Page 16 of Hawk
“Sometime today. He’s coming alone, and I need for you to hear him out. Afterwards, whatever you decide, I’ll support.”
“Thanks for the heads up. Wish you would have called yesterday though,” I said and heard the familiar chuckle in their voice.
“What fun would that be? You would’ve taken off, and I would’ve spent the next week tracking you down. This way, you don’t have time to plan an escape.”
Picking up the phone, I stared at my reflection in the screen as I simply said, “You’re a bastard.”
“But you love me.”
“I guess I do. I’ll let you know how things go.”
“One more thing before you hang up on me,” they started as my finger hovered over the disconnect button. “She’s with the Death Hounds in Portstill. You know what that means, correct?”
“Fuck!” I wanted to reach through the phone and strangle the asshole.
“Yep. It’s not just her you’re going to have to face, but promise me one thing.”
“What?” I asked, exasperation clear in my voice.
“Don’t kill anyone until you understand the whole situation. I’ve learned over the last two years that the world is smaller than we ever thought it was and not everyone’s guilty of the crimes they’re accused of.”
“If you say so,” I mumbled and pressed the disconnect button, tired of hearing their voice.
They were a savior to me when I needed it the most, so if they asked me to remain calm, I would. Until someone pissed me off, then all bets were off. I stood from the chair and looked down at Zeus.
“Feel like a workout?” I asked, him and he tilted his head and his ears perked up. “Come on then.”
Zeus followed me from the kitchen into the spare bedroom and took his place on the giant pillow in the corner. I pulled on a pair of sparring gloves before hitting the remote for my radio. A moment later, the sounds of heavy metal began screaming into the room, and I rolled my head back and forth, relaxing some of the muscles in my neck and shoulders.
The hanging bag was my target as I leveled up on it and began to take small jabs against the leather. With each passing minute, the hits became harder and faster, matching the tempo of the loud music. I could feel some of the stress bleeding out of me the longer I went and when I began kicking the bag with my unprotected shins, I started to feel better.
No one would ever take from me again and the training was what kept me sane most days. After I was rescued from my captive prison, I was a shell of myself, unable to make decisions without looking for advice, and I was always scared of the unknown. It took weeks before I was able to walk outside without fear overwhelming me and when they began to teach me self-defense, I began to feel like myself. Or at least the new version of myself.
I tried to defend myself through the years of my captivity, but each attempt landed me in bed for days, sometimes weeks, nursing bruises, cuts, and a few broken bones. After enough time and beatings, I stopped trying. It was liberating to be able to take care of myself. When my arms became too tired to swing, I grabbed onto the bag and used it to catch my breath.
The music was still blaring into the room, so I grabbed the remote and turned it down, knowing my visitor would probably arrive soon. Turning, I looked at Zeus, who had been silently observing my workout for the past forty-five minutes.
I walked over to him as I removed my gloves and tossed them onto a small table. His pointed ears stuck straight up as he watched me intently. Kneeling down, I rubbed his soft red fur and said, “I guess I need to get showered. The past is about to knock and it’s time I opened the door.”
He barked at me, and I shook my head as I downed the rest of my coffee Zeus followed me to the bathroom and laid on the rug as I adjusted the water, removed my clothes, and stepped inside. Faithful doesn’t begin to describe Zeus.
As I stood under the hot spray of water, I allowed the memories I fought daily to repress, to come to the surface. If she was with the Death Hounds, that meant she was with my brother, Devlin. The one who, on the surface, appeared to be a respectful businessman. But I knew the truth. He was as ruthless as our father and as cutthroat as the monsters I’d sent to hell.
And somehow, fate fucked me over when it took her to him.
No matter what, I was going to save her from their vile hold, even if it meant going to war. I wouldn’t let my brother corrupt her, and I refused to allow her to be dragged into their criminal activities.
Or worse.
Refusing to think about who and what she was around, I quickly washed my long brown hair and the rest of my body. I needed to be ready when my past knocked, and if any of his answers weren’t to my liking, I would be the only one walking out of this house. Stepping over his body to get to her would be my battle cry and destroying Devlin and the rest of his army of leather-clad bikers would be my greatest achievement.
Why did the universe hate me so much that it led my daughter to the one person I never wanted her to meet? The son of the devil, my brother, Devlin Lenkov, now known as Devlin Callahan.
If it’s the last thing I did, I was going to save her from the person they called a madman. And heaven help anyone who stood in my way.
