Chapter 15 Hawk
“Hey, brother. How you been?” Rael asked as he answered my call.
“Not good,” I growled. Since Callie was taken, I’d been restless, agitated, and ready to punch anyone who stood too close.
“Fuck. Tell me what’s happening.”
“You remember Undertaker?”
Rael cursed. “Goddamn. Yeah, I do. What did that piece of shit do now? Did you find him?”
“No.”
“Then he’s fucking causing trouble like usual.”
“Yeah, he sure is,” I growled, thinking of Callie. Undertaker better not touch her. I’d let my crow rip him into a hundred fucking pieces and scatter them across the Nevada desert.
“He’s working with the fucking mayor here in Henderson. I told you the shady shit going down, but it’s gotten a lot more complicated. The mayor kidnapped my ol’ lady.”
“You have an ol’ lady?” He sounded surprised.
I wasn’t offended. That playboy rep had followed me around for a long while but that was in the past now.
“Yeah, I do.”
“Shit,” he cursed. “What do you need?”
Just like that, Rael had my back.
“I need to find her. The tracker on her phone is disabled. You think the Reapers are up for this?”
“Fuck yeah.”
Relieved, I nodded. “That means a lot to me. Callie is everything.”
“I feel you, man. It’s the same with my Nylah and the twins.”
Rael’s ol’ lady had twin boys a few months back. If he was protective over her before, it was nothing compared to now. He understood how I felt.
“Talk to Grim. Let me know what he says.”
I heard him walking through the Crossroads, calling out for Grim. The phone went silent for a minute as I waited.
“Pres says we’re good. He’s givin’ Crow a call.”
Thank fuck.
I couldn’t break my promise to Callie. I had to help her sister, and if the Reapers located Undertaker’s clubhouse, they would find the woman I loved too.
“Thanks, brother.”
“Hey, we’ll find her. There’s no place Undertaker can hide from my Reaper.”
The Tonopah chapter of the Graven Bastards MC had a closely guarded secret. They reaped souls, and their connection to the demons gave them abilities even the crows could never form.
“Give me the details, so I know what we’re working with.”
I filled Rael in about all this shit that had gone down since we last met. “And that sums it up,” I finished.
“I swear to fuck you attract more drama than I do.”
“Yeah, yeah. Piss off.”
A dark chuckle filtered through my phone. “We’re ready. I’ll be in touch.”
The call ended, and I walked outside for a smoke, hoping it wouldn’t be long before I heard from him.
I would have remained calm, but Carrion showed up and all my good intentions scattered. He was on my shit list and I was about to kick some ass.
I SHOVED CARRION INTO the wall, fucking livid that he lied to me when I trusted him. “You said she had to go to that meeting. You fucking said I had to accept it or place her in irreversible danger.”
“I did,” he replied calmly.
“She’s fucking gone!” I roared. “Undertaker has her!”
“He won’t harm Callie. She’s not the one he wants.”
My chest heaved as I shook my head. “Not fucking okay, Carrion. This isn’t right.”
He reached out, grasping onto my wrist. “See.”
His eyes did that crazy shit where they fluttered, rolling to white as he swayed. Ever since he died and Falcon brought him back to life, Carrion had been strange. Odder than usual. He never touched anyone, and now I learned why.
His gift had grown potent, as well as his connection to his crow.
The room faded, and I stood inside a bedroom with feminine décor in white and gold shades.
Soft sheer curtains draped the bed, held back by golden fleur-de-lis.
Vanilla-scented white candles flickered in a gentle breeze, sweeping in from outside.
Exotic plants stood on golden stands around the perimeter.
Sliding glass doors opened wide and led to a balcony where I spotted my Callie.
I shouted her name, trying to run but couldn’t move.
“You’re only an observer,” Carrion informed me.
“Fuck.” I didn’t like this at all.
I watched Callie and Sadie hug, happy to see their reunion.
“I’ve missed you!” Callie wouldn’t let go of her sister. “Why haven’t you contacted me? Wouldn’t he let you?”
Sadie shook her head. “No. I’ve been his prisoner the entire time.”
“What about Carson?”
Who the fuck was that? The FBI agent? Fuck. Yeah, that was his name. Carson Phillips.
“He’s here. I’m afraid Undertaker hurt him.”
The door opened, heavy footsteps revealing the president of the Devil’s Murder. Undertaker’s back filled my vision. The man towered above the women, over six and a half feet tall. A giant.
“I’ve brought you company,” he grumbled, staring at Sadie.
I sensed his obsession and desire for her, not the least bit interested in Callie.
“Become my mate, and I’ll let her stay.”
“If I refuse?” Sadie asked, clutching Callie close.
“I don’t know how my beast will react.”
“This isn’t what you told me!” I shouted, shoving at Carrion again. “He’ll kill her!”
“No,” Carrion replied. “Watch.”
“I can’t be what you want,” Sadie replied. “No woman will ever be enough for you. This monster that you’ve become, it only takes, feeds, and destroys. Even if I say yes, you’ll end up killing me.”
Undertaker opened his mouth and howled. An inhuman cry that sent chills down my spine.
“You have to cut ties with him to bond to me.”
“Nooooooo!”
Sadie released Callie, walking from the balcony to his side. Her hand lifted, caressing the side of his face. “There’s no other way. Release my sister. She can’t save either of us. Only you can make that choice.”
His answering growl frightened Callie, and she shivered. Sadie simply backed away. The two girls moved toward one another, clasping hands.
“As you wish,” he finally relented.
The room disappeared, and I stood inside the bar of The Roost, backing away from Carrion as he released my wrist.
“Told you. You’re too fucking stubborn, Hawk.”
I didn’t give a fuck. “Tell me where to find Callie.”
“Just ride, brother. Go! Now!”
Christ! I rushed toward the door, not hesitating to listen.
“Head north!”
Fucking hell. What kind of directions were those?
I jumped on my bike, started it up, and sped out of the parking lot. I shifted gears and increased speed so fast I felt the Harley tremble beneath me.
The heavy growl of several motorcycles reached my ears, and I glanced in my mirrors. Raven, Crow, Claw, Cuckoo, and Jay were all behind me.
Thank fuck.
I had a feeling I would need backup when I reached Callie.
Fifteen fucking hours had passed. Carrion fucking left that part out because he knew I would never allow Callie to leave for that long. Who knew what the fuck was happening to her? Did the fucking mayor hurt her? Or hand her over to Undertaker and the Dirty Death?
The agony of not knowing was tearing me up inside.
I rode all the way to Vegas, zipping down the strip and outside the city, still traveling north. There was no sign of Callie. I didn’t know what the fuck to look for or what to do. If something happened to her, I wouldn’t be able to control the crow. He’d fucking go feral.
Up ahead, I saw a row of motorcycles on the side of the highway.
A dirt road led to the left, and I followed it, kicking up dust behind me as I sped toward the building in the distance.
Nevada had several of these old warehouses in the middle of nowhere, way too fucking close to Area 51.
People liked to imagine all kinds of crazy alien theories, but none of that mattered to me.
I rode hard, closing the distance until I spotted her outside.
One of her wrists was cuffed, the other half of it looped to a chain that wrapped around a metal pole.
She was fucking pissed, fighting off whoever stood next to her.
With glee, I noticed the mayor trying to subdue my woman.
His hand lifted, and he slapped her, knocking her head into the pole.
That was when I lost control of the crow.
He decided to combine our spirits, and his rage would be magnificent.
ELLIOT TOOK ADVANTAGE of my weakened state and cuffed one hand, attaching it to the pole stuck in the ground. The chain rattled as I shook my arm, desperate to gain freedom.
“You sick son of a bitch! Let me go!”
I didn’t have any memory of how we arrived here.
After being drugged, I ended up at the Dirty Death MC compound.
My reunion with Sadie was short-lived and frightening as the behemoth president of the club charged into the room he’d kept her prisoner in.
I barely had a chance to speak with her before he hauled me outdoors, shoved me into Elliot’s arms, and ordered him to deliver me to this address.
Elliot complained the entire time. He got stuck driving, which pissed him off, followed by the fact that I tried to escape several times. Now, here we were, yelling at one another in the middle of the desert.
I didn’t know if Sadie was here or not. I hadn’t seen her yet.
“Would you stop screaming at me? I can’t handle all this fucking stress.”
Seriously? What a pussy!
“You’re ridiculous! I’m surprised you have a cock at all. Are you sure you don’t use a strap-on to fuck women?”
He roared with fury, pulling back his arm. I knew it would hurt when he slapped me, but I didn’t expect to be thrown backward, my head smacking into that stupid metal pole.
The chains rattled above my head as I slumped to the dirt.
“Fuck!” He shouted, pulling at his hair. “I didn’t agree to this!”
“Too late now,” I announced in a sing-song voice. “You reap what you sow.”
“Shut up!”
Where was his confidence now? His control? I had never met a man as weak and pathetic.
Something rumbled the ground beneath our feet. At first, I thought it was an earthquake, but then I realized it was a dozen motorcycles, all heading in our direction.
At the front, leading the way, I spotted Hawk.
Finally. He found me.
I couldn’t contain my smile. The side of my face burned from the slap, and the back of my head throbbed, but I wouldn’t be lying in the dirt long. Hawk would save me.
I hoped he kicked Elliot’s ass.
The mayor still had a few surprises left inside him, though, as he whipped out a gun, pointing it at my head. He stood there, watching Hawk slow down, braking before jumping off his bike. He didn’t even put down the kickstand. Damn. My man was worried about me.
“Hey, handsome!” I yelled, my voice slightly slurred.
I guess the drugs were still in my system.
“Callie!” He shouted. “What the fuck did you do to her?” Hawk charged us, his body vibrating with fury.
I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I caught his entire frame flicker, wobbling like water in clear glass. Blinking, I didn’t understand what was happening. Did the drugs do something to my brain?
What happened next defied logic. It didn’t make sense.
Black feathered wings sprouted from Hawk’s back as he lifted a foot off the ground, flying toward our direction.
As he reached us, I noticed the feathers extended down his arms, covering his skin from shoulder to wrist. Beautiful, shiny onyx feathers. Such a pretty bird. Uh, man. His nails had grown into claws as he lowered to the ground, lifting his hands.
“Don’t fucking fire that gun.”
I stared at the biker who owned my heart.
A fucking lifesize crow. My man had changed into Hawk, like the fictional character from DC Comics, only he was way sexier. Low-slung jeans on his hips. Bare chest rippling with muscle. And a killer smile.
I think I just popped a lady boner.
Hawk resembled a dark angel, hell-bent on retribution as he stalked toward us.
Elliot pulled back the hammer on his weapon and cocked the gun, smiling at Hawk. He didn’t seem surprised by his transformation. Was I just imagining it?
What kind of drugs did he dump in my drink?
Woozy, I blinked, resting my head against the pole.
“You okay, my goddess?”
“Never better,” I replied, squinting at him through the bright sunshine. “Could use a hand.”
“I’ve got you covered.”
“I know.”
His gaze refocused on Elliot. “You’ve been a pain in the ass for far too fucking long, Goodman.”
Elliot’s eyes narrowed. “I know what you are. You, your club. Undertaker and the Dirty Death. You think I’m scared? Fuck off. You don’t have the balls to kill me.” He turned to me, flashing a sinister grin. “Your pussy tasted good, Callie. I’m looking forward to stretching it out.”
Oh, shit!
Hawk flew forward, slamming into Elliot. The gun discharged as I screamed, yanking on the cuffs.
Everything happened so fast.
Hawk and Elliot tumbled to the ground, rolling in the hot desert sand. Black feathers obscured my view. I couldn’t tell if either of them were shot. Fists pounded, and limbs tangled as my vision narrowed. Dark spots danced in the corners.
Looking down, I noticed the wet spot seeping into the material of my cocktail dress. My gut burned as I groaned.
Did Elliot shoot me?
“Hawk?”
The word escaped my lips in time to notice three things. One, Elliot fell to the ground, his bloodied body showing no sign of life. Two, Hawk was limping. Three, my hand lifted, covered in bright red fluid.
I said the only thing that mattered.
“I love you, Hawk.”