Page 5 of Hawk
“You’re in a good mood,” I offered as she took a seat in front of the bar.
Sitting next to her, I waited for her to respond. She nodded, and a brilliant smile broke out on her face as she explained, “Devlin and Lucian are on their way over from Pierce Bluff. They think they have a lead on my mom.”
Hailey started calling her long-lost mother, Stella, ‘mom’ a few months ago, and I just hoped the two assholes she called ‘uncle’ weren’t going to break her heart. She’d had enough pain and loss in her short life to last forever.
“Is Hatchet going to be here?” I asked and looked over her shoulder to the mostly empty clubhouse.
“He’s at the range with Dalton and Jackal but should be here before they arrive.”
She swallowed deeply, and I leaned closer to her. “Are you okay?”
Her blue eyes flittered up to mine, and I could see the nervousness she was trying to hide. Clearing her throat, she spoke softly as she asked, “What if they’re coming to tell me she’s dead?”
That had been the running theory since her uncle, Lucian, showed up the day Hailey was rescued, acting like a pompous asshole. Pretty much like the madman did every time he came around. I understood the meshing of the Death Hounds with Devlin and James Callahan. It was good for us and for them, but it didn’t mean I appreciated the way Devlin seemed to think he runs the club.
Back in my heyday, I would have kicked his arrogant ass up and down the street just for fun, but those days disappeared when I became a father. There was no way I was going to do anything to jeopardize Matthew and Anna, so I bite my tongue where the madman was concerned.
Gunner, the club’s President, was aware of parts of my past, and I’m sure Devlin knows a little more. My early life was normal, I guess. Well, at least compared to some of the fucked-up things I’ve discovered about members of the club and their old ladies. I felt the call to serve my country, so just days after high school, I joined the Army. My pops, the only parent I ever had, drove me to basic training and hugged me goodbye at the gates of the base.
That was the last time I saw him. He died a few weeks later of a sudden heart attack, and I was alone with only my brothers in service to support me. The next three years, I served my country with honor, but an accident during training left me injured and I was given a partial medical discharge and cast out into the world alone.
I won’t discuss what happened over the next decade, but eventually, I found my way to Portstill and never looked back. The Death Hounds became my family and accepted me with open arms. That was almost nine years ago and now that my bitch ex-wife left us, I found solace in the brotherhood.
Looking at Hailey, I could see the vulnerability in her gaze and I tried to be reassuring. “Well,” I started, “if that’s the case, then you deal with it and move forward.” Gently, I placed my hand on top of hers in a comforting way and softly explained, “But at least you’ll have an answer.”
She pinched her lips and nodded with understanding. I knew she was terrified that Stella was gone forever, but I think a part of her was afraid she’s still alive. How could any mother leave their child with the kind of person who thought it was okay to abuse them for their own financial gains? If she was alive, why didn’t she come back for Hailey?
Hopefully, the madman would have some answers. “What . . . what if they’ve found her and she doesn’t want anything to do with me? What . . . what if she walked away on purpose?”
For weeks, she’d discussed every possibility of why her mother had vanished, with the best estimate she’d been able to piece together being around her fifth birthday. She’d asked why a hundred times, and she told me about her memories of a beautiful woman singing songs to her at bedtime. The years of abuse afterward shadowed some of her early memories, but slowly, she seemed to be working through them.
“I don’t have an answer for you, but from what I’ve gathered from our conversations,” I leaned closer and lowered my voice, “and what I’ve overheard, she wasn’t the kind of person to walk away from family. Whatever they’ve discovered, whatever the future holds, trust that you’re strong enough to handle it.”
Hailey leaned forward and hugged me around the neck, and I gave her a loose embrace, keeping the encounter brief. It’s not normal for one brother to hug another’s old lady, but Hatchet knows I’d never make a move on Hailey. She’d become like a daughter to me in a lot of ways, and if felt feels the need to hug, I’d oblige until Hatchet tells me to stop.
A noise from the back of the clubhouse drew my attention, and a moment later, Skid and Hatchet walked into the building, both laughing with tears in their eyes. Hatchet looked across the room as Hailey sat back on the barstool and smiled at him. He shook his head as he approached her and kissed her on the side of her head.
The beautiful young woman smiled, and a blush crept up her cheeks. Hatchet reached his hand out to me and bumped my closed fist with his. “I see my woman’s still a hugger,” he joked and clapped me on the back.
I shrugged and reasoned, “I can’t help if I’m irresistible.”
Hailey giggled, and Skid let out a laugh as Hatchet wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to his side. He gave me a fake stink-eye before turning his attention to Hailey.
“Devlin called and said he was on the way over. What’s going on?” Hatchet asked Hailey specifically but all of us in general.
“He hasn’t clued me in on anything, so I’m sure it’s nothing bad,” Skid remarked, and I gave him a quick glance.
His words seemed to match his demeanor, so I relaxed slightly, hoping they had positive news for once. Hatchet had told me a few days ago that Hailey was struggling to sleep and he’s worried that bad news might devastate her. I felt the same way and slightly prayed that good fortune was going to favor us.
“Haywee!” a little voice screamed from the doorway to the parking lot, and we all turned as DJ, Devlin’s son, came running into the room.
The black haired, blue-eyed little boy ran straight toward us, and I couldn’t help but smile. The madman kept the little boy in his sights as Hailey got off the barstool and crouched down to catch DJ in a running hug. She lifted him in her arms and stood from the floor as he hugged her. He pulled his head away and smiled at her as his asshole father and newly uncovered uncle approached.
“I’ve missed you. How have you been?” Hailey asked, and DJ giggled.
“Good,” he replied, wiggling out of her arms. She placed him on his feet, and he squatted down to play with a curious Jasmine.
Hailey smiled down at him before turning her vulnerable gaze to her uncles. She exhaled deeply and asked point blank, “What have you discovered?”
