Chapter Eleven

Hawk

I t had been two days since I saw Laura, since I heard her voice and touched her silky soft skin. Two goddamn days and I was going crazy even though I'd called and texted her just to make sure she was good. Safe. That nobody had been following her or threatening her. She said she was fine when she got home last night after working an accidental double shift, so I assumed she would spend most of the day sleeping.

That worked out just fine for me since I needed to get some shit done at the clubhouse. There was always shit to be done there and at all the businesses we ran around the city. With Los Ochos extorting other local businesses, we needed to see what the fuck else they were up to in our town.

When I arrived at the clubhouse, nearly everyone else was already there except Diesel, who was usually the last one to arrive. "Slate, what's up?"

He looked up with the same satisfied grin he usually wore when his technological brilliance helped us out of a jam. "Got some useful intel on Los Ochos. The leader, Tomas Augusto, has his name is on three vacant warehouses in town. One is being used as a stash house for guns, drugs, and who knows what else."

That perked my ears right up. "Are we gonna hit it?"

Rocky let out a loud bark of laughter. "See what love does to a man? He's bloodthirsty for revenge."

I frowned. "Who the fuck said anything about love?" I shook my head and tried to laugh off the insinuation. "Those fuckers are bad for business. All business. We need to let them know that."

Maverick smiled and rolled his eyes. "Maybe we should try diplomacy first?"

"Fuck diplomacy. They didn't give Mark Winchester a fucking chance and we all know that's going to come back on us, some way, somehow." And there was no telling who was next.

The door to our meeting room flung open and Diesel strolled in wearing a smile that said his woman sent him off well satisfied. His boots fell heavily on the floor as he crossed it and took the seat across from Slate. "We find anything on Los Ochos yet?"

Slate nodded and repeated the info he'd shared with the rest of us. "Word on the street is that they're looking to get a few girls and maybe buy the old strip club downtown."

"We can't let that happen," Rocky said, and pounded his fist on the table. "These assholes are wild cards. If they're looking for girls, they're definitely looking to dip their toe into trafficking."

"If that happens, there will be no peace for any of us."

"That's for goddamn sure," I added. "So, we're hitting that warehouse?"

"Not yet," Diesel answered with a knowing smile. "We ought to sit down and talk to them first."

I disagreed. "If we do that, they might go after Laura."

"Then you'll have to spend more time with the pretty nurse to keep her safe," Rebel offered with a grin.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, and what about any of the innocent people at the hospital or community center who might come between her and them?"

"We'll figure out a way to sit down with them without starting any shit. Not yet, anyway." Diesel's jaw clenched and I knew he was thinking hard about what the next few months would look like if Los Ochos made trouble.

Not if, when .

My phone rang before I could say anything more, and even though I didn't recognize the number, I picked it up. "Yeah?"

"Hello. Is this Dominic?" The voice was feminine and tearful, and I knew who it was instantly.

"It's me, Mrs. Winchester. What can I do for you?" I felt all eyes on me as I focused on Melanie's voice.

"I'm not sure, honestly. But when I arrived at the bakery today, the whole damn place was vandalized. Windows were broken, the door hinges on one of my ovens too. I just… I'm not sure what to do anymore. And then those creeps came around asking for money."

"Shit," I bit out, and pinched the bridge of my nose. "I'll be right there. Don't open the door for anyone."

"Thank you, Dominic."

I hadn't done anything yet, so I simply nodded and ended the phone call. When I looked up, all of my brothers stared at me with knowing smiles. "What?"

"You're the goddamn patron saint of needy women, brother." Slate's smile spread slowly before he laughed at his own joke.

"Shut the fuck up," I grunted, even though I couldn't hide my smile. "Her husband was murdered by these fuckers and now they're still trying to shake her down."

"I'm coming with you," Rocky said, and stood with a scowl.

Diesel nodded. "Whatever we can do to help," he said as his gaze connected with Rocky's.

"Got it."

Ten minutes later, Rocky and I stopped in front of the Winchester Bakery. Just like Melanie said, the front windows were all busted out, the awning was shredded to pieces, and even the inside was a mess.

"What the fuck is wrong with them?" Rocky was furious, and like me, I knew he was hoping to catch Los Ochos right fucking now.

Looking inside the bakery, I saw nothing but destruction inside. Those dainty little fucking chairs had splintered legs, tables were broken in half, and the glass display case was covered in spray paint. "Desperation," I answered. "This looks to me like they need money. Badly."

"You think?" Rocky turned to me as I rapped my knuckles on the doorframe.

"Yeah. Think about it. What would be the point in doing this? She said they broke her oven door. Without it, how the fuck can she sell baked goods to pay them? They're not thinking straight." It made me wonder why they were so desperate for cash.

"You think they owe someone?"

"Fuck yeah, I do," I said as Melanie came to the door, relief on her face as she spotted me through the window. "I'm curious to know who that someone is." I shot off a quick text to Slate with my suspicions before Melanie opened the door.

"Dominic, thank you for coming."

"Of course. This is Rocky."

Rocky waved and accepted her outstretched hand. "I'm sorry or your loss, Mrs. Winchester."

"Thank you. Come on in." She turned away and motioned to the wreckage. "As you can see, they left no inch undamaged." She let out a bitter laugh and shook her head. "Even if I was inclined to pay, I'm going to be out for at least three days, and that's if I decide to keep this place open." Her shoulders fell and she looked absolutely exhausted.

"I'm sure insurance will cover the repairs, if that's your concern." But we both knew it wasn't her only concern.

"Yeah, to what end? They'll keep coming back, and honestly, without Mark, I'm not sure I can stay here. His blood is still on the sidewalk out front." Tears streamed down her face, and like any red-blooded man, I was immediately uncomfortable.

"If you want to stay and keep this place open, we'll help you however we can." I reached out to Gio and a couple other prospects. "Starting with getting these windows boarded up until you figure out what you want to do."

Her smile was gentle and sad. "Thank you. Mark was right about you boys, you're good people."

Rocky laughed. "Except for his knock-knock jokes, Mark was one of the good ones."

That pulled a laugh from her. Rocky never failed to make people, especially women, feel better. It was his superpower.

***

An hour later, and the prospects had the windows and the front door of the bakery boarded up. "We'll follow her home to make sure she gets there all right," Gio offered.

"Yeah, thanks." Instinctively, I checked my surroundings and spotted a black panel van idling on the corner. "Rocky, nine o'clock."

He looked down the block and his jaw clenched hard. "Motherfuckers."

"That's the same van they used to try to kidnap Laura." Dumb fucks didn't even get rid of the vehicle. "It's like they want to get caught."

"Like I said, reckless. They're wild cards, so we can't count them out. Crazy knows no fucking bounds."

"Too fucking true."

We got on our bikes and headed towards the van, slowing down so we could see Los Ochos and let them know that we saw them too. Rocky simply glared at them, but I offered up a one-fingered salute as I rode past.

Los Ochos were young, and they were dangerous. They didn't give a shit about keeping the heat of the law off them and they used a sledgehammer when a screwdriver would do the job. It was a bad combination for everyone. Tack on the fact that they were clearly desperate for cash, and there was no telling what they would do.

The truth was that we hadn't given them as much thought as we should have. The whole MC had dismissed them as wannabes, but if they owed someone money, that could bring more violence to Steel City. We'd finally had a bit of peace after the shit with Maverick's old lady, and it looked like that peace was about to be broken. Their behavior was escalating, which meant whether we wanted to act or not, they would inevitably force our hands.

The prez wanted to handle it his way, which meant for now, they got to live and breathe for another day, so I headed back towards the clubhouse. The only thing I could do was focus on myself and my promise to Laura. I would keep her safe, and if that meant putting a bullet or twenty into Los Ochos, well, a promise was a promise.

Thoughts of Laura had me wondering what she was up to, so I shot off a quick message as I entered the clubhouse, finding most of the older guys already gone.

My phone rang almost immediately, and like a fucking giddy schoolgirl, I grinned as I answered the call. "Couldn't wait to hear my voice, huh?"

There was a long pause and then the soft sound of Laura's laugh. "That's what you think, but I've been hearing your voice in my dreams. That low grunt-y sound you make when you hit me deep."

That exact grunt escaped.

"That's the one."

"Laura. What are you doing?"

She giggled. "I'm getting ready to order dinner."

"You're not working tonight?" I thought she was working the nightshift, but now that I knew better, I did an about turn and exited the clubhouse.

"Last minute change, a co-worker needed to take her kid to the doctors tomorrow, so we swapped. I'm doing her early shift. Want to come and keep me company?"

Did I? Fuck yeah, I did. "You need me to keep you safe from the monsters under your bed?"

"If I say yes, will you come over?"

I swung one leg over my bike. "On my way." I wasn't expecting to see Laura tonight, never mind spending the night with her, but now that it was a possibility, I was eager to get the night started.

"Wow, look who missed me," she teased.

"Every fucking time I close my eyes, I can hear that sexy cry you make when I hit that spot you really like."

She let out a strangled groan that turned into a laugh. "You and that mouth, Hawk."

"I promise to use it on you when I get there."

"I'll hold you to that," she shot back with a smile in her voice. "Better hurry. Food will be on the way soon."

I wore a goofy fucking smile on my face that grew with every block that brought me closer to the smart-mouth nurse I was pretending to date.