Poisoned Rose (Dark Roses #1) (15 page)

V

              ‘Hey there’s my man now! Come here you sexy son of a bitch.’

              Mike smiled as Dante wrapped him up in a hug and pulled him into Hunter’s.  He had been hounding Mike to hit the clubs with him for over a year, so finally Mike had given in.  Dante’s friend passed him two shot glasses and he shoved one into Mike’s hand, toasting him and knocking it back before he had a chance to think.  Dante handed the glass back to his friend, so Mike knocked his back and handed his glass over too.  Coffee flavored tequila ran down his throat and he exhaled a short breath.  Dante grinned.

              ‘There you go! Plenty more where that came from. Take a seat.’

              They dropped onto a couch in the corner of the club, the beats consuming them as girl after girl walked by and smiled.  Dante winked at one and called her over, cupping his mouth against her ear as she leant down.  She giggled and he kissed her neck before she walked away.

              ‘What did you say?’

              Mike had to yell to be heard over the music.  Dante threw his arm around him and leant over.

              ‘I told her to meet me in the bathrooms in fifteen minutes.’

              ‘Who is she?’

              ‘The next chick I’ll be banging.’

              Mike wasn’t sure why he was surprised, he’d heard all the stories about Dante and his reputation.  He’d just never realized how accurate they were.

              ‘I’d invite you to join me but you know, you’re dating my sister so I’d have to kill you.’

              Dante laughed and called out to one of his friends to get them two glasses of scotch.

              ‘Talisker 30 alright with you Mikey?’

              ‘D, that’s like $650 a bottle.’

              ‘Good point, hey Julian! Make that two 35s!’

              Mike couldn’t believe the amount of money Dante had just dropped, and he knew that was nothing compared to what the total figure would be for the night.

              ‘I’ve been wanting to drink with you for years.’

              Mike was about to point out that he had been underage until recently but looking at Dante made him remember that the guy had been clubbing since he was seventeen and Mike didn’t want to look like a loser.  Julian came back with two glasses and once again, Dante knocked his back so Mike followed suit.  He could feel his chest burning.  The night was going to get messy.

              ‘Does Roar know where you are?’

              ‘She didn’t ask.’

              ‘She doesn’t care hey?’

              ‘She does care, I think it’s just…’

              ‘You’re lucky, you’ve got a chick who doesn’t give a shit what you do.’

              Mike didn’t agree with Dante. Aurora cared what he did, she just wasn’t one of those possessive girlfriends that had to know where he was and who he was with every second of the day.  He knew there was no point in arguing with Dante though so he watched the crowd dance, grinding on each other, everyone trying to find someone to go home with.  He turned back to find Dante hunched over the table.

              ‘What are you doing?’

              As Julian handed Mike another drink, Dante sat back and handed him a rolled up hundred dollar bill.

              ‘You can’t snort the finest with anything less than a Ben Franklin.’

              ‘You’re doing lines in the middle of a club?’

              Dante looked confused at Mike’s alarmed tone and Julian laughed, pointing his thumb at Mike.

              ‘Where’d you find him D? They don’t get much greener than this.’

              ‘Shut up man he’s gonna be my brother one day, I don’t want him anything but green!’

              ‘Then what’d you bring him here for?’

              Dante opened his mouth to argue then burst out laughing, pushing Mike’s head forward.

              ‘Welcome to the family! Both of them.’

              As Mike snorted the white powder, he tried to figure out what Dante meant by both families, but once he’d sat back up his brain went flying and he no longer cared.

              ‘That shit is gold!’

              Had those words just come out of his mouth?

              ‘Hell yeah, don’t worry we’ll keep it coming.’

              He wanted to get up and dance but Dante wrapped his arm around him and pulled him back, leaning towards him.

              ‘I know you and Roar aren’t engaged or anything, but I just want you to know I hope you end up with her.  You’re a decent guy.’

              Mike laughed.

              ‘Thanks, I think.’

              Dante shook his head.

              ‘I’m serious, you don’t understand what you’re up against!’

              ‘Then tell me.’

              He had no idea what Dante was talking about.  He just wanted him to rack up more lines and if letting him rant about the future was what it took, he was willing to listen.

              ‘I’ll do better than tell you, I’ll show you.’

              Dante grabbed Mike’s face and turned it towards the front door just as a bulked up guy with dark hair walked in.  He was accompanied by a blond guy dressed the same and they both shook hands with the bouncer, stopping to survey the crowd as the bouncer spoke to the dark haired guy.  They were approached by two chicks who they dismissed without looking at.

              ‘Who’s that?’

              But Dante didn’t need to answer.  As they headed towards the manager’s office, both men looked in their direction, sending a chill straight through Mike.  He’d know those mismatched eyes anywhere.  Dante waved at Hawk and Hawk nodded his head in acknowledgment, his gaze going right through Mike as if he were invisible.

              ‘That’s Hawk Mason, the guy Roar’s supposed to marry.’

              Mike looked over at Dante, who’d leant forward with a razor blade in his hand.

              ‘What do you mean she’s supposed to marry him?’

              Dante looked back at him and laughed.

              ‘He basically asked my parents for her hand the day she was born.  He’s loved her since he was five years old and when he decides he’s ready to marry her, you better hope she’s already married to you and knocked up cause that’s the only way you’ll get to keep her.’

              His mouth went dry.

              ‘Does she love him?’

              Dante snorted a line through a fresh bill and handed it to Mike as he sat back.

              ‘Fuck yeah.  My advice to you? Propose to her soon otherwise you’re gonna lose her.  Don’t get me wrong, you guys are cute, but my sister and Hawk are meant to be together.’

              He didn’t remember the rest of the night and when he called Dante the next day, Dante didn’t remember the night at all.

              ‘You finally came down to Hunter’s hey? Did you have a good night?’

              He wouldn’t call it good but it had definitely been enlightening.  He was running out of time, and if he wanted to keep Aurora he had to get her to say yes. Fast.

Twenty Six

              They’d reached the fifth round and neither Hawk nor Ty were backing down.  The other soldiers had stopped training to watch the match between them.  Ty threw a right hook followed by a left uppercut and left knee but Hawk spun around and came back with a right elbow and left round house kick.  Ty had anticipated the move and ducked before slamming a double fisted punch into Hawk’s gut.  Hawk doubled over but tucked and rolled before sweeping his right foot around in an attempt to trip Ty.  But Ty saw it coming and slammed a right sidekick into Hawk’s jaw.  Hawk flew across the ring and almost tumbled over the ropes but regained his balance and went straight back at Ty.  There were no jeers or cheers from the other soldiers, the atmosphere called for silence.  Hawk tackled Ty and started laying in to him with quick punches, but just when it looked like Hawk had won, Ty smashed both his fists into Hawk’s head and knocked him over.

              Ty jumped up breathing heavily, taking his fighting stance and waiting for Hawk to attack again.  Instead, he took off his helmet and sat up, rubbing the right side of his head.

              ‘That was a dirty trick.’

              Ty took off his own helmet and snorted.

              ‘You should know, you taught it to me.’

              He shook his head before realizing they had taken center stage.

              ‘Which one of you ladies wants to tell me why you’ve stopped training?’

              The soldiers were quick to disperse and Ty offered him a hand which he accepted.

              ‘Hey, those were some moves back there.  You been training with Honor?’

              Ty avoided eye contact and mumbled that he trained with her occasionally. When they reached the locker room, Hawk slumped down on to the wooden bench.  He was worn out, yet his brain was racing.  He groaned, forgetting that Ty was still standing beside him.

              ‘What’s on your mind?’

              ‘What makes you think there’s something on my mind?’

              ‘You weren’t yourself out there.  You were distracted.’

              ‘Nah man, you beat me fair and square.’

              Ty shrugged and turned to head to the showers.

              ‘I’ve done something… and I don’t know if it was the right thing to do.’

              ‘Can’t help you if I don’t know what it is.’

              He took a deep breath and admitted that he had told Aurora they would never be together.  Ty slumped down next to him.

              ‘I know you think you’re doing her a favor by staying away, but Aurora is a Rose, whether you like it or not, and you’re not gonna be able to make her step down so you have to do the next best thing. Protect her.  Make amends with her Hawk, even if you’re not with her, because you can’t protect her from a distance.’

              Ty stood up and made for the showers a second time but Hawk called after him.

              ‘Is that how you feel about Honor?’

              Hawk had known that Ty was in love with Honor long before Ty had denied having anyone, and Hawk was more than ok with that.  He couldn’t have asked for a better brother-in-law than the man who may as well have been his blood brother.

              ‘Like I said, stay close to her.  But I hate to break this to you man, one way or another, you’re going to have to tell her that you could have saved her fiancé.’

              As Ty walked away, Hawk stood up and made his way to the showers.  He let Ty’s words sink in, and by the time he had finished, he’d decided to go to the Hannam compound and apologize.  He wasn’t sure what he was going to say, didn’t even know if Aurora would agree to see him, but he knew he had to try.  He couldn’t leave things the way they were between them and Ty was right, he couldn’t keep trying to make her step down.  He had to respect her decision.  He also had to admit to his role in Mike’s murder.

              As he neared the compound, he pulled into the motor court and found Aurora slamming her car door shut and stalking up the front steps. He took off his helmet and called out.  When she didn’t turn around, he went after her, taking the steps two at a time.  She got to the top and threw the door open.  He was about to walk into a boss’s house uninvited, and even though he would call them friends, he knew he was crossing the line.  But he did it anyway and found Aurora standing in the middle of the foyer, yelling out to her brothers, her voice ricocheting off the walls and filling the open the space.  He didn’t know what she was doing but he knew if he didn’t stop her, things were about to get ugly.

              ‘Aurora, you need to stop, you can’t behave this way. Whatever it is that’s got you this angry, it’s not worth losing your standing.’

              She ignored him and when he grabbed her arm, she ripped it away and shoved his chest so hard that he took a step back.

              ‘What do you care about my standing? You want me to step down, maybe now you’ll get your wish.’

              She turned back but he took her hand.

              ‘Don’t do this.’

              She looked down but he didn’t let go.  Then she looked him in the eye.

              ‘Why are you here?’

              ‘To say sorry.  You’re an amazing Rose and I had no right to ask you to give that up.  I don’t want to change you.  You’re perfect the way you are.’

              Wow.  The whole way to the compound he’d been worried about what he was going to say, but as soon as she was standing in front of him, the words flowed out.  She shook her head.

              ‘What does that mean? Where does it leave us?’

              Shit.

              ‘Actually, you know what, before you answer that, tell me something.  Why didn’t you stop me from marrying Mike? I had a right to know the truth about our fairytale, even if it was some childhood phase and you didn’t have feelings for me anymore, I had the right to know.’

              He hadn’t seen that one coming.  He wasn’t sure what to say but was saved by Vince, who had just walked up the stairs and was standing in front of them, arms crossed.  Aurora turned to glare at her brother and Hawk knew he had to stop her from confronting him.  He hissed in her ear.

              ‘Don’t do it.’

              Vince gave her a questioning look.

              ‘Were you calling me?’

              It was her chance to say something. But she didn’t.  Instead she told Vince that they were thinking of ordering pizza and asked if he was hungry.

              ‘Thanks but I’ve already eaten.  Is there something going on between you two?’

              Aurora answered first.

              ‘We’re talking.’

              ‘Ok… I don’t know what that means, but you might want to keep ‘talking’ in the upstairs living room.  Johnny’s going to be home any minute so unless you want to explain your status to him, I suggest you take this upstairs.’

              Hawk felt his heart rate speed up as she took his hand and led him upstairs.  He followed her into the living room, where she closed the doors behind them and blocked it with her body.

              ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

              He decided he wouldn’t hide from her anymore.  Ty had told him that even if he didn’t want to be with her, he needed to be close enough to her to protect her.  But he had been miserable for years, staying away from her because he thought it was the right thing.  Forget what his father had told him.  He wanted to be with her, and he would keep her safe.

              ‘I didn’t tell you because I thought you could do better than me.’

              ‘So you thought Mike was better than you?’

              ‘Mike wasn’t damaged.’

              ‘But you are? Didn’t I have the right to decide that?’

              ‘It’s not a decision, it’s a fact.’

              ‘Even the most damaged person can be saved. Did you believe I couldn’t save you?’

              Hawk rubbed his forehead and shook his head.

              ‘You’re the only one who can save me.  I’ve known that from the start.’

              ‘Then why won’t you let me?’

              She walked towards him and took his hands.

              ‘You’ve stayed away from me because you’ve been worried that you’ll hurt me but you won’t.  You’re not like your father.  Your mom might have died but she still lives inside you.  You’re more like her than you know.’

              He sat on the couch and put his head in his hands.

              ‘You were in love with Mike.’

              She sat beside him and turned his face towards her.

              ‘I loved Mike, but I was never in love with him, and do you want to know why I know that? Because I’ve always been in love with you.’

              He swallowed the lump that was in his throat.  He had to tell her about his involvement in Mike’s death.  But he couldn’t bring himself to do it.  Everything she was saying was what he had always wanted to hear.  He’d been ready to let her walk down the aisle, all because he didn’t believe he could give her what she needed, and it had killed him.  If she only knew the number of times he’d driven halfway to the compound ready to tell her everything.

              But after all that, the years of silent torture he’d lived through, she was sitting beside him, telling him she was in love with him.  She was offering him a new path, one that led to happiness, maybe a family of his own, a life lived hand in hand with his other half.  He sat back and cupped her cheek, urging himself to be honest, to tell her what he was hiding from her.  Hadn’t she just yelled at him for keeping his feelings a secret? But he knew that when the truth came out, she would never be able to forgive him.  She would walk away and then he would no longer be damaged, he would be broken.  As soon as she found out, she would hate him, and he wasn’t ready for that.  She wrapped her arms around his waist and curled her legs beneath her.  He knew he was delaying the inevitable, but if sitting on that couch with her head on his shoulder was all he was going to get, then he would take it, and that memory alone would keep him going for the rest of his miserable life.

              ‘Let me save you.’

              He kissed the top of her head and urged himself to tell her how he felt.  His mouth had gone dry and he rested his head on hers. It was three words, voicing an emotion he’d always felt.  He cleared his throat but was interrupted by his cell.  Shit, that was Ty’s ringtone.  He moved fast, reaching in to his pocket as she sat up.  Ty’s grin came through the phone.

              ‘You’re not going to believe what I just found.’

              Aurora was watching him and he knew as he listened to Ty that his expression told her everything she needed to know.  Ty told him he would drop a pin with his location and to get there as fast as possible.  He also told him to bring everyone.  Hawk looked to Aurora.

              ‘We found ‘em.’

              They both jumped off the couch.   She threw open the doors and ran into the corridor, standing at the banister to the ground floor and yelling out to Vince.  She ran to her bedroom and Hawk bolted down the steps to meet Vince in the foyer, murmuring under his breath as they waited for his cell to give them what they wanted.  Then he put it back up to his ear.

              ‘I’ve got your location, we’ll be there in twenty.  Stay with the one in the suit.  If that son of a bitch so much as breathes in the wrong direction I want you on him.’

              Vince grabbed a set of keys off the table, calling out behind him as he went.

              ‘Get your stuff and we’ll take the Hummer. I’ll meet you out the front in two.’

              Hawk moved to follow, but then he turned to face Aurora, who had joined them.  He took three steps, grabbed the back of her neck and kissed her hard on the mouth.  Then he followed Vince out the front door.  He needed her to know that they would finish their conversation.  He wasn’t going anywhere.  Minutes later they were racing towards Ty’s location, Hawk barking the details to Honor on his cell and Vince telling Bo where to meet them on his.  The Hummer flew over speed humps like they were rubble and the tires screeched in protest as Vince turned corners without slowing down.

              ‘How’d your boy find them?’

              Vince had to raise his voice as the Hummer rocketed through the streets.

              ‘Ty’s stalker showed up drunk at The Den.  He took her home and she’d left a window open.  He saw three guys having a smoke in front of the house next door.  One of them said that Dallas was going to kill him if he got loose and that he couldn’t believe the shit Dante was giving them.’

              Vince took a hard turn and Hawk braced himself against the door.

              ‘Well, I never thought I’d say this but thank God for crazy women.’

              Aurora rolled her eyes but smiled.  It took them fifteen minutes to reach their target, a double storey home in Sherman Oaks.  Vince slowed the Hummer to a crawl, turned off the lights and parked three houses down.  Ty had left and was tailing the man who had looked like the leader.  Hawk’s knee was bouncing, and he could hear Vince and Aurora drumming their fingers against their thighs.  They didn’t have to wait long for the others.  Johnny’s Hummer turned the corner minutes after they’d parked, Honor’s Escalade hot on his tail.  They both turned their headlights off, Johnny taking the car spot in front of them while Honor parked one house up.  They gathered in the shadows cast by the SUVs and each prepared in their own way.