Page 104 of Little Bird
I turn to look to my other side, shocked when I see my cousin. “Marshall?”
“Mars,” he mutters. “I’ve told you, Gunner, I don’t go by Marshall anymore. Heard you were having a little party over here. Figured we’d come by. Didn’t bring any beer, though.”
I would answer, but I’m too busy staring. Because my cousin—Marshall, to those of us who have known him his entire life—is standing further away than I thought he was.
And he has at least fifteen of his men with him. I glance across them, counting quickly, and see Dutch, Orion, Whiskey, Cosmo, and Casino before I stop counting. At least fifteen men. Half his motorcycle club, and the most dangerous men we have in town.
Barrett didn’t just bring his badge and gun.
He brought an army.
“Interesting men you’re traveling with,” I say, my mouth quirking despite myself. “Keeping it legal, are you?”
Barrett gives me an unapologetic grin. “When you said you needed help, I thought I’d better bring the best I could find.”
I laugh at that, partially still shocked that Barrett is even back in town, and partially shocked that he chose to bring the most lawless aspect he could find when he answered my call for help.
When I turn back toward Helen and her husband, though, I see that Bear brought exactly the right sort of men to get our point across. Helen’s eyes are wide with shock and her men, now thoroughly outnumbered, have taken several steps back. They look just as surprised as she does, and their guns are now lowered.
I take a step forward, and my men come with me.
Because if you attack one of the Hawkes, you attack us all. And we come with bigger guns than these New York City mobsters.
Gabe
“Who the fuck is that?” Taryn asks, fear and panic clear in her voice.
And no wonder. The girl’s been attacked and nearly kidnapped tonight. Told she needs to make a choice between going back to the city with her mother and the gangster she’s married to, or staying here with the men she’s about to ruin.
And now a bunch of Hawkes have melted out of the forest with their rough looks, even rougher clothes, and guns.
If I were Taryn, I’d probably be running for the hills already.
I’m not Taryn, though, and I’m not running. Instead, I’m grinning like a fucking madman. I have no idea how Barrett and Marshall heard about our little problem, but God, I’m glad they did. Barrett, my father’s brother, is military and has only been back in town for a couple months. I didn’t even think he and my father were on speaking terms, much less I’ve-got-your-back terms, but my uncle’s presence here says otherwise.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though. Bear is just as stern as Dad when he wants to be, but the truth is he’s a wild card. You never know what to expect from him—or when he’s going to decide to break the rules rather than following them.
Marshall, on the other hand…
The man is a rebel and delinquent, and there’s no other way to put it. He’s my father’s cousin and runs the local motorcycle club, which takes up several buildings in town. They’re not as lawless as some of the clubs down from the mountain, but they rule our area with an iron fist, and I wouldn’t want to cross them. He’s brought his biggest men, including his best friend Dutch—who some say is actually another Hawke—and they look…
Well, scary enough to frighten Taryn, for certain.
She’s clinging to me now, her tiny body tucked up against me, and I have to admit I don’t hate it. I wrap my arm around her and bring her even closer, enjoying the role of being the hero in this scenario.
“Those are Marshall and his men,” I say quietly.
“He said his name is Mars.”
I snort. “His MC name is Mars. His real name is Marshall Hawke.”
My father and his men take another step toward the gangsters, then, and all guns suddenly come back up. I shift quickly and shove Taryn behind me, surprised. I thought this was over, but evidently not, and I’m not going to risk her if someone gets a happy trigger finger. Ahead of us, my dad is speaking quickly to Helen, his words sharp and biting and his tone intensely serious. He has two guns on her and her husband, and though she has men with guns at her back, she looks suddenly nervous.
I hope she’s realizing that asking Taryn to choose between her and us was a mistake.
I also hope she’s realizing that doubling down and asking us to choose money over our Little Bird was even stupider.
Because it was never going to happen. The moment Taryn chose us, I knew that we’d found the love we’ve all been waiting for. Taryn showed up when my father and I were at our lowest, and when she needed help and shelter, and somehow, the three of us managed to open up to each other. My heart feels like it’s beating too hard, emotion and love rolling through my body in crashing waves, and I’m nearly paralyzed with it. I should be up there standing shoulder to shoulder with my dad, but I’m not going to leave Taryn on her own. And I think maybe my dad needs this. He’s spent years hiding from the world and keeping to himself, and now, for the first time, he’s stepping up and playing hero, guns in his hands and his body between us and the enemy.
