Chapter 11
Hawk
Delilah Davenport challenged me at every turn.
She called me out on my bullshit, not letting me get away with anything, and I couldn’t deny that it was one of the things that drew me to her.
Call me crazy, but I actually liked the fact that she had a stubborn streak a mile long and stood up for what she believed.
After spending a second night tangled in Delilah’s arms, I thought my feelings about her might change, that I’d finally get her out of my system, but that didn’t happen.
As luck would have it, as soon as I woke up the next morning, I found myself wanting to have her once again, and something in my gut told me it was a feeling that wasn’t going to change any time soon.
Even though I hated the idea of getting out of that bed with her, I didn’t have a choice.
The brothers and I would be leaving in less than an hour for a meet we’d set up between Danny and his handler in Texarkana, and I couldn’t be late.
I eased out of bed, and as I started to get dressed, Delilah rolled over to face me. “Going somewhere?”
“I’ve got some club business to take care of.”
“But the sun is barely up.”
“I’m well aware. I’ve gotta go just the same.”
“Is it really club business, or are you just making up an excuse to leave?”
“I don’t make excuses, Delilah. Not for anyone.”
“Okay, just checking.” She eased up on her elbow. “Does this club business have anything to do with Danny?”
“I’ve gotta go.” I slipped on my cut, then walked over and kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll be back late tonight.”
“Will I see you?”
“Probably not. Like I said, it’ll be late when I get back.”
“Okay, be careful.”
“Always.”
It wasn’t easy, especially with her looking so fucking beautiful lying in that bed, but I managed to force myself to walk out of her bedroom and out of her apartment.
I got on my bike, and as I drove to the clubhouse, I thought back to the night before when Menace brought to my attention that Delilah had gone down to Music Row with her best friend.
Her night out might’ve gone unnoticed if we hadn’t been tracking her phone.
When he first told me, I played it off like it was no big deal.
I didn’t want to admit to him or myself that I was bothered by the fact, but in truth, I was.
At the time, I had no intentions of doing anything about it, but the more I thought about her being in that bar, partying with her little buddy, the more aggravated I became.
Out of simple frustration, I sent her a text.
When I got no response, I went to see for myself what the hell she was up to.
I told myself I just wanted to make sure she wasn’t putting the club at risk by drinking and revealing the truth about her brother’s whereabouts, but I knew that wasn’t it.
She knew it, too, and she called me out on it—not only at the bar but when we got back to her place.
We were both in the heat of the moment, kissing and rushing to get out of our clothes, and all I could think about was being inside her again, when she stopped me dead in my tracks. “Why did you really come looking for me tonight?”
“You know why.”
“Tell me.”
I looked down at Delilah, relishing her lust-filled eyes, and I couldn’t imagine wanting a woman more. Even though I wanted to tell her the truth, I couldn’t. “I was doing my job.”
“That’s not the only reason, and you know it.”
My memory of our exchange was cut short when I pulled through the gate and found Axel outside talking with Viper. As soon as I was parked, I went over and asked, “Is everything still going down as planned?”
“Yeah. We’re planning to head out soon,” Axel answered. “Where you been?”
“I had some business to tend to.”
A smirk crossed his face. “Your business have something to do with your girl being out partying last night?”
“Menace has a big fucking mouth.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
Concern crossed Viper’s face as he warned, “This isn’t the time for distractions, brother.”
“It’s been taken care of.”
“Good to hear.” When Shotgun came out with Danny in tow, Viper started walking towards the SUV. “Let’s get this thing done.”
It was a seven-hour drive to Texarkana, so it was no surprise that Viper was eager to get on the road.
In order to avoid any unwanted suspicions, we’d gone by Danny’s place earlier and picked up his car.
Shotgun and Danny got in it. With Widow driving, Viper, Axel, Menace, and I followed close behind as they pulled through the gate and out onto the main road.
The guys were quiet as we made our way to the interstate, and they remained silent as we crossed the Tennessee state line into Arkansas, giving me time to get lost in my thoughts once again.
I found myself thinking of the moment when Delilah had pushed me to tell her the real reason why I’d shown up at the bar.
I never actually said the words. Instead, I kissed her, hoping that and what followed would be enough of an answer for her, and it was—at least for the time being.
I had a feeling that she would push me to my limits at every turn, but it wasn’t something I couldn’t handle.
This thing with her might be new terrain for me, but she’d learn soon enough that I was a man who could only be pushed so far.
My focus was drawn back to the brothers when Widow asked, “So, when we get this guy back to Nashville, what do you think he’s gonna say? I mean ... you really think he’s the one who’s behind all this bullshit, or are we gonna have to take it a step further?”
“Won’t know until Shotgun has a go with him.”
Viper was right. We had no idea what the days ahead would hold until we got this guy to talk, and I had a feeling it was going to take some real persuasion on Shotgun’s part to get him to tell us exactly what had gone down, especially knowing what was coming to him the second he opened his mouth.
Either we’d kill him for swindling us, or his distributor would feed him his balls for ratting him out.
The guy was in a no-win situation, and while that might make it more difficult for Shotgun to get him talking, none of us were worried.
We all knew he’d do whatever it took to get the information we needed.
When we got closer to the meet location, Shotgun pulled the car over and got in the SUV with us.
Danny was wired so we could listen to every word that was said between him and Miller.
Menace had also set him up with an earpiece, in case we needed to intervene.
As soon as Danny pulled off, Menace got on his mic and warned, “Don’t try anything stupid.
Make the exchange and leave everything else to us. Understood?”
“Understood.”
We followed him a mile down the road, and when he turned off down a deserted road, Widow eased back, giving some distance between our vehicles.
As planned, Danny drove behind the old, abandoned Whistle Stop and Go car wash and parked.
As we drove by, we noticed a thick wooded area directly behind the car wash—a perfect place for us to hide out during the exchange.
Once we were certain Danny was in position, we drove several blocks down the street and parked the SUV behind an empty warehouse.
Knowing we didn’t have much time, we quickly got out and headed towards the woods, making sure we were close enough to make our move but far enough to not be seen.
We’d just gotten settled, when a black Mercedes pulled up to Danny.
Danny got out of the car, and as he approached the Mercedes, he was greeted by a tall Hispanic male with long black hair and a thick, burly beard.
Listening through his wire, we heard the man ask, “What the fuck happened to you?”
None of us were surprised by the question.
While we’d done our best to clean Danny up, he was still covered in cuts and bruises, and with all the punctures from the ice picks, he was moving a little slow.
Thankfully, Danny was quick on his feet.
“I made a move on the wrong girl at a bar the other night.”
“She teach you a lesson?” Miller scoffed.
“No, but her boyfriend and his buddies sure did. Beat the fuck out of me, but the girl was hot. I had to at least try and get a piece of that.”
“Mmm … No lay is worth that shit.” Miller’s tone quickly changed as he asked, “You got the money?”
“You know I do.” Danny reached into his back pocket and pulled out the envelope of cash we’d given him for the exchange. “You got the goods?”
“Yeah, it’s in the back.” Miller strolled to the rear of the car and nonchalantly opened the trunk. “It’s all there.”
Like he’d done it a million times before, Danny took out his pocketknife and cut one of the bags, quickly sampling the take. After several moments, he turned his attention to Miller and asked, “The others just like this one?”
“Yeah, why the fuck wouldn’t they be?”
“Just checking, man.” Danny shrugged. “I don’t want any trouble with my buyers. They’re the kind of guys who’ll string you up by the balls just for shits and giggles.”
“They have an issue with the last shipment?”
“No ... at least, not that I’m aware of.”
Danny was digging a hole, and if he didn’t watch his step, he was gonna fuck up everything. Hoping to get him back on track, Menace used his mic and told Danny, “Stop running your fucking mouth and get this thing done.”
Miller stood silent, studying Danny’s expression, then grumbled, “You want the shit or not?”
“Yeah, yeah, I want it.”