Page 20 of Phantom Riders MC: Hawk

Chapter 10

Audra

We finally arrived at their clubhouse early the next morning. I don’t know what I was expecting to see but it wasn’t the huge, two-story house with the giant marble pillars and arched windows that we arrived at. Even though it looked renovated I got the sense that it was an old building. We rode into a parking lot with lights and security cameras and a sign revealing that it was a restaurant. As we continued down to the opposite end of the house, it was clear from the sign above a different door that it was also a bar. The parking lot was empty as we continued around to the back.

There were several motorcycles backed-in against the building. As Hawk, Keg, and Clay parked near the single door and switched off their bikes, I could hear music coming from inside. A party at this time of the morning? My answer came when Hawk guided me inside and my eyes adjusted to the dim interior. No party, just a half dozen or so bikers shooting the breeze and playing pool in the corner where the table was located.

“Hey, prez is back!” someone shouted from across the room.

“Looks like he brought us a new sweetbutt,” someone else said.

“Hey sweetheart!” A third man sounded way too enthusiastic, and I felt myself strain back against the firm hand Hawk kept against my lower back.

They looked just as rough as Hawk. Long hair, beards or morning fuzz covering their jaws, their muscular tattooed arms revealed in the leather vests they were wearing. All sported various patches on them. Some had t-shirts beneath the leather, while others revealed chests and abs. Jeans that were stained, dirty and ripped encased the lower half of their bodies, and heavy black boots and various chains completed their ensembles. The closer we got to them the more their tired, red rimmed eyes became visible, and I wondered how much could be attributed to alcohol or drugs rather than lack of sleep.

I was conscious of every eye on me, looking me over from top to bottom, assessing my worth. They were going to be disappointed to learn that I wasn’t there for their enjoyment. Or maybe they wouldn’t, considering that I hardly looked attractive after three days in the same borrowed clothes, none of which showcased my true, curvy form to advantage.

“Anything to report here?” Hawk questioned once we came to a stop. His gaze seemed to be zeroed in on one man in particular.

“Nope. Been quiet, man.” The man was completely bald, with sharp blue eyes. He had a tattoo of a black cross beneath his right eye. “How’d it go in Last Hope?”

“Bout what I’d expected. Covacks’ fighters are lethal as fuck.”

“But prez obliterated them!” Keg added with boyish enthusiasm.

So that explained the damage to his knuckles, the cuts and bruises on his rugged face. I’d been curious but not enough to ask.

“Is this pretty little thing a new toy for us, Prez?”

I followed the gravelly voice to the speaker, barely managing to catch my breath before realizing the affect his face had on me. His grin didn’t do anything to help the jagged scars crisscrossing his left cheek, as if someone had taken a broken piece of glass to his flesh. One cut in particular went down the length of his neck, which might have accounted for the way his voice sounded. He was scary, and I found myself thinking that I wouldn’t want to be caught alone with him somewhere.

“No, she’s business.” Hawk’s tone was flat, revealing how insignificant I was. “We have things to discuss. Church in ten.” He glanced down at me for a minute. “Come with me.”

As if I had any choice. In that moment Hawk held all the cards. As I followed him through another door that led to some stairs, I couldn’t help but hope that wherever he was taking me had a shower. We walked up two sets of stairs, opened a door, and entered a hallway lined with other doors on either side. Hawk opened one and pulled me inside and that’s when I realized they probably all led to bedrooms.

“There’s a bathroom through that door, take a shower and wait here for me. When I get back you can call your friend.”

“So you’re going to let me go, then?” It irked me that I even had to ask.

“I didn’t say that.”

I frowned. “Well, you can’t have your cake and eat it, too.”

The tiniest movement at the corner of his sensuous mouth told me that he was holding back a smile. Why did he fight it so hard? It wasn’t like his face would crack and fall off if he smiled. Or was he just afraid to show that side of himself?

“Come to think of it, you never told me what the going rate is for rescuing women on the run.”

“We’ll talk when I get back.” He opened the door we’d just come through. “Right now I have church.”

Church? He didn’t strike me as the religious type and besides, who the hell went to church on a Thursday morning? I rushed to the door when the tell-tale click indicated that he’d locked it. Sure enough, when I turned the doorknob nothing happened. Damn him! In a fit of anger I kicked the door. He had no right to keep me there against my will. Where did he think I would go? Releasing a breath of frustration, I swung around and faced the room.

I wondered if this was Hawk’s room. It was clear that it belonged to someone, because it looked lived in. Someone manly, judging by the clothes that were strewn about and the extra pair of clunky boots that rested against the wall. Sparsely furnished, the room was dominated by a king-size bed, and a large TV against the wall at the foot of it. The dresser top was littered with various change, bullets, and packages of unopened condoms.

I scoffed at the condoms. From what little I knew about Hawk, I didn’t think he needed the condoms. Of course, just because he hadn’t fucked me didn’t mean that he didn’t like fucking. I was curious to see what kind of woman he found interesting enough to let loose on, and for more than just a blowjob. The man had serious issues with intimacy. It was as if he was afraid of exposing himself.

Recalling his earlier words about a shower, I pushed away from the door. I couldn’t wait to wash away the grime, from my body and shampoo my hair. I didn’t have a thing with me, and I refused to put back on the filthy clothes I was wearing. On a hunch, I went to the dresser and opened a drawer. A stack of tees met my eyes and I reached for one, not caring if he minded or not.

I stripped and entered the shower without hesitation, quickly adjusting the water to as hot as I could stand it. I scrubbed my body twice before tackling my long hair, pleasantly surprised to find conditioner in the shower. It smelled heavenly, and I sensed that there was no way it could be Hawk’s. It made my thick, red tresses feel like silk. I remained beneath the hot water an extra few minutes, enjoying the feeling of being clean once again.

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