Page 1 of Hawk's Sapphire

PROLOGUE

SADIE

“Shut up!”I hiss over my shoulder at the thumping against my trunk as I pass Mason in the guard shack on the way through the gate.I swear Kayce is going to owe me for the rest of his fucking life for making me do this shit.It’s bad enough I had to get Thomas back on the clubhouse property undetected.Now I have to get his assintothe clubhouse, bypass the security systemagain, and get him back into the basement.You would think once he escaped, he’d stay the fuck away, but apparently, he has a death wish.Wouldn’t be so bad if he would’ve just kept me out of it.

It’s not like you owe the asshole any loyalty.

But I do owe my loyalty to Vincenzo after everything he’s done for this club and the people I love.If this wasn’t a personal ask forhim,I wouldn’t be doing it.

Hawk doesn’t need Nate’s death on his conscience.

“The price I pay for making a deal with the devil.”I mumble to myself.

I pull Loretta around to the back doors of the clubhouse and back her ass almost all the way up to the wall.Digging deep into my bag, I find the cloned copy of Hawk’s phone I made last week.He would lose his shit if he knew I did this, but what he doesn’t know won’t get me killed.

All of his apps and passcodes are already installed and work with my facial recognition.Opening the security system app, I pause the camera above the back door and get out of Loretta, taking my keys, the phone, and my bag with me.

Checking the perimeter to make sure there’s no one back here, I then knock on the trunk twice.Thomas knocks twice in return, and I open the trunk to let him out.

“Goddamn.For such a large trunk, you sure can’t breathe for shit in there.”He grumbles.

“First of all, keep your voice down.Second, don’t youdaredisrespect Loretta, or I’ll drop you on your ass myself.Don’t listen to him, baby.You have a beautiful ass.”I soothe the car.Thomas looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind, but everyone knows you never talk shit to your car unless you want it to break down on you in the worst possible moment.“Loretta’s not used to a man packing her ass full.But I’m starting to think it might be our new thing.But next time, I’ll make sure I bring duct tape so the body in question isn’t able to bitch or complain about their accommodations.”I cock my brow, folding my arms over my chest.

The nerve of him talking shit about my baby.

“Fine.Fine.”He says throwing his hands up, checking both directions for any movement.Stroking a hand through his hair nervously, he lowers his voice and says, “Let’s just get this shit over with.I’m not exactly comfortable sneaking backinto the basement.”

“We can always leave.”I suggest, waiting for him to do what he does best and run.

He stands tall, meeting my gaze.“No.I deserve an explanation.You deserve the truth, and Nate deserves to die.”His voice is cold as steel.

“Then follow me, anddon’tdeviate from the plan.I’ll get you in.We’ll ask a few questions.You’ll do what you came here for and then you’ll go out the tunnels and meet Tate and Kayce where they pulled you out last time.Once you’re off the property, don’t come back.You get gone.As far away from here as you can, because they won’t hesitate to come after you this time and not even Kayce will be able to stop them.”

There’s something in his eyes.An apology.Fear.Determination.I don’t really know.“I won’t fail you again, Sadie.I’ve done enough of that over the years.”

I don’t respond.What’s there to say?He’s right.He abandoned me and my mother, even after he learned of her medical condition and how she was placed in a mental institution leaving me parentless.He knew, and he never came back - for either of us.

I shake my thoughts loose and open the backdoor of the clubhouse.We’re entering in through the hallway near the bathrooms.The same hallway that leads to the basement door.There’s noise down the hall.People are arriving for Skyler’s gender reveal party.From the sounds of it, the women have all arrived.Which means the guys are probably at the bar getting drinks.Typical.

I hear Avery laughing at something that’s been said and take the opportunity while everyone is distracted to shove Thomas further down the hall toward the basement.Opening the phone again, I unpause the outside camera and go into the control panel for the basement.Since Thomas escaped before, Hawk stepped up the security measures.Fortunately for Kayce and his crew, I know all of Hawk’s tricks and how to bypass them.

The student has become the master.

I smile to myself knowing how pissed he’s going to be when he realizes I bested him,again.

He’s also going to want to ring your neck, and not in the good way.

I push away the hurt building inside my chest.I know everyone will hate me when they realize I’m the one who helped Thomas get in and out of the clubhouse.It’s only a matter of time.It’ll get worse when they find out I’ve been working with Vincenzo behind the scenes for damn near a year on his personal mission.I’ll be labeled exactly what everyone assumed I would eventually become … a traitor just like my father.

It was a trade deal.Vincenzo funds my tech company, and I use mytalentsto help him locate and put an end to the sex trafficking ring that’s infiltrated our little corner of the world.He’s been even more laser focused on his cause since they roughed up Dr.D’Angelo and started stirring shit up in Oakridge.When we discovered Eleanor West was somehow attached to the bastards running the show, Vincenzo didn’t have to twist my arm too hard to get me to help him.The bitch deserves to die a painful death for all the pain she’s caused my family, my best friend, this club.I’ll see to it myself if I have to.

A few buttons and a passkey override and the basement lock disengages with aclick.

“Go.Hurry.”I shove Thomas through the door, following behind him down the stairs.“You have ten minutes to get the info you need, do whatever it is you have planned and get the fuck out of here.Then I’m leaving your ass and resetting the alarms.If you set them off before Kayce gets to you, you’re on your own.”

“I got you.Let’s go.”I follow behind him as he expertly makes his way through the tunnel stopping once we get to the cell where Nate is laid out on his cot with one knee bent, his other leg straight with a bandage wrapped around it where Hawk’s bullet went clean through, and his arm over his face.He moves his arm and raises himself up to sitting when he hears us approach.

“Well, fuck.”Nate grumbles, swinging his legs over the edge of the cot, getting up and walking over to the bars of his cell.“What are you doing here?”His question is directed at Thomas, but I don’t miss the way he glares at me from the side.

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