Page 6 of Hawk
Devlin looked at Skid and me and asked, “Can you keep DJ company while we talk?”
“Sure,” Skid replied and turned his attention to DJ.
I stood from my stool and watched as Hailey, Hatchet, Devlin, and Lucian walked to one of the tables along the far wall and took a seat. Devlin kept DJ and us in his line of sight as he turned his attention to Hailey. I wished I’d known what he was going to tell her, but in reality, it wasn’t my business. If she wanted me to know, she’d tell me.
Grabbing a juice box from the fridge behind the bar, I snagged some of those little fish shaped crackers and rejoined Skid and DJ. Jasmine was eating up the attention and I was glad to see she was doing so well after her injuries. Seeing her bleeding, trying to get up and struggling to stand killed a little piece of me. No animal ever deserves to be hurt, but she was defending Hailey and I knew she would do it again, if needed.
“Do you think it’s good news?” I asked Skid, and he looked at me with a smile.
Lowering his voice, he spoke softly. “I’m not sure, but I do know a month or so ago, they found an old picture of Stella on a closed MySpace page and they’ve been running it through the Callahan system, but what they’ve uncovered is anyone’s guess. Those two work all hours of the day and night looking for Stella. Between you and me, I think guilt is eating them alive, and every time they see Hailey, it drives home the fact that she’s out there, somewhere, and they’re clueless. That chaps their ass.”
“You said a bad word, Uncle Dawtom,” DJ said, mispronouncing Dalton’s name with his angelic voice and Skid shook his head with a smile as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a five-dollar bill.
Elise, DJ’s mom, had a rule about him coming around the clubhouse. If one of us cussed in front of him, the toll was five dollars. The kid had made close to a grand from the club, and I laughed every time someone had to pay. I’m used to censoring my language around Matthew and Anna, so I’d spent nothing so far.
We both kept a watchful eye on DJ and Jasmine as our gazes kept wandering to the conversation taking place across the room. They were speaking in softer tones, and I could see Hatchet holding Hailey’s hand tightly under the table as she listened to something Devlin was saying. Lucian interjected something, and Hailey wiped a tear from her cheek as she replied.
Not wanting to spy on what appeared to be an emotional moment, I stood from the floor and felt the aches in my bones. “Can I get you anything?”
Skid shook his head and replied, “I’ll wait until they get finished.”
He motioned his head slightly to the group then turned his attention back to DJ. He was offering Jasmine his fish crackers, and she was eating them from his hand gently. I walked around to the back of the bar and went back to cleaning the last few mugs from breakfast.
Gunner and I spoke a few weeks ago, and he agreed I could train someone to work the bar for me on school nights. The kids needed me around to help with homework and to cook dinner for them, and they deserved to not do that in a loud biker clubhouse. Basher volunteered to take over and was on a liquor run to the wholesaler in Pierce Bluff.
Lost in thought, I didn’t realize the meeting at broken up until I heard Hailey’s voice behind me. “Did you feed her all your crackers?”
“Yep,” DJ said as he reasoned, “she tol me she hungwee.”
Hailey chuckled as she spoke. “I’m sure she was hungry, but you didn’t get a snack.”
“I’ll get him something on the way home,” Devlin responded as Hailey stood from her kneeling position. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked, and she gave him a little nod.
“It’s not exactly an answer, but it’s something,” she reasoned, and I could see Devlin and Lucian both wanting to offer her comfort.
Hatchet slipped his hand into hers, and she gave him a smile as she pulled something from her back pocket and looked at it intently. I was turning back to face away from them when she shifted her stance and I was able to see what was in her hands.
Deep blue eyes and a radiant smile appeared from the picture in Hailey’s hands and at that exact moment, I knew fate was fucking with me. The bottle I was stocking slipped from my fingers, crashing onto the floor and shattering. There was no doubt of my shock as the group turned to face me. My eyes were locked on the photo in Hailey’s hands, and their eyes were locked on me.
“Sorry,” I muttered and tried to turn away, only to catch the stare of Lucian.
The stupid fucker gave me the slightest of smirks, and all I wanted to do was punch him in the throat until he couldn’t speak ever again. Devlin was analyzing me with his piercing gaze, and Hailey gave me a look of concern. Skid and Hatchet were standing there, waiting for an explanation that I didn’t know if I could give them.
The memories were starting to push their way out of the box I’d shoved them into, and it was at that moment I knew I was more tangled up in all this than I’d wanted to admit.
“Hawk,” Hailey asked, “are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just have slippery fingers today. I’m sorry if I startled anyone,” I tried to reason, but my voice came out hollow and disconnected.
Hailey looked at Hatchet with a worried expression, and he interjected, “Why don’t we get DJ that snack?”
“Snack,” DJ yelled, holding his hands up to Hailey to be picked up.
She grabbed him into her arms, and with a look of confusion, she allowed Hatchet to guide them out of the bar area and into the dining room. Just before they walked though the doorway, she turned and looked at me. The same deep blue eyes that I’d looked into long ago stared back at me. How hadn’t I noticed the similarities before?
When she was completely out of the room, Devlin and Lucian stepped closer, each trying to intimidate me with their angry glares. Skid watched on, and I could tell from the expression on his face that he knew the shit was about to hit the fan. He pulled his cell phone out and tapped a message to someone before joining me behind the bar.
Glass crunched under his heavy boots as he came and stood next to me, offering me support that was always a part of being in the Death Hounds family. I appreciated his brotherhood and back-up, but this wasn’t his or the club’s business. This was years before I became a patched brother, and I wouldn’t let the club get dragged into my bloodshed and chaos.
