Page 8 of Hawk

“Knuckles --” I stopped myself.There was no point in arguing, especially when I wasn’t entirely sure he was wrong.Something about that girl had gotten under my skin immediately.I couldn’t explain it, and I didn’t like it.I also wasn’t entirely sure I could fight it.“I’ll get her settled and find out what I can.”

Gunnar laughed.“Man, you should see your face right now.Like you swallowed something sour.”

“Fuck off,” I muttered, which only made him laugh harder.

Knight tapped the tablet again.“I’ll update you when I hear from Rocket.In the meantime, maybe we should increase security around the compound.Just in case this ghost decides to pay us a visit.”

“We have to be careful here.”Bohannon glanced at Torpedo.“I’ve already doubled the prospects on guard, but this place isn’t secret.Every parole officer in the state knows about this place.”

“The local authorities seemed to like that we’re keeping to ourselves.”Noose shuffled uncomfortably.“No one else wants us and no one from here has ever been rearrested.”

“I’ll keep a lid on everything,” Knight offered.“Main thing is to keep the noise down and control the camera feeds.I’ll keep an ear out on the dispatch center.If anyone is headed our way, I’ll know about it in plenty of time.”

“Go take care of your girl, Hawk.Get as much as you can before she goes to bed.Maybe while she’s eating.”I could tell Knuckles didn’t like having someone interrogate a woman who’d been hurt, but the fact was he had a whole club of people to worry about.

“I’ll get anything important from her, and I’ll be careful doing it.”

Knuckles gripped my shoulder.“Come with me.”Odd, but I followed him inside.Where the party had been in full swing before, now the place had quieted and all the club whores had gone to the basement of this building to the panic room.All the security, the compound, all the shit we had for Kiss of Death and ourselves -- all of it -- was because of Knuckles.Even from prison he protected us as best he could.The club had taken a dark turn those first few years, but Knuckles came through for us.

He led me to his office, and I took a seat in front of his desk.Knuckles braced himself on the edge and stared at me.He was the one who’d brought me here, so I wasn’t breaking the silence.

“Look, man.I’m sorry.”Knuckles popped his neck, looking uncomfortable.

“What for?”

“I’m going to need you to look after Carrie’s best interests until we’re sure of what happened and who that fourth man was.”

I narrowed my eyes.“What do you mean?”

“I’m not cruel, Hawk.Not unless someone really deserves it.But my instinct is to protect the club.I need you to make sure I consider Carrie in any decision I make after we get all the information.”

That surprised me.“That’s why you said she was my woman.”

Knuckles shrugged.“Fewer complications if there are problems.I don’t like deceiving my family, but I’m pretty sure I’m not far off the mark, so I’m not gonna feel too bad.”

“And if Knight finds something on her?If she’s deceiving us for some reason?”I was surprised at how much my heart rebelled at the mere thought of Carrie betraying us.Not for the reasons I thought, though.Much as I loved my brothers, we could take care of ourselves and our women.Carrie didn’t seem to have anyone.And a betrayal of my brothers would forfeit her life.I wasn’t sure if I was capable of sitting back and letting that happen.

“You think he will?”

“My gut led me to her, Knuckles.That instinct has never let me down.Not in prison.Not in life.”

“And?”

“My gut says she’s exactly what she says she is.”

“That’s good enough for me.She gets every benefit of the doubt.But I still want you to watch out for her.Don’t let any of us run over her if there’s trouble.”

“Ifthere’s trouble?You know Goddamned good and well there’s gonna be trouble.”

“You got me there.”Knuckles held out his hand to me, which I stood and took immediately.“Go take care of your girl.Let her know she made a good choice of a protector.”

“All over that, brother.”

“Hey.Before you go, I need your opinion.”

“Name it.”

“How would you feel about being sergeant at arms again?”That got my attention.

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