“Yeah, you can say that again. Hawke’s got him on the ground with a gun to his head.”
“Is he alone?”
“Yep. He’s a prospect for them. Saw it on his cut before Hawke hit him.”
I turned around to look at Maddie, and her eyes went wide. “Don’t even fuckin’ think about it. Stay here.”
“But if it’s Pike….”
“I don’t care. He deserves what he gets coming here.” My eyes locked on Brick’s. “Make sure she stays put. Don’t let her out of your sight.” I snatched my gun from the dresser, checked the clip, and held it at my side.
“You got it.” Brick moved into the room as Maddie jumped off the bed. I didn’t have any time to check on her, trusting he’d keep her here as instructed and out of harm’s way.
She shouted something after me, but I was too amped up to make out what it was, completely focused on why one of them would come here. I mean, I know why they would, but I never thought they’d have the balls to show up. Whoever Hawke had on the ground was as good as dead. I only prayed I wouldn’t have to be the one to pull the trigger. I heard that shit stays with a man, but I’d do whatever was necessary to protect Maddie.
Whatever. Was. Necessary.
Because it was dark out, I only saw shadows on the other side of the lot, closer to the gate. It wasn’t until I was practically on them, under the lighting, did I see who was present.
Hawke was yelling at the guy on the ground, pointing his gun at the man’s head, like Brick said. Ace and Kaden stood next to the nomad with their weapons drawn as well.
“What the hell is goin’ on?” I asked, rushing forward.
The guy lying on the ground had been beaten badly, the side of his face covered in blood, his one eye swollen shut. There was no way Hawke could’ve caused all that damage in this short amount of time.
Kaden kicked the guy in the side, and he grunted. When he finally lifted his head enough to look up at me, I saw that it was indeed Pike, the Reaper prospect who’d shoved Maddie at me during the fight and told me to take her. She’d told me some things about the guy, and while she painted him to not be as bad as the rest of them, that he tried to help her as much as he could, he still had a hand in mistreating her. She claimed he was forced to rape her, but he raped her just the same.
A garbled barrage of words spewed from his mouth, but none of us could make out anything he said. Kaden kicked him again, which only made his speech worse when he tried a second time.
“Hey, maybe don’t kick him so we can understand what the fuck he’s tryin’ to tell us.” Kaden looked more annoyed than pissed off at the request, taking a step back.
“Why are you here?”
“War… warn you.” He spit on the ground, a string of bloody saliva dangling from his mouth. “They’re co… comin’.”
“Who?” Hawke shouted, bending over and pressing the barrel of the gun to the guy’s temple. “Your fuckin’ buddies?”
The prospect nodded.
Then just like in a movie, I saw Maddie running toward us in slow motion, Brick a few feet behind her, reaching out but not quite making the connection to snatch her back.
She skidded to a stop and fell to the ground next to his bloodied form. “Cody,” she cried, running her hands all over him. She looked up at me with pleading eyes. “Please don’t kill him.”
“You have a soft spot in your heart for the guys who raped you?” Hawke asked, sneering at her as if she disgusted him.
“He’s not like that. He tried to help me,” she hiccupped, her tears and concern for the bastard making me insanely jealous and angry. I barely had enough time to reel it in before Hawke’s words finally registered, incensing me on a whole other level.
I was furious at Maddie for disobeying me and giving Brick the slip, which he’d hear about, of course, and for also trying to protect a Reaper. Help or no help.
“Brick, get her outta here,” I shouted, tapping the gun against my thigh.
He reached down and scooped her up with no effort at all, his hand wrapped around her waist as he carted her off. She wore a thin top and short shorts, and while I hated that anyone had seen her like that, I doubted they were paying much attention with what was goin’ down.
“Lincoln! Please don’t do it,” she bawled, beating her tiny fists against Brick’s arms to try and get down. “Please…” Her voice faded the further away he took her, leaving the rest of us to focus on this guy.
“Now, why exactly did you come here to warn us?” I asked. “Did they send you in as bait?” I looked to the other guys. “Is there anyone else around. Did you check?”
“Yeah,” Hawke answered. “This isn’t my first rodeo.”
I wanted to shout “It is for me,” but that comment was unnecessary. We were in it now, my decision to take Maddie that night the catalyst to what was happening right at our feet… literally.
Pike shook his head as best he could in response to my question, his breathing coming in shallow spurts.
“Who fucked you up?” I asked him.
“Griller.”
“Why?”
“Be… because I tried to…” He coughed, spitting up more blood onto the gravel. His hands clenched into fists while he struggled to take air into his lungs. “Convince them to leave Maddie alone. Get new pussy.”
His reference to her made my blood boil, the inferno erupting inside me set to blow any second. Trying to remain calm was difficult, but I somehow succeeded, albeit barely.
“When are they comin’ for her? For us?” Ace asked, running his hand over the top of his head, his other holding his weapon steady.
“Soon.”
Contemplating what to do with him, I teetered between gettin’ rid of him, in whatever way that entailed I wasn’t sure yet, and keeping him around for more questioning.
I crouched down so I could see him better. “Did you guys set the fire at Indulge?” A crease formed between his eyes. “One of our strip clubs,” I clarified, guessing the answer before he gave it with a nod… then fell unconscious.
“What are we gonna do with him?” Kaden asked, walking in a circle while glancing down at the Reaper every few seconds. “We can’t leave him here.”
“We can dump him where we’ve discarded the others.” Hawke pulled out his cell and dialed a number, allowing his words to sink in. Ace, Kaden, and I exchanged glances before I closed my eyes and pushed out a breath.
“And where is that?” The more I learned about the dealings of the club in the old days, the more hesitant I was to ask questions, but I supposed it had become a necessary evil as of late.
“’Bout an hour from here.” He walked away as soon as his call connected.
“What the fuck?” Ace griped, pacing around the Reaper and mumbling to himself. “I’ve never been involved in a murder before, and now the count is gonna be up to two.” He explained further when Kaden and I kept staring at him. “Tag and now this guy.”
“We don’t know Tag is gonna be killed,” I said.
“What else do you think is gonna happen?” Kaden shook his head and took a few steps back.