Page 36 of Hawk

And if their Prez, Ratchet, finds out that the Kings and their allies are pulling back from the region, he’ll step up his operations and run roughshod over the entire Southwest. It’ll be a bloodbath.

This is my mess. I chose Hammerhead over Ratchet in the beginning and even though I couldn’t have foreseen what’s happened, I still bear the responsibility for it. That’s the only reason I’m still trying to make this work with this prick. Old Grim wouldn’t hold me responsible for Hammerhead falling off. But my future as VP will be pretty damn uncertain if I don’t fix this.

That’s why I’m so determined to make this work. And I know that to make this work, I’m going to have to cut things off with Molly. I can’t afford to flirt with her, piss off Hammerhead, and blow the whole thing. I need to think with my brain and not my dick this time.

With a sigh, I tuck her note into the inner pocket of my cut, unread. I’ll have to dispose of it, but I don’t want to do it here. Not where somebody might find it. Hammerhead is so insecure and protective of his little slave mistress, I wouldn’t put it past him to go through the garbage, looking for evidence of betrayal. God, this guy is a fucking nightmare.

I tuck the bag of cash into the back of the closet and put a couple of boxes I found in there in front of it, camouflaging it the best I can. I’ll know if somebody dipped into it but I’m hoping to avoid that altogether. I just need to get out of here for a while. I need to ride. Feel the sun and wind on my face for a bit and clear my head. I’m feeling a little penned in, to be honest. A bit claustrophobic. Some time out on the road will do me a world of good.

I walk down the hallway and spot Molly in the kitchen. She looks at me, her eyes wide and a startled expression on her face. I’m tempted to stop and talk to her, but I force myself to walk on without acknowledging her in any way. It’s tough because I want to turn back and look at her. More than that, I want to take her into my arms and tell her everything is going to be all right.

But that’s a promise I can’t make. A promise I can’t keep.

Truth is, I don’t know that things will be all right. Not for her anyway. And it kills me to say that. I hate to think of her scared. I hate even more to think of her in pain. What I hate the most though, is knowing I can stop it—but I can’t do a damn thing about it.

I walk through the clubhouse and head for the door. Deadbolt is sitting at one of the tables, his feet up on it with a breakfast burrito in his hand.

“Where are you goin’?” he asks.

“A little town called Go Fuck Yourself,” I reply.

He almost chokes on his burrito as I walk out the door and I hear a string of choked, raspy curses coming from the room behind me. Hogwild is outside, squatting next to his bike as he works on it. As I approach, he looks up at me, a grin on his face.

“You damn near killed him in here, sounds like,” he says. “What’d you say to him?”

I shrug. “Just told him where I was goin’.”

“Yeah? Where’s that?”

“Just out for a ride,” I reply. “Need to clear my head.”

“Fair enough,” he nods and gets to his feet. “Listen, I know things with Molly are… weird. Hammerhead’s real protective of her.”

“He that protective of everything he considers his property?”

He gives me a look I can’t quite interpret. “Most things, yeah.”

“Can’t say I approve of how he treats her.”

“Yeah, I don’t either. I don’t want you thinkin’ I do.”

“Then why don’t you do something to stop it?” I ask. “Laying hands on a woman is never right. Not under any circumstances.”

“I agree with you. But it ain’t my place to get into it. No more than it’s yours,” he tells me. “Molly ain’t my business and she ain’t yours either.”

“Yeah. That was made pretty clear to me last night.”

“I’m just tryin’ to give you a friendly heads up,” he tells me. “Hammerhead’s havin’ some real issues with you laying down the law around here. So, he’s clinging to the only thing he can control right now—Molly.”

“Wouldn’t have to be down here at all if he weren’t fuckin’ up so bad.”

“Hey, you’re preachin’ to the choir,” he acknowledges. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m glad you’re here doing what you’re doing. The Howlers are on the verge of extinction but I’m hoping that with your… guidance… we can be back, as good as we ever were.”

“That’s what I’m hoping too. But I have my doubts.”

“So do I,” he nods. “I just want you to know… that thing you mentioned about being ready. I am. I hope like hell we never come to that point but if we do, then I’m ready to do what needs to be done. I’m not ready to give up on the club. This has been my home for damn near two decades. I don’t want to see it burned to the ground.”

I nod. “I appreciate that. We’ll see how things go.”

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