by Shyla Colt
“Well, they found out. Hence, the drastic hair-color change.” Fear colored their eyes a shade darker. “I don’t know if they know we’ve been communicating, but given their extreme measures, I think it’s best we act under the assumption they did.”
“No. I can’t go through that again,” Nic yelped. Her hazel eyes were wide. Her gaze darted around the room. “Always having to look over my shoulder, double checking every lock and door—”
“Then help us,” Hawk said. “We’re trying to get them locked away. But without you, we have a bunch of circumstantial bullshit. You want to live free of them. You need the courage to face them one last time and see that they pay for what they’ve done. We don’t know how many women they’ve done this to over the years. But we do know you’re the few who got out of there and could help us put them away,” Hawk said.
“Yeah, because we tucked our tails, ran, and hid,” Maddie said. Her blue eyes blazed.
“And no one blames you for that,” Hilary said quickly, soothing her ruffled feathers.
“And now you’d let Hil, who has nothing to do with any of this, fight your battle alone?” Hawk said.
“What is he talking about?” Lorene asked Hilary.
“I figured out who they were, and I compiled a list of their illegal activities. I’m planning on building a case against them based on the things I’ve found. It goes deeper than the abuse, but that’s what we plan to use as the last nail in their coffin. I know I can count on Juliette to testify. But the more people who come forward, the more impact it’ll have,” Hilary said.
The four women exchanged glances and leaned in whispering to one another. They pulled apart and studied Hilary and Hawk.
“What if you don’t win? Then what?” Karla said.
“We will win. But this time it’ll be different. Mayhem will protect you. You won’t be alone and vulnerable. These guys are cowards who prey on the weak. Mayhem is anything but.”
“It sounds too good to be true,” Nic said.
“You realize they may see you as loose ends and seek you out anyway,” Hilary whispered.
“So either way we’re completely fucked.” Karla slapped the table with her palm. “Damn it!”
“Whatever we do for the rest of our lives, we’ll always have this nagging fear in the back of our mind unless we know they’ve been put away,” Maddie whispered. “We have to do this.”
“And hash out everything that happened.” Nic shook her head. “I-I don’t want anyone to know.”
“So we let them win?” Lorene said pursing her full lips. “No.” She shook her head. “It’s time for us to end this.”
“Suddenly you’re the brave one?” Nic snarled.
“Stop this. Look at what you’re letting them do to you,” Hilary hissed.
The girls went silent.
Karla sighed. “You sure you can deliver the protection you promise?” she asked, meeting Hawk’s gaze.
“I don’t make offers if I can’t hold up my end of the bargain,” Hawk said. The steely tone of his voice told her the women were skating on thin ice. You start questioning a man’s integrity, it’s understandable when he gets pissed. Right now this was nice Hawk. They didn’t want to see the other side.
“Look, we’re offering this up, but we don’t need you. Regardless of whether you join us, we’re forging ahead with this, and Ariel here will remain under my protection,” Hawk said.
“You girls can do what you want, but I’m ready for the nightmare to end. I’m in,” Lorene said.
Nic gaped.
“I’m with her,” Maddie whispered. “I’m tired of waking up from nightmares wondering if the life I’ve created for myself is going to come crashing down around me when Quinn gets the urge to revisit the past.”
“Karla?” Nic whimpered.
“They’re right. It’s time. We’re not those scared girls anymore. It’s time we stop acting as if we are,” Karla said. Nic opened her mouth to protest, and Karla held up her hand. “Mr. Hawk?”
“Just Hawk,” he said with a gentle smile.
“Tell me exactly what you need from us and how we’d remain protected,” Karla said.
“We need you to write up statements and be ready to face these bastards in court. I can post men to watch your house or stay with you if you’d like. I leave that up to you.”
“We’d be safer if they were with us, wouldn’t we?” Karla whispered.
“Yeah. I got gentlemen on my crew. So if you’re worried about that, don’t be. As rough around the edges as we all are, raping isn’t on our list of fucked-up things we do.”
“You can understand our caution,” Karla said.
“Hey, you don’t have to explain anything to me. I’ve seen enough to get the picture. Are we going to do this or not? ’Cause things will be happening fast once this hits in a few days.”
“What do we do?” Maddie asked.
“If this is a yes, I’ll talk things over with the club’s president, pick some men out and get them over to you.”
“We’ll need a few minutes to talk it over,” Karla said.
“Done. Ariel and I are going to grab a drink at the bar.” He squeezed her waist and Hilary jumped. “Come on, girl.”
She slid from the stool, forcing her mind to shift gears. You’re a house mouse; look pretty, giggle, and follow directions. They walked to the bar, and he pulled out a stool. All eyes turned to them and she tensed. Hawk gripped the back of her neck with his massive hand and massaged. The tow-haired bartender walked up and the smile on his face faded as he approached Hawk with caution. Clearly he gets bikers in here often.
“What can I get for you?”
“What do you want, Ariel?” Hawk asked.
“Just a Coke, please,” Hilary said forcing a smile.
The bartender nodded. “And you?”
“I’ll take whatever pale ale you have on tap.”
“One belly buster coming up.” The bartender hurried away and Hawk chuckled.
The bartender returned swiftly with their drinks and they sat side by side biding their time as they let the girls work out the details.
“You know they’ll say yes, right?” Hawk said.
She turned her head to face him. “I hope so.”
“They’re smart enough to know I’m the safest way out. For sure, your girl Karla and Lorene are down. I thought Maddie was the twitchy one, but Nic proved me wrong. Tough façades always crumble under pressure,” Hilary said thoughtfully
“They didn’t have a choice but to fake it until they made it,” Hawk said.
The kindness he showed them while remaining firm gave her a better insight into who he was. Damn it, I don’t want to like him.
“Hawk, fancy seeing you here all by your lonesome.” The gruff voice rubbed her the wrong way. She turned her head and gasped at the sight of the hardened biker standing a few feet away. His bald head gleamed under the light and muscles bulged beneath his leather cut. The emblem of a Grim Reaper with wings above the name Angels of Death sent a stab fear through her gut. The hardcore motorcycle club was known for their rivalry with the Lords of Mayhem. The skin on his face was weathered, and his square jaw boasted a wicked scar. His dark brown eyes looked black and soulless.
“Ice.” Hawk tensed beside her.
“I’ve never seen you with this one. You guys get a new whore?”
“She’s mine, and none of your business.” Hawk stood. The legs of his stool scraped across the floor.
“Oh, Hawk got himself an old lady?” Ice said.
“Shit no, got a house mouse to look after the shit I don’t want to do anymore.” Hawk gripped her hair and pulled her head back just so. She met his gaze. “Easy on the eyes.” He leaned down and connected their lips. Bombs detonated inside her and her mouth opened. His tongue darted inside and she moaned as their mouths came together for the first time. Her nipples strained against the tank top and her center grew moist. He pulled away, and she sucked down air as the room spun.
“You see why I’m so possessive,” Hawk growled.
“Yeah, I can see. If you ever get tired of her,” Ice said.
“What originated in Mayhem stays there,” Hawk said.
There was an underlying issue between them she didn’t understand.
“Maybe it’s time you learn how to share,” Ice said.
“Never going to happen. Maybe you should tell your people that too.”
“You sure that’s the message you want conveyed?” Ice glared.
“Same one we’ve been saying for the past fifty years. I don’t know why you’d thought it would suddenly change,” Hawk said. His words were spoken quietly, but the force behind them was anything but calm.
“New people come to power, shit shifts.” Ice shrugged.
“Not with Mayhem.”
“You might want to reconsider it. A new age is coming,” Ice said.
“We always have been and shall remain rock solid,” Hawk said with a smirk.
Ice’s face turned red. “We’ll see.” Ice turned and trudged back over to the table that held two other men in the same cuts.
“What was—”
Hawk shot her a death glare that made her look down at the bar.
“We need to go collect your girls and get out of here,” Hawk said. “No way am I leaving them here alone after the Angels saw them with us.”
She nodded, finished her drink, and accompanied him back to the table where Hawk invited the girls to the clubhouse Sunday afternoon and accompanied them to their car, hanging back to make sure they weren’t followed. The silence between Hawk and Hilary felt deafening as they climbed onto his bike and drove out of the bustling parking lot.
* * * * *
In the clubhouse, Hawk watched Ariel talk to her friends at the bar. He took swig of beer. In the end, they’d teamed up with the Eights to discuss the Angels of Death. Neither club wanted to bring the law into their areas, and it was a good show of kinship. Having Joey married to Moose, which still skull-fucked him, had turned out to be a genius move. Their relationship with the Eights had never been better, and in this world it paid to have heavy hitters you could call in for backup.
“Shit, she’s fitting right in, isn’t she?” Tiny asked gesturing at Ariel with his bottle of beer.
“Yeah, can’t say the same about her new additions.” Hawk shook his head. They’d taken Lorene, Nic, Maddie, and Karla under their wings a few weeks ago, but the poor things still looked like frightened rabbits.
“Give it time. They’ve been hiding for years; this must feel like being completely exposed,” Boston said.
Hawk grunted. Personally he couldn’t care less. He had his hands full with Ariel. The minute their case had been solidified, and the papers had been served, shit hit the fan. Hilary. As time went by he’d begun to confuse the two women, a fatal error. At the end of this, Hilary would walk away, and Ariel would cease to exist. But he had to admit, he liked the redhead. She was good company, not too chatty, surprisingly funny, and easy as hell on the eyes. The fact that she kept her mouth shut and didn’t ask questions was a major plus. Don’t get a hard-on over it; she’s just playing her role.
“There he goes sniffing around her again,” Tiny said laughing.
Hawk moved his gaze from Karla and her crew back to Ariel and frowned. She giggled as Casanova talked to her, encroaching on her personal space. When she shook her head no and stepped back, his temper flared.
“I’ll be back,” Hawk said walking over to stand behind Ariel.
“We have a problem?” Hawk said watching the blond brother through narrowed eyes.
“None here, right, Ariel?”
“I was just telling your friend here. I wasn’t interested in taking a walk with him,” Ariel said with a forced smile.
“I think you just like playing hard to get.” Casanova winked. “It’s okay. I like the chase.”
“If you like your teeth how they are, you’ll step off,” Hawk said, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Didn’t I tell you she was off limits?”
“To fuck. I’m interested in much more than that.” His eyes trailed over her body and Hawk tightened his grip.
“I catch you sniffing around her again and we’re going to have a problem. She’s off limits period. You feel me?”
“Y-yeah.” Casanova started holding up his hands. “I honestly didn’t think you cared. You never have before.”
Hawk growled and Casanova clamped his mouth shut and backed away slowly.
“Thanks,” Ariel said glancing up at him almost shyly.
“Anyone else giving you problems?” Hawk said.
“No, Casanova has a way of being very persistent.”
“Yeah, he’s good for that.”
Ariel giggled. The sound went straight to his cock, and he found himself remembering how sweet her lips were.
“You thirsty?” Hawk said.
“I could use a drink.”
He guided her away from the whispering group of women to the metal buckets loaded with soda, water, and beer.
“Coke?” Hawk said.
“I think I’ll take something a little stronger this time,” she said.
“I see I’m rubbing off on you,” Hawk said grinning.
“Maybe.” She shrugged.
It felt nice to get in some downtime. With the sunset reflecting off her hair, she was downright irresistible. He snagged a beer and led her away from the crowd down by a lake. Twisting off the cap to her beer, he handed her a bottle.
“I figured we could both use a break,” Hawk said, shrugging.
“Sounds good to me.”
Her easy acceptance made him want her more. He’d never been the type to read too much into shit like this. He saw something he wanted, he took it, and the newness wore off. His gut told him that wouldn’t be the way it went with, Ariel. She fucking fascinated him. They stopped a few feet from the lake, and he basked in the quiet. Moments like this were damn rare in his day to day.
“It’s beautiful. It looks like the water is on fire.”
“Yeah it is,” he said, eyes glued to her face.
“Hawk?” she whispered.
“You seem to like it here.”
“Life with Mayhem isn’t what I thought it would be.” She laughed softly. “It’s funny. I thought I’d feel like I was in a prison, but instead…I’m free. Clocks don’t matter because I’m on my own time. I’m not bogged down by a messy divorce battle, and all the craziness aside, for the first time in months, I’m actually happy.”
“Yeah?” Hawk inclined his head. “It kind of shocks me. I mean, you seemed uppity.”
“Naw, just standoffish, I wasn’t sure what to think of you guys, or how good you’d be to my girls. So I held back and observed.”
“And your final verdict?” Hawk said, curious to get inside her head.
“Overall you’re a good guy but extremely dangerous and not someone I’d want to be on the wrong side of.”
“And it doesn’t scare you?”
“A year ago I would’ve said yes, but now I know monsters wear normal faces.” She shuddered and took a long draw from her beer bottle. “I feel safer with you than I’ve ever felt my entire life.”
The words made his chest swell with pride. She appealed to him on a cellular level. Drawing him in with some invisible force he couldn’t see. Her full lips parted and his pants grew tighter. She was a fucking vision in her short white dress and a pair of brown cowboy boots.
“’Cause you know I’d murder anything that came for you.”
“That’s exactly why.” Her voice grew breathy. “I never knew that kind of devotion from a man, and you’re not even mine.”
“You want me to be yours, Ariel?”
She glanced up, looking like a deer in headlights. “I-I didn’t say that.”
“No, you didn’t. I asked that.” He stepped forward, placed a hand on her hip and pulled her flush to his. “Do you want the full Mayhem experience? Because I’m inclined to give it
to you.”
“Give…it?” Her eyes grew hazy and her lips parted.
He took the opening. Moving fast he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth. She moaned, bringing her arms up to grip his biceps. He slipped his tongue inside her mouth. The flavor of beer and her own sweetness coated his tongue. Combined it became ambrosia. He explored every crevice, kneading her full hips as she whimpered. The surrender intoxicated him. Pulling back he whispered against her lips, “You got me as hard as rock. I don’t think you’re a mermaid. I think you’re a motherfucking siren.” His cock threatened to bust through his pants as he turned to granite. He cupped her ass and rubbed her against the bulge in his jeans.
Her head fell back. “You keep offering yourself up and I’m going to fuck you right here and now.”
She looked up at him with hazy eyes. “What?”
“I don’t do dates, or bases. It’s all or nothing. Are you in or are you out?” He nipped his way down her neck to her cleavage. He traced a path between her hardened breasts with his tongue. Her nipples pebbled, poking out of her thin material. “In…or out.” He bit the large peak of her left breast and she cried out, arching her back. He hovered a few inches above her breast. “In…”
“In, fuck, Hawk. I’m all in,” she said.
He swallowed her breast, sucking as much as he could into his mouth. She buried her fingers in his hair and he smirked, pleased he’s gotten beneath the icy front that melted away a little more with each day. He continued sucking, nibbling, and biting. She ground her hips against him and he growled.
“Hawk, man we…whoa.”
“Fuck,” Hawk swore looking up at the nervous prospect. “What, Magic?”
“I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have tracked you down, except… We uh…got company. Another chapter rode in.”
Ariel placed her head against his chest, hiding from view. Hawk glanced up at the sky and blew out air. “I’ll be right there, man.”
“Maybe this universe is telling us something,” Ariel said.
“What? That I have a serious case of blue balls?” Hawk said.
“That’d we’d regret it.”
“Siren, I never regret anything that gives me pleasure.”
“Not in that moment.” She pursed her lips, and he shook his head.
