Final Ride (Lords of Mayhem) (7 page)

“Again,” he barked, feeling like a drill instructor. She
fired, missing once more.

“Again.” Glass shattered.

“Good job now let’s go for another one.”

She peered over her shoulder at him and he stared back,
daring her to challenge him. War was coming. Shit was about to get ugly. He’d
be damned if she’d be caught unprepared on his watch.

* * * * *

Hilary took one last look at the cabin. Today they were
moving to Hawk’s house. The thought made her nervous. There was an intimacy
that came with living together. She felt out of sorts and exposed in this new
skin. The jeans she wore molded to her body like second skin. The biker boots
came up to mid-calf, and the off-the-shoulder Mayhem T-shirt had been slashed
in the back. Her red hair was slicked back into a ponytail that hid her
mid-back.
Who knew I had this much hair?
It’d been years since she’d
straightened it. This week had been a crash course in all things Mayhem. As
much as she’d been around the girls and their men, she hadn’t understood how
much went on behind the scenes.

She’d never been the type to let go of control. As
spontaneous and outspoken as she might be, there was always a method to her
madness. She needed to have a plan to work from or a goal to move toward. This
put all that on hold and forced her to take a good long look at herself and her
current place in life. Usually when the bad thoughts came, she buried them
under work. There was no instant gratification like finishing a chapter or a
really challenging scene.

It never occurred to her that outside of her friends and
writing, her life was sorely lacking. Until now. After a brief conversation
with her mother and editor, there’d been no one else to inform about her
vacation.
With her work shelved, she had to try not to climb the walls. Her thoughts
drifted to Hawk. The man was masculine, commanding, and—if she was being honest—arresting.
He intrigued her. Despite his tough exterior there was a keen intelligence in
his eyes, and a story to be told. She knew next to nothing about him, but she
found herself wanting to know more. Beneath the snark, impassive face, and
tough-guy exterior, she’d seen glimpses of a remarkable man.

She walked over to the bike where Hawk waited.

“You ready to ride?”

Hilary nodded.

“Give me your bag. We can get going.” It was a command. Biting
the inside of her cheek she lifted her head, determined not to be the first to
yell uncle. He was testing her, and she would not fail. She handed him her bag
to stow in a saddlebag. Once he completed the task, he turned to her with a
black helmet and a sly smile. “You need help on?”

“No, I got it,” she said quietly. Retrieving the helmet from
him she smoothly placed it on her head and belted the chin strap. Confident,
she mounted the bike behind him, expertly using the foot peg as if she’d been
doing it all her life. She’d practiced with the prospects over and over until
it felt natural. A house mouse would be old hat about being on the back of a
bike. So like any actor prepping for a part, she’d rehearsed all the small
details that made it believable. Wrapping her arms round his waist, she molded
her body to his, ready for the surge forward that came with the initial
takeoff.

“Maybe I underestimated you,” Hawk said.

“Maybe you did,” she said, hoping her flippant tone
disguised the anxiety rocketing toward the moon. They took off, and the wind
caught the end of her hair. The rumble of the massive machine, and the heat
pouring off the man in front of her were a welcome distraction from the mess
she was plunging into.

By the time they pulled into his driveway she was achy, exhausted,
and grateful for the sissy seat on the back that allowed her to relax between
the curves in the road. She could fake the motions, but her body wasn’t used to
long rides. That kind of familiarity took time. He cut the engine and she let
her hands flop down, resting her palms on her thighs.

“How you doing back there?” he asked.

“I’ve been better,” she said.

He chuckled. “You’ll get used to it. I think you held up
pretty good. Not even one stop between here and there.”

His home was farther out on a nice spread of land. She
hadn’t pegged him for the country-home type. The rolling hills, two-story white
house with green shutters, and the massive front porch with a wooden swing were
downright charming.
All he needs to complete the picture is an old hound dog.
Bikes lined the driveway.

“Who’s here?”

“Prospects. They’ll be keeping watch around the clock.”

“Do we really need that many?” she asked.

“We aren’t taking any chances.”

He dismounted, and she followed, stumbling. He caught her
around the waist as she focused on her spaghetti legs.

“Easy, it’ll take a minute to get your land legs back.” He
pulled her to his side and guided them toward the porch. The two story home
boasted light blue siding, a manicured lawn and a wooden swing on the porch.
She fought the urge to gape.
This is at total odds with the man I know.
“You
good now?” he asked

“Yeah, I think so.”

He released her and she instantly missed his warmth. He
climbed the porch steps and unlocked the door. Stepping to the side he motioned
for her to precede him. “You go in and have a seat on the couch while I get
everything from the saddle bag.”

“O-okay.” Out of her element, she floundered like a fish on
land. The living room screamed bachelor pad. Unadorned beige walls, Beige carpet,
a navy-blue couch with matching chairs, and dark wood end tables greeted her.
She sank down onto the sofa and sighed with relief. Directly in front of her,
mounted on the wall was a massive television. Easily forty-five inches, the
sleek black square was hooked up to a bevy of game systems located in the
entertainment system below.
Boys and their toys.

Boots sounded on the tile entryway and she glanced up,
suddenly nervous to be alone with him.

“I know it’s been a long day, so I’ll give you a tour and
let you get settled in your room. The uh, girls came in and got it all girlified
for you.” He scratched his eyebrow.

“Sounds good.” She stood. He dumped the saddle bags beside
the door and they began their tour.

“This is the kitchen. I don’t have any fancy crap, but it
has all the basics needed to make a meal. I can cook, but I usually bring in
food or eat out. It’s easier with the hours I keep. Can you cook?”

“Yes,” she said huffily.

“Good. The pantry is through that door. The girls stocked it
with things you’d find useful. Anything else you want, make me a list, and I’ll
get it for you. Out the back,” he pointed to a door, “is another porch and a
decent-size yard. You can spend time out there if you want. The whole place is
rigged with surveillance cameras, minus the bathroom and the bedrooms, of
course. The security system is pretty easy to arm and disarm. I’ll write down
the code for you and give you a day to memorize it. Then I want it destroyed.”

“I understand.”

“Good, you can explore more tomorrow, this is a bare-bones kind
of thing. They continued through the home until they reached the room that
would be hers. The beige room welcomed her with its polka dot bed spread and
decorative pillows. A small desk in the corner held fresh wildflowers and the
end tables boasted candles. The smell of roses made her smile.

“You have your own bathroom in there, so you uh, don’t have
to share with me.”

“Thank you, Hawk.”

“Yeah, no problem. I’m going to crash now, unless you need
something else.”

“No. this…is more than enough.”

He nodded and left the room swiftly, leaving her to wonder
what was going on behind his stoic expression.

Exhausted, she closed the door behind him, slipped off her clothes
and crawled into the bed. She’d have plenty of time to try to piece together
the puzzle that was Hawk.

Chapter Six

She’d managed to set up a meeting with the victims after her
hair appointment. Hawk had dropped her off personally, stunning her. He took
his job of guarding her seriously. He’d been her shadow from the minute they
arrived at the house. Clad in a tiny pair of black jean shorts, black cowboy
boots, and a black T-shirt that clung to her every curve, she felt exposed. As
much as she tried to pretend this was a role she played like an actor, her
subconscious got the best of her. This was her life, and it had spiraled out of
control so fast and so far she had nothing left but straws to grasp onto.

“Are you ready to see your look, Hil?” Donna asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Donna laughed. “Don’t worry, you look amazing.” She spun the
chair around, and Hilary held her breath.

The spinning stopped, and she found herself peering into a
reflective surface and not recognizing the face that looked back. The hair
color made her skin glow and brought out flecks of light brown in her eyes she
hadn’t realized were there.

“Wow.” She turned her head to the left and the right,
admiring the subtle layers Donna had added.

“I know you wanted to look like another person, so I did a
little nip here and there.”

“It’s beautiful.” Hilary touched her silken locks, impressed
with the rich tone.

“Since you’ll be wearing it straight from now on I used a
hair serum that will keep the curls at bay for three days at a pop. I’d suggest
you take some bottles home, so you don’t fry your hair daily.”

“Oh my God, Donna, you should be nominated for sainthood,”
Hilary said.

Donna laughed. “I’d never make it inside the gates.” She
winked.

“I’ll call Hawk and let him know I’m ready. Can I get the
bottles of that hair serum while I wait?”

“Of course, only the best for the ladies of Mayhem. Ya’ll
are some of my best customers.” Donna patted her shoulder and removed the cape
that kept the hair from clinging to her clothing. “You’re all set, beautiful.”

Hilary rose from the chair, still marveling at the change.
With her eyebrows dyed to match she was totally transformed. She walked to the
front and called Hawk, still in a daze. When a motorcycle roared up, she
snapped out of her daze and stood, immediately recognizing Hawk as the driver.
With her bag of serum in hand she waved to the woman behind the desk and
stepped outside. Hawk lowered his sunglasses and smiled. “Well if ain’t the
Little Mermaid in the flesh. Looking good, Ariel.”

“Funny,” Hilary said trying to hide her nervousness.

“No, I’m serious, that’s your name from now on. I’ve been
thinking about it, but nothing else I came up with seemed to fit. This is
perfect.”

“Really? Ariel?” she said with a huff.

“Yep, a sexy ass tempting creature no one can put their
hands on sounds about right.”

“Oh.”
He likes it.
She smiled to herself.

“Come on, Ariel. We need to head to our meeting. If we’re
late, the girls might lose their nerve and leave.”

“Truth.” The girls were nervous about bringing an unknown
man into their circle. Especially one who was a vice president of a biker club.
So they’d arranged to meet at a hole in the wall dive bar about thirty minutes
from town. He took the bag from her, stowing it as she climbed onto the back of
his bike.

She walked slightly behind him as they entered The Torch,
sweeping the busy place for the girls.

“I see them in the back corner.”

“Damn, they’re serious about this incognito thing,” Hawk
said.

“It’s probably what’s kept them flying under the radar.”

“I think they spotted you.” Hawk chuckled.

The three women gaped as they made their way through the
crowd. They reached the table, and Hawk pulled out a stool. Hilary sat, and he
nodded his greeting to the wide-eyed women.

“Hey guys. This is Hawk. Hawk this is Karla, Maddie, Nic,
and Lorene.” They were all stunning, ranging from brunette to blonde, with skin
tones equally varied.

“Hi,” Karla ventured. As the unofficial spokesperson she
always forged ahead for the three other women she considered to be her sisters.
“C-can you tell us what this is all about?”

Hilary glanced around and leaned in. “Remember how I told
you I’d been working on a way to put the men who…hurt you away?”

The girls nodded. Hilary had managed to track the women down
through their medical records, hearsay, and pictures of Peter and his friends.
None would give away the identity of the men they dated, but they had begun to
tell her about the things they’d done.

“Well, they found out. Hence, the drastic hair-color
change.” Fear colored their eyes a shade darker. “I don’t know if they know we’ve
been communicating, but given their extreme measures, I think it’s best we act
under the assumption they did.”

“No. I can’t go through that again,” Nic yelped. Her hazel
eyes were wide. Her gaze darted around the room. “Always having to look over my
shoulder, double checking every lock and door—”

“Then help us,” Hawk said. “We’re trying to get them locked
away. But without you, we have a bunch of circumstantial bullshit. You want to
live free of them. You need the courage to face them one last time and see that
they pay for what they’ve done. We don’t know how many women they’ve done this
to over the years. But we do know you’re the few who got out of there and could
help us put them away,” Hawk said.

“Yeah, because we tucked our tails, ran, and hid,” Maddie
said. Her blue eyes blazed.

“And no one blames you for that,” Hilary said quickly,
soothing her ruffled feathers.

“And now you’d let Hil, who has nothing to do with any of
this, fight
your
battle alone?” Hawk said.

“What is he talking about?” Lorene asked Hilary.

“I figured out who they were, and I compiled a list of their
illegal activities. I’m planning on building a case against them based on the
things I’ve found. It goes deeper than the abuse, but that’s what we plan to
use as the last nail in their coffin. I know I can count on Juliette to
testify. But the more people who come forward, the more impact it’ll have,”
Hilary said.

The four women exchanged glances and leaned in whispering to
one another. They pulled apart and studied Hilary and Hawk.

“What if you don’t win? Then what?” Karla said.

“We will win. But this time it’ll be different. Mayhem will
protect you. You won’t be alone and vulnerable. These guys are cowards who prey
on the weak. Mayhem is anything but.”

“It sounds too good to be true,” Nic said.

“You realize they may see you as loose ends and seek you out
anyway,” Hilary whispered.

“So either way we’re completely fucked.” Karla slapped the
table with her palm. “Damn it!”

“Whatever we do for the rest of our lives, we’ll always have
this nagging fear in the back of our mind unless we know they’ve been put away,”
Maddie whispered. “We have to do this.”

“And hash out everything that happened.” Nic shook her head.
“I-I don’t want anyone to know.”

“So we let them win?” Lorene said pursing her full lips. “No.”
She shook her head. “It’s time for us to end this.”

“Suddenly you’re the brave one?” Nic snarled.

“Stop this. Look at what you’re letting them do to you,” Hilary
hissed.

The girls went silent.

Karla sighed. “You sure you can deliver the protection you
promise?” she asked, meeting Hawk’s gaze.

“I don’t make offers if I can’t hold up my end of the
bargain,” Hawk said. The steely tone of his voice told her the women were
skating on thin ice. You start questioning a man’s integrity, it’s
understandable when he gets pissed. Right now this was nice Hawk. They didn’t
want to see the other side.

“Look, we’re offering this up, but we don’t need you.
Regardless of whether you join us, we’re forging ahead with this, and Ariel here
will remain under my protection,” Hawk said.

“You girls can do what you want, but I’m ready for the
nightmare to end. I’m in,” Lorene said.

Nic gaped.

“I’m with her,” Maddie whispered. “I’m tired of waking up
from nightmares wondering if the life I’ve created for myself is going to come
crashing down around me when Quinn gets the urge to revisit the past.”

“Karla?” Nic whimpered.

“They’re right. It’s time. We’re not those scared girls
anymore. It’s time we stop acting as if we are,” Karla said. Nic opened her
mouth to protest, and Karla held up her hand. “Mr. Hawk?”

“Just Hawk,” he said with a gentle smile.

“Tell me exactly what you need from us and how we’d remain
protected,” Karla said.

“We need you to write up statements and be ready to face these
bastards in court. I can post men to watch your house or stay with you if you’d
like. I leave that up to you.”

“We’d be safer if they were with us, wouldn’t we?” Karla
whispered.

“Yeah. I got gentlemen on my crew. So if you’re worried
about that, don’t be. As rough around the edges as we all are, raping isn’t on
our list of fucked-up things we do.”

“You can understand our caution,” Karla said.

“Hey, you don’t have to explain anything to me. I’ve seen
enough to get the picture. Are we going to do this or not? ’Cause things will
be happening fast once this hits in a few days.”

“What do we do?” Maddie asked.

“If this is a yes, I’ll talk things over with the club’s
president, pick some men out and get them over to you.”

“We’ll need a few minutes to talk it over,” Karla said.

“Done. Ariel and I are going to grab a drink at the bar.” He
squeezed her waist and Hilary jumped. “Come on, girl.”

She slid from the stool, forcing her mind to shift gears.
You’re
a house mouse; look pretty, giggle, and follow directions.
They walked to
the bar, and he pulled out a stool. All eyes turned to them and she tensed.
Hawk gripped the back of her neck with his massive hand and massaged. The tow-haired
bartender walked up and the smile on his face faded as he approached Hawk with
caution.
Clearly he gets bikers in here often.

“What can I get for you?”

“What do you want, Ariel?” Hawk asked.

“Just a Coke, please,” Hilary said forcing a smile.

The bartender nodded. “And you?”

“I’ll take whatever pale ale you have on tap.”

“One belly buster coming up.” The bartender hurried away and
Hawk chuckled.

The bartender returned swiftly with their drinks and they
sat side by side biding their time as they let the girls work out the details.

“You know they’ll say yes, right?” Hawk said.

She turned her head to face him. “I hope so.”

“They’re smart enough to know I’m the safest way out. For
sure, your girl Karla and Lorene are down. I thought Maddie was the twitchy
one, but Nic proved me wrong. Tough façades always crumble under pressure,”
Hilary said thoughtfully

“They didn’t have a choice but to fake it until they made
it,” Hawk said.

The kindness he showed them while remaining firm gave her a
better insight into who he was.
Damn it, I don’t want to like him.

“Hawk, fancy seeing you here all by your lonesome.” The
gruff voice rubbed her the wrong way. She turned her head and gasped at the
sight of the hardened biker standing a few feet away. His bald head gleamed under
the light and muscles bulged beneath his leather cut. The emblem of a Grim
Reaper with wings above the name Angels of Death sent a stab fear through her
gut. The hardcore motorcycle club was known for their rivalry with the Lords of
Mayhem. The skin on his face was weathered, and his square jaw boasted a wicked
scar. His dark brown eyes looked black and soulless.

“Ice.” Hawk tensed beside her.

“I’ve never seen you with this one. You guys get a new
whore?”

“She’s mine, and none of your business.” Hawk stood. The
legs of his stool scraped across the floor.

“Oh, Hawk got himself an old lady?” Ice said.

“Shit no, got a house mouse to look after the shit I don’t
want to do anymore.” Hawk gripped her hair and pulled her head back just so.
She met his gaze. “Easy on the eyes.” He leaned down and connected their lips.
Bombs detonated inside her and her mouth opened. His tongue darted inside and
she moaned as their mouths came together for the first time. Her nipples
strained against the tank top and her center grew moist. He pulled away, and
she sucked down air as the room spun. “You see why I’m so possessive,” Hawk
growled.

“Yeah, I can see. If you ever get tired of her,” Ice said.

“What originated in Mayhem stays there,” Hawk said.

There was an underlying issue between them she didn’t
understand.

“Maybe it’s time you learn how to share,” Ice said.

“Never going to happen. Maybe you should tell your people
that too.”

“You sure that’s the message you want conveyed?” Ice glared.

“Same one we’ve been saying for the past fifty years. I don’t
know why you’d thought it would suddenly change,” Hawk said. His words were
spoken quietly, but the force behind them was anything but calm.

“New people come to power, shit shifts.” Ice shrugged.

“Not with Mayhem.”

“You might want to reconsider it. A new age is coming,” Ice
said.

“We always have been and shall remain rock solid,” Hawk said
with a smirk.

Ice’s face turned red. “We’ll see.” Ice turned and trudged
back over to the table that held two other men in the same cuts.

“What was—”

Hawk shot her a death glare that made her look down at the
bar.

“We need to go collect your girls and get out of here,” Hawk
said. “No way am I leaving them here alone after the Angels saw them with us.”

She nodded, finished her drink, and accompanied him back to
the table where Hawk invited the girls to the clubhouse Sunday afternoon and
accompanied them to their car, hanging back to make sure they weren’t followed.
The silence between Hawk and Hilary felt deafening as they climbed onto his bike
and drove out of the bustling parking lot.