Down and Out (Hawks MC: Caroline Springs Charter Book 3) (5 page)

"Yeah, good idea," I muttered, looking at my phone again.

The bar door opened, and everyone turned that way. Pick and Billy had arrived. Their gaze zoned in on us straight away. Without looking elsewhere, they made their way to our booth. Pick sat next to Dodge and I shifted over for Billy to sit next to me.

Both offered a smile and chin lift to me. "Good to see you, brother," Pick said, his hand reaching over the table for me to shake. As I let go, Billy placed his hand on my back and hit it twice.

"Been too long, fucker." He grinned.

"Yeah, it has, but hands off, dude. I don't want Pick beating the shit outta me," I teased. I loved giving them shit, not that they cared, and Billy's response showed that.

"Nah, brother. All good. I gave him head on the way here. He's in a mellow mood."

Choking on my sip of beer, I coughed. Pick smirked and Billy let out a full belly laugh. Shaking my head, I rasped, "Fuck, man. TMI, brother. TM-fucking-I."

"Anyway, how's Koda?" Billy asked.

"Good." I smiled. "Real good. Was worried after he was a preemie, but not a problem at all."

"That's fuckin' great, Dive. Happy for ya," Pick noted.

Nodding, I said, "Thanks."

Billy turned to Dodge and asked, "You told him yet?"

"Nope," he shot back and then took a pull on his bottle.

"What?" I asked, leaning back in the seat.

"Tomorrow, gonna have church with the rest of the crew, but wanted to let you know. We got someone on the inside of Venom again. Someone who wants a clear passage into Hawks when the time comes and someone whose dad is on the run."

Shit. The only fucker whose father was on the run was Jerimiah, club name Fang. Switch, his dad, used to be Venom's club prez until the club kicked him out, and then we'd told his woman about Switch havin' a taste for teenage girls. He never went home after the meeting Dodge had with him at our compound. Instead, he took off and was no doubt with Baxter.

"You trust him?"

"Yeah, Parker reassured us Fang wants out of the dirty play. Never wanted in it in the first place, but Switch wouldn't let his son slide by."

"Nary's sorta dating him," Billy said.

Fuck.

"How's Vicious takin' it?"

"Actin' like he don't give a shit. But we all know he does."

"That kid needs to pull his head outta his arse," Dodge grumbled. We all agreed. No one knew why Saxon kept his distance when he had such a boner for Nary. We knew he'd take care of her well, but he wasn't taking the chance. Fuckin' messed up, especially when Nary loved him like he was the last man on earth. Guess she was movin' on.

"Keep me updated on all the shit," I demanded.

"'Course. You're still our third, brother." Dodge gave him a chin lift.

The few beers I'd had the night before gave me a headache the next day. But fuck, it was worth it. Hanging with my brothers was just what I needed. It'd been a hell of a long time since I'd had the chance to sit around and just shoot the shit. Things were goin' well for all of them, though it took Josie a while to get back to herself after losing Simone. They'd been close, and Josie had already been through so much. It was lucky she had my brothers’ love to get her back to normal, somewhat anyway. I knew she'd still be hurting on the inside.

Everyone was still keepin' their ear to the ground because of Baxter Davis. The dude had a hard-on for Dodge, and Hawks in general, and wanted to fuck the club up in some way. Stupid cockmuncher was out there, and we all knew he was just waiting to make a move to fuck us over in some way. Didn't stop us seeking out our own retribution. Dodge had men searching for the fucker every day. Good we had someone on the inside of Venom again. We were sure some of the fuckers in there still listened to Baxter's whispers.

It was another reason why I felt as though I had to distance myself from my brothers, which felt like a shit move. But Koda was my main priority, and I'd make sure he wouldn't be touched from the crap goin' down, and if Baxter showed to my house, I'd take him out. That was also why I installed cameras outside and an alarm in every fuckin' corner of the property, so I knew if someone got close.

Slipping out of bed, I dressed and headed for the kitchen, knowing my son would wake soon for food and a bottle before playtime. I switched on the coffee maker and got his meal ready before my phone started ringing.

"Yo," I answered.

"Morning, my boy. I know it's early, but I've already had five calls from women about the job. I'll text you the details of their appointments, and then I'll be over after."

"Sounds good, Mum. Thanks."

"No problem and try not to scare them too much."

Chuckling, I said before I ended the call, "I'll do my best." I wasn't making any promises, though. They'd know just who they were dealing with when it came to me and my kid.

The first one showed five minutes late. Not a good sign. I'd just finished feeding Koda, and he was sitting on the floor with some toys around him when she knocked on the door. I opened it to find a woman in her forties. She had a smile on her withered face and wore a long flowing dress with a cardigan.

"Mr Brooks, I'm Zoe Smith. I'm here about the job as nanny and housekeeper."

Stepping back, I gestured for her to enter. She swept in and made a move to the couch where Koda was sitting on the floor near.

"Oh, aren't you a cutie like your daddy," she cooed. Koda took one look at her and burst out crying.

Leaving the door open, I barked, "Out."

Zoe looked up startled. "I'm sorry?"

"Out. My son doesn't like you. Means I won't either. So leave."

She huffed, stood, and glared at me as she passed. I slammed the door behind her and turned to my son, who had settled as soon as she was outta his face. "Yeah, I wasn't a fan either." He smiled and went back to playing.

The next two were just as shit as the first. Koda at least let them sit while I asked some questions. One was just a young flirt and didn't care a bit about Koda. Instead, she wanted to show me how good it'd be for me if she got the job. Fuck you very much. The other I couldn't understand properly, and she had hairy legs and underarms. I swear she was part Sasquatch. I only knew that because she was wearing a tank top and short shorts. It'd be okay if she shaved and she was twenty years younger. She was sitting close to sixty.

The next one wasn't too bad; her name was Abigail Leader. Koda even thought the thirty-something woman was okay. He didn't pull a face, cry, or scream when she got to the floor.

"Are you looking for a full-time nanny and housekeeper, Mr Brooks? The ad in the paper didn't say the hours."

Sitting on the chair near them on the floor, I said, "The hours would be while I'm at work, so eight thirty to five, Monday to Friday."

She nodded and stayed talking for another hour, asking all the right questions, but still there was something about her I wasn't sure about. Though, it could just be me being overprotective. But I wasn't sure if I could see her day after day. I reckoned she'd get on my nerves. Not that it had anything to do with me; it was about Koda.

She left with a smile on her face, and me thinking if the last one for the day didn't work out, she'd have a trial run.

The final one arrived at five. I was in the kitchen getting Koda's dinner ready when the expected knock came to the front door. Koda had woken not long ago, so he was still in an irritable mood on the floor. Opening the door, I found myself face-to-face with a woman in her early thirties.

She shyly looked up at me and said, "Hi. My name is Philomena McAdams." She was the first to actually hold out her hand for me to shake.

I took it and told her, "Name's Kalen Brooks. Come in." Letting go of her warm hand, I moved back a step, and she walked in.

"Um, most people call me Mena," she offered.

"Got it. That's Koda there. I'm just fixing his dinner before he starts making a fuss like I'm starving him."

It was strange to see her wave to my son and then say, "Hi, Koda." Whereas the others mainly talked to me and played with his toys while sitting next to him or on the couch. She glanced back to me and asked, "Do you need help with anything?"

"No, thanks. I'll only be a second. Why don't you talk to Koda for a bit?"
See if he likes you,
I thought but didn't add.

"Okay." She made her way over to Koda and sat on the floor beside him just as my phone rang.

"I've gotta get that." Waiting for her nod, I walked into the kitchen and out the side door for some privacy. Then I stopped still with my phone in hand because I realised she was the first I felt like I could leave my son alone with. After a quick phone call back to Mum, where she said she couldn't make it that night, saying a friend of hers had some crisis about her husband, I made it back into the kitchen and headed straight to the bowl with Koda's food in it. Picking up the spoon, I tested it on my tongue. It was cool enough. However, my attention was quickly diverted to the living room. Moving to the doorway, I stopped dead.

Mena was quietly reading a book to Koda and my son was sitting on her lap looking up at her.

The sight sliced pain through my heart.

This was what Simone was missing.

Fuck, it hurt.

When the book finished, Mena asked, "Did you like that?" Koda replied with some gibberish, and then she tickled him. His laughter always brought a smile to my face. She shifted, lifted her knees, and placed Koda to lean against them. Then she started singing softly about some spider and water.

"Ah." I cleared my throat. Mena looked over and grinned. "His dinner is ready."

She looked back to Koda, who was still staring at her, and she gasped. "Did you hear that? Time for some yummy food. Let's go." She stood with him in her arms and walked my way. Her brows rose. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Um." She blushed. Why, I didn't have a clue. "Because you're standing in the doorway."

"Shit, sorry." I moved aside and followed her in to see her place Koda in his high chair and strap him in. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. Unfathomable annoyance pulsed through me at the tender gesture, one that made no logical sense. The woman was puzzling to me. She seemed apprehensive around me, yet she was warm when it came to Koda, like she didn't care what I thought. But then her stiff body and wary eyes told me it was a lie.

When she turned to look at me, my sour expression caused her to move back a step. "Um, sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

With a grunt, I walked to the bench, grabbed Koda's dinner and took the seat in front of him. His eager, hungry eyes made me smile. He had his mouth open even before the spoon was near him while slapping his hands on the plastic in front of him.

"He likes that," Mena commented. Looking at her, I saw she was smiling fondly down at Koda. She glanced up and saw me looking. "Is there anything I could do? Like, make you dinner or anything? I mean, what would the job entail? I understand housework and taking care of Koda. But, um, for extra money, I could have a meal ready for you when you got home from work." She shrugged. "It was just a thought."

Raising a brow at her, I noted, "Already asking for extra money and you don't even know if you got the job."

Her cheeks shone red. "Sorry, that was rude."

"Nah, straightforward, which is what I'd want with someone around so often."

She nodded. "I could do that. Be straightforward. Starting with the fact Koda seems to eat a lot of jar food." She eyed the counter. "If I got the job, I would like the chance to make him his food as well as yours."

Was she trying to get to me through my stomach? Because dammit, it could just work. Mum wasn't much of a cook. I still ate what she made, but often I wondered how my stomach was gonna cope in the long run.

"Don't you have a family to run home to?"

She looked to the floor and back up, jutting her chin out a little. "No." I could sense she wasn't willing to add more. No skin off my nose. The less I knew about the woman, the better. Though… "You got a police check, right?"

She nodded and went to her bag by the door. I hadn't even noticed her drop it in the first place. She came back talking, her eyes focused on her bag as she went through it. "I have a blue card and police check. I've never even had a parking ticket."

Placing Koda's now empty bowl on the table, I reached for the papers and looked them over. "No ex stalking you, wanting your blood for running off, or a family member wanting to sell you?" The room went silent until Koda let out a squeal. He wanted his fruit. I glanced up, my gaze landing on Mena's pale face. "What's wrong?"

"What sort of women have you been around to ask those type of questions?"

My eyes narrowed. "Good women in bad situations. If I hire you, I need to know if you're bringing a situation to my doorstep. Will you?"

"No. I, um, I have no family in this area."

After studying her, I finally deemed her words true and offered a chin lift. I put the papers on the table and grabbed a jar of fruit. Before opening it, I asked, "You gonna give me shit for feeding him this?"

"Besides the fact it's full of preservative, no." She smiled.

Shit. If she could get my son eating better and checked all the right boxes, she was the best outta the lot of them that day. None of the others gave two hoots about what Koda was eating.

"Mena," I said to grab her attention from Koda. "See you Monday at eight thirty. I start work at nine and Koda usually wakes just before then. It'll be until five from Monday to Friday."

Her hands clasped in front of her heart, and her smile grew big. "I got the job?"

"Yeah, woman. But you fuck my kid or me over, be prepared to face what happens."

She nodded. "I got you. I mean, I won't… do what you said."

Only time would tell.

Chapter Four

Mena

After leaving Mr Brooks's house, I found myself smiling with hope in my heart, which hadn't happened for a while. Excitement about the job sent a thrill throughout my body, causing me to shiver. It also made me smile giddily and want to dance because I'd get to spend a lot of my time with Koda. He was such a gorgeous little boy. Each smile, laugh, and look from him was precious. Even after such a short time with him, I knew that much already.