Wreaking Havyk (The Hounds of Zeus MC Book 4)

by Faith Gibson

  Hayden wanted this part over with. He wanted the cheating bastard out of Sadie’s life. Then he would concentrate on finding who had taken the contract out on her life and put an end to them as well. During the flight, he’d had time to think about that. Whoever contacted Quinn either didn’t know Sadie well or didn’t care that she had nothing to do with her husband’s dealings. If it was the former, they needed to be put down because they hadn’t done their own due diligence when it came to ordering a hit on an innocent woman. At least, that was Hayden’s thoughts on the matter. He wasn’t going to allow someone to remain in Sadie’s life who had no regard for her well-being. Someone who was willing to make Mateo an orphan.

  While they waited, both males changed out of their shorts into jeans and button-ups. The hotel where Juan was staying was attached to a casino, so they could dress casually and still fit in. They stuffed a change of clothes into a messenger bag in case they got blood on what they were wearing. If it were up to Hayden, there would be a lot of blood. He wanted to make Alvarez pay for what he’d put Sadie through these last eight years.

  Hayden and Spyder left their hotel and walked across the street to a bar. It was almost closing time, but they needed an excuse to be on the street so late. Hayden texted Henry when they left, giving the Gargoyle time to put the hotel security footage on a loop so they wouldn’t be caught on camera. He texted back and let them know everything was good on his end. He had it set for an hour, but he was monitoring the feed just in case someone in the hotel noticed the glitch.

  Hayden and Spyder each downed a couple beers before making their way toward The Bonaventure. They strolled through the opulent lobby as though they belonged at the hotel and hit the stairs. When they reached the fifth floor, Hayden sent Judge a text letting him know they were in place. Spyder propped the door open just enough they could see through the crack. Judge came out of his room and walked the few feet to Juan’s suite. He cocked his head to the side, listening for movement within the room. Judge nodded, and Hayden leaned against the wall of the stairwell, fisting his hands.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Hayden

  Judge jiggled the door handle, mumbling to himself. He knocked softly, then jiggled some more.

  “Who is it?” Alvarez demanded.

  “Is me, Papi. Open up,” Judge slurred in a crazy falsetto, knocking again. “Can’t find my key.” A room down the hallway opened up. An older woman stuck her head out, shook it, then retreated back inside.

  “You’ve got the wrong room.”

  “Come on, Papi. Don’t do me dis way. I’s sorry. Please, Baby…” Judge thunked his head against the door. Hayden was both horrified at the thought of Judge standing where Juan could shoot him and amused at the male’s acting job. The door was flung open, and Judge stumbled forward, effectively knocking Alvarez backwards. “Papi! Who’s in your bed?” Judge asked loudly, letting Hayden and Spyder know the woman was still in the room. Sadie had assumed her husband had other lovers, and she’d been right.

  Hayden and Spyder ran to the room before the door could close. Judge hadn’t mentioned a gun, so Hayden knew the man wasn’t armed.

  “What the fuck?” Alvarez, clad in a pair of black boxer briefs, rushed to the bed where a woman was gaping at the three of them, her naked body on display. Before Juan could reach for a weapon, Hayden was on him. Tackling him to the bed, they landed in a heap on top of the woman who was now screaming.

  “Shut up,” Spyder demanded in his Gryphon voice. The woman immediately clamped her lips shut. Spyder dragged her out from under Hayden and Alvarez. Hayden had one of Alvarez’s arms trapped behind his back, while Hayden snaked his other arm around Juan’s neck. The man was a fighter, Hayden gave him that, but he was no match for a Gryphon.

  “Go in the bathroom and don’t make a sound,” Spyder commanded the woman. Hayden didn’t know if she was a prostitute or someone Juan had met possibly in the hotel bar. He didn’t care. They would make sure she didn’t come to any harm. They wouldn’t kill her for being stupid enough to get caught up with a drug lord. Once the female was safely enclosed in the spacious bathroom, Hayden had to keep his Gryphon from slaying the man. They needed to question him first. Hayden kept his arm around Juan’s neck but relieved the pressure so he wouldn’t pass out. Judge, wearing gloves, searched the room for any weapons. He found a loaded Glock 9mm under the pillow, and another in the bedside table drawer atop the ever-present Bible hotels deemed necessary reading material.

  “Stop fighting me,” Hayden commanded. Alvarez stopped struggling, and Hayden released him.

  When Juan turned around, Hayden pointed. “Sit there and don’t move.” Juan sat on the side of the bed, resting his fisted hands on his bare thighs. Hayden took in the bite marks on Juan’s neck and chest. “You have a beautiful wife at home, so why would you cheat on her?”

  “Mercedes es una niña.”

  “In English.”

  “Mercedes is a child. She knows nothing about pleasing a man.”

  “Yet you married that child,” Hayden seethed. “Had a child with her.”

  “She was pretty enough, and I only needed her to produce an heir. Who the fuck are you?”

  “I’m the male sent to kill you and Mercedes.”

  “Mercedes? She is dead? Where is my son? If you hurt Mateo, I will—”

  “I don’t kill innocent people. Mercedes was attacked by someone else.”

  “Is she dead? Where’s my son?” Juan’s body was fighting against the command to remain still. The rage in his eyes would have shaken a lesser male, but Hayden wasn’t worried. Even if his Gryphon voice didn’t work on the drug lord, Spyder and Judge had his back.

  “I’m surprised your sister didn’t tell you.”

  “Antonia? She told me the police raided my home, and I should stay out of town for a few more days.”

  “She lied. Armed men attacked your guards, attacked your wife, and took off with your son.”

  “If that is true, why isn’t Antonia dead also? She’s a guard.”

  “You’d need to ask her that. Maybe she was behind the attack. I mean, she isn’t really your sister, is she? She’s the daughter of your mentor. Maybe she felt she should be the one at your side instead of Mercedes. The one to give you an heir. Or maybe she wanted you out of the way so she could take over.”

  “No. Antonia is loyal to me. I took her in when her father went to jail. Gave her a job.”

  “Maybe it wasn’t a job she wanted.”

  “She loves me. Antonia would do anything to be by my side.”

  Hayden rolled his eyes. The man was delusional. “What about Mercedes’s family? Where are they?”

  “How would I know?”

  “You honestly want me to believe you don’t keep tabs on them?” Hayden knew Juan was under the influence of his Gryphon voice, but he doubted the man was telling the truth.

  “It’s been eight years. After Mercedes became my wife, they no longer were a threat.”

  Hayden looked at Spyder who shrugged.

  “Someone is a threat. Someone offered a lot of money for us to kill you and Mercedes. I still think it’s Antonia. If she loved you like you say, she wanted you all to herself. When that didn’t happen, she did her best to make Mercedes’s life hell. She hates your wife as well as your son.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “I spoke to Mercedes before getting her out of the way. She told me all about what it was like being your wife. Told me about Antonia and how she treated Mateo. Did you know your son is scared of your sister? Trembles whenever she’s near?”

  “If what you say is true, I will kill her. Nobody touches my son or threatens him.”

  “Sorry, but you won’t get that opportunity. Like I said, I came here to do a job.” Hayden released his claws, and Juan gasped.

  “What the hell are you?”

  “Nothing you’ll remember.” Before he could take a swipe at the male’s neck, Judge grabbed his arm.

  “No
.” Judge held up Juan’s gun, which was fitted with a suppressor. “He’s a known drug lord and aspiring human trafficker. This will be easier to explain.” Hayden nodded and stepped back.

  “I shouldn’t, but I will give you one thing before you die… Mateo is safe. So is Sadie. And I’m going to make sure your influence over both of them dies along with you.”

  Judge didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. The impact of the bullet into Juan’s brain knocked him backwards onto the bed. Blood escaped the exit point, coloring the pristine white pillowcase scarlet. The copper scent reached Hayden’s beast, and it roared in his head. It, too, was glad Sadie’s husband was dead.

  “Let’s get out of here.” Judge tossed the gun onto the floor where the police would find it.

  While Judge wiped his prints off the door handle, Spyder opened the bathroom door with his shirttail and voiced the woman with a story to tell the police. In twenty minutes, she was to call 911 and tell them her lover had been shot by one of his own guards.

  Hayden picked up the messenger bag they hadn’t needed and followed Judge back to his room to grab his things. He hadn’t unpacked, so within minutes, the three of them were headed down the stairs and out the door. They walked behind the hotel and down the block where they crossed over to The Rialto. Using his keycard, Spyder let them in a side door. They didn’t speak until they were securely in their suite. Hayden sent a text to Henry telling him their job was done and thanking him for the assist.

  “You didn’t give the woman much of a story for the cops,” Judge said while pouring them all a drink from the minibar.

  Spyder leaned against the back of the sofa, his legs crossed at the ankle. He paused tapping on his phone. “Didn’t want to make it easy on her. She was in bed with a criminal. Literally. She was wearing three-carat diamond earrings. Unless prostitutes make better money in California than they do elsewhere, I figure she was someone Juan knew or picked up. She should’ve been more careful in choosing a sex partner.” Spyder put his phone in the back right pocket of his jeans. “There. I changed our flight back. We leave later today instead of Monday.”

  “Thank you. We need to get back and find Antonia. I bet if we find her, we find Dominic and Gloria.” Hayden unbuttoned the dress shirt and slid it down his arms, leaving him in a T-shirt.

  Judge poured himself another drink. “You said the Norse Gods’ Pres was looking for them.”

  “Yes, but I haven’t heard from him. I’m going to ask Lucy to help out.”

  “Well, it is four in the morning. I doubt he’d text you this late.” Spyder stood and stretched. “I’m going to grab some shut-eye. Our flight back is now at ten fifteen.”

  Since Judge had returned to their hotel, that meant either bunking together or one of them sleeping on the sofa. Hayden had slept in worse places. “You can take the other bed. I’ll sleep out here.”

  “Or we could share the bed. I think I can keep my hands off you for one night.” Judge winked. He was as straight as Hayden, even if he was as big a flirt as Spyder.

  Spyder turned when he got to the door of his bedroom. “Just come sleep with me, Judge. I’m the smaller out of all of us, so there’ll be more room in my bed. If you think you can keep your hands off all this.” He waved a hand down his tight body.

  “Yeah, I think I can manage.” Judge clapped Hayden on the shoulder. “See you in a few hours.” The male followed Spyder into the room, leaving the door open. Hayden wouldn’t have been bothered sharing. He’d slept in the same bed as his brothers, and Judge was like another sibling. All the Hounds were.

  “Goodnight,” Hayden called after them before retreating to his own room. Stripping down to his briefs, he climbed under the covers, tucking one arm behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. Amber eyes, plush lips, and a nice, round ass called to him. Sadie was soft in all the right places, and her mouth… Closing his eyes, he thought back to the way she kissed him. He wanted more of that. More of everything. Now that Juan was dead, Sadie was free to be with whomever she wanted. But things weren’t that simple. Unless he had a will, Juan’s death was going to bring a whole new set of problems to her life. All the male’s assets would go to her. She had at least one house, possibly two. Juan Carlos hadn’t been the biggest drug lord around, but he’d made a name for himself, and with it, a shit-ton of money.

  But with Juan’s death came an opening for someone else to step in and take over his business. Was that Antonia? Was the woman ruthless enough, savvy enough, to continue where the man left off? Or was there someone else who had their sights set on what Juan had? When Juan had taken out Ramirez, he had seized the other man’s home and possessions. That kind of thing didn’t happen through legal channels. Sadie was going to need legal counsel, and Hayden knew just the person to help. With their family being so extensive, there was someone in just about every profession. One of Dahlia’s sons, Nolan, was an attorney up in Dallas. Hayden would call him in the morning. Well, later in the morning since it was already after four. Hayden fell asleep feeling a little better about Sadie’s predicament.

  Antonia

  “Malditos Cabrones!” Antonia tossed the papers onto the desk in Juan’s office. The fucking asshole thought he was better than his rivals. Thought if he didn’t put anything onto a computer, no one would be able to find where he had his money. She’d learned from the best – her father. From a young age, Antonia had observed Jorge Dominguez as he built his empire, thinking she would one day follow in his footsteps. But when he brought in Juan Carlos Alvarez to be his second, his protégé, Antonia got pushed to the side. She still watched and listened. Learned everything she could, so one day, she would be in charge.

  Now, not only had Juan left a sizeable amount of money in an account for his kid, he’d also set aside a large sum for Mercedes. Oh, he had his own bank account. One that was small enough it didn’t raise any red flags. That would not be enough money for Antonia to disappear on.

  “Señorita, we have company.” One of the new men Antonia had hired stood in the doorway to the office.

  “I’ll be right there.” She shoved the papers back into the drawer in the hidden compartment and replaced the books Juan thought would conceal the false bottom. She grabbed the handgun from the desk and slid it into the holster on her hip. When she reached the front room, a couple of large bikers were waiting.

  “Can I help you?” Antonia might be dressed as a guard, but she used her sultry voice. The one that brought many a man to his knees.

  “I think we can help each other.” The man was over six-and-a-half feet tall. His biceps were larger than most men’s thighs, and if this were any other circumstance, she’d want to find out if the rest of him was in proportion. She’d long ago given up on her and Juan being together. The two of them had burned the sheets many a night, but that was before he married Mercedes. Once he put a ring on it, Antonia was pushed to the side. Again.

  “Would you gentlemen care for a drink?” Antonia walked over to the sideboard, giving them her back. If there weren’t six armed guards in the room, she’d never have made such a daring move, especially since she had no idea who the bikers were or what they were going to propose. She looked over her shoulder and raised her eyebrows.

  “Sure. Why not?” the man answered, his posture relaxed like he hadn’t walked into a lion’s den.

  Antonia poured hefty amounts of top-shelf bourbon, carefully picking up all three glasses and passing them out. She should be intimidated by the man’s size, but she wasn’t.

  “Now, gentlemen. May I ask why you’ve come into my home without an appointment?”

  The smaller man smirked, and Antonia almost reached for the weapon on her hip. Who the fuck did he think he was besides some low-life biker?

  “How is it you’re walking around a crime scene?” the larger man asked.

  Antonia shrugged. “Money talks. And now so should you. What do you want?”

  “I believe you have something of ours. Or should I say someone.”
<
br />   “Who is it you think I have?” Antonia sipped the alcohol, keeping her eyes on the shorter man. He was the one with the attitude.

  “Dominic and Gloria Rodriguez. Tell me where they are, and I’ll give you something you want.”

  “What could you possibly have that I want? Look around you.” Antonia waved her hand toward the rest of the house.

  “If this was yours, maybe. But it belongs to Juan Carlos who took it from Hector Ramirez. I happen to know you lost something valuable of Juan’s, and when he finds out, will you still be welcome here?”

  Antonia’s insides chilled. These men knew where Mateo was. If she could get the boy back, she could continue with her plan instead of running.

  “What makes you think I know where your friends are?”

  “Leverage. Bargaining chips. Call it whatever you want. You needed some, and now you have it. You tell me where they are, and I’ll tell you where to find Mateo.”

  Antonia strolled over to the sideboard and refilled her glass. She took a sip, then turned. “Let’s talk.”

  Hayden

  By the time the plane landed in New Laredo, Hayden was ready to crawl out of his skin. He knew Sadie was fine, but he wanted to see her for himself. He’d called Devon before their flight took off and told him everything. Nolan was meeting Sadie at Devon’s, and he was bringing Grayson to play with Mateo at Hayden’s request. The boy needed to be around other kids. He couldn’t wait to introduce him to the twins. Yes, he was getting ahead of himself thinking of taking Sadie and Mateo home to New Troy, but damnit, he wanted that. Wanted her to meet the other mates. His brothers and his parents. He wanted Rory to wrap Sadie in her arms and give her all the love his mother possessed. There was just something about Aurora Rose Lazlo, and Hayden was blessed to have her and Sutton as parents.