Page 6 of Eagle

The thought of another one of the guys touching me didn’t make me feel warm and fuzzy, though. And if I disconnected myself from Eagle, I’d be fair game. At least that’s how things seemed to go. But I suppose I was fair game now. He hadn’t claimed me at all.

But I found a home here, Mama Hen was like a mom to me, I was with Daisy, and I’d made more friends. The thought of not being around sent a small tug at my heart. If he didn’t feel the same about me, maybe a little distance until I got over him would help too.

I was getting ahead of myself. Maybe he did have feelings for me. Only one way to find out. In the meantime, I needed to get my driver’s license. After what happened to Daisy, I wasn’t going to my home state of Illinois to get it. I had a friend from back home, Shiv, but I wasn’t sure what she was up to or if she’d be willing to try to help me get copies from my parents. I sure as hell wasn’t calling them, and for now, I didn’t have a way for her to get back to me. She and I hadn’t spoken in at least a year, but she was always happy for my check-ins. Not having my own phone was really a pain. Yet another reason I needed to findwork.

Chapter 5

Eagle

The ride to Jersey was uneventful but my mind was busy the whole way. We still had a rat, but none of the women and most of the brothers didn’t know. Falcon had guys escorting Daisy to work and keeping watch. I may have mentioned to Red and Jackal to keep an eye on Lacy.

It had been longer than normal since our last run and we were keeping this one short and to the point. No extra stops, no social visits with the Pakhan, just straight to the warehouse, load the truck, and hit the road. We’d still stop at our usual cash-by-the-hour hotel on the way to get a little shut eye before making the long trip back.

“My friends,” Petrov, well Petrov Jr., called out. As always, he wore a sharp looking suit and his short, blond hair was perfectly swept back. “You look well.”

Hawk walked to greet Petrov while Falcon, Rooster, and I helped his guys load up the box truck with the guns we were picking up. We always had two members ride in the truck sothey could swap out driving if necessary. Driving a cage was a lot different than a Harley and it was easier to get tired. Something about being on your bike kept you alert. Unless you were tired as fuck. Which I was. But I’d be good enough to drive home after a few hours of sleep.

We made quick work of loading up. Hawk did most of the talking, and once we were done, we headed to our bikes to wait for him. Petrov came out and waved as he saw Hawk out. We all waved back. They were the only partnership that appeared to hold a little more leverage than we did, so we had to play nice. They ran the Bratva that seemed to control the tri-state area up North, and we’d done business with them for years, growing more and more each year. They had also done a lot of “favors” for us, so we had to tread lightly.

Hawk came closer and grabbed his helmet before mounting up. “That guy won’t let up about aunionto strengthen our partnership.” He shook his head. “Let’s fill up at that gas station before the hotel, then we’ll stop for the night.”

He secured his helmet then started his engine, so we all followed suit, but what he said had me wondering. The Bratva member had asked about Penny, Hawk’s baby sister, several times. When we took care of Romano, Lacy went to the Pahkan’s restaurant and Petrov Jr. let his eyes, and his hand, linger a little too long on her. Although, if Falcon had seen him greet Daisy, he probably would have had an issue. Because of the partnership, it’s doubtful he would have done anything, and it had been made clear that Daisy belonged to Falcon. But Lacy didn’t belong to me. So why was I raging over that well-dressed Russian fuck bringing that up again?

Suddenly, I was hot as fuck and yanking at my collar. I pushed my sleeves up and waved off Falcon when he glanced my way. We rode a while to the gas station, then filled up.

Falcon was on the pump opposite to me, and he laughed. I looked around and didn’t see anything. “What’s so funny?”

“Why are you slamming shit?” he asked as he put his cap back on then glanced back at me.

“I’m not.”Was I?

“Something going on, brother?” Falcon asked as he pulled a piece of candy from his pocket. That dude and his candy. Better than cigarettes I supposed, but seriously, butterscotches? They reminded me of my grandma’s house.

I shook my head. “I’m fine. Just fucking tired man.”

Hawk called over. “Then let’s stop the schoolgirl whispering and go.”

Fighting the urge to roll my eyes at him, I finished up and climbed back on my Harley. It wasn’t long ago that he was our Sergeant at Arms, then our VP. We all became members around the same time after being thick as thieves in high school, so it was both prideful and annoying that one of my long-time friends was our president. I was still used to busting his chops, but he was the head fucker in charge now, so I had to show my respect, especially when others were around.

As we rode to the hotel, thinking about our younger days gave me a temporary reprieve from thoughts of Lacy and Petrov. It was wild to think that at twenty-nine I was a VP, and my oldest friends were Road Captain and President of our MC. Hawk and I were already pals when Falcon came into the mix, but we clicked fast. At the time we started prospecting, Falcon and I figured Hawk would become an officer for sure because of his dad, but we were just happy to be there. Look at us now.

Even though my dad was still around, Raven had been like a second dad to me, and it stung when we lost him. Dad hadn’t come around much in a while because of work, but he hadpopped into the memorial we had for Raven for a short time and paid his respects to Mama Hen. That woman was definitely the mother I wished I had, rather the piece of shit I was given. She was nothing like my mother, though. Watching Mama Hen mourn the loss of Raven only reminded me how unpredictable this life could be. And that was another reason it just wasn’t smart to get close to anyone.

Hell, I watched Falcon come unglued because someone grabbed Daisy and took off. Our old VP was killed because of a dumbass in a minivan that didn’t see him. We had a rat on the inside and enemies we hadn’t even identified. If someone hurt Lacy because of me, I don’t know that I could live with myself. I’d get her vengeance, but what good would that do her if she was dead?

My throat tightened and an invisible force was crushing my chest. We were turning into the parking lot, so I pulled into a spot and yanked my helmet off, gasping for air.

“Hey!” Hawk called.

I couldn’t answer. Instead, I got off my bike and dropped my helmet as I bent over and put my hands on my thighs. Pushing a cough out, then another, the tightness started to subside.

Falcon ran over. “Eagle? Man, what’s up?”

I stood and stretched my arms over my head and finally sucked in a good breath. “Just a coughing fit. I’m good now.” I waved my hand, and Hawk gave a thumbs up and went inside to get the room booked while Rooster spoke to the guys in the truck.

Falcon’s brow furrowed over his hazel eyes, and he came closer. “Seriously, you okay?”

I nodded and grabbed my helmet off the ground then pulled my duffle from the saddlebag. “Yeah. Must be the fucking pollenor something.”

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