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DC
The minute I woke post fight aches and pains had me grimacing and it made the cut on my cheek sting sharply which added to the collection of aches in my body. I hated the mornings after a fight. They were the worst. During the night your muscles stiffened and the only way to get over the aches was to move. Something I was loath to do.
I groaned as I crawled out of bed, shuffled to the bathroom and into a hot shower to soothe my aches and warm and soften my muscles. I let the hot water rain down on me until it started to cool. I dried off, taking special care not to rub too hard over my bruises, dressed in yoga pants and a tank top and shuffled barefoot into my kitchen.
Skelly and Rover sat on stools pulled up to the island, drinking coffee. I ignored them and silently poured coffee into the mug already set out for me. I inhaled deeply, sipped and sighed as the warm fragrant liquid slid down my throat. Only after I had taken a few healthy sips did I feel ready to face the two men in my kitchen. Why were they in my kitchen?
“Morning sweetheart, your face looks like shit.” Rover grinned.
“Morning babe, I’ve booked Lydia to come out and give you a massage later this morning and Killian said he’s taking care of the shop today so no need to go in.” Skelly gave me a big gin and a wink.
“Morning.” I watched them as I sipped my coffee.
“Why are you in my kitchen and what’s with the stupid grins?” Those knowing grins were starting to piss me off.
“We just wanted to check on you and once again congratulate you on winning the fight. It was fucking spectacular, particularly those last two kicks, they were a thing of beauty.” Rover leant over to have a closer look at my cheek. “Would have liked it better if you had no damage to that pretty face though.”
I shrugged. “It was a fight, Rover. People get hit in the face all the time, it’s nothing.”
“At least it’s shallow and won’t scar.” Skelly growled as he leant closer as well. “We wanted to make sure you stayed home today. Your crew has everything under control at the shop and Rover and I have put off the meetings the Crow had scheduled. Take the day to relax, sit in the hot tub, and let Lydia soothe those aching muscles. Tomorrow you’ll be back in ass kicking form.”
“Are you two stirring with me? Since when do I take time off from work after a fight? Or put off the Crow’s meetings?” I frowned at them.
“We can’t take a chance with the meetings, DC. Too many people know you fought that bitch last night. If the Crow moves around like he’s got aches and pains suspicions might arise. We need to keep you safe.”
Skelly laid it out and I had to agree. I was moving like a snail today.
“Okay, I’ll stay in and recover. That bitch got a couple of hard ones in.”
“We’ll be back later this afternoon. Relax, enjoy a day off, we’ll take care of any shit that pops up.” Skelly stood as he finished his coffee.
They both hugged me carefully, kissed me on the forehead and left.
And I went back to my bed and slept dreamlessly until Lydia arrived.
She shooed me into the hot tub when she saw the way I moved. We chatted and I drank one of her smoothies while my muscles slowly relaxed and softened. Afterwards she had me on her massage bed and worked her magic. I still had a little bit of pain but now the tension in my muscles was gone and I felt pleasantly warm and relaxed.
When Lydia left I vegetated on the couch. Listening to music and reading, something I almost never had time for. I only left the couch to get something to eat.
It was bliss.
A full day of relaxed bliss.
Hawk
Hawk looked across the table into the icy blue eyes of Doc Michaels, dragged in a deep breath and laid it out for the president of the Road Warriors MC.
“Last night I laid claim to DC. She is mine and if I have my way she will be wearing my patch and taking my ink very fucking soon.”
Doc Michaels sat frozen in his chair, the only thing moving was the fire in his blue eyes.
“But even saying all of that I fucking know she won’t accept me without your blessing. So, this is me, asking you for your permission to...fuck, I don’t even know what the fuck I’m asking permission for. All I know is that she’s going to be my old lady.”
Hawk sat back, crossed his arms over his chest and waited. Doc didn’t make him wait long.
“So, you want my permission to take my daughter away from my club, away from me. Why the fuck should I give it to you? I heard you kicked those whores of yours out. But are you ready to fuck only one woman for the rest of your life? Because let me tell you boy, that’s what my girl will demand from you. If you can give her fidelity, devotion and loyalty then, and only then, do you have my permission. If you can’t, you had better get out of here before I shoot you down like a fucking rabid dog.”
Hawk smiled. “Yes, she will have all of it and more. I’m done with fucking around. All I want is DC. I’m starting it with her today. I will be laying my claim before my brothers, but they already know my mind. I haven’t hidden my intentions from them, they are aware she means something to me.”
Doc sighed deeply and ran his hands down his face and over his beard. “Fuck, okay, you have my permission, but hear me boy, you hurt my girl and I will make you hurt in ways you have never fucking imagined. And you keep her out of your business, my girl stays clean. Do you get me?”
“I get you, Doc. And you won’t ever have to make good on that threat. For the rest, there is no way in hell I’ll ever pull her into our business. She stays clean, you have my word. If I fuck up and hurt my woman she will sort me out before you ever get to me. My little bird is a vicious little thing.”
Doc and his men laughed, so did Hawk’s.
“Glad you understand your old lady, Hawk. She’s going to give you fucking grey hairs worrying about her. There are a few things you need to know to keep her safe. Things we’ve kept from her because its club business and she didn’t need to know. I’ll leave it up to you whether you tell her, or not.”
This did not sound good. Hawk sat forward and waited.
“There’s a reason for the bad blood between the Warriors and the ED’s and it isn’t just because of the filth they are involved in. A few years ago Snake approached my club with a proposal that, according to him, would assure peace between our clubs. His idea was to arrange for our daughters to be claimed by men in either club, his daughter by Skelly and DC by Big Ed. I laughed in his face and walked out. They didn’t like my reaction.”
Rage burned through Hawk as Doc continued.
“As soon as Snake hears you have claimed DC he’s going to be pissed. He might retaliate for the supposed insult to him and his club. That doesn’t worry me. What worries me are the problems you are having in your territory and how it might spill over on my girl. I’ve been made aware of the situation with Jane Warne and Big Ed. I suggest you fix that as soon as you possibly can. Permanently.”
Hawk was no longer relaxed. “The situation is being taken care of and if any of those bastards come anywhere near my old lady they will fucking regret it.”
Doc grinned. “Good to hear. I’m having a talk with DC this afternoon. Skel will text you when we leave. We’ll set up another meeting soon, there are some things we need to discuss.”
After shaking hands Doc and his men left. Hawk sat back and took a long slug from the untouched beer in front of him. The fucking ED’s, every time he turned he found their dirty fingers touching what they shouldn’t. He would not allow those bastards anywhere near his little bird. Her security was going to be updated whether she wanted it or not.
At least he had Doc’s approval.
He couldn’t wait for the next step, when he would claim her body, making her his.
But until that happened he had to get back to the club and handle his business. Nodding at his brothers they finished their beers and rode back to the compound. His mind scrolled through everything he knew as he rode.
The investigation into the theft at the container yard was on going and security has been beefed up. Not knowing exactly what Jane had shared with the ED’s made it imperative to change all codes, routes and security for their trucks, yards and depots. They had to ensure that all their businesses were secure and safe for their employees and customers.
It was a huge fucking undertaking. And knowing what he now knew about the ED’s it was even more important to get it done as soon as possible.
Walking into the compound he sent a text calling all the officers into the chapel. The sooner they got started the sooner they would have their businesses and employees protected.
And then he would be claiming his little bird.
When his men walked in he sat back and waited until everyone had a seat and the door was closed. Looking around the room he met each man’s eyes briefly. They all sat quietly, waiting for him to start the meeting. He turned it over to Jagger.
“Jagger, let’s start with you. Give us what you have.”
Jagger cleared his throat then gave his report. “After conferring with Kid and Sin I arranged for armed brothers to ride along on all the long hauls. I had to pull brothers in from the other chapters and we have a lot of pissed off men out there. Not because they have to sit in a big fucking cage for hours on end, which will piss anyone off, but the fact that it’s necessary at all. We’ve had satellite tracking installed on all the trucks on the down low. The security at all our depots, garages and yards have been beefed up. We’ve changed guard rotations, changed codes and added more cameras.”
Taking a quick look around at the frowning men he continued. “I want us to think about taking our compound and yards off the grid. Change over to solar power and generators, sink boreholes for water, install rain water tanks and so forth. We could even look into utilising water from the spring. I’m not saying do away with Municipal water and power completely, but we need to be able to keep the lights on and have water the next time we’re attacked. Plus we look responsible by going green. A plus for all our businesses.”
There were grunts of agreement and nods around the table.
“Right now we need to concentrate on making sure no one pulls another fucking break-in that isn’t noticed for hours.” Kahn grumbled.
“Going off the grid is something to talk about at the table during an open meeting.” Ice said.
Hawk nodded. “Any questions for Jagger?”
A lot of no’s echoed around the room.
“Are all the loads we’re running right now legit?” Kid asked.
Ice sat forward and gave them an update. “We pulled all of our less than legit loads. I’ve let our customers know there would be a delay on their deliveries and we’ve had no one pulling their loads as of yet.”
Most of the loads run by Iron Dogz Trucking were totally legit but some weren’t. It’s been years since they got out of transporting drugs and guns. And they were fiercely anti-poaching and anti-human trafficking. Even going as far as anonymously tipping off the authorities a time or two. They had no problem transporting other less than legal products though.
“Spider, what do you have for us?” Hawk moved on.
“There have been several attempts to hack into our systems and access our bank accounts. They have failed because Ziggy’s firewalls are impenetrable. But I changed all system and account codes and passwords as a precaution. Only three people now have those codes. I’m confident our money is safe.”
Everyone sighed in relief.
“Ziggy?”
Ziggy rolled his neck tiredly. “Our systems are secure, as Spider said. They won’t fucking get in, not on my watch. Jagger’s got Dollar keeping an eye on Big Ed and Jane through the cameras we installed outside their homes and the ED’s clubhouse. Big Ed is a constant visitor at her house but we have no idea what they discuss. We need to get some bugs in there and we’re just waiting and watching for an opportunity. I’ve not been able to hack into the ED’s computers. But I’m not giving up, I’ll get in, it’s just going to take some time.”
“Before we move on, one more thing.” Jagger threw in quickly. “I made some calls to a company specialising in trained guard dogs. I was thinking about hiring them to patrol our premises. And when I researched them I found they supplied dogs and train their handlers. I think we should look into getting dogs and having a few of the brothers trained.”
“That’s a fucking good idea. We’ll bring it to the table.” Hawk said.
“Kid? What do you have for us?”
“I’ve kept in contact with the detectives investigating the theft. They aren’t on payroll so we have to be careful. So far they have nothing but will keep me updated.”
“Ice?” Hawk moved on.
“I’ve been talking to Dom Maingarde and he’s given us time to figure this shit out. We’re fucking lucky it’s him and not his bitch of a step-grandmother. He offered his help but I turned him down. We don’t want to end up owing them a favour or have some of their dark shit rubbing off on our club.”
Meeting Hawk’s eyes Ice continued.
“I’ve made it my job to investigate his sister, Pixie, your woman’s boss. I’m happy to report she’s clean. She’s distanced herself from her family. The Road Warriors chapter in Cape Town keeps an eye on her. She’s considered club family.”
“Thank fuck for that.” Sin growled. “DC doesn’t need their kind of shit in her life. She’s got enough going on with that little bitch of a sister of hers.”
There were growls of agreement all around.
Hawk rubbed his hands over his face, and then looked up.
“Anyone else have anything to report?”
“I think that’s everything.” Ice rumbled while the others nodded.
“Great. Let’s get out of here, think about what was said and we’ll get together again before church on Friday.”
Hawk was done and ready to get out of there. He wanted to hit the road and get to his woman.
“You going to claim the little bird as your old lady, Boss?” Beast asked with a wide grin.
“Yes. If I ever get a fucking minute to myself.” Hawk growled in frustration.
“We’ve got things under control, Hawk. Go claim your woman.” Kahn grinned as Hawk frowned at him.
“Can’t leave yet because Doc might still be there, waiting for a fucking text to give me the all clear.”
“Fuck that, Boss. We can leave now if you want.” Beast said. “Maybe by the time we get there he’s left.”
“What do you mean, we?”
There were shaking heads all around.
“Not letting you go alone, Prez. Kid and I will be going with you.” Beast said.
Hawk knew arguing about it wouldn’t help, and he wasn’t going to anyway. He was the one who’d ordered the brothers not to ride alone until this shit was behind them. And he wouldn’t go against his own orders.
His phone pinged, the coast was clear. His little bird was alone. The time had come.
“This meeting is done. Beast, Kid, let’s ride.”
His brothers were giving him wide grins as they left and Hawk didn’t care. He locked the chapel doors and followed Beast and Kid outside.
But before he got to his bike a heavy arm settled around his shoulders and Bulldog growled in his ear. “Bounty would have been so fucking proud to see the man you’ve become, son. As am I. Bring your woman over for dinner soon, before your aunt comes looking for your ass.”
With a last heavy slap his uncle walked back inside the clubhouse. Hawk stared after him for a few seconds before he joined Beast and Kid at their bikes.
Throwing his leg over his bike he relaxed into the seat, pulled his bandanna up over his nose and mouth, pulled on and fastened his helmet, and slipped on his dark glasses. He smiled to himself as the big bike rumbled to life beneath him.
Riding out the gate with Beast and Kid behind him he laughed softly. He was so ready for this.
Ready to make her his.
He had a little bird to tame. No not that, he didn’t want to tame her.
He just wanted her to be his.
