Page 1 of Eagle

Chapter 1

Eagle

Bottles rattled and busted in the dark alley as my pulse pounded in my ears. My boots hit the pavement hard as we ran through the narrow path, dodging the legs of homeless people sleeping and trash lining the buildings.

It had been over three months since Raven was killed and we seemed to have more questions now than when it first happened. But when it was confirmed by that piece of shit who was whoring out Lacy, her friend Daisy, and who knows how many other women, that someone from our club had been working with a new crime ring, it clicked.One of our own killed Raven.

Keys, our IT guru, accounted for everyone’s whereabouts the night the assassination took place. That didn’t mean shit, though. They may have not pulled the trigger on Raven and nearly taken down the matriarch of the club, but they killed him all the same.

Mama Hen, Raven’s Old Lady, had been a fixture for so long,we all still loved and respected her even though Raven was gone. Plus, she was Hawk’s mother. Hawk had been groomed to take over when Raven was ready to sit on his ass and enjoy the end of his days as a figurehead at the club. None of us expected it to happen the way it did. Hawk stepped into his new role with humility and a chip on his shoulder. His first order of business wasn’t ever meant to avenge his father, but here we were, night after night, chasing down new leads.

Jackal, a nomad who was back in town after learning of Raven’s death, said he got a tip about a street dealer named Scotty. He’d been rumored to be seen with some ladies who’d gone missing from Sugarland, a club not far from Destiny’s Desires, the club owned by our MC and run by Mama Hen. The crime ring was trafficking women and so far, that’s all we really knew. Any tips in that direction were what we chased.

Between knowing we had a rat on the inside and that there was a group out there with a vendetta against us, we were getting restless. When Jackal approached us with the tip, we barely told Hawk where we were going. But we caught up with him on the way out, so he rode along with Jackal, Falcon, and I to track this fucker down.

At six foot two, I was just as tall as the others, but Jackal was bulkier than me, and Falcon had an extra ten pounds of muscle, so I was faster than either of them. Hawk was quick as fuck too, and we were neck and neck down the alley as we closed in on Scotty. Before he made it to the opening on the other side, I reached my hand out as I catapulted toward him, sending us both to the ground.

We tumbled and I finally landed, shoving his face down to the pavement as the others caught up.

“Fuck man, I ain’t done shit!” Scotty howled as I twisted one of his arms behind his back.

Fisting his hair, I pulled his face up and said through my teeth as I caught my breath, “Then why’d you run, fucker?” before I slammed his face back down to the pavement.

Hawk knelt down near us while Falcon and Jackal kept watch. Falcon could pass for my brother with his shoulder length dark brown hair and tall, bulky frame. But his eyes were hazel and mine were dark–not black, but certainly not your standard brown. Jackal had long black hair he kept in a ponytail at the base of his neck, and black eyes. He was getting a little salt and pepper in his beard and around his temples.

“Lift his head.” Hawk’s light blue eyes peered down at Scotty. His dark hair had fallen over his forehead, out of its usual neatly combed look. His scowl was becoming more regular on his face.Heavy is the head that wears the crown. “Whatchu running from, Scotty?” he asked as he pushed a blade under his jaw.

Scotty’s shaggy blond hair fanned around his face as he panted and huffed. “Everyone knows y’all are on a wild goose chase. Coming after anyone you can find.”

Hawk pressed the knife more firmly against Scotty’s neck as I held him still. “I’ll burn this fucking city down if it means finding my pop’s killer. Now, word has it you were seen with some dancers from Sugarland before they went missing. Tell me about that.”

My breathing was slowing but the muggy heat was already stifling. It was only mid-spring, but in Georgia it got hot and humid fast. The heat wasn’t helping the stink coming off Scotty. “So I can’t fuck sluts now?”

I tightened the grip on the arm behind his back and he whimpered. If he moved too much, he’d slit his own throat. And after that little remark, I wouldn’t be sad about it. Lacy was stripping when we met. She mentioned doing it again, butwith everything going down, we’d discouraged Mama Hen from letting any new girls work. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she’d been sharing my bed. Safety first.

Hawk leaned down closer. “What did you do with them, Scotty? You were the last one seen with them.”

“Fuck, man. I didn’t do shit. I took ‘em home, we fucked, they snorted some lines, and they left. I can show you my security cams.”

I twisted his arm more. “You don’t have cameras. We checked.” Keys checked, but he didn’t need the details.

“I have closed circuit cameras because they’re for me, not the police. Those fuckers can tap into anything they want and make it look like an accident. I can show you. But I swear, the girls left before sunrise. One of them ordered a ride and I gave ‘em a bump to go for the fun night. That’s it.”

Hawk growled before he asked, “You know about anyone looking to move women?”

“Whisperings. But I ain’t seen shit.”

Jackal piped in. “What whisperings?”

Sweat rolled down Scotty’s cheek. “I visit a lot of clubs, good clients. Some of the girls are nervous. Apparently, they’re starting to be picked off one by one.”

Falcon came closer. “Did they see anything? Notice anything? Are they being followed?”

“I’m not the pussy police, man. I didn’t ask.”

Hawk’s jaw clenched. “We’ll be by your place soon to check your cameras. You better hope you still have the footage. If you hear anything, you find us.” Hawk pulled his knife away and stood.

I leaned to his ear before I let him go. “Don’t call the girlssluts,” I said before I slammed his face to the pavement again before I stood and followed my brothers back to our Harleys.

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