Page 17 of Hawk

“Same, Knuckles.Torpedo, Tell Venus and Piston we said hello when you see them.”

“Will do.Venus said to tell you she’ll call you in a few days, Lemon.Something about getting a ride together for the women from Evansville to Lake Worth and back.”

“Bitchin’!”The smile that split Lemon’s face was just shy of maniacal.“Pink Harleys unite!”

Everyone groaned.“Pink” and “Harley” should never be mentioned in the same sentence.Unless it had to do with pussy.Then they could be in the same sentence.

Knight broke out laughing as he ended the call.“I bet she creates more than a little havoc.”

“All right.”Knuckles stood again.“Got a feelin’ it won’t be long before we have company.Hawk, do you want a buffer between Vic and Carrie?”

“Might be nice.She’s not had much sleep.I could use a few Z’s myself.I’d like to be on top of my game when we face him.”

“Fine.Assuming he contacts us in the next couple of hours, me, Torpedo, and Bohannon will talk to him before we get you and Carrie.I’ll send someone for you when we’re ready.Until then, I suggest the two of you decide what you’re gonna tell him when he gets here.”

“What do you mean?”Carrie looked from me to Knuckles and back.

“If we tell your brother I’ve claimed you, I’ll need to get you a property vest ASAP.If you don’t want to do that, we need to come up with an excuse for you to stay here.”

She gave me a thoughtful look.“Yeah.I guess we need to get that straight.”Kid looked almost resigned, like she wasn’t sure her new life was going to be better than her last.I had news for her.If she let me make her mine, I’d treat her like a fuckin’ princess.And kill any son of a bitch who tried to take her from me.Including, but not limited to, her father and brothers.

Her willingness to discuss the topic was more than I expected.I kind of thought she’d balk at telling her brother she was going to be a biker’s old lady, and she might still.Also, she needed to know what I’d done to earn my place in Kiss of Death.We’d get to that.First, she needed sleep.And I needed to really think this through.Because if she decided she wanted to be my old lady, it had to be all the way.I’d done things in my life I wasn’t proud of, but I prided myself on keeping my word.If I pledged myself to her, if I took her as my old lady, I wasn’t letting go.I couldn’t.Because, for some fucked-up reason I couldn’t even imagine, the few hours I’d known Carrie were enough for me.This woman was my destiny, and I didn’t want to fight it.I wanted her to be mine.Once she was, I’d fight to the death to keep her.

Chapter Six

Carrie

As Hawk led me back upstairs, it felt like we were descending into chaos rather than rising from the basement.And yeah, my metaphors were all over the fucking place, but, dammit, none of this had been on my fucking BINGO card.I thought I was entitled to be a little discombobulated.

My hand was firmly in Hawk’s as we headed into the main room.I let him lead the way and I retreated into my own thoughts.Which was my first mistake.Never take my mind off my surroundings unless I was sure I was safe.And definitely not when I didn’t have both my hands free.So when the big-titted bleached blonde stepped up to me and lashed out with a stinging slap to my face, her long, pointed nails raking my flesh more than the blow, it caught me completely off guard.

I sighed, closing my eyes in humiliation.“My father was right.”

“What the fuck, Kat?”Hawk was immediately between me and the other woman.The next thing I knew, he had his hand around Kat’s throat as he slammed her against a nearby steel column.The other woman cried out, her eyes wide with shock and fear, her hands around Hawk’s thick wrist as she struggled to keep her feet under her.Hawk turned his head to find me.I knew he was looking for me specifically because his gaze was wild until the second it collided with mine.“Are you hurt?”His tone was gruff and more than a little urgent.Like he actually cared if I was OK or not.Like Imattered.I’d never mattered before.Though some of them were protective of me, I always knew I was a weakness in the family.I never mattered to them.Not really.Certainly not to my father.The only reason he kept me around was in case he needed to trade my body to gain something he wanted.

“Only my pride,” I grumbled.I pointed at Kat.“You get that one for free.I blame myself for not paying attention.”I touched Hawk’s arm and pushed, needing him to stop touching the other woman.When he refused, his grip remaining stubbornly around Kat’s neck, I gave a huff.“If I’m gonna be your old lady, I’m gonna have to insist you notfucking touch other women.”

“She hurt you,” he bit out.“She dies.”

“Goddamnit, Hawk,” I snapped.“If you don’t stop touching her, you’re gonna be the one I stab.”

That worked.He dropped her like he’d been scalded, stepping back several paces.It was the only thing that cooled an ire I’d only been faking moments before.Yeah.Seemed I was a possessive bitch and I hadn’t even been sure I wanted the life he was offering, especially since I knew absolutely nothing about my surroundings other than the men here were all fucking huge.Seriously.If there was a place on earth that grew men this big, I had no idea where it would be.

The second Hawk moved away from the bitch, I stepped forward.“Hi, Kat.My name’s Carrie.I’m told my name suits me.Something about a movie and a woman named Carrie.I’ve kind of lived in a movie void most of my life so I have no idea what they mean.But it had something to do with me being… How’d you put it, Hawk?Covered in the blood of my enemies?”

“You’re full of shit, bitch,” Kat snarled, but I noticed she took a step to the side along the way and away from us.She rubbed her throat where Hawk’s hand had been, letting me know he had been serious about killing her.

“Maybe.”I shrugged.“But here’s the thing.I’ve had a really long day.I killed two men tonight.I stabbed them and broke bones and I even bit off a couple body parts.”Not completely accurate, but sometimes it’s the implication.“I’m tired, hungry, and not a little bit horny.All of which add up to me not being in the mood for bullshit of any kind.”I stepped closer, lowering my voice.“I understand territorial behavior.You thought you’d mark what you considered your territory.I respect that.Since it was my bad judgment to not be aware of my surroundings, I’d go as far as to say I fucking deserved the attack.Unfortunately for you, even if he was yours to mark, he’s mine now.And I promise I’m a bigger fucking Alpha than you are.”When she swallowed, I took a step back.“I don’t repeat myself, Kat.”

Hawk’s hand settled on my lower back, a possessive touch that sent warmth through my body despite the confrontation.“Kat, you’re out.Go pack your shit.”

“What?”Her voice went shrill.“You can’t do that!”

“Already did.”Hawk’s voice was cold.A crowd gathered, watching the drama unfold.

“Goddammit,” I muttered under my breath, not believing what I was about to do.As the seconds ticked by, I decided maybe it wasn’t the worst idea.“Hawk.Stop.”I turned so that I faced him directly.“Don’t throw her out.”

“Give me one good Goddamned reason why not.”

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