Page 63 of Hawk's Cry

Prez considers, then declares, “Wraith, you stay here. I can’t see any fuckin’ point in you going back to where she was. Archangel isn’t going to drop her back home, however much we wish he would. You can best help her from here. Eli, you go get this thing started. We’ll keep digging this end.”

“Yeah. Run out of here with your tail between your legs. Again.” My eyes go sharply to Marvel’s, but he’s cracking up as if he made a good joke.

In truth, it cuts too close to the bone, but I go along with it. “As long as you’re not going to give me a beatdown this time.” I shut my mouth fast when it looks like he’s giving consideration to it.

Prez looks around. “We are going to get her back, and in one piece.” He raises his chin. “Mouse, give Eli a burner phone and walk him through checking for bugs in his house. Somehow Archangel knew just what your movements were. I want to be certain it’s only Olivia’s phone that was tracked. Oh, and Eli? We might not be visible, but never doubt for one second you’ve got all your brothers behind you.”

It’s crazy, I think to myself, as I sit beside the prospect giving me a lift back to my house. I’m actually feeling more like my old self than I have for months. But that goes with guilt that I’m feeling stronger, while my wife’s been kidnapped and is currently suffering fuck knows what.

She’s got to be alright. Both her and the baby. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if she’s not.

Butcher doesn’t know what to say to me, so we’re quiet on the drive. I don’t start a conversation. Anyone who’s not a trusted member will have to believe the club has refused to help me find Olivia if we’ve got a chance of Archangel being fooled.

He stops the truck when we arrive at the coffee shop, and I get out without ceremony, then walk over to Liv’s car. Luckily I have a spare key on my keyring. Apart from my bike, it’s the only vehicle we own so I drive it whenever I have need of a cage.

I then take the short journey home and enter the house that’s so quiet and lonely without Liv here waiting for me.

I follow Mouse’s instructions, satisfying myself I’m fairly confident there are no bugs in the house and so Archangel’s information is limited. At last, I take Liv’s phone out of my pocket. Drawing in a deep breath, I call the number of the person who’d texted her.

I hear the phone answered, then, silence.

“Er, is this Gabe?”

“Sure,” the voice replies cockily.

“Gabe, I wonder if you could help? My wife, Olivia, has disappeared. I’ve just found her phone. It appears she was going to meet you for coffee. The waitress told me she was unwell when she left. Did you give her a lift somewhere? Anything you can tell me would help. I’m worried something’s happened to her.”

“Sounds like you’re as fucking stupid as your wife is.” His snort reaches me down the line. “Gabriel should have given it away immediately.”

“I don’t understand what you mean?” I let my voice rise, trying to put on the tone of a distraught man who can’t think straight, and a worried husband. “Er…”

“Gabriel? Think about it for a moment. I’ve got time.” But after a just a few seconds, like a person who wants everyone to acknowledge how clever they are, he impatiently expands, “Think about angels.”

I let my pause stretch out, then act as if the penny has only just dropped. “Archangel?” I query, with more than a hint of disbelief in my voice. At his grunt of delight as though I’m a child solving a puzzle, I continue, strengthening my voice. “What the fuck do you want with my wife?”

His voice now carries ire. “I want revenge on your club. It was because of you I got locked up and now have a fucking price on my head. I want every single one of you to suffer.”

“So why take my wife if you’ve got a beef with the Devils? It’s with them, not us. She’s not part of the club. Neither am I,” I rasp out. “I left. I wanted nothing to do with them, and they none with us. Today, for fuck’s sake,” I let genuine distress enter my voice, “today I found out we mean nothing to them. When I couldn’t find her, I went to them for help. They sent me away. They sent me a-fuckin’-way,” I repeat for emphasis. “They don’t give a damn about me or her. They’ve washed their hands of both of us.”

“Don’t give me that,” he scoffs. “Your father’s in the club, hers too. You were both born and bred there. You think I’ll believe for a moment they won’t be going crazy trying to find her?”

“Think what you damn well like. If you want revenge on the club, taking her will break me, but what am I now? A normal citizen. It won’t do anything to them. We don’t exist to them anymore. We took our chances when we left. You’re right, we’ve both got fathers there, but even they’ve turned their back on us and no one else cares. You want revenge on Wizard and his brothers, well this is not the way to get that.” I let desperation seep into my tone, while I’m rapidly thinking. “They destroyed you, Archangel. But they’ve destroyed me too. Give me back my wife, and I’ll help you hit them where it really hurts.”

Another silence, then, “What are you suggesting?” he asks, cautiously.

“I’ve got no reason to love the club. Look what they did to me?” I don’t know what Liv’s been discussing with him, so I decide to stick close to the truth. “I’ve had a fuckin’ mental breakdown, and what did they do? They chucked me out instead of getting me the help that I needed.” I’m crossing my fingers that Liv won’t have said anything to contradict my version of events. “We’re expecting our first child, but that made no difference to them. They gave me a beatdown that was so vicious, I couldn’t even get a job to support my wife and child. After all I’ve done for them, they turned their backs on me and Liv. We lost our house, livelihood, everything.” I squeeze my fingers tighter, hoping he hasn’t tracked the ownership of this house back to them.

“Your proposition? I assume you have one?” His voice sounds bored.

“We fuckin’ destroy them. I know everything, I was the fuckin’ VP. I know where their armoury is and exactly what’s in it. I know where the bodies are buried. I know everything about their strengths, weaknesses and how to get to them.”

“Sounds like they made a fucking mistake letting you walk away. I’d have killed you instead of allowing you to leave.”

“It came close, they did nearly kill me. But as you said, I’m family. Their old ladies wouldn’t let them.”

“Fucking bitches. If the Devils have handed their asses to their women, sounds like they’ll be easy to take.” Women mean nothing to Archangel. We know that only too well. That he can’t understand the lengths real men will go to for their old ladies only strengthens my position at this point.

“Give me back my wife, and I’ll help you.”

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