Hiding Out (Hawks MC: Caroline Springs Charter, #2) (7 page)

Why? I regretted hiding in the garage of Dodge's work. I regretted him finding me, and more than anything, I regretted bringing trouble to them.

I wished I had the courage to sneak out of the house, had the courage to run and take the world on with my own hands.

The courage to fight back.

The whole fucked-up, unrealistic situation was vile and it made me feel sick to my stomach.

A sob caught in my throat. I planted my face into the pillow so no one would hear my anguish at how pathetic I had become. My inability to take control, to have the life I thought I deserved all rolled into that. Pathetic. And I despised myself for feeling it.

If it wasn't my family wrecking my life... I paused with that thought, even more frustrated. It was what I was doing to others, to the people trying to help me.

It wasn't fair, none of it, yet there I was, too scared to do anything about it.

I was weak.

Nothing.

Not sure how long I cried for, I just kept going. Eventually, too exhausted to do anything, I fell into a deep sleep. I knew when I woke, I had to do something to fix what'd I'd done, to take their new crap—
my
crap—out of their lives.

*  *  *  *

D
odge

As soon as I walked through my front door, my eyes sought out Willow. She wasn't in the living room where Billy, Josie, and Dive were sitting. Josie's wide eyes were on my hands that were covered in blood.

"Dodge?" she questioned.

"S'okay, not mine."

The tough woman nodded. When her eyes landed on her other man behind me, she was off the couch in seconds and in his arms. "She's in the spare room, sleeping," Josie offered the answer to the question on my mind.

Moving away from the entrance, I made my way down the hall and into the bathroom. I should have thought. I should have fuckin' thought before coming into the house with blood still on my hands. If Willow had been out there, it would have freaked her the fuck out.

Once clean, I walked back into the living room, fighting with my mind the whole damned time not to go searchin' for Low.

As soon as I entered, Pick said, "Called in Saxon, Memphis and Lan. They'll be here soon."

"Good," I said with a chin lift.

"Brother," Dive caught my attention and offered a bottle of beer.

"'Preciate it," I said then walked to the couch, planting my arse on it before taking a long swig of the cool beer.

"Done?" Billy was the first to ask.

"Yep. Call Cracker, can you? He needs to get a team together and to that address, clean-up is needed."

Josie cleared her throat. Maybe I shouldn't have said that shit with her in the room, but from the look on her face, she wasn't fazed I'd just taken a fucker out. Instead, she looked worried about something.

"I think...I'm not sure, but I think I stuffed up with Willow."

Sitting up, I rested my elbows on my knees and asked, "How?"

"Um..." she started, still standing in Pick's arms just inside the door.

Billy butted in, seeing his woman lookin' uncomfortable. "She told Willow about her past and she reckons Willow took it in the wrong way."

"She did," Josie said. "I saw it in her eyes, the guilt. She probably thinks her stuff isn't as bad as what I went through, and I think now...I think she's regretting showing up at the garage." Her arms wound around Pick's waist. "She'll try to leave so her situation doesn't touch us for long."

"Babe," Billy started.

"No. I know, Eli. I saw it in her eyes, she feels guilty for throwing this on all of us, but she doesn't get that we'd want to help her regardless of our pasts." Her eyes came to me. "You'll need to keep an eye on her so she doesn't run and get caught by them."

With a stiff nod, I said, "I will."

A phone rang. Pick pulled it out of his back pocket and touched a button before putting it to his ear. "Yo." His eyes went wide for a second before narrowing. "Be there." He hissed and shut the phone down. "Dive and I'll stay here with the women. But brothers, you got a situation at the compound. Before Memphis and Sax could leave, a fucker from Venom turned up. He's trying to get some business from us."

"Stupid fuck," Billy growled.

"Let's get gone," I barked. "Pick, call Dallas and redirect him to the compound."

"Done."

*  *  *  *

T
hank fuck the compound wasn't far. As soon as we pulled in on our rides, we saw the stand-off out front. Memphis, with Sax, Handle, Beast and Pride, all stood in front of the garage looking tense and pissed while they faced Blackie, an older member of Venom. He had some of his brothers with him. What in the hell was goin’ on?

We climbed off our bikes and walked over, standing at the side of the situation. "What's down?" I asked.

Blackie smirked at Memphis then turned his eyes to me. "You call in your enforcer on us, old man? Can't take care of your own business?"

"I've already said no a million fuckin' times over. You ain't listenin' with your ears, you little shit," Memphis snarled.

Billy made a noise beside me. I chanced a quick glance and saw his eyes were on one of Blackie's brothers, but he quickly moved them away.

"What do you want, dickie?"

"Blackie," he bit out.

"Sorry, forgot." I smirked.

"Youse are the only good mechanics here. We just want someone lookin' and fixin' our bikes." Like fuck he did. Total bullshit.

"Get stuffed, dickhead," Billy said with a chuckle. "This is our turf. The rules fuckin' state you don't come this side of town unless you want war. Now why in the fuck are you really here?"

Blackie laughed. "Okay, you got me. I wouldn't want any of you bitches working on my girl." He gave a chin lift in Memphis's direction, but his eyes were on me. "Heard you were in a friend's business earlier today. He asked me to deliver a message. Keep out of it or things will get ugly."

My body froze solid.

Willow.

I got a step at him before Saxon stepped in front of me. I warned, "You better fuckin' not be involved in that sick shit, Blackie, or your life will be mine to take out."

"Oh, I'm not." He smiled. "However, someone I know and respect is, and he ain't happy you ruined his plans for the black bitch."

Shoving Saxon outta the way, two steps and I was in his face, his tee and cut in my fisted hands. I hissed the next words nose to nose. "Leave her the fuck alone. You get me?"

Guns were pulled and cocked all around us, brothers on both sides shouted at each other, but my eyes stayed trained on Blackie. He caught my gaze and whispered, "He paid a lotta money for her. He owns her and Dodge, he'll come callin' for her."

"Who?" I snapped.

"I ain't stupid enough to tell you. My debt with him is over. I came here, I told you the message, so I'm free of that shit." He pushed at my chest. "Keep a close eye on her."

"Why are you warning me?"

"I don't like the shit that's happenin'. It's fucked up, even for me. Those women...fuck, man, they're screwed."

"He find out you sayin' this shit to me, he'll be all over your arse."

"He won't know." He grinned like a maniac.

"You trust your brothers?" I queried.

"Some. Still, I knew you'd go at me and your brothers would keep mine occupied."

"Tell me where the other girls are."

"Don't know where he takes them."

"Tell me who then."

"Not happenin'," he said. "Gotta keep
my
family safe."

"Your prez?" I pressed.

He scoffed. "No way, he ain't smart enough."

"How'd you know she's with us?"

"Someone was in the house when you and your brothers showed."

Fuck. Stupid move not checking the whole fuckin' house while we were there.

Christ. Amateur fuckin' move, which meant they knew she was with me.

"Dodge," Billy barked.

"Jesus," I snarled, annoyed I didn't get the answers I wanted, yet shocked he was givin' me something at all. I shoved Blackie back hard. He fell to the ground. "Stay the fuck outta our territory. You come callin' again, I'll take you out."

He got to his feet, brushed himself off and said, "Fine by me." With a flick of his wrist, he and his brothers left our property.

We all watched them go before Memphis turned to Handle, Beast and Pride, then yelled, "Get back to work. Party's over." Once they were gone, he looked to me. "What is it?"

"You don't trust those three you just sent away?"

"Beast, yeah, not sure about the other two yet."

"We're gonna need some help, maybe get Beast into our fold. Sucks we have to watch what we say and do in our own fuckin' brotherhood," I growled, shaking my head. "Meet at my place in ten," I added before headin' to my Harley with Sax and Billy. We were just riding through the gates as Dallas pulled in. "My place," I bit out.

"Fuck, I missed the fun." He glared before turning his ride around and following us.

Too much shit was goin' on. Fuckin' straight-up weird shit, with Blackie warning me to keep an eye on Willow. Though, he knew the guy, whoever the fuck he was, and I saw the fright in Blackie's eyes over the sick fucker. It must be worse than we thought. Church was definitely called for. We needed to shoot the shit off each other and see what we were missin'. I also didn't like the look Billy gave that other dude from Blackie's crew.

I hated, fuckin'
hated
not knowing all the facts so I could fix it by killin' whoever I needed to.

Whatever was to happen, with Blackie's warning, I knew one thing for certain...Willow wasn't goin' anywhere.

Chapter Eight

D
odge

Willow was still crashed out when we got back to mine, but I found a new person sitting in the living room. Lan sent me a chin lift as I walked through the front door.

"Kitchen, now," I said with my own chin lift then strode down the hall, knowing my brothers would follow. Lan, being a brother by default, had our backs, but he just didn't wear the patch.

I sat at the end of the table, and Pick took the other end. Sax, Dallas and Billy were on one side, Dive and Lan on the other, and that left room for Memphis and Beast when they arrived. Thank fuck my kitchen was big. Josie must have stayed in the living room. She knew when it was time for church that it was no place for a woman. Didn't mean her men wouldn't tell her what was goin' down. Like I knew our prez in Ballarat, Talon, would confide in Wildcat with all business he saw to. Which was how it should be in this day and age...unless it was something violent as fuck. Then they were better off not knowing, and their men were better off protecting them from sleepless nights.

"Something you should all know," Lan started. He met my eyes, and I gave him the nod to go ahead just as Beast and Memphis walked in the back door off the kitchen. Once they sat, Lan went to continue but I interrupted.

"Memphis, you should sit here." I stood.

Memphis shook his head. "Don't be fuckin' stupid. I'm too old and tired, so you're running the show for now, fucker, until I talk to Talon."

"Memph—"

"No, shut the fuck up. Let's talk."

With a stiff, shocked nod, I put his words aside and went on. "Beast, Memphis has given you the go-ahead to be here. Means he trusts you. I don't yet. Earn that trust from us here and we'll always have your back. But we can't trust yet. Not when we know there's a traitor among the Caroline Springs charter."

"I'll do what I have to. No cunt should fuck with the brotherhood."

"Agreed." I nodded. "Whatever you hear today stays in this room. If I find someone knows something that's been talked about today, I'll know it's you because the others at this table have my full trust. They’re true brothers who have my heart and soul."

He eyed us all then gave me a chin lift. He understood. If he fucked up then we'd fuck
him
up.

"Now, Lan, what were—"

The back door banged open and in walked one of Blackie's brothers. I stood quickly, my gun drawn and under his chin in seconds.

"Started without me, I see." The punk smiled.

"
Parker
?" Pick hissed.

Lan cleared his throat. "As I was going to say, I have a new partner who is deep undercover in the Venom MC Club."

"What the fuck?" Pick barked.

I stepped back, lowered my gun and sat back down, seeing the guy wasn't a threat. Parker pulled out the chair next to me, turned it around and straddled it. He grinned at Pick then Billy and asked, "How's sweet Josie?"

"Don't fuckin' ask about her. Tell us what in the fuck is goin' on," Pick bellowed.

"Calm down," Parker said. "Like Lan said, I'm a detective who's undercover in the hell of fuckdom with the Venom club."

"Parker?" Josie stood in the doorway, no doubt hearing her man yell his damn head off.

Parker's smile was wide. He stood and approached Josie, but Billy moved quickly and stepped in front of him with a hand to his chest. "Not another step," he warned.

Parker rolled his eyes and said over Billy, "Good to see you, honey."

"What are you doing here?"

"Meeting, little girl." He smiled.

"Precious, head back into the living room. We'll talk soon," Pick said.

She looked to her man and took note of his serious expression. She nodded once, waved to the room, and headed back down the hall.

"Pick, Billy, wanna tell the rest of us how you know this guy?" I asked.

But it was Parker who said, "I own and still live, sometimes, in the place Josie used to live at."

Well, fuck me.

"All right, how about we all sit the hell down and get some shit sorted," I said. Once Billy and Parker sat their arses down, I asked, "Got anything to tell us?"

"Got shit all. Only been within their walls for six months. Since I'm new, they don't tell me shit. All I do know is that the guy who's dealing with the slave business used to be a member of Venom. He'd left just before I got in. What you do have to worry about is Venom fuckin' shit up for you Hawks guys. They want your turf, your businesses and they're willing to play dirty to get it."

"Fuck, just like we thought."