Page 16 of Tease Me

“I know we do. I’ve just been trying to wrap my head around everything and process. I’m not trying to push everyone away, I’ve just needed a minute,” she says, sitting up and pushing her hair out of her face. “I’m sorry, Hawk.”

“You got nothin’ to be sorry for, Sparky. So, you’re pregnant. I’ve also been tryin’ to process that news and figure out where to go from here. My mom left us when Eagle and I were really little. She couldn’t handle club life. Our dad has been a member for so long and it’s all he knows. He’s a good man. Stern, but fair. Mom always thought he was cheatin’ on her when he’d be at the clubhouse or out on a run. The man loved her with every piece of his soul, but she didn’t believe it. I’m not gonna lie to you, Kendell. Life in the club is not easy. There’s things I won’t be able to talk to you about and times I have to be away from you. If I go on a run, I might not be in contact for days instead of hours. This doesn’t mean that I’m cheatin’ on your or anythin’ else. It means, I’ve got my head in the game so I can come back to you in one piece and that I don’t lose my brothers in the process.

“Anyway, our dad raised us in the club. Like him, it’s all Eagle and I know and the only life we’ve ever seen for ourselves. Because of our mom leavin’ us, I told myself I never wanted an ol’ lady and kids because I refuse to put them through the same shit she put the three of us through. I’ve fucked the Fallen girls because while they may think they want to be claimed, they don’t push for it. Not all of them do anyway. Some of them try to stake a claim on one of us, but it never works. I’ve always been up front and honest with them about what is goin’ on between us so there’s no misunderstandin’. Whatever the hell that shit was with Kori, it came out of left field. I’ve never even fucked her.

“So, I’ve never wanted to claim someone as an ol’ lady and I didn’t want to have kids. That doesn’t mean that I’m gonna walk the fuck away from you now, Kendell. I don’t think I could even if I wanted to. You’re a fuckin’ force to be reckoned with and are buried deep in my soul. For the first time in my life, I’m thinkin’ about claimin’ an ol’ lady. And I do want this baby that we created. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anythin’ more in my life. But, I’m not gonna force you to make a decision you can’t live with. So, I need to know where your head is and what you wanna do movin’ forward. Because I’ll tell you that I’m all in. I want to see what this is between us and I’m not fuckin’ with anyone else,” I tell her honestly, needing to know a little of my past so she understands why I’ve been single and only fucking with the Fallen girls.

“Part of me wants to be excited about the baby. A large part of me if I’m being honest, Hawk. But, I’m so scared. Martin is still out there and I have no clue how he even got my phone number to begin with. I’ve never given it to him. Being pregnant right now is so inconvenient because we don’t know what he’s going to do. I mean, if I don’t show up today, how long before he finds a way onto the compound? Is someone helping him? There are so many questions that need to be answered and we don’t know anything. I don’t want Kelsey to know about the call because I fear it will set her back. Or that she’ll go to him just to get him away from me and Gideon. I also don’t want anyone to know about the baby yet. Not until things with Martin are resolved and I know he’s no longer out to get us,” she says, showing me how confused she is with the look in her eyes as she finally looks away from me and starts playing with the edge of the blanket covering her.

“Okay, Sparky. This will remain between the two of us for now. What about us? I mean, am I someone you can see yourself givin’ a chance to? I know you’ve never dated. And you know I’ve never dated. This would be a first for both of us. But, I’m willin’ to take the leap if you are. I have no problem puttin’ in the work and doin’ what it takes to make you happy and feel as safe as you can feel every fuckin’ day,” I ask her, laying myself open for the first time in my life when it comes to a woman. I wouldn’t give this piece of me to anyone but Kendell and I hope she sees that.

“Hawk, you have the power to completely destroy me. I’ve already grown so attached to you and if you were to decide I’m not who you want, it will kill me. I don’t even know how it happened. I thought I had my walls built and reinforced completely when it comes to guys. I’ve never gotten attached or felt this way about anyone else before. So, I don’t think I have a choice but to say yes and give you a chance. Hawk, you’re the best man I’ve ever met. You’re strong, protective, you make sure I’m comfortable in every way imaginable, and for the first time I want to break free from the chains that have held me captive my entire life. You make me stronger by pushing me to face the unknown and step out of my comfort zone. I don’t know what the future will hold in store for us, but I’m all for taking a chance and seeing where this goes. Just please don’t break me, Hawk. If you want out, tell me and I’ll leave. I mean, I won’t leave Clinton City because I wouldn’t ever take your child away from you,” she says, returning the gesture and opening herself up letting me see the parts she typically keeps hidden from the world around her.

Leaning in, I grip the nape of Kendell’s neck and hold her in place so I can kiss her. I typically don’t kiss the Fallen girls when I’m with them. It’s been a long time since I’ve honestly kissed anyone. But I can’t keep my mouth from Kendell’s when I’m close to her. She doesn’t hesitate to let me in as we tangle our tongues together and I let her explore my mouth the same way I’ve done to her multiple times. We kiss for what feels like forever before I break the kiss and pull away from her to lean my forehead against hers.

“Our world is about to fuckin’ change and I’m gonna be there every step of the way, Kendell. I promise you that,” I tell her, knowing I have to head to the clubhouse so I can get to work and eliminate one of our problems. “I have to go to work at the clubhouse for a while. Are you gonna be okay here?”

“Yeah. I’m just gonna take a shower and clean the house before figuring out what to do for dinner. Will you be here for dinner tonight?” she returns, stretching her body out.

“Yeah. I like the four of us havin’ dinner together. We’re our own little family and I’m here for it, Sparky,” I answer her, getting out of bed after giving her one more kiss.

It’s so hard to walk away from Kendell. But, if I’m gonna find Martin and whoever’s helping him, then I have to work. I remind her that Cash is on the porch since I’m leaving. Kidd is stepping up to bring Kelsey and Gideon back here once they’re done at the clubhouse. I’m not about to leave a Prospect at my house with Kendell inside alone. Especially since I believe Greg is the only one here. Something is going on with him and until I know what it is, I don’t want him alone with any of the ol’ ladies or kids. I’ve gotta tell Reaper this shit too. That’s the first stop I’ll make because I know he’s more than likely at home this time of the day.

Leaving my house, I walk over to Reaper’s and step up on his porch. The front door opens before I can even knock and he steps outside and closes the door behind him.

“What’s goin’ on, Hawk? How’s Kendell doin’?” he questions me and I know he’s worried about her after witnessing her breakdown earlier.

“She’s okay. She’s been sleepin’ and is ready to get out of bed now. The last few days have been hard on her and she’s pretty much remained in my room away from everyone. Includin’ Gideon and she never ignores her nephew. Her main concern is Martin findin’ a way onto the compound and killin’ her before she can protect her sister and nephew. I get it. Until now, he’s made threats, but she’s never believed he would actually follow through. I don’t know what’s changed, but somethin’ has. That’s not why I stopped by though,” I tell my President as he nods his head in understanding.

“What has you stoppin’ by then?”

“I don’t know what’s goin’ on with Greg, but somethin’ is off with him. He’s constantly on his phone, not at the clubhouse when he should be, and doesn’t do his job when one’s been given to him. I thought he was good when he first started Prospectin’ here, but not anymore. I don’t think he should be alone with any of the ol’ ladies or kids for any reason. Not until we can figure out what’s goin’ on with him. It’s a feelin’ I got deep in my gut and I think we need to listen to it,” I inform him, not sure what he’ll want to do moving forward.

“Okay. If you think somethin’ is off, then it’s off. You’ve always trusted your gut, Hawk. Don’t start feelin’ as if you shouldn’t now. Dig into him deeper than you did before. Are you gonna keep workin’ on diggin’ shit up on Martin too?”

“Yeah. I’m headin’ to the clubhouse now. Cash is at my house and the guys will make sure Kelsey and Gideon get back when they’re done with the counselors. I’m not sure how long they’ll be but I’m hopin’ they get to spend time with Kendell before I get back home.”

“Good. Ya know, I watched you with her the other day. We’ve all kind of been askin’ you if you were gonna claim her in jest. Now, I’m askin’ you if you’re gonna claim her for real. I know you have your beliefs about women and all that shit shaped by your mother leavin’ you all. Kendell isn’t her and shouldn’t be lumped into the same category. That girl is stronger than she realizes and has already shown that she’s willin’ to stick by those she loves. If she wasn’t goin’ to, she would’ve dropped her sister and nephew a long time ago. Instead, she fights her fear and panic to protect them when it comes to Martin. She’s not gonna leave you when shit here gets real and too hard to handle. Kendell will stand by your side and give you the home you want to come back to every second you’re gone,” Reaper says, his voice almost a whisper as I hear movement behind the door which could be one of the girls or Alex.

“We’re not there yet, but eventually I’ll claim her. For now, we’re just kind of figurin’ out what we’re doin’ and how to move forward. Neither one of us has ever been in a relationship before and so we’re kind of fumblin’ around and tryin’ to find our footin’,” I answer him honestly as I look at him and nowhere else.

“You’ll get it figured out. If there’s one thing I know about you, it’s that you don’t have a problem puttin’ in the hard work and makin’ sure you get what you want. Let the Fallen girls know to leave you the fuck alone so they don’t cause any issues. Slowly, we’re weedin’ out the bad ones, but just put it out there that you’re off the market and none of them are to go after Kendell.”

“I will. I’m gonna head out so I can get back in time for dinner. I’ll let you know when I find anythin’ on Martin and Greg. I think I’m gonna dig deeper into Kelsey too. See why Martin doesn’t wanna let her go and is willin’ to threaten a woman to get what he wants. I might also have the guys remain at my house once they get Kelsey and Gideon back there. It’s been two days since Kendell was supposed to have dropped them off to Martin and I know he hasn’t tried to contact her again because I’ve had her phone.”

Reaper nods and heads back inside while I leave his porch and finish walking to the clubhouse instead of riding my bike. I want to clear my head a little before I get down to work. Digging shit up on these fuckers might come easy to me, but I need my head in the game so I don’t miss a vital piece of information. I’m not gonna put anyone at risk because I wasn’t completely focused on the task at hand.

I’ve been in my room at the clubhouse for hours now and I’ve compiled a good sized pile of papers about Martin, Greg, and the reason why Martin is so hard up to get Kelsey back. It seems when she turns twenty-five she gets full access to a trust fund in her name. She used a portion of it to buy the home where we first picked the three of them up. I knew it was in her name only, but I wasn’t sure how she managed to buy it when she’s never had a job outside the house. Kelsey has only ever gone to school, graduated, and then met Martin before she could start college. For some reason, she didn’t attend despite getting a full scholarship. That shit pisses me the fuck off because I have a feeling she didn’t go because of her husband. It was more than likely the first time he exerted his control over her and Kelsey didn’t realize what he was doing.

Kendell, on the other hand, has worked so many jobs over the years. From the time she was sixteen, my girl has held one job or another. Most of the time she’s worked at least two at the same time. I guarantee she was the one paying the bills for their deadbeat father and making sure Kelsey had everything she needed while also providing all the food for them to eat. If he weren’t already dead, I’d fucking kill him myself for treating his daughters and wife the way he did.

Putting all the information about Kelsey and Kendell aside, I go through everything I’ve found on Greg. It seems Greg has been texting a burner phone. I’m good at what I do, but you can’t pull up anything about the owner of a burner phone. It’s why we use them on most occasions instead of our personal phones. I can’t even pull up his messages or calls with this person. Greg isn’t being smart and is using his personal phone. So, I can get what he sends to the person, but not what’s coming in to him. What I’m slowly learning is that he’s giving information to someone about a female. He notes the times she’s at the compound and when she leaves. I know there’s more information that I’m missing, but the messages are a mix of real words and code. A code that will take me time to break if I don’t bring Greg in for an interrogation. I’m sure Savage and Titan wouldn’t mind getting their hands dirty when it comes to our Prospect. I just can’t do that yet.

When I’ve gone through everything I’ve printed out on Greg, I put it all in a folder and set it aside so I can start looking through Martin even more. I’ve found a hidden bank account in his name. There’s not a ton of money in it, but a large amount was just sent to an offshore account. Digging deeper into that, it doesn’t take me long to discover that he’s sent a payment for hired guns to come get his wife and son back for him. Martin knows he can’t step foot on our compound without dying. So, he’s hired someone else to do it for him. Fucking pussy. Following the lead some more, I discover that it’s a friend of ours Martin has hired. I can’t help but laugh as I pull out my phone.

“Hawk, it’s been a long time,” Jordan says, his voice full of confusion as to why I’m calling suddenly.

“It definitely has. I’m lookin’ into someone right now and came across a connection between him and you. It seems that he’s just hired you to get his wife and son back from our compound,” I state, waiting to hear what Jordan has to say about that shit.

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