Page 135 of Hawk
I’d never in my lifewanted to hurt a woman, but this bitch deserved whatever she got. Not only did she throw our children away and walk out without a backward glance, but then she had the fuckin’ gall to kidnap Stella. Whatever shit she’d been on for the last year had destroyed her brain and common sense.
She should’ve known you don’t fuck with the Death Hounds and live.
I felt a presence at my back but never took my eyes off Araneta. I didn’t trust her as far as I could throw her skinny ass. Another person stepped to my other side, and I instantly knew it was Devlin and Lucian, looking for their revenge.
She was lying on the ground, starting to regain consciousness from the hit Stella got in on her. She had sores all over her skin, her clothes hung off her skeletal frame, and I could smell sex mixed with days of not showering. Once upon a time, she was a beautiful woman, but she was now a shell of the person she used to be.
I was beginning to believe Doris when she said Araneta was born bad. No good woman would hurt their own kids, so she had to be bad. That was the only way I could justify her actions, not only today but for the last few years.
She lifted her brown eyes to me and reached her hand out like I was going to help her out of the dirt, but I had no intention of touching her.
“What’s your plan, Hawk?” Devlin asked, and I cut my eyes to him. “She needs to pay for what she did to my sister.”
Araneta’s eyes grew wide and she tried to scramble backward when the full weight of her bad decisions started to dawn on her. She knew Devlin and what he was capable of, so hearing that Stella was his sister probably scared her to death.
“S-s-sister?” she asked through the tears flowing down her dirty cheeks. “I swear, I-I-I didn’t k-know.”
Devlin squatted down, so he was on her level before he spoke. “What difference should that make? You kidnapped someone from their own home, and from what I’ve been told, you were planning on selling her to an overseas whorehouse, so tell me, you dumb bitch, why are you so suddenly terrified by the knowledge she was my sister?”
“I d-d-don’t want to d-d-die,” she stammered through her sobs, and Devlin stood up and shook his head.
“It’s too late for that. You sealed your fate the second you touched her,” Lucian said, and Aranea turned her head, almost like she was just realizing he was there. “The only question I have is who were you working with? I don’t feel like anyone should die alone.”
I heard Devlin chuckle under his breath before he cleared his throat. Lowering the gun, I looked down at my ex-wife, the woman who gave me two children, and felt absolutely nothing. While I didn’t mind killing her myself, I didn’t want my kids to ever find out what I did. I reached out to my side and handed Devlin the gun. His evil smile said it all.
I squatted in front of her and explained calmly, “There’s no help for you, and I won’t allow the memory of you to ever touch Matthew and Anna again.” I stood and turned to Devlin. “I have nothing more to say. Whatever happens to her is your decision.”
Just as I went to turn away, the fuckin’ bitch said something that pissed me off more than anything I’d ever experienced. “Matthew and Anna aren’t your kids.”
Spinning, I reached down and yanked her ass off the ground with one hand fisting her shirt, then I pulled her stinky face to mine. Through gritted teeth, I spoke low to her. “What kind of an evil bitch are you? Thosearemy kids, and your lies won’t change the fact you’re going to die tonight.”
“It’s not a lie. If you kill me, you’re killing their only parent,” Araneta said, but deep in my heart, I knew this was a ploy to stay alive.
“It doesn’t matter if my blood is in their veins or not. Iamtheir father, and nothing you say will ever change that.”
Releasing her shirt, I practically threw her back on the ground as I looked at Devlin and Lucian. “I don’t care what you do to her, but I don’t want to know about it. All I want is to know that Stella and our kids are safe and never have to worry about her again. Will you do that for me?”
“With pleasure,” Devlin responded as Lucian placed his hand on my shoulder.
I looked at it, then my gaze met his. The madness dancing in his eyes was almost terrifying as he said, “Thank you for loving my sister. We’ll take out the trash.”
Without a glance back at her, I nodded to Devlin and Lucian before walking away from the worst mistake of my life.
“Please, don’t leave me here,” Araneta yelled as I let my feet guide me away from her. “I’m sorry. Please. Don’t let them kill me.”
Shaking my head, I walked through a small gathering of Death Hounds and saw Gunner, Skid, and Jacob standing off to the side, watching the events unfold. Approaching them, I looked from one brother to another, and Gunner was the first to extend his hand and arm to me. I slapped my hand to his forearm, and he did the same. It was our way of showing the bond of the Death Hounds, and it calmed me more than I’d expected.
Skid followed next, and Jacob was last. We were all a family through choice, but now, we were family through blood. That kind of bond couldn’t be broken, and as I stepped back from them, I heard a gun go off in the parking lot.
I knew they got whatever information Araneta would provide in a desperate attempt to save her worthless life. Killing someone on the compound and in plain sight of witnesses wasn’t something we did, but whatever she told them must’ve really pissed them off. I didn’t look back to see her lifeless body as I walked through the open bay door of the clubhouse and made my way to the dining room.
Jackal and Needles were standing with Doc just outside, and the music coming from just inside must’ve been cover for the gunshot. They stepped aside, and I felt pats on the back as I walked into the room and saw my family sitting around a table. Their plates were still about half-full, but having them eat anything after the day they all had was good enough for me.
Sadie was sitting at the head of the table, and I mouthed ‘thank you’ to her before I walked up to Stella and softly kissed the top of her head, making sure to avoid the huge goose egg. She turned over her shoulder, and instantly, I knew she’d heard the shot. A forced smile pushed onto her lips as she turned back to the table.
“Does anyone want some ice cream?” she asked, and everyone perked up a little. I saw nods from Matthew and Anna, Hailey smiled, and Carla had the faintest hint of happiness on her face.
Stella stood from her seat just as Jacob walked back into the room, beelining to Hailey. He stroked the back of her hair as he asked, “Did I hear someone say ice cream?”
