“Tessa?” He knocks again, only harder this time. The pounding makes me jump. Of course, he knows I’m home. If Hawk’s right, then he knows. My gaze flicks to the doorknob, and I see that I forgot to lock it once Sarah left today. Stupid.
“Hey!” a man’s voice shouts from outside. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
I take a hesitant step towards the door and place my ear to the wood.
“I’m here to see a friend.” That’s Phil’s voice.
“The fuck you are. You need to leave.”
“What? What are you talking about? This is my apartment building. I have every right to be here.”
A cold shiver runs through my body. Hawk was right. Phil owns my apartment complex.
“I don’t give a fuck who you are, or what you own. You need to leave. Now. My buddy isn’t going to take too kindly to you screwing with his woman.”
“Mommy?” Sam’s voice has me spinning around. I place my finger in front of my lips to tell him that he needs to be quiet.
Phil’s voice grows louder because I can hear him even though I’m no longer leaning against the door. “Your friend has no say in what–”
My body tenses when Phil’s voice is cut off. I can hear slight gurgles and grunts from my porch. When those sounds start to drift away, I pull the blinds away from the window that’s next to the front door to see if I can see anything. There’s a large van idling on the street in front of my apartment, but the side door slides closed before I can see anyone or anything. The van revs the engine and screeches down the street.
I stand back from the window and let the blinds fall from my fingers. “Can you grab my phone from the counter and bring it to me?” I ask from over my shoulder. Sam nods and takes off, returning seconds later with my phone in his hand.
After I take the phone, I grab him by the arm and pull him to me. “Why don’t you finish coloring? Dinner will be done soon.” I feel him nod his head against my stomach before going back towards the kitchen. My fingers tremble as I pull up Hawk’s number.
“Tessa?”
“Phil was just here,” I say as I slowly sit on my couch.
Expletives explode from the other end. “Tessa, what happened?”
“He came knocking, or more like pounding on the door, calling my name. But then someone came up to him. They kinda got into it, and then Phil was gone.” I take a breath and swallow. “I couldn’t see what happened, but I heard a struggle. By the time I got to the window to see, a van was pulling away.”
“I need you to make sure every door and window is locked. Can you do that?” His voice is controlled, but I can hear a hint of panic. “I don’t want you to open the door for anyone, do you hear me? I’ll make some calls and have it checked out. Fuck. I hate that I’m not there. I can’t get back there any time soon. There’s too much up in the air. Too much uncertainty and I need to wait it out.”
“Okay. I’m sure we’ll be fine. I’m sure it was nothing. Maybe Phil got spooked or took the other guy’s warning and went home. I–I won’t speak to him if he shows up anywhere. And I’ll let Sam’s school know not to allow him to leave with anyone.”
“Fuck–okay. I’ll talk to you soon. Keep your phone on you, and call 911 if something doesn’t feel right, yeah?”
“Yeah, all right. I will.”
“All right.”
The line goes dead before I have a chance to say good-bye.
Hawk
TITUS: Problem has been eliminated.
Hawk
We should have felt relief when we got the call telling us Meredith Redding finally caved and gave Sin and Lick the location of her son. It should have been smooth sailing when we had guys in the area keep watch on the house to ensure that mommy-dearest didn’t tip off the prodigal son–so he would have ample opportunity to escape. But those feelings never come. Not when Lick calls us, breathing heavily, telling us that things have gone to shit. Sin killed Tyson, grabbed Savannah, and got the hell outta dodge.
As a unit, the guys, along with Jenni, Lily, and Bianca make our way to the hospital. As soon as we arrive, we inform the emergency room of the possible trauma coming in. It takes Sin and Lick a couple of hours to reach us, but when they do all hell breaks loose, and it isn’t only coming from Sin. Lick is barking orders right along with him.
“I’ve never seen shit like it, and I’ve seen a lot of it in my day,” Lick says, recounting what he and Sin saw when they got to Savannah. “That son of a bitch and I mean that shit literally because Meredith Redding is one class act bitch, bleached Savannah’s hair. He had her chained, fucking naked, to a cinder block fucking wall with her damn feet tied to the metal footboard. Fuck me…”
I spend hours listening to everything that went down, so I excuse myself from the group and take a breather outside of the waiting area. Pulling out my phone, I call the only person I want to hear right now.
“Hey, everything all right?”
“No… I don’t know.” I shake my head. “I just wanted to hear your voice.”
“You know if I could, I’d be there with you right now.” By the tone of her voice, I know she means it.
“I know.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” she says with a grunt, and I know she’s pushing her cleaning cart.
“Not really. Have you seen Rose today?”
“Yeah.” She strains again. “It’s a good day.”
“How’s Sam?”
“He’s the same. He’s still asking when you’re coming home.”
My stomach clenches. This entire situation is fucked up. I’m not where my heart is telling me to be. I should be LA with Tessa and Sam. But my mind says I’m Fury and this is where I’m needed. Here, with the people who have stood by my side for most of my life.
“Tell him I’ll be there as soon as I can. That if he needs me, then he can call me.”
“I’ll tell him.”
“That offer goes for both of you,” I tell her.
She laughs. “Is it selfish of me to say the only thing I want is for you to come back here as soon as you can? I kinda miss the feel of your arms around me.”
“Damn it, woman. Now you're just mean. You have no idea how much I miss the feel of you wrapped around my–”
‘Code Blue,’ a robot voice echoes from the speakers, ‘Code Blue.’ It blares again.
I look up and see a medical personnel rush towards Savannah’s room.“Shit!”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Por favor, no tome to de mí. No otra vez.” Bianca stands in the doorway of Savannah’s room. Spanish is flying from her mouth as tears stream down her face.
“It’s Savannah. I gotta go.” I end the call before I she gets the chance to say good-bye.
People shout, giving orders about pushing medicine into the I.V. I hear the order to move as they wheel a now unconscious Savannah out of the room. Her arms are slightly hanging over the side of the bed. A nurse in dark blue scrubs has a balloon type pump in Savannah’s mouth, gripping it while she counts out loud. As soon as they pass, Bianca rushes into the room.
If Savannah doesn’t pull through, Sin is going to be lost to us forever.
Tessa
HAWK: Just crossed the state line. Get ready, baby.
Hawk sent that text a little over two hours ago. “Shea, I need to head in the back for a second.”
“All right, but hurry back. I need to take off.”
I give her a smile and make my way towards the break room. I open my locker and pull out the black tank top and matching back skirt. The word ‘Eclipse’ is scrawled in blue foil font along the front. This is the typical uniform for the staff here, but I’ve only worn it once. On my first shift, after one of the customers became grabby, Croy told me I didn’t have to wear it if I didn’t feel comfortable. I haven’t touched it since.
I lift my head and see that the bar is only minutes away from closing.
Screw it.
I rush to the bathroom and yan
k my shirt over my head, replacing it with the tank. I shimmy my hips from my shorts and fight against the tightness of the skirt. Yikes, I think I need a bigger size. Throwing my clothes into the locker, I slam the door and head back to the floor.
“Holy shit.” I spin around and see Croy grabbing empty glasses from a few different tables. “What’s up with that?” He nods at my appearance.
I shrug and play innocent. “I don’t know, I thought I’d give it a try.”
“With twenty minutes left until closing?”
I narrow my eyes and spin on my heel, making my way up to the bar. Croy closely follows whistling under his breath. “I’m not complaining, T. Not one bit. It’s about time you take a walk on the wild side.”
“Rhea leave already?”
“Yeah.” He sets the glasses on the bar and looks at me. There’s something unfamiliar in his eyes.
“What?”
“Nothing. I just like what I’m seeing. Hey, I have an idea–”
It’s like my body senses it because I lift my head and Hawk is standing off to the side of the bar, watching. I leave the bar and rush towards him. As soon as I feel his arms wrap about my waist, I feel like I can finally breathe.
“Hey, baby.” He chuckles.
“I didn’t know how much I missed you until right now.”
“We’re closed.” Croy’s deep voice kills the moment.
“As you can see, I’m not here for a drink.” Hawk puts me down and takes a look at my outfit. “I really hope you’re wearing that for me.” He leans in. “Not sure I like the idea of people seeing what’s mine.” He taps his finger on my nose.
“Tessa, you really need to finish out your duties. I have shit to do, and I’m not staying here all night.”
I roll my eyes because I know he’s right. “Let me bring you a glass of water while you wait. You are waiting for me, right?”
“Fuck yeah, I’m waiting for you.”
Hawk
“Listen.”
Croy’s voice draws my eyes away from my phone.
“I don’t know what game you’re playing.” He looks over this shoulder and watches Tessa crawl up on the chair and reach for the high-end bottles on the first shelf. It’s faint, but I can hear him moan. He turns back around and looks at me. “You can’t be coming and going from Tessa’s life.”
I knew this fucker’s play from the moment I laid eyes on him. Friend my ass. He may be larger than I am, but you know the saying. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“It’s been months since she’s needed me to grab Sam, and when she does finally ask, it’s because she said you went back home. Now, I don’t know what you’re playing at, but Tessa doesn’t need that shit. Neither does Sam.”
“Don’t tell me what the fuck my woman needs.”
He laughs, looking over his shoulder to where Tessa is cleaning the liquor bottles then back to me. “Your woman? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. You’re shit, man. Some fucked up biker boy. There’s no way that she’s your woman. She’s got too much class, for the likes of you.” He moves to push his finger into my chest, but I grab it and squeeze before he gets a chance to.
“What’s going on?”
I let go of his hand, flinging it away. When Tessa sees the interaction, her brows knit together, and her lips purse. Her chestnut tresses hang down her back in soft curls. I can’t help myself, so I grab her by the wrist and pull her to me. I drop a kiss on the side of her head. “Croy’s just watching out.”
“Yeah, no reason for anyone to believe they can use you to get their rocks off whenever they’re in town.”
“Croy!” She tries to take a step towards him, but I tighten my grip. The fact that she doesn’t notice or doesn’t care that I’m disabling her movement makes my heart fucking swell.
He throws his hands up in defeat. “Like he said, I’m just watching out.” He shrugs before he turns and leaves the same way he came. “I’ve got shit to do, T,” he yells over his shoulder. “I’m outta here. Make sure to lock up tight.”
I watch him leave the bar before I turn my attention to her. “Hey.” I brush her hair behind her ears. I can feel the smile tug at my lips, and I don’t give a shit. I’m fucking happy to see her and to have her close enough to touch.
“Did I tell you that I missed you?” She bites her plump bottom lip.
Those lips are driving me fucking crazy. I pull her body closer, flush with mine and bury my nose in her hair. “Yeah, you did. And I’ve missed you,” I growl which only makes her laugh.
She wraps her arms around my torso and gives me a long squeeze. “Everything okay?”
I pull away. “You mean back home?”
She rolls her eyes and pushes out of my hold, making her way back to the bar, “It’s not my home anymore, Hawk. We’ve been over this.” She flings a towel over her shoulder.
I open my mouth to object, but I’m speechless when I watch her retreat. The skirt hugs her ass then falls right below her cheeks. Her ass is perfectly outlined in the soft cotton. I’ve always loved her ass. Growing up, one of my favorite past times was walking behind her and Sienna so that I could watch her hips sway back and forth. Now that she’s older, and she’s had Sam, her ass is fucking unstoppable.
I continue to stare since no one is here to tell me otherwise. She’s going to be the death of me. “Tessa?”
“Hmm?” she hums as she slides under the wooden bar top.
“That uniform isn’t an everyday thing, right? Because if it is, I think maybe you’ll need to get a bigger size.”
She turns around and narrows her eyes at me. “Are you calling me fat?”
“Hell no. But that ass, baby. It’s, like, too perfect in that skirt. I’m gonna need to take up real estate at the bar if you continue to wear it.”
“Hmm, now that sounds interesting.”
Tessa
“Hmm, now that sounds interesting.”
I’m not sure what has gotten into me. I’ve never been flirty. Or bold for that matter. All of that was taken away from me on the cold concrete ground in the garbage area of the local mall. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve missed him or if I’m finally feeling comfortable enough to come out of my protective shell. Whatever it is, it feels nice. Seven years of being guarded is a long time, and I think I’ve paid my dues. If Hawk chooses to stick around, then I owe it to myself and him to lighten up a bit.
I turn my back to him and continue cleaning the bottles and capping them for the night. The last few stragglers seem to have followed Croy out when he left, leaving just Hawk and me. Usually, Croy waits for me to finish, but I guess the little confrontation he had with Hawk a moment ago made him change his mind. I do my best to ignore Hawk’s presence.
I jump as the familiar beat starts to boom through the speakers of the bar. I glance over my shoulder and see Hawk place his phone down on a table. This song had always been a favorite of his. The beat of Pony starts to waft through the air. When I turn around, there’s Hawk, not far from the bar, in the middle of the floor where there aren’t any tables. His white T-shirt has been replaced with a tight, white, wife beater. The jeans against his thigh muscles strain as he bends his knees. My throat goes dry as his hips begin to gyrate–around and around, twisting one way then the other. He drags his hand up his body, slowing lifting the cotton of his shirt, revealing the hardness of his abs.
“Sweet Jesus…”
I stumble back a bit, hitting the front row of bottles with my back. He lifts his head to meet my gaze and gives me a quick wink. The bastard must have heard me. My heart rate picks up, and I feel my nipples harden as I watch the magic that is Hawk’s body. He tugs his shirt over his head and then begins to roll his body forward and then back.
There’s no way I’m staying behind the safety of the bar. I slowly walk to the entrance of the bar and lift the top, making sure to keep my eyes on the show that’s happening in front of me. Th
e lyrics are telling me to ‘ride it,’ and the way Hawk’s rolling his hips and flexing his stomach muscles has me thinking that the song has the right idea. His feet move, and his body follows–in fluid motions. One of the many hidden talents of Hawking Gentry is his ability to hold a beat.
He bites his lip as he slides and turns towards me. His head bobs from side to side, as his tongue is pressed between stiffen lips. With another front slide, his body is almost flush to mine. I can feel his pelvis hit me with every beat he keeps. My legs feel week as desire pulls at my belly. He slowly reaches out towards me, and I feel my body start to lean into him. Once he places a hand on my hip, he pulls me towards him.
“So fucking beautiful, Tessa. All turned on, watching me.” His voice is strained. “Do you like to watch me, Tessa?”
I whimper in response.
“I bet you’re soaking wet right now. Isn’t that right, sweet girl? ”
He’s not wrong. I moan when I feel his fingertips on the skin of my thigh, moving beneath the hem of my skirt, and I take a small slide to the side, allowing him better access between my legs. There’s one thing that I’ve learned in the past couple of months, and that’s what I’ll never deny Hawk anything. Not when he’s erased so much darkness from my life.
I feel the tug of my panties to the side then a soft brush of his fingers against my core. “I’m gonna fuck you now, Tessa. Right here, right now. I don’t give a shit who might walk in, because the only thing that matters is feeling your pussy clench around my cock as you come.”
Hawk
When I notice how her nipples are hard against the fabric of her tank top, I know there’s no way I’m going to be able to keep this simple. My plan to tease her flies right out the window when I see the desire in her eyes. The fact that she stands there, with her mouth slightly parted, breathing deeper than usual, I know I can’t be cruel to her. I’m going to give her everything she doesn’t know she needs.
Hawk_Devil's Fury Book 3 Page 17
