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Hawk
Standing with his hands behind his back Hawk stared at the three men in front of him. They were dressed in dark combat uniforms without a single identifying mark anywhere which meant they were private operators or mercenaries. They were suspended by their wrists and had obviously taken some damage before he got there.
None of them said a word.
Nodding Hawk slowly walked around them until he stood in front of them again.
“I need you to answer some questions and the sooner you answer the sooner this shit is done. Answer my questions and death will be easy, don’t answer, and I guarantee it won’t.”
He stared at them, holding their eyes.
“Who are you working for?”
“Don’t give a shit what you do. You and your fucking gang are filthy human traffickers. We were shown the evidence of what you do. You abduct little kids between the ages of 8 and 13 and sell them on the black market to the highest bidder. Can’t let that fucking shit happen.” The one in the middle answered.
There were groans from the watching men. Hawk hissed at them to shut up and silence fell.
“So, you’re telling me you are the good guys who came to take down the filthy fucking biker gang selling kiddies to dirty fuckers. Who hired you?”
There was a long silence before he spoke again. “I got no names, just aliases so it won’t help you. They are going to take you down, every single dirty fucking bastard. Don’t care if you kill us, we got the cops focusing on you now. So we’re good with whatever happens next. You won’t get away with it.”
Shaking his head Hawk motioned to Gav to let the bastards down so they could stand. He waited as chains rattled until the three had their feet on the ground.
“Get them some chairs.” Grumbles sounded but three chairs were shoved behind them and Gav let them down until they had their asses in the chairs.
Dragging a chair forward Hawk sat down and crossed his arms over his chest.
“I’m going to lay it out for you so you get how deep the shit is that you are in. The Iron Dogz MC has never nor will we ever kidnap and sell any human regardless of age. You are the ones working for a human trafficking ring and pretty soon, once you tell me what I need to know, we will hand you over to the taskforce who will most probably lock you up and throw away the key.”
There was a moment of stunned silence and then the one on the end laughed.
“Good try. We saw your trucks, we saw your men surrounding that truck and we saw the kids when they transferred them into that fucked up container. Stop this talking bullshit and get it over with. We’re not talking, not now, not ever.”
Hawk nodded slowly then turned. “Gav, get a laptop in here.”
While they waited for Gav to get back Hawk laid it out for them.
“I know you are supposedly working with Freeze Wentzel of the Road Warriors MC in Cape Town. We were warned that you were coming for us, so we were prepared. What you don’t know, and what you weren’t made aware of was that Freeze’s daughter was being threatened by the organisation kidnapping those kids. Sadly, he didn’t go to his club and told his brothers he was being coerced, instead he started working for the organisation. He not only betrayed his club but ours as well. Rogue elements in their Durban chapter kidnapped those children and made it look like the Iron Dogz was to blame. You think we work for Winifred Maingarde, but wake the fuck up, you are the ones working for her. She’s the one fucking paying you.”
The door slammed as Gav ran in with a laptop clutched in his hand.
Getting up and pacing in front of the speechless bastards Hawk waited as Gav set the laptop up on his chair. Hawk unlocked the password protected files and searched for what he wanted. The interrogations done by Crow.
“What you’re about to see is the interrogation of two of the traffickers, both women. It should be enlightening for you.”
The silence in the underground room was suddenly filled with the eerie hissing voice of the Crow and the sobs and moans of the women being interrogated.
There were sharp shocked breaths from the men watching and from the men listening until it was done and Hawk slapped the top of the laptop down, ending the video.
“What the fuck was that?”
Before Hawk could answer Gav was there, right in their faces. “That was the fucking Crow and if you don’t start fucking talking and giving my boss what he wants that is who is coming for you. Stop wasting fucking time and tell him who took his fucking old lady and my sister!”
One of the men looked shocked as he glanced at Hawk then looked at the men sitting next to him. They nodded in agreement and he turned back and started talking.
“She’s safe. We were hired to provide a distraction so she could be rescued by a special team in the SAPS. I promise you she’s safe.”
Hawk jerked the laptop open again and played the video of the attack in the clubhouse and the vicious beating given to DC.
“If she’s so fucking safe why the fuck did they beat her and try to kill my man and the other women in that room?” This was taking too fucking long and Hawk was close to exploding.
“Jesus Christ. This is a fucking cluster fuck.” The man snarled. “I need to contact my men on the other end of this. They are in fucking danger.”
“Names, right the fuck now.” Hawk picked up the laptop and gave it back to Gav who took it and silently stepped back against the wall.
“Hendricks, Roodt and Lang. We’re part of a specialised hostage extraction team. My men outside, did I lose any of them during the attack?”
Hawk shrugged. “There were some injuries, some serious, some critical but they have all been taken care of, hospitalised. The rest were taken into custody. Not all of those men were dressed like you and your men. Who are they?”
His captive shook his head. “The men in uniform are mine and I need them out of lock up ASAP. I have no idea who those other fuckers are. They were foisted on me at the last minute. If I had to guess they work for the person who hired us. And now that I’ve seen those videos I’m sure they were here to take us out once the job was done.”
Hawk nodded. “I can arrange to get them out. Now tell me where the fuck my old lady is?”
Hendricks was obviously the man in charge and he gave Hawk what he knew.
“We were hired to extract DC Michaels who, we were told, had been kidnapped by the Iron Dogz MC, but just as we were about to breach the compound our orders changed. We were to provide a distraction and allow the SAPS team to extract her. They would take her to a secure location where she would be handed over to Freeze Wentzel and her fiancée Raj Chetty who are waiting to transport her to safety.
“My team and I were shown evidence that you and her father are part of the ring trafficking kids. We were assured that Doc and his accomplices would be arrested and taken into custody by a special task team once DC was safe. Six of my men are at the hand over location for her protection. But those bastards who took her aren’t SAPS, I’ll bet my last fucking cent on it. And I fucking know I’m going to lose those men if I don’t warn them. Please man, allow me to call and warn them. We don’t have much time, they might already be dead but I have to try. And we need them to help save your woman.”
Hawk waved a hand and Hotdog stepped up and unlocked the shackles from around their wrists.
“Where are they taking her?”
“The old Durban International Airport, they have a helicopter standing by to fly them to Virginia Airport where a jet is waiting to fly them to Cape Town. I need my phone. If I call from any other phone they won’t answer.”
Fuck. The fucking old airport. Again.
Minutes later the call had been made and Hendricks had warned his men. The bad news was that they were now in the minority at the location. Speedy, Jane and some men had arrived and along with the four who were bringing DC in they were now in control of the location. Plus one of his men had overheard plans to get rid of Freeze and Raj the minute they arrived at Virginia airport which Hawk had expected to happen. Those two were expendable now that they were no longer of use. After a quick discussion it was decided that his men should volunteer to take over guarding the perimeter.
“Get them cleaned and patched up. When it’s done we ride.” Growler and Hotdog gave him chin lifts.
Hawk made calls to Ziggy, Skel and Rick. He needed Rick’s contacts to get Hendricks’ men out of lock up and to close down Virginia Airport in case they failed to free DC from the bastards holding her. He needed Ziggy and Skel to work their magic to access the cameras at the terminal and get them in undetected. Skel loved DC and would get the Warriors up to speed and he needed him and Alien to lock down Freeze and Raj. If they were still at the safe house.
Jesus, he had so little time to save his little bird. So very little fucking time.
He left the dungeon room with Ice, Kid and Gav following him. Turning to Kid he drew him into a tight hug, slapping his back before he pulled away. “I’m so fucking sorry, brother.”
“Not your fault, Hawk. Jane bought every single fucked up thing that’s going to happen to her. She betrayed her family, her blood, her club. She’s dead to me.” Kid bit out coldly.
Hawk looked at him for a long time, nodded, turned and moved off into the night.
Walking across the yard to the clubhouse he drew the cool night air deep into his lungs, trying to dispel the smells of the dungeon. He stopped halfway and drew his phone out of his kutte pocket. He dialled, his eyes on the brightly lit up front gate.
“Doc, can you talk?”
“Yes.”
“Did Skel bring you up to date?”
“Yes.”
“Then you know Speedy and the Maingarde bitch has their sights set on taking over both clubs, nationally. You need to cover your asses. I’m going after DC, with or without the Road Warriors.”
An angry grunt filled the short silence. “The Road Warriors will be with you. We’ve taken out the rubbish this side, so it’s all clear.”
For the first time in hours something lightened the load resting on his shoulders.
“Permanently?”
Doc laughed without any humour. “No, it’s waiting for the rubbish truck to do a pick up.”
Hawk gave a short bark of a laugh. “Hold on to those bags, we might have some rubbish to add to them before the truck arrives.”
Again a soft evil laugh. “Done. Now, how are we doing this?”
And just like that they were back to business. “I’m sure Skel informed you of the specialised help we’ve acquired tonight. They will be assisting when we go in to get my old lady. I’m worried about the Warne bitch being at the location, she hates DC and will hurt her. My woman is already hurt, and I have no idea how badly but it did not look good, add the Warne bitch to that mix and it could be deadly.”
That very soft evil laugh came again. “Don’t worry about my little demon, Hawk. She’s been trained to withstand a fuckload of pain. The Crow will take over and keep her safe, take whatever they do to her and turn it back on them the minute she’s free. We are ready to ride. Skel has men close to the airport already, just watching. No kuttes, no bikes. And we have a way in that’s not the front door. Are you ready to ride?”
Hawk nodded even though he knew Doc couldn’t see him. “We’ll see you soon.”
Sliding his phone back into his pocket he gave his orders.
“Get the men ready to ride, tell Sin and Claw I want to see them. I want us ready to ride in twenty minutes at the latest. My old lady’s time is running out.” Kid turned and raced off to make the arrangements to get them on the road.
“We’ll get to her in time, brother.” Ice clasped a hand over Hawk’s shoulder before he followed Kid.
“They’re going to hurt her before they kill her.” Gav said softly. “I feel it in my gut. We need to get there, now.”
“Yes, they’re going to hurt her, and there’s nothing we can do about it from here. But we will be fucking doing something about it when we get there. We have help, Gav. She’s strong, she’ll hold out until we get there. I need you to be cool, we’re going to blow some shit up, disable a helicopter, take out gates and fences and you’re our man. Get what you need and load up, little brother. We’re riding the minute you’re ready.”
Gav stared in his eyes for a few seconds, nodded and ran into the clubhouse.
Hawk looked up at the stars and frowned as two shooting stars shot across the star filled night sky.
That’s us, he thought, both of us burning bright in the black.
We will fucking survive.
We will always fucking survive.
