Page 37 of Hawk

Etain: I miss you.

Me: Got a club meeting after work. Lee and Declan staying with you and Sasha until I come for you. Be good, baby.

She throws me emojis with kissy faces and hearts. Normally, I would gag if a woman sent me that, but with Etain, I find it adorable.

“What has you smiling like a fool?” Decker asks as he comes to join me in the office. Then he answers his own question. “Let me guess. Etain.”

“She’s unique,” I say.

“Totally. We all like her. She’s cool,” he says with a grin. “Are you going to make her your old lady?”

“Eventually, yeah.” Decker raises his brow. I go on to explain, “I want to give her time to adjust to all this, and I want the Jackals out of the picture before I make it official.”

“Sounds about right,” he replies.

“Ready to go?”

“Came to get you. The others are already at the compound waiting,” he tells me. Decker must have locked up before coming in to see me because the place is dark except for the light leading out the side door, which leads directly to the compound.

It’s a short walk, and the guys are waiting in the main area. Some are sitting at the bar grabbing a beer, a few others are around the pool table, while others are scattered around the room. They hear Decker and me come in and move to the secluded meeting room. Drifter’s already sitting at the table with one of our burner phones in hand.

“Call Guard,” I order, and the others take their seats.

“He’s on,” Drifter announces, placing the phone in the center of the table.

Through the phone, Guard’s voice booms. “I’m with Ghost and Orion.”

“Thanks for being part of this,” I begin. “You got the information we sent yesterday?”

“Got it,” Orion’s voice answers. “Great job, Raven. The information is clear as a bell. The Jackals are going to fry for fucking around with the Benito family.” He has a deep chuckle, but Ghost’s laugh is lower and scarier. I’ve met both men several times, and I would trust them with my life. Orion is a big bear of a man, but he can be funny, and he’s a genius hacker. Ghost is intense, big, and as lethal as they come. He’s a sniper and has never missed a shot, or so I’ve been told. He also has the uncanny ability to show up just when you need him the most.

“What’s your plan, Hawk?” Guard asks. He knows the plan. We discussed it yesterday, but this is a Redemption Rider fight, and Guard’s letting me lead. I know my men respect Guard as much as I do.

“You’ve made the connection with your contact in the mob?” I ask.

“Risk has set the meeting with his people inNostra Casa. The Benito family is an extension of their business. Date is set for tomorrow,” Guard replies.

“Great. We’re supposed to pick up the product from the same spot as the last one, but based on what we heard on the recording, they’re going to change locations at the last minute. We can’t make it to the designated drop-off because the Jackals are going to have the cops ready to pounce. We need a reason to reroute the shipment,” I say.

“We can arrange for a truck to overturn and dump a load on the highway. That’ll be something that can’t be avoided,” Orion suggests.

“That’ll work,” Drifter comments.

“The Benitos will insist that the load be delivered straight to their door along with Gunner. They’re going to demand that they get Gunner. Don’t fight it,” Guard tells us.

“They can have Gunner. There are enough Jackals for the rest of us,” I reply.

“Demon and Thunder want a piece of the action,” Guard says.

“So does Steady,” Ghost adds. Both Steady and Demon have a hate on for drug pushers, Demon because he was an addict and it nearly killed him, and Steady because he volunteers at a youth shelter and sees firsthand what kind of trouble comes through the shelter doors, largely due to drugs. And Thunder, well, he’s an old friend. We served together in our special ops days, and he led me to the club life and introduced me to Guard, which led to me forming the Redemption Riders.

“We’re shutting down the Jackals for good. Whoever wants in is welcome,” I tell them. For the next hour, we lay out a detailed plan. Satan’s Pride is in this with us all the way. Orion, Shooter, and Decker will set up the blockade. Ghost and Raven will see that cops are detoured to a different site, and Risk has already set up a meeting with Reno Viale and Gino Benito. Guard and I will be at that meeting, which means I’ve got an early start in the morning.

After I bring the meeting to an end, Drifter approaches and says, “I’m coming with you tomorrow. You need backup. Before you say no, the car’s done. Lee and Declan will do nothing but watch over Etain, and the guys can handle the rest.” He looks me right in the eye. “Let me be there.”

My best friend through it all. He’s never left me hanging. “I could use the company,” I joke. His face breaks out in a smile. “We leave at seven. It’s a long haul to meet up with Guard. And who knows where we need to go from there.”

“I’ll pack my toothbrush,” he replies with a grin.

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