by Faith Gibson
“Okay. I’ll let you get back to it. I’ll text you when we leave for California. Talk to you soon.” Hayden disconnected and checked to see who had called. When he saw Jericho’s name, Hayden bristled. His nephew had gone to Sadie’s mother’s house to keep an eye on the woman. Before he could call Jericho back, a noise behind him caught Hayden’s attention. When he turned around, Spyder was standing on the top step, leaning against the post.
The male pushed off and walked down the steps to join Hayden in the yard. “Since we have time before we leave for Cali, I thought I’d take a look around Alvarez’s place.”
“Tomás and the other guard are still taking turns watching the house.”
“That doesn’t make sense. I…” Spyder ran a hand through his beard as he looked over Hayden’s shoulder. “I voiced the Fed. Why wouldn’t he have left the area?”
“What exactly did you say to him?”
“I told him five armed guards took off with Mateo, but they vowed they wouldn’t hurt the child.” Spyder pulled the band out of his long hair, then retied it, grabbing the loose tendrils that had fallen out.
“Maybe that makes his job easier. If he’s undercover to get Alvarez, having Mateo out of the picture is one less thing for him to worry about. It’s Elena and her brother who wanted to get Mateo away from Juan Carlos.”
“Yes, because they don’t want the boy to turn into his father. Tomás could be waiting on Alvarez to return, and Jose could be looking for some sign of Mateo. What aren’t we seeing?”
“Did you tell Tomás specifically his cover was blown? That he admitted to being undercover?”
“No, I didn’t.” Spyder blew out a breath. “Elena and her brother wanted to get Mateo away from Alvarez. If they had put out the hit, they would have made sure Sadie was dead and not merely injured during the attack on the house. The attack wasn’t a last-minute hit, which means either Elena and Jose are responsible and had already been in contact with the attackers, or they got really lucky with their timing. A plan was already in place, so whoever was responsible had access to Alvarez’s schedule. Elena worked for Dominguez before Juan took over. It’s possible he shared his trip with her thinking she was a trusted employee. And what if Jose was Dominguez’s second-in-command and is pissed Juan took over the family business?”
“But why wait all this time? That happened almost two decades ago.”
Spyder threw his hands up. “Fuck! I don’t know. There are too many moving parts with no diagram. I say we take out Alvarez and let the rest of them deal with the fallout. That seems to be the common thread here – getting Juan out of the picture.”
“And the contract on Sadie? That’s not going to go away.”
Spyder grinned. “Then you’ll just have to protect her, won’t you?”
Hayden groaned aloud, while his Gryphon murmured in agreement inside his head.
“Hayden!” Devon ran out the door. “I just got a call from Jericho. He tried to call you, but you didn’t answer.” Devon looked back toward the house. When he turned back around, he lowered his voice. “When he got to Gloria Rodriguez’s home, it had been ransacked, and the woman’s nowhere to be found.”
“Shit. Shit! I need to call Dominic.”
“And tell him what?” Spyder asked.
“The fucking truth. If Alvarez somehow got hold of Sadie’s mother, it makes sense he’ll go after Dominic too.”
“The male’s going to be pissed you didn’t immediately tell him you found his sister.”
“That’s the least of our worries. I’ll take a pissed male as long as he’s a breathing one.” Hayden tugged his phone out of his pocket and pulled up Dominic’s contact information. The call went straight to voicemail, so he told the guy to call him as soon as he got the message. Hayden wished he’d put Kodiak’s number in his phone. “I need to go back to Jericho’s. I left Kodiak’s card on the dresser.”
“Here.” Devon handed Hayden his keys. “Take my car. That way you’ll have two vehicles.”
“Thanks, Dev. Spyder, once I get hold of Kodiak, I’ll call you.”
Spyder inclined his head and jogged to their SUV. Hayden returned to the house to talk to Sadie. When she saw his face, her smile faltered.
“Is everything okay?”
“I need to leave for a little while. You’ll be safe here with Nora and Devon.”
“What about you? Will you be safe?” Sadie bit her bottom lip, and it was all Hayden could do not to reach out and touch her.
“Always. I’ll be back as soon as possible.” Hayden backed away, keeping his eyes on the female until he had no choice but to turn around before he hit the wall. If he didn’t know better, he would think Sadie was interested. Knowing she was married should have been a deterrent. It wasn’t. Not when Hayden knew what she’d been through at the hands of her husband. That was the deterrent. Sadie deserved a better life than the one she’d been given. As he strode to the garage where Devon’s sleek sports car was housed, he allowed himself a brief moment to think he could be the one to give her a better life. Her and Mateo. He knew she would be glad to be free from Juan Carlos, but Mateo was another story. The boy clearly loved his father.
Hayden was used to the rumble from his bikes. He relished the feel of power as he rode whichever Harley he chose for the day. But the purr Devon’s car elicited had its own brand of enticement. The low chassis hugged the road, taking curves with an ease Hayden had never experienced. He flexed his hands around the leather steering wheel, the suppleness a stark difference from the nubbed grips of his bikes. Yes, the sports car was a dream machine, but Hayden couldn’t see himself owning one. He preferred two wheels unless it was storming. He didn’t mind riding in a little rain. It could be refreshing. Cleansing. He wondered if Sadie had ever ridden with her brother, or if she would turn her nose up at riding the wind. He could just imagine her snugged up against him as they rode together.
The ride to Jericho’s was short, and Hayden rushed into the house to find the card Kodiak had given him. He punched in the number, and after ringing several times, he was ready to leave a message. The phone was answered with a brusque, “What?”
“Kodiak, this is Hayden Lazlo. I was actually looking to talk to Dominic, but if I caught you at a bad time, I can call back.”
“That’s going to be a problem. Dominic’s gone missing.”
“Fuck. This is bad.” Hayden paced the living room of his nephew’s house. He didn’t know Kodiak. Didn’t know if he was honorable, but Dominic probably wouldn’t ride with the club if the male wasn’t aboveboard. He had to make a judgment call, and he hoped it wouldn’t come back to bite him in the ass. “His mother’s missing too.”
“What the fuck did you say?”
Hayden cringed. “Not over the phone. Are you at the clubhouse?”
“Yes. I’ve got my crew out looking for Dominic, but I’m waiting here in case he shows up or calls.”
“I’m on my way.” Hayden disconnected, then called Spyder. When the male answered, Hayden didn’t waste time with pleasantries. “Dominic’s missing too.”
“How much you want to bet Alvarez sent someone after them?”
Hayden locked the door on his way out to the car. “But why now? With the hit on the house, it appeared Sadie and Mateo were taken.” Hayden set the Bluetooth on his phone to pair with the car, then navigated to the clubhouse from memory.
“I doubt he’s thinking rationally right now. But if he is responsible, it’s possible he sent a couple guards from Cali to take Dominic and Gloria.”
“Or he has more men on his payroll than we’re aware of. If we take him out before they’re found, what happens to them then? Will whoever has them kill Sadie’s family or turn them loose?”
“Fuck, Brother. This keeps getting more convoluted.”
“Truth. I’m headed to the Norse Gods’ clubhouse to talk to Kodiak. And before you ask, yes, I’m going to tell him what’s going on, but not until I ask him a few questions about his integrity. My gut’s telling m
e he’s one of the good ones, but I have to know for sure. I won’t put our family in danger by talking without knowing first.”
“I trust you, Havyk. I may have been a dick to you regarding Sadie, but I was out of line.”
“Already forgiven. If you see anything at the house, give me a call. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll call you once I’ve spoken to Kodiak.”
“Ten-four.”
Hayden turned the AC on high and the radio up. He would have preferred to roll down the windows. Being an air Gryphon, Hayden loved the wind. The feel of it on his face. The way it howled through the trees during a storm. The way it pushed his Eagle when he was flying. But this far south was like a sauna, even in November. He was used to the weather in Upstate New York where they had already had snow flurries. Hayden wondered if Sadie had ever seen snow. Texas wasn’t immune to the white stuff, but it rarely snowed in the southern part of the state.
He would love to take her and Mateo home with him. Show her how a female should be treated. Introduce her to the other mates so she could have friends close to her own age. He wanted Mateo to meet the twins and have a chance to act like a little kid. Hayden chuckled thinking of the buttoned-up little boy getting a dose of Hayden’s nephews. Talk about culture shock. Major and Marshall had play dates with some of the Hounds’ kids, but Mateo had no one other than Sadie and the nanny, and that broke Hayden’s heart. Even if Sadie weren’t interested in a relationship once this was all over, he would still offer to be her friend. He’d just have to do it from a distance, because being around her without touching would be difficult. It already was.
Gryphons didn’t have fated mates the way the Gargoyles did. There wasn’t one being the fates or gods decided was the perfect partner. Hayden was glad because if that were the case, two of his older brothers would be alone now, having lost their wives early on. Both Ryker and Warryck had again found someone to spend their lives with. Maveryck hadn’t lost his partner; she’d walked away from Mav, taking his two unborn sons with her. Hayden couldn’t imagine life without Major and Marshall. The two little dudes had already burrowed their way into the hearts of each family member. Hayden wanted that. He wanted the love of a child, or children, and the companionship of a good woman. Someone who loved him the way he was.
Hayden knew he could be good for Sadie. Good to her. Both her and Mateo. He couldn’t give her the same lifestyle she was accustomed to, but he had quite a bit of money saved. Being one of the best bike builders in the country meant he could ask top dollar for his work. His house was paid for. If by chance Sadie did want to be with Hayden, he would sell that house and buy her one of her choosing. And if she wanted to stay in Texas with her family? Would Hayden be willing to move away from New York? He had his sisters and all their kids and grandkids, so he wouldn’t be without family. He could still take on mercenary jobs. Could still customize bikes. He could be a Hound in the MC with Devon and Jericho.
Holy shit. He absolutely would. But he was getting way the fuck ahead of himself. Was it Sadie herself making him ready to take that leap? Or the fact that he wanted love and a mate so desperately? Yeah, he needed to do a little soul searching. And get rid of her fucking husband.
When Hayden arrived at the Norse Gods’ clubhouse, he could feel the tension as soon as he got out of the car. Several males stared him down until they realized who had driven up in a fancy sports car.
“Havyk, come inside.” Kodiak stood in the doorway, taking up the whole of it with his massive size. If Hayden weren’t a Gryphon, he might have been intimidated.
“Can we talk privately?” Hayden knew that was asking a lot of the MC President, but he didn’t want to have to voice a bunch of males at the same time.
Kodiak frowned at the request, but he didn’t object. Instead, he led Hayden to a conference room with a large table much like the one at the Hounds’ clubhouse. Kodiak shut the door, but he didn’t take a seat.
Hayden didn’t give the male a chance to start questioning him. Instead, he asked him several of his own questions to determine whether or not Kodiak was honorable. The one question he wanted to ask but didn’t was whether or not Kodiak was a shifter. That was none of Hayden’s business. Once he knew he could trust the male, Hayden wiped the last few minutes from Kodiak’s memory. “Thank you for allowing us some privacy. What I’m going to tell you needs to stay in this room.”
“I’m listening.” Kodiak crossed the room to where a bar was set up, pouring them both a couple fingers of whiskey.
“I’m not only in Texas to deliver Dominic’s bike. I was also sent here to go after a Mexican drug lord by the name of Juan Carlos Alvarez.”
“I’ve heard of him. He’s recently moved to New Laredo.”
“He has, and with him he brought his wife and son. His wife was traded to him in exchange for money owed by a man named Ricardo Rodriguez. Dominic’s father traded Sadie when she was fifteen for nearly half a million dollars when he couldn’t come up with the money. Alvarez forced Sadie to marry him and give him an heir. He told her if she didn’t marry him, he’d kill her family. For the last eight years, Dominic’s sister has been forced to live in seclusion.”
“How do you know all this?” Kodiak swirled the liquid in his glass before downing it in one swallow.
“Because I have her and the boy somewhere safe.” Hayden recounted how he and the others went to the Alvarez home and what they found when they arrived. “As far as we know, Alvarez is still in California. I have someone watching him, but since he is no doubt aware his wife and son are both missing, I have a feeling he’s behind Dominic and his mother going missing.”
“Why didn’t you call Dom as soon as you knew who Sadie was?”
“To keep him safe. The same reason I didn’t let Sadie call her mother.”
“Well, that didn’t work too well, now did it?” Kodiak stood to his full height. Hayden’s Gryphon was ready to come out, but Hayden pushed it down.
“No, it didn’t, but I’m not going to apologize. We had no reason to believe Alvarez would go after Sadie’s family. He doesn’t know who has her and the boy. The hit on his house was done by someone who wants him out of the game as much as we do.”
“How do you know that? You don’t know who those men were.”
“Yes, we do. Juan Carlos worked for Jorge Dominguez, and twenty years ago, Dominguez went to prison. Alvarez took over the business. A brother and sister team worked for Dominguez, and Alvarez kept them along with everyone else who worked for his former boss. Dominguez’s daughter, Antonia, was one of those people, only when her father went to jail, she was young. Instead of allowing her to be a normal teenager, Alvarez turned her into one of his guards. Elena couldn’t protect Antonia from Juan’s influence, but she and her brother agreed they would protect Mateo from turning into his father. So, they devised a plan to get the boy out of the house.”
“So that’s who put out the contract on Alvarez?”
“No. At least we don’t think so. The hit was on both Juan and Sadie, only when the house was hit, they didn’t kill Sadie. They only wounded her. We believe the contract was taken out by either Antonia or someone else who wants Juan out of the way.”
“Antonia would make sense. Or maybe one of the other men on Dominguez’s crew who felt they should’ve been in control once the man went to prison.”
“Exactly.”
“What’s your play?”
“We’re still going after Alvarez. I have another Hound coming in, and as soon as he gets here, we’re headed to California. Once Juan’s out of the picture, whoever wanted him dead will more than likely move into the lead role and get what they wanted.”
“Yes, everything except Sadie.” Kodiak grabbed the bottle and poured another glass, this one full. He downed it as well before leaning back against the table. Even though he appeared to be calmer, Hayden could feel the anger rolling off the male.
“We’ll keep Sadie safe. Her and the boy. My family is large enough we can hide her until we figu
re out who took the contract out on her and eliminate them.”
“And how are you going to get Dominic and Gloria back? Or are you even worried about them?” Kodiak’s voice was eerily low.
“Of course I’m worried about them. It’s why I was calling Dominic in the first place.”
“If you had called them both when you found Sadie, they wouldn’t be missing now!” Kodiak pushed off the table and threw the empty glass against the wall. Shards of glass sprayed the air. Muscles rippled, and Hayden’s Lion rumbled in his chest. Kodiak snapped his head around at the sound. “What the fuck was that?”
Hayden opened his mouth to voice the male, but Kodiak held up his hand. “No. Do not try and pull that bullshit you used when we first came in here. I don’t know what the fuck you are, but it’s not human.” Hayden had never met anyone who was both aware of and unaffected by Gryphon voice. Kodiak now knew things he shouldn’t.
Before he could figure a way out of the situation, the door flew open, and one of the Norse Gods stormed into the room and rounded on Hayden. “Koda? You okay?”
“Stand down, Saber.”
Saber frowned at his Pres, and Kodiak ran a hand through his thick hair. “Gloria’s missing too.”
“Oh, fuck. Do you think Dom grabbed her and took off?”
“No. Shut the door.” Saber did as told, and Kodiak turned to Hayden. “Gloria’s my mate.”
“Koda, no. He’s not—”
“He is. Well, he’s something, I just haven’t figured out what exactly.”
“What the fuck?” Hayden muttered. “Is your whole MC… different?”
“No. Just a handful of us. We’ve stayed off the radar this long, and we’d like to keep it that way.”
“Same. But if Gloria’s your mate, why are you standing here talking to me? If that was—” Hayden closed his mouth before he let it slip he felt Sadie was his.
“If it was your mate who was missing, you’d be tearing the world apart to find her? I’m old, Son. I’ve got enough years in me to keep my anger under control.” Hayden glanced down to where the glass sprinkled the floor. Kodiak tracked his eyes and waved a hand. “That’s me in control.”
