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Hawk
Walking into the crowded communications room Hawk’s mind was filled with the information his old lady had just given him. But it disappeared as he looked at the screens.
“It’s about to go down, Hawk.” Hotdog flicked a hand at one of the men and a chair appeared next to Ice.
Hawk sat down with a nod of thanks.
“What did I miss?”
“Not a thing.” Ice murmured. “Fireworks are about to start. Our fucking truck is approaching right now.”
They all flinched instinctively as the warehouse went up in an enormous fireball. Hawk leant forward, his eyes on the truck sliding to a stop a block away from the furiously burning building.
“Where are Kid and Sin’s teams?”
“They are staying out of sight. Our people are the only ones who know you’re not leading the attack. We didn’t want those fuckers to suspect that we’re on to them.”
Hotdog started swearing and Hawk frowned at the screen. Bikes were pouring out of the basement parking of a building two blocks from their target. They surrounded the truck, one of them was gesturing at the driver, the truck reversed and turned into a side road leading away from the burning warehouse.
Mad Dog tracked them on the traffic cams while Ziggy tracked the truck on the satellite tracking device hidden in the truck’s engine compartment. Mad Dog lost them when they turned onto a little used road with no traffic cams. Ziggy still had them and directed those following the truck. Mad Dog reacquired them when they approached the abandoned Durban Airport and drove unhindered through heavily guarded gates and disappeared behind the buildings.
What the fucking hell?
“Fuck.”
“Ziggy, what do you have?”
“The truck is still moving. I’m pulling up schematics for the Airport but I’m not sure how it’s going to help us.” There was a short silence with humming and swearing. “Okay, I’ve got thermal imaging, and don’t fucking ask me where or how I got it. We have three in the truck cab, six around the truck and there are ten small signatures in the container.”
Before Hawk could ask the screen filled with the thermal images.
“Where are they heading, Ziggy?”
“Looks like they are heading towards the old cargo terminal. And here’s the bad news. Look at the thermal images at that fucking building. We’re so fucked.”
Hawk stared at the screens with narrowed eyes and dread knotting his gut. Where the fuck was the fucking Road Warriors? Why hadn’t they followed the truck?
“Are there any cameras you can get into? I need to know who the fuck we’re up against before we make our next move.”
“Not that I can see. But give me a minute, I have an idea.”
Mad Dog had been furiously typing while Hawk spoke to Ziggy and now his head jerked up and he glared at the screens, swearing softly.
“Come on, come on, come on.” He whispered over and over as he typed, his screen filled with shit that meant absolutely nothing to Hawk.
“Boot up you piece of shit. Come on, come on.” Mad Dog slapped a hand on the desk next to him in frustration then started typing again.
“Yes! Ziggy, I hacked into the system running the perimeter and access security. Now we just have to somehow turn on the cameras. I’m going to need your help with that.”
“I’m with you. Let’s do this.”
Silence reigned in the room as Mad Dog and Ziggy worked. When he hunched over and growled everyone tensed.
“We’ve got some of the cameras back up. Not all of them though. It seems that some of them have been removed or damaged. We’ve got nothing inside the building but we don’t need them. According to the thermal images we have a group of people waiting for the truck just inside the open doors of the cargo terminal. We’ve got cameras on the light poles outside and a few of them are trained on those doors.”
With a single keystroke the outside of the building appeared on the screens. Four big black SUV’s were parked outside the building, a driver in each one. Mad Dog zoomed in on the group waiting in the open doors and Hawk’s hands fisted on his knees.
Fucking Winifred Maingarde and her top enforcers stood in the open doors. Another close up appeared and he swore viciously. Speedy and his fucking rogues were wearing Iron Dogz kuttes and they had been caught on traffic cams wearing those fucking kuttes. This has been the bitch’s fucking plan from the start. His truck, his container and supposedly his men.
He had to move fast if he was going to get ahead of this.
“Mad Dog, I want close ups of every single one those fuckers on the bikes, as many as possible. The same for the driver and those other two in the cab with him. Ziggy, get Jagger up to speed. Go back and track that fucking container and the truck. I want to know where and when they loaded those children. It did not happen in our yard. Find out where. Do we have updates on exactly what happened to Dave and Petey? How the fuck did they get food poisoning? Get Dollar on it and let me know what you find.”
Turning in his chair he looked around the room.
“Ice, call back every single man we have out there. I need Kid and Sin back here and away from the fucking Road Warriors. I don’t want any of the Iron Dogz near that fucking airport. I have a nasty feeling in my gut.”
“Fuck, Hawk, got something here, brother.” Ziggy’s voice was tight.
“Go ahead, give it to me.”
“I got a ping from our bank accounts and we suddenly have a new off shore account. Filled with fucking hundreds of thousands of dollars. And brother, according to the online information it is your account with your signature on the paperwork. Deposits in several different currencies were made to the account over the last year.”
This was it Hawk thought as he made instant decisions that would safeguard everyone in his club and especially his little bird.
“Find out when and where that account has been opened and then kill it. I don’t care how you do it, Zig. Fucking kill it. They are setting me up to be convicted as a human trafficker and I’m not going to let the fuckers do this to me or my club.”
“Brother, even if I kill the online account they are going to have papers implicating you.”
“I know, Zig.” A thought occurred and he gave it to Ziggy. “Banks have security inside and outside their branches and videos are most probably backed up on security servers. I haven’t been out of the country or inside a fucking bank in fucking years. They won’t find me on their tapes opening that fucking account. Unless the fucking Maingardes found someone who looks like me. You better work fucking quick, brother. Find that fucking footage and back it up in more than one place before it disappears. I’m going to need it.”
Spider’s pissed off face suddenly filled one of the screens.
“I’ve got this, brother. I’m the fucking Treasurer of this club and these fuckers are fucking with my job. This is one of those online accounts, no need to visit a bank to set it up. So no fucking worries about footage and shit. This has Jane’s fucking dirty claws all over it. Give me a few and I’ll fix it, I’ll fix her and fucking Big Ed. Going to turn this back on them. I’ll talk to you soon, cuz. I’ve got your back, Prez.”
As suddenly as he had appeared he was gone.
“Okay, so Spider gave me some orders and I’m following them. Hands off the bank account until he tells me what he wants done. Sorry, Boss, we are following Spider’s orders on this one. He says we need to stay away from the bank because it’s a trap, so I’m following up on the truck and container as you ordered.”
“Send Gerhard Van Wyk a file with everything we know.”
Ziggy’s subdued okay pissed him off, badly. This should not be happening.
Rubbing his hands over his suddenly very fucking tired eyes Hawk sat back in his chair. Around him silence hung heavy in the air. The door swinging open violently had them all turning in their chairs, all except Mad Dog who kept on working. Kid stormed through the door, his eyes wild.
“Why the fuck did you pull us off those fuckers? We could have had those kids safe by now.”
Hawk silently stood and faced his best friend. “No, brother, it was a set up.”
Kid frowned and looked around the crowded room. “What?”
“We’re being set up, brother. Actually, I’m being set up and with me the entire club. The Maingardes’ with the help of the Road Warriors have set us up to take the fall for their human trafficking ring. They manufactured evidence that makes a damning statement of our involvement in human trafficking. Ziggy is working on it but proving it false is not going to be easy.”
Kid suddenly looked devastated as he whispered. “Jane, this is fucking Jane. She helped them do this. How the fuck could she do this to her family? What the fuck am I going to tell my mum when she asks about this shit?”
Hawk got out of his chair and clapped a hand on his best friends’ shoulder. There was nothing else he could do to ease the pain Kid felt at the betrayal.
He had to get out of the room. Slipping his phone from the pocket of his kutte he found the number he needed. He had called Rick after shit went down with Doc and Freeze and he started to suspect he was being set up. He had put it off as long as he could but he was going to need help to save his club. He dialled as he walked into the common room and found a corner where he would not be overheard.
“Yes.”
“Rick, as you predicted they’ve made their move and shit is about to go down. I need you to keep DC safe.”
A short silence hung between them before Rick answered.
“She’s safe, Hawk. We’re on top of this, brother. As we anticipated, you and your men are being set up to take the fall. But not all the players in this shit show have shown themselves yet. And it means we’ll have to hang back a little longer. Cover your ass, call your lawyer and have them throw a tonne of paperwork at the SAPS. Stall them as long as you can. If they arrest you we’ll keep you out of jail and in the holding cells where you’ll be safer. That’s the best I can do for now. Sorry man.”
“I haven’t told my club that I’ve called you and your team in on this. Don’t let me regret this. Keep my woman and my people safe. If I go down you fucking finish this.”
“You have my word. Don’t worry, brother, it’s almost done. And you won’t fucking go down on my watch, believe me.”
Fucking Rick. Fucking secret agent shit. When he finished the call Hawk immediately dialled the club’s lawyer.
“Van Wyk.”
“Gerhard. Hawk. There’s a good possibility I’m going to be arrested for human trafficking later today. I’m being set up. Ziggy is sending you everything we have. I’m at the Iron Dogz compound in Durban. Can you send one of your associates to take care of this until you get here?”
A long silence had Hawk’s gut clenching.
“Sorry, Hawk, I was just reading Ziggy’s e-mail. I’ll be there as soon as I can. After a quick look through of what you’ve sent me it’s very obviously a set up. I’ll study the facts on the plane. One of the lawyers from our Durban office will take care of this until I get there. Her name is Saskia Gordon and she will be at the clubhouse within minutes if you need her. Keep your mouth shut, my friend, you say nothing, let Saskia do the talking for you. Okay, good news, I’m on a chartered flight out of Lanseria to Virginia in an hour. Listen to Saskia, she’s good at what she does. See you soon, Hawk.”
He was gone before Hawk could say anything more. Now he had to let his little bird know what was going to happen in the next few hours. He wasn’t looking forward to it. Taking a deep breath he made his way to the room where he had left her with the other old ladies.
She was laughing and looking so relaxed Hawk hated to interrupt. But he had to. He had to warn her about what was coming.
“Baby, can I have a minute?”
Her smile was wide until she looked into his eyes. Then it dropped right away.
Holding her hand he led her up to their room and locked the door behind them. Drawing her to their bed he sat down and pulled her into his lap, holding her tight against him, his face in her neck. He breathed her in, using her scent to steady his racing heart.
Not hesitating he laid it out for her.
“We were set up, little bird. They were aware we were at the warehouse and played us. The Road Warriors never showed. Speedy and his men wore Iron Dogz kuttes and made sure they were caught on fucking traffic cams as they escorted the truck to the cargo terminal of the old Durban Airport. Winifred Maingarde and her men were waiting but left without the kids. I don’t know how but I’m sure she has some asshole that’s going to point the finger at me as the kingpin. I suspect I, along with all my officers, will be arrested sometime today or late tonight by the human trafficking task force. I don’t want you to worry. My lawyers and brothers have their orders. They will protect you no matter what happens. Wolf will take over as acting president, please listen to him and let him keep you safe for me. Do not leave the compound, baby. If the fucking Maingardes get their hands on you they will use you to destroy my club, my brothers and me.”
Her eyes were narrowed and he saw ice creep into those dark eyes.
“They will pay for their treachery, Hawk. No one goes after with my man or his family and lives to talk about it. You won’t be safe if they arrest you, baby. There will be a hit out on you the minute you step inside a cell. It will most probably be one of your guards. They can’t have you talking, you know too much.”
They sat quietly for a few seconds and then his woman jerked and grabbed his face.
“I suspect the reason why we never saw Raj again is that he’s part of this elaborate freaking farce. Freeze played you and by playing you he played me. I bet you anything they let that bastard go once he played his part.”
In front of his eyes his little bird morphed into the Crow.
“They will regret their actions.” Her cold voice whispered into the room.
“Yes, they will, little bird. They most certainly will.” Hawk agreed.
“Pack your shit just in case we need to get you out of here fast. I have some things I need to sort out with my brothers.” He stood and set DC on her feet.
“I’m on it. I think we should get all the old ladies and girlfriends out of here. They are a liability if they stay. It would be too easy to grab one of them and blackmail their man to help them get to us.” His little bird stood with her mouth clamped down in a tight line and he could see that amazing brain of hers working through what they knew.
She spoke as if to herself as she worked through it.
“We know they want Iron Dogz Trucking. They are going to come with demands and if you do not give them what they want they will threaten to give their so-called evidence to the human trafficking taskforce. Those stupid bastards will hold on to you for months before your lawyers will be able to get you out and by that time you will be dead and the Iron Dogz will belong to the Maingardes.”
She stood in front of him, her fingers tapping against her lips, her eyes narrowed as that cunning brain of hers worked on their problem. He watched as a sly smile curved around her beautiful mouth and ice settled in her black eyes.
The fucking Crow, his beautiful fucking Crow.
“We need to find Jane. She likes talking. She will like it even more if she can lay it all out for me.”
Hawk looked down into those icy black eyes and agreed. But finding Jane would not be easy...unless. Unless he called her.
Smiling at his cunning little bird Hawk pulled out his phone. She didn’t answer.
It was time to start fighting back. And they would be fighting dirty.
Jane, call me. We need to talk. I made a big fucking mistake.
“This should get her attention.” Hawk grinned as he showed his woman the text he had just sent.
The sly smile returned and her black eyes shone as she nodded.
