Page 24 of Hawk
“How do you feel about going to Portstill with me? I promise I’ll take care of you and give you and Hailey all the time you need to get reacquainted.”
Stella reached out, took the half-smoked joint from the ashtray, and lit the end before inhaling deeply. She turned her guarded eyes to me as she spoke. “Tell me about this Hatchet person with Hailey. I assume you and your brothers got your club names from some act or deed, so I want to know what he did to deserve that name. And if I need to worry about him hurting Hailey.”
I understood where her mistrust was coming from, but I needed to set her straight on Jacob. Trying to keep my voice calm, knowing she was being protective and guarded, I began to explain. “Hatchet’s real name is Jacob, and he’s one of the best men I’ve ever met. He would hurt himself before he’d ever do anything to hurt Hailey. Of that, I’m positive.”
“So, how did he get his name?”
She handed me the small, smoldering joint, and I tossed it into the ashtray before retrieving another from my small stash. Lighting the tip, I inhaled before handing it to her. I needed a little numbness before I told this story to her. I was afraid by telling her the truth, which she deserved, she would think the worst of the club. We weren’t choir boys, but we were far from dangerous to those we loved.
I cleared my throat and took a swallow of water before I began to speak. “Last year, one of the old ladies in the club was kidnapped, along with Hatchet.” Stella’s eyes grew wide as I continued. “Her ex was a bastard and thought he could force her to be with him. He beat them both and shot Jacob.” She seemed shocked, so I added, “The asshole who took them . . . tried to . . . but Jacob stopped him by sinking a hatchet into his back. He saved them both and earned his member patch.”
“So, he’s good to Hailey?” Her voice had vulnerability in it, and I slowly reached over and placed my hand on top of hers. Her eyes glanced down, but she didn’t try and break the connection.
“He’s protective of her, loves her unconditionally, and would lay down his life to keep her safe,” I explained simply, and she seemed to relax some. I moved my hand from hers and leaned closer. “I know you have every reason to be leery of the whole situation, but there’s more to the Death Hounds, and your brother, than meets the eye. Do we do illegal things? Yes, but not much more than growing this.” I lifted the smoking joint as a reference, and she gave me a single nod. There was no need to tell her of all the things we’d done in the past. “Over the last few years, we began to shift our focus, and being protectors and redeemers is more of what we do now.”
“You’re telling me that a group of bikers are wholesome Goody Two-shoes?”
I laughed into the air at the image of the Death Hounds being labeled wholesome. “In some circles, we’re feared simply by reputation and assumptions. In other circles, we’re respected and revered for our giving nature and desire to build a better world.”
“So, you’ve gone from the dark side to the light side?” I shrugged, and she asked, “Can the same be said for my brother?”
“Devlin is his own man, but I will ask that you give him a chance to explain himself to you before rushing to judgement.” I could see her hesitation as she took a swallow of water and recapped the bottle. “I know from your experiences you must feel uncertain about anything having to do with your family, and you have every right to feel that way. But the man I know and have known for the past eight years seems to be a good person. I’m not saying there aren’t parts of him I don’t know about, but from every indication, he’s nothing like your father.”
The mention of her father caused a fire to burn behind her eyes. When I took her away from the prison he’d sentenced her to all those years ago, it took us three weeks of doubling back, looking over our shoulder, and avoiding major roads for me to get her to the person she began to call her redeemer. I didn’t know if they deserved the title, but she began to call them that shortly after we arrived. I spent the first ten days with her, making sure she felt safe before I walked out and never looked back.
I should have stayed and helped her through the pain she was dealing with, but I wasn’t much better off than she was. I needed to find my way back from the dark edge I’d walked for too many years. Saving her saved me. I just wished I would’ve seen the classless bitch Araneta was before I let her get her hooks in me. Even though it would mean I didn’t have Matthew and Anna, I wished I’d never met my ex.
Needing to get my head back in the game and not dwelling on the heartless bitch I called my wife for over five years, I gave Stella a small smile as I asked, “So, what do you say? Feel like taking a road trip?”
She began to chew on her bottom lip, and it took everything in me to not reach over and pull the plump flesh from between her teeth. I’m sure the stress from all the revelations was taxing her, so I suggested, “Why don’t we go get something to eat and you can think about it? Hell, take a few days and ask me anything you want about the club, Hailey, your brother . . . whatever. Just don’t dismiss the opportunity to have a relationship with your daughter, because you’re worried. I promised you ten years ago that I would protect you, and I mean it to this day.”
“Why . . . why are you so nice to me? I never asked you that, but I’d like to know.” Her voice was small, and she seemed unsure of herself all of a sudden.
I looked out the window of the back door and asked, “Can we go outside to talk about this? I don’t know about you, but I could use the fresh air.”
She nodded and stood from her chair. The dog stood with her and walked beside her as I followed them to the back door. He took off into the fenced yard as she took a seat under an umbrella along the side of the patio. I joined her and inhaled deeply, knowing I was about to tell her something I never wanted anyone to know. But Stella wasn’t just anyone.
“How much do you remember about how we met?” I asked, and she lifted her eyes before leveling her gaze on me.
“Everything. I remember everything.”
I was shocked by her statement but did my best to hide it. I couldn’t imagine remembering every painful moment she endured, but from the haunted look in her eyes, she was telling the truth. She deserved the same from me. I just hoped she didn’t kick me out and take Hailey away from all of us due to my admission.
“I was in the military but got discharged due to an injury.” She looked down at my knee and lifted her knowing eyes back to mine. “When I was out on my own, no family, no connection, I allowed myself to get dragged into some stupid shit that I’m embarrassed about now. I’ll gloss over most of it, if that’s okay with you.”
“Please don’t feel like you need to uncover yourself for me.”
The vulnerability in her voice killed me as I pushed forward, needing to say this to someone at least once. “I got connected with a group of people that needed . . . hired guns. It was easy money, and I’m not proud of what I did, but for a few years, I was basically a bodyguard. Then, I became muscle for them and . . . others. Eventually—”
“Is that how you got connected with my father?” she asked, and it was time for me to show my shock. She shrugged as she explained, “When you showed up at . . . his house, he told me you worked for my father and wouldn’t hesitate to kill me just for a laugh.”
“I would never do that. The only reason I was there was to get you away from . . . him. I swear I never . . .”
She reached over and placed her soft fingertips against my lips, silencing me. “I know that, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to explain all the bad choices you made. I know the real man inside of you. The man who helped me escape, the man who saved me, and the man trying to reunite me with my daughter. Please don’t feel guilty about how we met, or the fact that you worked for bad people. I don’t hold it against you. It’s not like you’re still doing that, right?”
“Correct. The last bad choice I made was working for your father, and the first good thing I did was help you escape. I . . . I just never wanted you to think I was anything like them.”
“And I never did. You gave me a chance at life, which allowed me the chance to save Hailey from the hell she was living in. If you think about it, you saved us both.”
