Page 32 of Falcon

“Could it have been random?” Jackal asked.

“What Ma described was no accident. I hate to admit we got no leads, but if you hear anything, hit me up.”

“You got it. Anything for Raven and the Enforcers.” He stood up then scratched his beard. “I’ll try to find ya something. Your pops and I go way back.”

Jackal left the room, but we stayed. Hawk stood still for a few beats then slammed his hand down on the table. “Goddammit!”

The music outside was loud enough that nobody heard that. Hawk started pacing while we waited and watched. He finally stopped and crossed his arms. “I know it’s been a shakeup here, but we need answers. If there is a rival out there we need to deal with them. We have allies, manpower, all of it. We just don’t know where the fuck to send it.”

“Do we know if everyone is our ally?” I asked.

Hawk stopped pacing. “You think we got a traitor?”

I shrugged. “I think we need to entertain all options. The fact is, if they targeted Raven, they may not be done.” Scanning the room, I watched as that sank in. Their steely gazes changed to fiery, and everyone’s jaw clenched.

Hawk’s chest puffed out and he lifted his chin. “For the time being, church won’t go past the people in this room. And any cleanup that needs to be done, we do it. And no patch-ins until this is settled.”

Eagle chimed in. “Should we hold off on the party this weekend?”

Hawk shook his head. “No. If it is someone from the inside, we don’t need to tip them off with any sudden changes. That’ll only make them suspicious. Plus, Pops deserves his proper send-off. But we all need to be watching everyone who shows up. If you notice anything off at all, everyone in this room right now needs to know immediately.”

We all stood but watched Hawk as the wheels turned in his head. His arms dropped to his sides, but his hands tightened into fists before he relaxed again. “This is war, brothers. We’ll only win if we stay controlled, stay vigilant, stay tight. This is for us just as much as it’s for Pops, for Raven. I hope Falcon’s wrong, but if not, we have to be prepared to do what’s necessary to protect the club.”

We all banged our fists on the table and a wave of adrenaline pulsed through my veins. Then Hawk said, “Now let’s go back out there and party.”

Chapter 21

Daisy

The party was fun, but I slowed down on the drinks once Falcon stepped away. Something about him not being at my side made me want to be in my right mind. There were a lot of men around, and plenty of women. I didn’t know that anyone would notice if someone grabbed me.

But once I started paying attention to my surroundings, it seemed like the women were happy to be here. They flocked to the men, not the other way around. And the guys weren’t tossing money at them, so it wasn’t like they were fighting for tips. They just wanted the attention.

Who was I to judge, though? Lacy was eating up all the attention Eagle was showing her. And as much as I kept telling myself not to, I was gravitating to Falcon. He had a perfect opportunity to take advantage of me and didn’t. Buying me shit didn’t impress me, though I was grateful. Other men tried to spend money on me but until I met Tony, I had my own money. And most men bought shit that they wanted for you, not because you wanted it. Although, I was pretty sure Falcon played biker babe dress-up with me. I liked jeans and t-shirts, but never really wore those kinds of boots and never owned a black leather jacket. And my jeans usually fit tight down the leg, but he helped me choose bootcut. Instead of skimpy dresses and frilly lingerie, he got me clothes I could ride a bike in and clothes comfortable for sleep.

I hadn’t ever been on a bike until a couple nights ago but wouldn’t hate riding with him again. And after the long trip down, I understood why I needed better shoes or boots. The heat of the engine was hot on my feet and if we fell or wrecked, I could’ve lost a foot for sure.

“Hey hon, I like this look on you,” a familiar voice said as a hand squeezed my shoulder. I turned and Mama Hen was there, dressed almost just like me, except she had a cut on like the guys. She wasn’t wearing that earlier.

I stood and let her get a good look. “It’s comfy. But one guess who picked it out.”

Mama Hen gave that wonderful belly laugh and rubbed her hand down my arm. “Gonna give that boy hell. Smitten like a kitten. And hello again, Lacy. You ladies look great. Everyone treating you good?”

“Yeah, it’s great. Do you have these parties a lot?”

Jeannie piped in, “Sugar is acting a fool but everyone else is good, Mama Hen.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t mind her. She’s got a perpetual stick up her ass. But she helps around here and some of the guys enjoy her from time to time, so we let her hang around.”

I saw an empty chair nearby, so I grabbed it and motioned for Mama Hen to sit, then took my seat again.

“Mama Hen, Jeannie was telling us you run the strip club.” Despite my twisted ankle, having some money would make me feel better. I needed to get back to work. Even if Falcon was a good guy, these men didn’t seem like the settling type. It would be smart to have a leg to stand on once whatever issue they were dealing with was resolved and he was ready to cut me loose.

She sipped her beer and nodded. “Yep. It’s a nice one, just outside Atlanta. The drive’s not bad and we couldn’t get a business license out here in the boonies, so we found the closest spot we could. It probably pulls better clientele than we’d get out here anyway. If you go to our bar, you’ll see what I mean.”

The ladies at the table laughed. Lacy said, “Well, if you have any spots open, I’d love to see the place. I don’t have anything but the clothes on my back and what Eagle got me today.”

“So, the new snatch got to go shopping. Don’t get comfortable. You won’t be on the back of their bikes.”

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