Page 17 of Darkness

“Spit it out, Nycto. Whatever you’re bringing in here, it’s not good, so hit me with it.”

I lean back in the chair, getting comfortable. Hawk isn’t going to like what I have to say. He’s never been a massive fan of the way Tampa makes our profits. Working with traffickers is not the way they like money to come in, and I get it, but hell, Miami isn’t aboveboard either. They sell heroin, for Christ’s sake. Hawk’s nose is as dirty as mine.

“We did a run last night. Typical run, nothing out of the ordinary. Six packages came in. We were supposed to transport them to a location, then Andrés’s men would collect from there. They would then be delivered to the buyers.”

Bane sits forward, the crow’s feet around his eyes deepening. “I’m not liking where this is headed.”

My eyes meet his. Bane is not only the VP but also the Wise One in this club. He’s not old, not really, but for a man in his forties, against the younger guys of the club, he stands out.

“Yeah, with good reason. I fucked up.”

Hawk snorts out a laugh. “You, Nycto, President of Tampa Defiance, is admitting to a fuck-up? I must be in the Twilight Zone.”

“I’m serious, Hawk.”

He shakes his head. “You kept one, didn’t you? A girl?”

“How could you possibly know that?”

Hawk leans forward. “Because even though you try to come off as this tough, take-no-shit, hold-no-bars kind of asshole, you care. Deep down, you damn well care. I knew one day one of those girls would tug at your cold, dead heart.”

Spark shifts in his seat, his gaze boring into mine. I groan. He wants me to admit the whole truth. “Fuck, okay, yeah. So I took her… and her sister. She’s unaware I have her sis—”

“You took two?” Hawk bellows, sitting taller as he glares at me with such intensity that if his stare could radiate heat, I’d be burning up right now.

“This just got even more interesting,” Bane adds.

“I had no choice. I couldn’t stand to see her sold. She would never forgive me if I didn’t save her sister as well, so I did what I had to do.”

Hawk stands and turns his back to me to pace the room. “You had a damn choice, right back when you got involved with Andrés. You chose this life. You chose this path for Tampa. Fuck, Nycto. You’ve put your club at risk.”

“Andrés believes they drowned.”

Hawk turns back to me, his face softening. “Okay. So what’s the compensation for losing two of his packages? What’s the damage?”

“One girl was worth a hundred, the other a hundred fifty.”

He grunts. “I’m assuming you mean thousand. So, a quarter of a million combined?” Hawk says. Bane huffs while folding his arms over his chest. “You can’t afford that.”

I shake my head. “No. I can’t.”

Hawk lets out a mocking scoff. “So that’s what this visit is about. You need money? Why not give the girls back? You put up this front of being a heartless monster… prove it.”

I stand, my lip curling as I stare at him. “I’m not giving Eva back.”

He smirks. “Well, well, she has a name. You care about her. This isn’t some fucked-up game for you.”

I let out a frustrated groan as I stand—it’s my turn to pace. “I have enough to cover half. I understand if Miami doesn’t want to be dragged into this, Hawk, but I’ve come to you personally for help. If you’re not going to give it, then I’ll find it elsewhere.”

Hawk throws his hands in the air. “And where else are you gonna go? Who’s going to listen to this and not kick your damn ass? Sit down, dickhead. Let me talk to my accountant. I’ll have him transfer the funds to your account, but… it’s a loan. I need it back, with interest.”

I spin back to face him. I knew he’d come through for me. He always does. Just like if Hawk ever needed anything from Tampa or me, we’d be there for him. That’s how it has always been.

We’ve known each other for fucking ever. We prospected around the same time, so when Miami and Tampa got together, Hawk, Doom, and I were always the ones standing outside the fucking bars in the motherfucking rain, watching the bikes, cleaning the mud off, doing bitch duty.

We went through a fucking lot together back then and even more recently.

We have each other’s backs. Always.

---