Chapter Seven

NYCTO

The Miami Defiance clubhouse is like our second home base. Hawk and his men are basically an extension of us, like another limb. Other Defiance chapters aren’t close like those in Tampa and Miami. Must be the proximity. Tampa to Miami is only a four-hour ride, so when we need each other, we’re there. We never saw being on each other’s doorstep as stepping on toes. It’s more like kinship. Family. We’re brothers, and that’s all that matters. I hope the bond we have is strong enough and what’s going to help me right now because even though Hawk likes to give me shit, he’s a damn good friend.

The midmorning sun aggravates the hell out of me. The humidity slickens my skin with a sheen of sweat. I swipe my brow as Hawk and his VP, Bane, walk outside to greet us.

Hawk’s tall frame is intimidating to most people. Not me, though. I know the Miami Defiance president too well. We’ve been through too much shit together. To me, he’s just Hawk. Spark, on the other hand, is cautious around him, always on full alert. To be honest, Spark is on high alert around most people. It takes a lot to earn Spark’s respect.

Hawk laughs, shaking his shabby head of long hair as he strides up to me. He puts his hand out for me to grab, and I take it, pulling him in for a back-slapping man hug. “Goddamn, you’re out during the day? Has hell frozen over?”

“Quit ya bitchin’. Can we get inside before I catch a sunburn?”

Hawk grips my shoulder. “Pussy. C’mon, I want to know what has you riding out here in the middle of the day. Must be trouble.”

Tensing, I exhale. “Yeah, we’re gonna need a drink for this.”

A serious expression crosses his face, and he signals, prompting us to walk inside. Spark strolls a step behind me with Bane as we enter the clubhouse.

It’s much the same as last time I was here. The main area is like a sports bar with large televisions lining the wall. A long bar runs the length of one wall, and tables are scattered throughout. Dark wood accents give it an old feel, and the walls are decorated with Defiance patches and flags, making for a patriotic clubhouse.

We walk over to the bar, and their club girl, Trish, ignores us, her eyes focused firmly on Spark. “Hey, Spark, nice to see you again. It’s been a while.”

Spark clears his throat and rests his elbows on the bar. “It’s been too long, darlin’.”

“Christ,” I murmur under my breath as Hawk watches the interaction play out. “Trish, be a gem and get us some beers,” I say, snapping her puppy-dog eyes away from Spark. She bows her head and turns to grab the glasses, then starts filling.

I glare at Spark, and he turns his back to Trish so we can get down to business.

Trish slides a beer over to me, and I bring it to my lips, the nectar flowing down with comfort. After the long ride, it’s good to have something to ease the tension rolling through my body.

Speaking of easing tension, Doom and Stella walk through the clubroom, spotting me. Memories of the last time they saw me—and my cock—spring to my mind, and I can’t help but smile. Before Doom claimed Stella, the three of us had one hell of a threesome. Fuck, that was a wild night.

They make their way over, Stella shying away as I stand and grip Doom with a back slap. “Hey, brother. Things good?” I ask.

“Yeah, man, things are real good.”

My eyes drop to Stella. She’s as gorgeous as ever. “You’re looking great, Stells.”

A flush crosses her cheeks. I remember them being flushed while I was fucking her as she was sucking on Doom’s cock. That feels like a lifetime ago now.

“Good to see you again. It’s been a while.” Her voice is still as angelic as I remember.

“Glad you and Doom finally made it official,” I say, glancing down at the property patch Stella is wearing. Good on him. I’m glad he pinned her down. She’s a keeper.

Hawk tilts his head at Doom, basically giving him the order to fuck off. He was trying to be subtle, but I caught it anyway.

Doom lifts his chin. “It’s damn good to see you, brother. Don’t make it too long between visits, yeah?”

I raise my drink. “Got it.”

Doom and Stella walk off, leaving me with Hawk, Spark, and Bane. I exhale, then take a drink.

Hawk watches my every move. He’s always so calculating, watching everything, every signal. He might be my friend, but he’s also a president, and his first priority at all times is the safety of his club. If I’m here to bring trouble, he wants to know about it.

I’d better get this over with. No more stalling.

“Right. Chapel?”

Hawk nods. “You want a full Church or just me?”

“You and Bane.”

Hawk grimaces. “This sounds serious. Should I be worried?”

“Worried, no. Open-minded… definitely.”

Hawk grumbles. “If this is another one of your harebrained schemes, Nycto, I’m not sure how many times I can bail you out of that shit.”

I take another sip of my beer and gesture for us to head to the Chapel. “Let’s go have a chat, yeah?”

Bane rubs his beard. His eyes focus on Spark, who doesn’t react. Good man.

Miami’s Chapel isn’t huge, but it’s large enough to house an oval-shaped deep mahogany table etched with the Defiance logo. The inscription appears like it’s been burned into the wood grain. Every time I come in here, I always think how fucking cool this table is. The high-backed chairs are made of matching wood. They are old-school here, but it suits the place. Hawk and his brothers want the club to have a certain feel, and this room is no different. One wall is a deep burgundy color, giving the room warmth that you wouldn’t normally get from a Chapel, especially when you compare it to ours back in Tampa.

This place feels like home.

Like you’re family.

I have to say, it’s making me a little less on edge.

Hawk sits at the head of the table, Bane takes up his VP position, and Spark and I sit on either side of them. I bring my fists onto the table and let out a drawn-out breath.

“Spit it out, Nycto. Whatever you’re bringing in here, it’s not good, so hit me with it.”

I lean back in the chair, getting comfortable. Hawk isn’t going to like what I have to say. He’s never been a massive fan of the way Tampa makes our profits. Working with traffickers is not the way they like money to come in, and I get it, but hell, Miami isn’t aboveboard either. They sell heroin, for Christ’s sake. Hawk’s nose is as dirty as mine.

“We did a run last night. Typical run, nothing out of the ordinary. Six packages came in. We were supposed to transport them to a location, then Andrés’s men would collect from there. They would then be delivered to the buyers.”

Bane sits forward, the crow’s feet around his eyes deepening. “I’m not liking where this is headed.”

My eyes meet his. Bane is not only the VP but also the Wise One in this club. He’s not old, not really, but for a man in his forties, against the younger guys of the club, he stands out.

“Yeah, with good reason. I fucked up.”

Hawk snorts out a laugh. “You, Nycto, President of Tampa Defiance, is admitting to a fuck-up? I must be in the Twilight Zone .”

“I’m serious, Hawk.”

He shakes his head. “You kept one, didn’t you? A girl?”

“How could you possibly know that?”

Hawk leans forward. “Because even though you try to come off as this tough, take-no-shit, hold-no-bars kind of asshole, you care. Deep down, you damn well care. I knew one day one of those girls would tug at your cold, dead heart.”

Spark shifts in his seat, his gaze boring into mine. I groan. He wants me to admit the whole truth. “Fuck, okay, yeah. So I took her… and her sister. She’s unaware I have her sis—”

“You took two ?” Hawk bellows, sitting taller as he glares at me with such intensity that if his stare could radiate heat, I’d be burning up right now.

“This just got even more interesting,” Bane adds.

“I had no choice. I couldn’t stand to see her sold. She would never forgive me if I didn’t save her sister as well, so I did what I had to do.”

Hawk stands and turns his back to me to pace the room. “You had a damn choice, right back when you got involved with Andrés. You chose this life. You chose this path for Tampa. Fuck, Nycto. You’ve put your club at risk.”

“Andrés believes they drowned.”

Hawk turns back to me, his face softening. “Okay. So what’s the compensation for losing two of his packages? What’s the damage?”

“One girl was worth a hundred, the other a hundred fifty.”

He grunts. “I’m assuming you mean thousand. So, a quarter of a million combined?” Hawk says. Bane huffs while folding his arms over his chest. “You can’t afford that.”

I shake my head. “No. I can’t.”

Hawk lets out a mocking scoff. “So that’s what this visit is about. You need money? Why not give the girls back? You put up this front of being a heartless monster… prove it.”

I stand, my lip curling as I stare at him. “I’m not giving Eva back.”

He smirks. “Well, well, she has a name. You care about her. This isn’t some fucked-up game for you.”

I let out a frustrated groan as I stand—it’s my turn to pace. “I have enough to cover half. I understand if Miami doesn’t want to be dragged into this, Hawk, but I’ve come to you personally for help. If you’re not going to give it, then I’ll find it elsewhere.”

Hawk throws his hands in the air. “And where else are you gonna go? Who’s going to listen to this and not kick your damn ass? Sit down, dickhead. Let me talk to my accountant. I’ll have him transfer the funds to your account, but… it’s a loan . I need it back, with interest.”

I spin back to face him. I knew he’d come through for me. He always does. Just like if Hawk ever needed anything from Tampa or me, we’d be there for him. That’s how it has always been.

We’ve known each other for fucking ever. We prospected around the same time, so when Miami and Tampa got together, Hawk, Doom, and I were always the ones standing outside the fucking bars in the motherfucking rain, watching the bikes, cleaning the mud off, doing bitch duty.

We went through a fucking lot together back then and even more recently.

We have each other’s backs. Always.

“Thanks, man. This means a lot.”

Hawk grips my shoulders. “I hope she’s worth it, brother. I don’t know what kind of shit you’re about to bring down on your club, but Miami doesn’t want any part of it. I’ll help you with the cash, but you know I hate this trafficking bullshit.”

I dip my chin. “I hear you. Thanks for the cash. I owe you one.”

“You owe me one hundred and twenty-five K plus interest. But I’ve got your back. Well, most of the time. Now get out of my fucking clubhouse.”

“Not without another damn beer first. It took us four hours to get here. Where’s your hospitality, brother?”

“Fine. Let’s drink,” Hawk relents, and we walk back out into the clubroom.

My mind shifts back to Eva. How is she doing in my bedroom all alone? The first thing I’m doing when I get back is to check on her. Maybe because I’m worried or maybe it’s withdrawal. Either way, I know she’s bad for me.

How do I know?

Because I’m willing to risk everything for a woman I’ve only just met.