Page 122 of Hawk
“I’ll handle it,” James said as he stood from the dining room table and walked into the kitchen,
I could still smell the dinner Stella was making when the attack happened and I found myself leaning my arms onto the table and dropping my head, afraid we were already too late. If Araneta hurt Stella, or worse, I didn’t know how Matthew, Anna, Hailey, and I would survive. Let alone Devlin and Lucian. Stella was already such a big part of our lives, and without her, I feared we would be lost.
James reentered the house and brought his eyes to me. “Devlin and Elise just welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world, and her words when I told them were, ‘Save your sister.” So, Devlin is joining our men to find Stella.”
I turned and looked at Gunner, knowing his command would get the entire club to move. He nodded and stepped into the doorway leading out to the front door. Raising his voice, he announced, “Death Hounds. Someone who used to be one of our own has taken Hawk’s old lady from her family. We ride out together. Make no mistake, we will bring Stella home to her family. Let’s ride out.”
The large group of bikers raised their fists into the air as they shouted, “Death Hounds. For life.”
One after another, the sound of loud bikes filled the air, and I steadied the monster inside me before walking out the door of my home. As I climbed onto my bike and cranked it, I felt Stella’s strength encouraging me and I vowed not to fail her. I saved her once, and my hand to God, I would save her a second time. She and I had just started our forever, and I was a selfish bastard who demanded more years from her.
“We’ll find her and make that bitch pay for ever touching my sister,” Lucian yelled out the window of his vehicle.
I nodded at Lucian, realizing there may be more to his story than I originally thought. If we made it out of this in one piece, I was going to give him the benefit of the doubt and strongly suggest Stella hear him out. Something told me there was so much more to the truth than he or the mystery girl said.
Gunner led the line of bikes through town, and while my usual place in succession was much farther back, today, I was riding to his right. Stella was my woman, and I was going to be the one who found her and brought her home to our kids. Matthew and Anna belonged to Stella more than they ever did to Araneta, and when I got my hands on my ex-wife, I was going to make damn sure she would never be a threat to me or my family again.
We drove past the clubhouse, and outside the closed gate, I saw three heavily-armed Death Hounds, Freddy, who worked for Devlin and James, and five men in black tactical gear, each carrying a weapon. They lifted their chins as we passed, and one thing was for sure, there was no way Araneta was getting out past the compound.
The group of men guarding our family while we saved Stella would make damn sure of that.
As we drove into the Flats, I thought of the last time we rode in here, looking for one of our own. About five years before, Devlin’s wife, Elise, was kidnapped and dragged back into her nightmare. She used every skill her father, Chuck, had taught her to survive, and I prayed the lessons Rhys taught Stella were enough to save her.
There was an empty parking lot up on the right. Gunner raised his hand, and we turned off the road. He turned his bike off and kicked the stand down before he stood up and turned to face the group. The air grew quiet as we all turned our bikes off and listened to our President. Gunner was the best thing to ever happen to the Death Hounds.
He taught us to think about others, instilled a purpose, and trained us to be loyal. We would follow him into combat, and a part of me thought this was the speech we’d get right before the bombs started dropping.
“Devlin is meeting us here and he’s going to coordinate the logistics. Do what he says and keep your eyes open. Araneta is crazy, and there’s no telling if she’s alone or has help. I don’t want to lose anyone today, so please, keep your head down.”
He turned and brought his eyes to me as I paced back and forth beside my bike. I wanted to ride the streets, calling Stella’s name until I found her, but we needed someone to guide us through the maze of streets in the Flats. It wasn’t as bad as it used to be, but there was still some fucked-up shit that went down in the three-square-mile area of Portstill.
With only one way in and out, I knew it was only a matter of time until we found them, but what kind of shape would Stella be in when we did?
A black SUV came speeding down the road and whipped into the parking lot with a screech of the tires. Devlin stepped out, wearing all black, heavy combat boots, and strapped with weapons. A raging fire was coming from his blue eyes, and the scowl on his face said everything that needed to be said.
The madman was pissed.
It was a joke usually, but when I saw him walking toward me, I understood fully how he got the name ‘Madman’. He was ready to battle the devil, and I wouldn’t have put it past him to win just so he could rule hell.
“Lucian,” he said as he walked in front of us, “where are your men?”
“I’ve got ten men approaching from the south. They have a photo of Stella that Skid sent to me and a still from the cameras showing that cunt who took her,” Lucian responded, and I knew it was killing him to not be in charge, but this was Devlin’s territory first and he knew the area better than anyone.
“Gunner, can you split the Hounds into two and send half north?”
Gunner nodded and walked through the group, splitting us in half before the ones moving cranked their bikes and took off like bats out of hell. Devlin brought his eyes to me, and I could see madness dancing behind them. If we didn’t find Stella, or if the unthinkable happened to her on the day Devlin brought his second child into the world, he would burn the Flats to the ground and damn everyone who lived there.
I couldn’t think about Stella not returning to me, so I shook my head and focused on him. “Hawk, she’s your old lady, so you decide if you want to ride with me or your club.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, and I glanced at Gunner. He lifted his chin, and I had my answer. “I’m with you, Devlin.”
“Me too,” Lucian added, and together, the three of us climbed into Devlin’s SUV.
Devlin leaned out the window and spoke to Gunner before the second group of brothers cranked their bikes and pulled out of the lot. I felt off watching my club ride away without me, but here was where I needed to be. Skid was parked beside us with James on the back of his bike. He climbed off and got into the backseat of the SUV with Lucian. Immediately, he had his laptop open and was typing away as we waited for Devlin to move.
“We’re going to find her, and when I get my hands on your ex-wife, I’m going to torture her until she dies. You do understand that, correct?” Devlin asked me, and I turned to fully look at him.
“That bitch hurt my woman and terrorized our children. Let her burn,” I said.
