Phantom Riders MC - Hawk (20 page)

I screamed.

And screamed.

And screamed.

Until a black void sucked me under into a blissful state of darkness.

Chapter 21

Hawk

By the time I’d learned Keg had gone to meet Popcorn and Audra I knew they were in deep shit, and it was too fucking late to do anything about it. In an instant he’d confirmed my earlier suspicions that he was the fucking traitor. He’d been the only brother to identify the Blue Knights presence at the scene of the fire and the clubhouse shooting, and he’d seemed too fucking eager to get to Audra when he knew I was bringing her back to the club. If Audra identified Dominick as the man Dane had murdered, all the pieces would fall into place.

Covacks would see to Dane’s demise, Audra would be free, and the club would reap the benefits of a million bucks. I would fucking enjoy ending Keg’s life, all of my brothers would. It wouldn’t be easy, but it had to be done. He’d killed Popcorn and had to pay. It would show the prospects and other club members what happened to a brother who was out to hurt the club.

It didn’t take us long to zero in on Keg’s location. Thank fuck that after the shooting at the club I’d had Fox put a second GPS tracker on his bike, one he didn’t know about. Predictably he’d yanked off the original right after he’d left the club that afternoon for Popcorn and Audra. The brothers all had GPS on their bikes, and it had saved some of our asses more than once.

We reached the location of Keg’s GPS and I knew that we had to move fast, that Audra’s life may depend on it. The brothers knew what they had to do as we rushed in toward the house, guns out and keeping low in case there were lookouts posted. Seeing the plane parked on the runway meant that we were probably facing more men than just Keg. We were going in blind. I didn’t fucking like it, but time was on their side.

A shot rang out, followed by a woman’s scream. All kinds of fucking shit went through my mind at what that meant, at what was being done to Audra, and it didn’t help when the screaming stopped abruptly. We reached the house and I gave a signal to Painter and BK to go around the back. Big John and Rock stayed close to me, while Clay, Bullet, Jumper, and Ned spread out to cover any windows. They had orders not to expose themselves unless trouble started, and by trouble I meant shooting.

I kicked the front door in and rushed into the house, my gaze shifting as I took everything in at once. Keg was on the floor, blood pouring out of a head wound that revealed that he was no longer a problem. Audra was on the couch, eyes closed and looking fucking pale. My heart lurched as I ran my gaze over her lifeless form, taking in her state of undress while searching for anything that would tell me if she’d been hurt. I zeroed in on the dried blood and gauze on her leg, and barely had time to acknowledge the slight rise and fall of her chest when someone took a shot at me.

Shit!
My gaze swung to the shooter and I returned fire, hitting him in the chest. As he was going down my gaze transferred to the other three suits in the room. They were scrambling and reaching for something inside their jackets. “Keep those fucking weapons holstered,” I ordered.

Rock and Big John moved up next to me. The fact that their guns were aimed and ready prevented two of the men from going any further, but a third one ignored my warning. As he withdrew his weapon one of my brother’s shot him without hesitation. His gun went flying as he let out a yell and clutched his hand.

“Anyone else want to lose his fucking hand?” Rock snarled. The other two raised their hands in surrender. Their expressions remained alert, and I knew they’d make a move the second a chance presented itself. Men like them always did.

“Hawk—” Audra murmured.

I ignored her, not taking my eyes off the man sitting next to her. I knew that he was Dane Winthrop and in that moment he was the real threat. “Move away from her,” I growled, itching to end him for even touching her. He made to get up but at the last second he yanked Audra to her feet in front of him, jamming a gun against her temple. Feet stomped toward us as the rest of my brothers stormed into the house from other entrances. They halted upon entering the room, prepared for shit.

I didn’t take my eyes off Winthrop.

“Hold it right there, big guy.” Dane smiled, self-confidence dripping out of every pore. I wanted to bash his fucking teeth down his throat. “We don’t need anymore killing today.” His meaning was clear. The fucking coward was using Audra’s body as a shield, his arm across her chest as he pulled her tightly against the front of him.

“Then lower the fucking gun,” I snarled.

“Do I look like a stupid man?” He laughed. “No, I don’t think so. I think my sweet, little Audra is my insurance card into getting out of here alive.” He started to back up slowly.

There was no way in hell I was letting him take her. “You want to go, then go, but the woman stays,” I said.

He made a half-laugh, half snorting sound, tightening his arm around Audra. “I can’t do that. Audra is mine.” He nuzzled the side of her neck. “Aren’t you, darling.” The arm across her chest shifted, and then his hand was squeezing her tit. I was going to cut that fucking hand off.  “She misses what I can do for her. I took care of her.”

My gaze shifted to Audra, hating the liquid emotion staring back at me. She was pale, bloody, and looked like she’d been through hell. “Yeah? That right, baby?” She shook her head, trying to squirm away from Dane. “Doesn’t look like she wants to go with you,” I smirked.

“Let me go, Dane!” She was fucking mad, slapping at his groping hand. “I’ll never go anywhere with you willingly!”

“Easy, baby,” I warned, afraid she’d forget about the gun at her temple.

“She’s just a little confused. I’m afraid the situation has overwhelmed her.”

I glared at Winthrop’s condescending smirk. The man had a death wish. “I think you’re the one who’s fucking confused. Leave now while I’m giving you the chance, but without the woman. You have ten seconds to make up your fucking mind before my brothers start shooting.”

Dane’s face reddened. He clearly didn’t like ultimatums, or not being the one in charge. That was just too fucking bad. He was lucky that I was willing to let him leave there alive. His gaze moved around the room, as if looking for an ally. His men were showing more smarts than he was. They were clearly outnumbered by us, but Dane was a desperate man. I wouldn’t hesitate to end him, but I wanted to save that pleasure for Covacks. He deserved to kill the man who’d murdered his son, and I had no doubt that the coward in front of me now was that man. We just needed the fucking proof.

“She’ll be the first one to die,” he threatened.

“You’ll be the second,” I snarled immediately afterwards. “After then it won’t matter.” I could see the indecision on his face, and knew the exact moment he knew I’d do it. The bastard wanted Audra but he wanted to live more, and it was obvious that he hated having to make a choice.

In the next instant none of it fucking mattered. Chaos erupted. More of Dane’s men rushed in from the back of the house. I gave BK and Painter a sharp look because they were supposed to have checked out the fucking plane. I’d have to deal with them later because Dane’s men came into the room firing their weapons as they spread out to take cover. My brothers scattered for protection and fired back. I got two rounds off, crouching low as I moved toward Audra and Dane with a snarl.

Dane forcefully pushed Audra at me and stumbled back into the protective circle of his men. I caught her to me, fear turning my blood cold when I watched him raise his gun. The fucking coward! With my arms wrapped around Audra I pulled her down onto the sofa and covered her with my body. His shot went wild and when I glanced up it was to see his men ushering him quickly from the room.

I pulled back to meet Audra’s eyes. “Don’t move, baby.”  Not waiting for her response, I rolled off onto the floor and took aim.

The gunfight didn’t last long. Once Dane was safely away the rest of his men made their way in the same direction, shooting as they went. “Let them go!” I yelled when the last of Dane’s men were out of sight. “Big John, Jumper, follow to make sure they all get on that fucking plane. I don’t want anyone left behind.”

“Hawk—”

Smoke lingered heavily in the air, the acrid smell stinging my nose and eyes, and the place was shot the fuck up. When it was over Keg and three of Winthrop’s men were on the floor. Nothing fucking mattered except for the woman throwing herself into my arms, her tiny body of curves sinking into mine. My arms closed around her awkwardly as an unfamiliar feeling surged through my blood. Fucking hell, what was happening to me?

This woman wasn’t just getting to me.

She had me!

“You’re safe now, babe.” I ran my hand up and down her back, as much for my comfort as hers.

“Thank you for coming for me,” she breathed against my chest. I wasn’t wearing a shirt beneath my cut and the feel of her warm breath across my flesh fucking scorched me. I felt my dick twitch because she’d spoken the words against my nipple. My hand went to the back of her head, clenching into the soft thickness of her hair. I crushed her against me.

A snicker from my brother’s brought harsh reality back. “We have work to do, brothers,” I growled, gently pushing Audra back. “Make sure the suits are dead and take their weapons.”

“What about Keg?” Ned asked.

“We take him with us. I don’t want to leave any signs that we were involved in this shit.” My gaze caught on a pair of bloody jeans on the floor. “Yours?” Audra nodded. “What the fuck happened?” I scowled, touching the gauze on her upper thigh.

“Keg shot me when I tried to run. It’s just a graze.” she said. We both looked down at him, and I wished the fucker were alive so I could kill him again. “This was Dane paying him back for delivering me.”

I’d already figured the man was untrustworthy. I reached for her jeans. “Think you can get these on?” I didn’t want her on the back of my bike without protection for her legs.

She nodded and took the jeans from me. “He wasn’t going to kill me, Hawk. Dane. He has a place in Canada.” Her comment drew my gaze to where she’d dropped down onto the couch. “He wants to take me there.”

I clenched my jaw. The bastard had plans to keep her a prisoner somewhere. I’d seen it happen with obsessed, controlling fucks before. Audra was still in danger, but it would be over my dead body that Dane Winthrop would get his hands on her again. Christ, I had to get her back to the club to look at those pictures. If she recognized Dominick as the man her ex had killed we could dump this shit in Covacks lap and end it once and for all. If by some fucking miracle Winthrop
hadn’t
murdered Dominick, then I’d go after the bastard myself.

Big John and Jumper came back into the house. “Bastards are gone, Prez.”

I acknowledged them with a chin lift. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.” I noticed Audra’s wince when she stood to do up her jeans. Before she could take a step, I scooped her up.

“I can walk.” She smiled.

“Yeah, but I can take four steps to your one.”

“I’m sorry about Keg, Hawk,” she said, surprising me.

She had nothing to feel sorry about. “Don’t be, he made his decisions.”

“I know, but if Dane hadn’t offered so much money to find me Keg wouldn’t have done what he did.”

I looked down at her. “Money is a powerful incentive, babe, makes people weak, but there’s an order in which we do shit. The club is a brotherhood, we don’t go against it. We stick together and have each other’s backs at all times. Keg let the dollar signs fuck up his thinking. If it hadn’t been this situation, it would have been something else later.”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“You want me to blame you for this shit?” I asked, moving toward the trees where my bike was. She quieted and looked down, shielding those beautiful greens from me. “It’s done, Audra, and after today this shit with your ex ends, too, one way or another.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean he’s going to die.” I placed her on the back of my bike and mounted. I probably shouldn’t have said anything, but she deserved to know her trouble with Dane would be over permanently. “BK−” He turned my way. “You and a prospect bring a van back for Keg and his bike and make it fucking quick.”  He nodded and kicked his bike to life.