Page 6 of Taming Hawke

I move past them, pushing aside the black curtain, and make my way down the hallway, coming face-to-face with a closed door. The sign on it says “Bitches.”

I push open the door and women are everywhere. Some shield their bodies, and others smile, turning toward me, not bothered that they practically have nothing on in the way of clothing.

“Ladies,” I say smiling.

“Can we help you?” one woman says, trying to conceal her breasts with her hands but not doing a very good job of it.

“Yeah, you can. I’m looking for Harmony.”

“The cute ones always want Harmony,” a redhead says standing before me naked, raking her eyes over me. She’s cute, but not my type.

“Where is she?” I repeat, growling.

“Down there to the left,” she responds, and points. I head further into the room and freeze when I turn the corner. There, with her blonde wig off and injecting what could only be drugs into her arm, is Josie.

“What the fuck, Josie?”

Josie ignores me and continues what she’s doing. She arches her head back and closes her eyes, inhaling deeply as whatever she’s pushing into her vein enters her bloodstream.

I move forward and kneel in front of her, shaking her, trying to get her to focus on me.

She opens her eyes, and her once lively brown eyes are bare of emotion. She looks at me with a blank stare and I tap her lightly on her cheek, trying to get some kind of reaction from her.

“Josie, it’s me, Hawke. What are you doing to yourself?” I ask, removing her hair from her face and pulling it back behind her shoulders.

“Hawke?” she whispers. “I thought it was you out there. What are you doing here?” she asks, giggling this time.

“You’re fucking high as a kite. What the fuck happened to you?” I question, shaking her shoulders.

She stares straight into my eyes and whispers, “You left me, Hawke, that’s what happened. You were my life, and just like that you walked out on me.” She’s clicking her fingers as she talks, her eyes glazed over by the drugs.

I feel winded, like someone just hit me straight in my gut. “Me? I’m the cause of this?” I growl, and pause to take a deep breath. It’s not worth getting upset. She’s high and won’t remember this conversation tomorrow. Right now, my head is saying fuck her, she did this to herself. But the good man inside of me needs to make sure she’s okay.

“Hey, man, everything good?”

I turn around at the familiar voice, finding Quill standing nearby with his arms crossed. His eyes then narrow in on Josie and he exhales loudly. “Fuck, man, she doesn’t look too good?” he mumbles, looking at the needle that has just fallen to the floor.

“Oh, look. It’s the big man himself,” Josie says, looking over at Quill with a lazy smile. “I saw you out there, I heard bikers were coming tonight, that it was someone’s bachelor party. You wouldn’t believe my surprise when I was told his name was Quill, and that I was to pay him ‘special attention.’” She starts laughing out loud. “Quill, getting married, now there’s a fucking joke,” she says, falling forward and swaying in her seat.

I hold her up and push her back against her chair. “You watch your mouth, Josie. He’s my boy and no one talks about any of my brothers that way. Now, why the fuck are you here?”

“Oh, Hawke, baby,” she says, running her hand down my cheek. Then she sobers. “I loved you, Hawke, and maybe I still do. When you left you took everything with you, including my heart. I lost everything because of you.” Tears start pooling in her eyes again, and she rests her head against my chest as she begins to sob.

My eyes flick to Quill, and just like he can read my thoughts, he says, “Take her home, man. It’s cool, don’t worry about me. I’m gonna check on Jasmine, then I think we’ll move this party back to the club.”

I nod my head once at him and pick Josie up bridal-style, grabbing her bag from the back of her chair. Looks like we’ll be taking her car if she has one; she’s in no condition to be on the back of my bike. Her head sinks into my neck and I feel her tongue lick me there. I pull away from her prying mouth and stop in front of Quill. “Thanks, man. I’ll take her home then meet you back at the club. Get one of the brothers to drop my bike off at her apartment. And Quill?” I state adjusting Josie in my arms, “no word to Luisa about this, you got me, brother?” I look Quill straight in his questioning eyes.

“Sure thing, man. Does Luisa know about your past?” he asks running a hand through his hair.

“No, she doesn’t. I plan on telling her soon, I just need to find the right time.”

“Don’t wait too long, brother, secrets always come to the surface.”

‘Will do,” I reply, and pass by Quill with Josie lying comfortably in my arms.

“Where are you taking me?” Josie croaks.

I look down at her, noticing her pupils are now dilated. Fuck me, I don’t need this shit right now.

“Home, that’s where,” I reply, walking out the room and back out to the front part of the club. My brothers are still there drinking, and cheering on the next dancer. They don’t even notice me walking out with Josie and that’s the way I like it. I don’t need any questions right now. I just need to get Josie home, and then I’ll leave her there and head back to the club.

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