CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“I always thought my place was in this club. Now I know it’s with her.” - Hawk

 

It was an odd sensation stirring in his sternum when Hawk climbed off his motorcycle, leaving it in his usual spot near the main entrance but not so close some drunk idiot might fall into it and he stepped over the threshold into his clubhouse for only the first time that year. It’d been a brief visit late last summer for the fiftieth anniversary bash, but it was coming up close to a long year and a half since he’d been home.

Knees creaked with each heavy stride, tension lifted from his shoulder blades as men began to recognize who’d walked through those hallowed doors.  

“Heard you were back,” proclaimed a booming voice that could only belong to Tag. His aquatic colored eyes and cheerful grin greeted Hawk along with the stretched-out fist to bump.

“Hey, VP. How’s it going? You back for good?”

“All good, man. Yeah, I’m around again.” He answered Tag holding his fist out for Capone to knock when he ambled over holding a bottle in one hand and a joint in the other. The number of brothers soon doubled with Preacher and his boy Grinder joined at the hip as always came over.

His skin itched being the center of attention.

He liked these men he’d worked closely with for years. As much as he could like anyone. When he’d been away he’d longed to get right back here for the familiar sounds, smells and people. So, he supposed he did have an attachment to them in some form or other.

“What the fuck is this?” Smirked Preacher, the chain on his wallet hanging low on his hips clanking as he took measured steps circling Hawk like he was a goddamn shark in the sea.

He wore a silver band on his left hand. He’d forgotten Preach got himself hitched while Hawk was away. Same for Grinder. Fuck, shit changed fast.

“You had a shear, brother. Fuck me! You might be half-way human now, holy fuck, I don’t think I can cope with all that attractive on display.” He joked and didn’t that big asshole wink at him.

“Maybe he fell into a weed whacker face first.” Offered Arson strolling over with a half-eaten pizza in his brawny hand. His shoulder length hair was pulled back in a messy knot and as usual he was shirtless with just his cut. The asshat needed someone to dress him properly.

“Nah it’s too neat.” Interrupted the Butcher gesturing with the hand holding a cup of coffee. “You have a face, Hawk. When did this happen?”

The ribbing went on and on and it was unusual because Hawk could feel his face heat under their joking scrutiny.

Look at the shit Gia had gotten him into by cutting his damn hair.

She had a lot to answer for when he saw her.

His brows fell over his slit eyes. “I will punch each one of you if you don’t get outta my damn face,” he hissed through his teeth and he only half meant it.

“Ahhhh there he is!” laughed Preacher clapping his big palms together, “for a second we thought a runway fucking model strode in.”

And just when the shit died down. The rusty voice of his brother in murderous arms  sounded from behind him. “You boys are missing the point, dazzled in his pretty face,” announced Lawless. Hawk turned to see the smirk.

He didn’t pick up on body language often, but he’d seen it too many times on Lawless’ sharp face not to recognize he was about to dig deep into the soup of Hawk’s guts. That asshole. “The glaring question is what made the Instagram star turn himself from a frog into a prince…” A knowing glint in his eyes, Hawk scowled and flipped him the finger.

“You bitches have too much time on your hands if the topic of the moment is my damn beard. What the fuck you all been doing while I was away besides suckling on each other’s tits?”

In the mix stood a tall Snake with his hair slicked back on top and shaved around the sides, he rubbed a tattooed hand over his grinning mouth and added. “Been waiting for you to get home, brother. We were useless without you. And now we see you had a makeover, we can’t fucking cope.”

Inwardly Hawk grinned. So, nothing changed much here then. His boys were just as he’d left them.

“If you’re looking for the Prez he’s at home,” offered Texas in his clever toned voice. The boy was from the right sides of the tracks, anyone could see that, but he fit in with their nefarious lot. The money man smiled and bumped Hawk’s fist and welcomed him home.

“I know. I was just there.”

“You dropped his baby sister off then?” Asked Lawless. That same knowing look in his eyes made ice cubes gather in his stomach somehow. But that was weird ‘cause Lawless would have no idea about his feelings for Gia. Not like he’d sat around pining and gossiping about her.

Hawk nodded slipping out of the crowd of brothers he helped himself to a can of soda, cracking it open, half was gone in one gulp.

“So, she’s home for good, might even stop by the club I reckon.” He gave another grunt of agreement. “New haircut and doing good deeds by babysitting. I think you’re going for humanitarian of the year VP. Or maybe it’s another reason…” Went on Lawless and something in his tone made Hawk pierce him with a warning stare, found Lawless grinning. He looked completely ridiculous with a black headed kitten poking out of his jacket pocket. Those shrewd eyes alerted Hawk like the other man knew everything going on in Hawk’s crazy mind.

Steeling his voice into a calmer tone he said. “Following Rider’s orders. Not even I would hand over a woman to Grigori.”

The boys spat out curses and put in their two cents worth about the Russian underboss.

“We’ll make sure he doesn’t get near Gia again.” Snarled Tag, bringing Hawk’s head around so fast he got a concussion with enough possessive force stuck in his throat it was a wonder he didn’t choke on it.

Gia was his to take care of and protect.

With a will he didn’t know he possessed he reined it in until the instinct to kill had passed through his brain. Hawk punching a brother for possessive ownership he had no rights to was just gonna make him look like a bigger dickhead. He was a sap for his little bit of a thing, didn’t mean he wanted his boys to know how far he’d fallen too.

And before he got into more fights when they started talking about inviting Gia to the next cook-out this weekend he slinked off down the long hallway towards his room.

“It’s good to have you back, VP.” He turned to see Tag following behind. Unlocking his door, he pushed it open. It felt like a million years since he was last inside.

“Yeah, me too, man.” And because he was trying not to be such a surly bastard he added. “Things been good for you?”

Tag half-grinned, rubbed his whiskers. “You know me, always good. I’m telling you, the groupies will be pleased as fuck to see ya. They’ve all been gathering moping and shit around this door.”

Hawk snorted. Women didn’t like him, not like that. His dick, sure. But he hadn’t cared where he’d stuck it, so he could never put a face to the bodies he’d used. It made him a bit of a shit, but he didn’t care. He was what he was. “I’m sure. You can have at ‘em.”

Tag chuckled. “I’ll leave them to you, brother. Got my eye on someone. Something real, you know?”

“Prince Charming is ready to settle down with an old lady and give her your patch?”

The smile appeared again. Gleaming white teeth and a shy head dip. “Ah you know, maybe. Just maybe. Gotta see first, but I got a good feeling ‘bout her. Hey, I’m grabbing some grub, you want?”

“I will later. I need to get sorted here first.”

They fist bumped and Tag ambled on towards the kitchen.

Leaving Hawk to sprawl tiredly on his freshly made bed and think of his own woman.

He could think that now and mean it.

For however long she wanted him she’d be his woman.

 

 

Jumping into work was how Hawk acclimatised being back with the men he trusted the most. After a short sleep, a shower and a sandwich he made in the kitchen, he avoided the squeals of the hangaround females by issuing a dark stay the fuck away scowl, giving then a chin lift he stayed in the shop most of the day fixing a shitty Honda.

And that night when he took his seat at Rider’s right-hand side at the sacred church table, he felt a rightness settle into his bones. A belonging and calm he got nowhere else but at this old worn oak table with his boys bantering around it before order was called and business was discussed.

Money, crime, illegal goings on and how to deal with the Russians while slipping under the radar of the cops as always.

Hawk absorbed it silently.

“And before I send you shitheads out into the public to disgrace my club’s good reputation,” Rider said making everyone chuckle and add their ten cents worth of the rep they all had and nothing about it was good. “We gotta welcome this happy fucker back officially. It’s good to have you back on my right at this table, bro.”

“Here, here.” Several said banging the table.

“Not only did he get rid of Hades,” Snake announced with Pride. Grunts of approval rippled around the long table, “he faced off with the Russians and saved sweet little Gia, and now look at him; fucking model of the year. It’s like we got a new person back. Or an alien.” At least some things didn’t change. Hawk stared at king joker who flashed him an unrepentant grin. He was not gonna live this shit down at all.

“Yeah, yeah, let’s move the fuck on. The VP is back, so you ass-monkey’s watch out before I do to you what I did to Hades.” He warned as friendly as he got.

Everyone guffawed and knocked heavy ringed knuckles on the table top. Even Rider was grinning at him, that asshole.

 “Aww man, you see this? I’m all a fucking flutter here. He missed the fuck out of us.” Snake said holding a hand to his heart.

And then jokes came to a halt and they dispersed.

Hawk hung back to catch up with Rider.

It would have been the time to tell Rider Hawk was interested in Gia in a way that was more VP doing a favor for his prez and all to do with being obsessed with her.

But he kept his stupid trap shut.

His luck only took him so far, he couldn’t believe he had any at all, what with him being a piece of shit and he might be just as dumb but not so much he’d open his mouth and ruin it by telling Rider and having him bury Hawk in the mountains somewhere for the cats to piss on his unmarked grave before he’d gotten a taste of Gia.

He didn’t like withholding something important from his best friend, the one man to know all his gory secrets and still have his back. The man to find him when he was a teen runaway and offer him food and give him a place to stay and then bring him to the club to prospect, to give him a family and a sense of true belonging.

Wanting to fuck his sister was going against every brotherly oath he swore by when he took his VP patch onto his cut and knew he’d kill for Rider.  

More than likely Rider would blow Hawk’s knee caps off and take back his VP cut and kick him out of the club the minute he knew where Hawk’s heart was at.

And the thing was, he knew he’d give it up.

Instantly.

For a chance. One inch of a chance to be Gia’s man, it’d be worth it to give up the one thing that had ever meant something to him.

There was no doubt in Hawk’s mind about that.