. The fucking thoughts I had about what I thought was going on left a sour taste in my mouth. I wanted a drink and I wanted to hole up in the meeting room with my brothers so that we could discuss it. I turned, meeting Big John’s eyes.

“Release him, and then come to the meeting room.”

“Church?” Jumper asked with raised brows.

I nodded and continued through the doorway and up the stairs.

“You know something,” Rock commented, walking up the stairs behind me.

“I think I figured out some shit,” I admitted. “Call in the brothers.”

Fifteen minutes later we were all seated around the member’s table in the meeting room. I had to give my brothers credit, when I needed them they dropped whatever the fuck they were doing and came. They were aware of the chaos running through the club and were just as fucking eager as I was to end it. They needed to know what had gone down in the cellar.

“Just had a meeting with the Blue Knights prez.” Several of them laughed, because they knew what kind of meetings went on down in the basement. “Dirk swears Blue Knights are being set up. My gut tells me he’s telling the truth.”

“You believe him?” Keg snorted with cynicism. “I wouldn’t believe what any of those fuckers had to say.”

I glared at him, as did some of the other brothers. He’d come damn close to disrespecting me. “Watch yourself, brother.” He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Blue Knights are going to disperse for a while.”

“Won’t that make them look guilty?”Bullet asked.

“Probably, but I wanted them out of the way.”

“What about the club? If it wasn’t them, who the fuck was it?”

I didn’t blame Bullet for being angry, and looking at the faces in the room, I knew that the rest of my brothers were pissed, too.

“You don’t shoot up another club and then get to disperse!” Keg snarled. “Or are you saying they weren’t responsible for that too?”

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I could give a fuck who killed Covacks’ son. But when it comes to our club—”

Ned cut Jumper off. “Are we pussies?”

“Phantom Riders aren’t pussies!” Clay grumbled, slamming his fist down on the table.

“We all feel the same fucking way when it comes to our club!” Rock bellowed, his words stopping the angry comments going around the room. “Settle down!”

The silence was deafening as all eyes turned my way. “We fucking done?” I growled, letting them know that I didn’t like the bullshit comments. Their expressions said that they weren’t happy, but they clamped their mouths closed, fists resting on the table. The club had been attacked and they wanted blood. “I want retribution, too, brothers, but from the right people.”

“Then who do you think we’re looking for?” Clay asked.