Page 16 of Hawk

“Yeah.Give me a second.”

Knight tapped out a few commands and the big screen TV along the wall flickered to life.Followed soon after with the image of a man with a closely cropped dark beard appeared.His eyes were sharp, assessing.I got the feeling he didn’t miss much.The plain black T-shirt he wore molded his powerful arms and shoulders.Over his shirt, he wore his colors with his name and rank as president on the chest.Beside him, a fierce-looking blonde pixie stood with her hand on his shoulder.I noticed she also wore a vest, but instead of something like “Property Of” and the name of her man, the patches said, “Lemon” and “Vice President.”

I gave Rocket a questioning look.The other man raised an eyebrow and practically dared me to say something.Right.Not on my life.

“You’re on the big screen, Rocket.”Knight held the tablet up so he was looking into the camera as he spoke.“Everyone can see and hear you.”

“Understood.”He sat back slightly, ready to start the conversation.“This is my vice president, Lemon.Any time there’s a woman involved, Lemon is in on the conversation.While I know Flagg and Vic, I’m not familiar with Carrie, though I knowofher.”

“Will you tell us what you know?”Knight was soft-spoken and delicate as ever.He had an arrogant streak with us, but he was always respectful when dealing with another club.He always said his job was to make them comfortable.Despite his appearance, Knight was an expert at putting people at ease.

“First, let me meet the young woman, Carrie.”

Knight brought the tablet to us and I took it from him, holding it so Carrie and I were both in frame.“I’m Carrie’s protector,” I said by way of introduction.“This is Carrie.”Carrie gave a small wave but said nothing.

Rocket stared at us for several seconds.Then his expression changed subtly.Had I not been watching so closely, I doubt I’d have seen the slight widening of his eyes or the tightening around his mouth.“Well, shit,” he muttered.“You’re Flagg’s daughter.”

“Yes.”Carrie’s chin went up and she put her shoulders back slightly.An expressionless mask fell over her face as she met Rocket’s gaze calmly.“I am.”

Rocket took a breath, closing his eyes as he held it in.Then he exhaled and put his hands flat on the surface in front of him.Lemon glanced his way before putting her hand over his.Rocket turned his hand over and grasped her hand in his.That told me I wasn’t going to like what he was about to say.

“Carrie, did you know your mother?”

I didn’t want to take my eyes from Rocket, but I needed to see Carrie’s face.That mask was still firmly in place, giving nothing away when before she’d been an open book.“No.She died shortly after my birth.”

“Your mother was the daughter of a mafia boss named Seth Miles.Flagg made a deal with him years ago that was supposed to unite his army and the Miles Syndicate.I knew her when my father was still alive and a patched member of Grim.”He glanced at his VP and she nodded at him.“One of my first missions as team leader was with Vic.”

“You know my brother.”

“I do.But your father doesn’t know.If he did, he’d be furious.Vic was supposed to kill me on that mission.Something about closing a trade route and rerouting it to another port to shift the flow of money.I honestly didn’t pay much attention past he was supposed to kill me.”Rocket shook his head as he chuckled.“The point is, I don’t think Vic is there to hurt you, honey.I also don’t think your father knows where you are or Vic wouldn’t have let anyone catch even a glimpse of him.”

“I did think it was odd Vic got caught.”Carrie’s expression still gave nothing away.This was the woman who’d been so open before.Now it was like she’d closed herself off.

“It’s exceptionally odd,” Rocket agreed.

“Unless he intended for you guys to see him and show me.”

“Carrie trusts her brother, Rocket,” I said.“Should she?”

Rocket nodded his head crisply.“Absolutely.He might not show himself if her father was on to where she went, but he would always look out for his sister.”

“What does she need to do?”

“I suppose that’s up to you, Hawk.”Lemon took over the conversation.“You said you’re her protector.What’s your gut tell you?”

I shook my head.“Well, I’m not gonna meet him on neutral ground.If half the shit Carrie’s told us about Vic and the rest of her brothers is true, I’m not sure I’m comfortable meeting him at all.”

Lemon raised an eyebrow, a grin tugging at her lips.“But?”

The chuckle bubbled up from my chest.I liked this woman.“But I think it’s better to meet him now and figure out what the deal is.”

“It’s what I would do.”Rocket leaned back once more.“I’ll reach out to him, assuming my information’s still good.I’ll tell him to show himself at the front gate, if that’s OK?”

Knuckles nodded.“Yes.We can work something out from there.”

“Good.If there’s anything else we can be of help with, let me know.”

“Appreciate it, Rocket.Good to meet you.”

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