Page 34 of Filthy Love

“Hey. Hi.” She sounded funny. Her voice higher than normal. He caught Krusher watching with a grin on his worn face. Hawk turned away, got out of his chair and paced over to the bar. “I’m here atDelancey’srestaurant for lunch and three Russian gentlemen sat down at my table.”

All Hawk heard was Russian and he was grabbing for his jacket over the chair he’d vacated, the chair upturned, and crashed to the floor.

“What is it, boy?” He heard from Krusher.

Only his head was fucking buzzing.

Russian.

Russian.

“Gia, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Can you speak? Are they there with you now?”

“Mmhm, oh yeah. This gentleman, by the name of Grigori Kuznetsov wanted me to let Rider know he was here.”

“Fuck. Fuck.” Hawk’s blood ran cold. He wasn’t thinking clearly when he sprinted out the door, nor was he calm when he roared his bike to life. The phone attached to his ear. “I’m on my way, little bit. Stay calm, okay? I’m ten minutes out.” It was a twenty-minute ride minimum, but if he had to run fuckers over he would to get to her. “It’s okay. They won’t harm you.”

“Okay. You’ll come now?” Her voice shook just for a second and he wanted to vomit. Goddamn them. Grigori had no fucking idea what he’d just done. If one hair on her head was harmed Hawk would break necks.

“Yeah, little bit. I’m going now. Make sure you stay right there for me, you got it? Are there other people around?”

She sounded relieved when she told him yes.

That was good. It meant Grigori was making a point and didn’t have intentions to grab Gia or he already would have. The fucker was big on making his points.

How the fuck did he know who she was?

But Hawk knew the answer.

Rex.

Rider’s fucking shithead uncle who was working with the Russians to try and get the Colorado chapter back for himself.

That motherfucker was going to get real dead for giving over Gia’s name, for putting her in the middle of this.

“Gia, I have to hang up now, so I can ride. I’m coming, okay? Don’t worry. Don’t talk to them and whatever you do, don’t go anywhere. Stay right there. Make a noise if you have to.”

“Okay. Okay.” He heard her inhale, like she wanted to say so much but knew it wasn’t the right thing to do. Good girl. She was thinking smart.

Swinging his leg over his bike, he spotted one of the chapter members and yelled him over. “Need you to follow me.” Lucky for Hawk, the guy didn’t ask too many questions and ran to his own bike.

Hawk on the other hand was a beast in traffic.

All he could hear was his own heartbeat rushing blood through his ears.

The atmosphere dropped ten degrees when Hawk stepped into the well-lit restaurant on Main street just under ten minutes later. With a reputation most people feared it wasn't any wonder everybody in the place, though it was packed like sardines in a shitty can, all got out of his way. His gait was long, purposely mean, his face didn't radiate much different, only he looked stoic with a vibration of murderous intent that went from eyebrows down to his well-worn boots, his eyes shifting left and right, making sure to look at no one and everyone at the same time.

He knew where he was going, what table to head for, the one in the very back that faced the entire bar. It would have been the table he'd chose.

Smart.StupidGrigori. As if a table setting was going to help that Russian now. He would have been wiser selecting his own pine box. Motherfucker should opt for the silk lining, he’d be dead a long time, always go for comfort, Hawk reckoned.

Through the crowd, he ignored the stares of people eating their pastrami on rye toast and sipping espressos, his gaze tracking until he could see her, first he caught a glimpse of her dark wavy hair, and then it was the white hoodie, and after three more steps he saw all of Gia.

Squashed between the two large men on one side of the booth, Hawk had to swallow his rage.

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