Page 62 of Hawk's Cry

For the first time in months I feel a kernel of something I recognise as excitement. “So he didn’t need eyes on the house.” My plan will work.

“What are you thinking, Eli?” Prez asks.

“I take Liv’s phone and as I said, return to the house. He’ll have traced the phone here, so I’ll let him know I came here for help, and you refused me. I’ll let him know I’m on my own.” I grimace, knowing if Archangel thinks he’s lost his hold over the club, he might just kill Olivia, anyway. But there’s a chance he’ll hold off, if sending her back in pieces isn’t going to get the results that he wants, and the only person who’ll meltdown is me.

“That’s all well and good,” Peg frowns, “but surely he’s not going to believe we’re just going to sit back and take the loss of one of our own?”

“Fuckin’ right we’re not,” Wraith growls. “And it’s not going to come to that. Eli, with all due respect—”

“You can’t rely on me?” I challenge, but wearily. He’s seen me at my worst, I don’t blame him.

“Eli won’t be on his own.” Prez stares down the table. “Physically, yes, but we’ll be doing what we can in the background. At the moment we’re in the dark, and Archangel thinks he’s got the better of us. We have no idea where he’s holding her, or what he plans to do with her.”

My gut rolls, but somehow I keep myself under control. “At the moment, I don’t know it’s Archangel I’ll be calling, do I? I’m a desperate man ringing every contact in her phone, trying to find out if anyone has seen her. I’ll address him as Gabe. I’m hoping it will give him pause for thought and us enough time to locate Liv and bring her home.”

“When Eli makes contact, I can try and find his location.” Mouse’s eyes gleam.

Wraith’s staring at me, then he turns his head and looks at the opposite end of the table. “Prez. This isn’t going to stop us doing all we can. If Eli can play his part convincingly, it could buy us some space or give us a location. If Eli can pull it off. If he can convince him the club doesn’t give a fuck… Lots of ifs…” When he pauses and looks at me again, I try my best to look like a man who can play the part assigned to him without falling apart. I have to. There’s too much at stake.

Wraith resume, “It will annoy him if he’s sitting back gloating, thinking we know exactly who’s got my daughter. He’ll think he’s sent us a plain and clear signal he knows we were responsible for sending him down.”

Peg looks thoughtful. “He’ll know we’ve got that message, but he’s shown his hand with nothing to bargain with, if we can convince him we’re not concerned about getting Olivia back.”

“He’ll be angry,” Rock inputs, his brow furrowing. “What’s to say he won’t harm Ollie and then move on to another plan?”

Prez gives me hard look. “Archangel’s cold. A narcissist with no conscience. He’ll accept without question that we can cut Olivia out of our hearts and thoughts. It’s the way he works, and what brought him down in the end.”

Wraith slams down his hand. “And that there’s the hole in your thinking, Eli, Prez. Archangel’s the devil incarnate. If Olivia isn’t useful to him, he’ll dispose of her.”

I hear Wraith, but I’ve taken that into consideration. I clear my throat loudly. “I’ll leave, go home. I’ll contact him, let him know I’m not getting support. I’ll act…” I break off, knowing I won’t be acting at all, “as if I’m a broken man. I’ll tell him I came to you, begged you for support, and that you turned me down. Now we… you’re forewarned.” I change it at the last minute, remembering I’m not part of the club anymore. “You go on lockdown. What he’s done is made it harder for himself. By taking Liv, he’s put you on guard.”

“What are you fuckin’ talking about?” Wraith snarls. “This plan will only work if we’re actively trying to hunt him down. We’re not going to hide out on the compound.”

Mouse waves his hand. “We will be working to find him. I’m planning on hacking into any CCTV footage we can find to try to track where he was heading when he left the coffee shop with Olivia. When Eli calls him, I can ping his phone. I’ll put feelers out on the dark web, see if anyone knows where he might be. We won’t stop searching, Wraith. Fuckin’ assure you of that.”

“We’ll leave no stone unturned,” Prez says. He’s an even better computer wizard. It’s how he got his name.

“What about the feds?” Rock puts in. “Last time we got the information to them that allowed them to pick him up and take him in.” I nod. It’s a good point. Feds don’t like missing a prisoner who’s escaped from the penitentiary, and definitely not one who’s killed their guards. “We could let them know he’s in Tucson.”

“Or was,” Hounds points out. “We don’t know where he is now.”

“He can’t leave a trace,” Wizard says. “Even chartering a flight would be hard for a wanted man like him. I’d place good money that he’s not taken her far, or at least is within driving distance.”

“He’ll stay close.” Shooter frowns. I realise I don’t want to hear his reasoning that Archangel might be wanting to send her back in pieces or leave her body somewhere it could be found.

“How does he know it was us who ratted him out?” I wonder aloud.

“Good point, Eli. Again, Mouse and I will see what we can find out.”

I’m wracking my brains on what to do next. “Speak to Raptor, Wizard.” He’s the president of the local Wretched Soulz, having taken over from Chaz some years back. “They’ve got a price on Archangel’s head. They want him as badly as us.”

“Another good point,” Wizard repeats. “I’ll do that. Raptor will be very interested to know he’s back in town. They’ll get searching as well, you can bank on that.”

“I can set up a meet,” Dad proposes. Prez nods.

“I want to go back with Eli,” Wraith offers.

I feel uneasy and tense, but for the first time in months, I’m not focused on my inner self. “No,” I say, before Prez can respond. “We can’t rule out Archangel’s got eyes on the house. I need to be on my own.” I’m starting to get twitchy, fed up with talking. “Can I go now? Sooner I get the ball rolling, sooner we can get my wife back.”

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