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Chapter Ten
Hawk
They foundthe tracker I sewed into Betty’s purse lining sooner than I expected, proving they aren’t complete fucking morons—except for the fact they laid a hand on my honeybee. For that, they’ll die.
I race through the trees on my bike, tracking the signal from the second device I hid in Betty’s shoe, whipping around a group of bushes and narrowly missing a low branch. I took Mr. Grimm’s words to heart when he said Betty was at risk, and I’m glad I did. If those assholes find that one, there are still three more they’ll never find. And if there’s a single scratch on her flawless body, I won’t hesitate to tear the fuckers limb from limb. No one touches what’s mine.
Spotting a clearing up ahead, I slow the bike and steal a glance at my phone’s screen. Betty hasn’t moved the last few minutes—all signals remain stationary—so I dump the bike and close in on foot. I don’t want them to hear me coming.
An SUV with tires matching the treads embedded into the dirt driveway sits in front of another car, one I recognize. Lewis, that fucking weasel dick, has my girl. Now I’m going to have to kill the boss’s only child. Speaking of, where is that little piece of shit? I search the scene and finally spot him sitting in a folding chair, his back to me. Next to him…
My honeybee.
My entire body tenses as I prepare to beat the man to death with my bare hands. Betty is perched next to him on another folding chair, looking about as relaxed as someone picnicking in a field of rattlesnakes.
“He doesn’t know where I am,” Betty cries, and I dig my short nails into my palms, my fists so tight I swear to god I’m about to draw blood. Her voice is shaking, the sound of her fear fueling me to work faster. I have to get to her.
“He’ll show,” Lewis—the sniveling little fuck stain—says with confidence.
“But your guy found the GPS tracker in my purse! And destroyed my phone!”
Lewis laughs. “You think those are the only two ways he’s tracking you?” He laughs louder. “Come on, Betty. You’ve been around long enough to know Hawk Majors doesn’t do anything half-assed. He’s probably got the entire mountain range under surveillance.”
Betty stiffens. “You want him to find me?”
“Of course, I want him to find you. Why do you think I brought you here? It wasn’t to listen to one of your fucking stories.”
I happen to like her fucking stories. Love them, in fact. I move forward, careful to not make a sound as I close in. There are still the men who took her out here hiding somewhere. When I feel a presence behind me, I go still and wait for him to approach, listening carefully and gauging the sound of his footsteps. Under six feet, two-ten, maybe two-twenty. Doesn’t have a fucking clue how to move through the brush without making any noise.
When he’s within launching distance, I spin and pounce, grabbing him into a chokehold and giving his neck a lethal twist. He drops, and I catch him, silently lowering him to the ground.
One down.
Lewis’s voice pulls my attention back to their conversation. “God, for the longest time I was sure he deserted the family, sure he thought he couldn’t move up the ranks any higher and went to work for the wannabes where he’d be the big man on campus, sure my dad would get rid of him for betraying us. I was sure of it. It wasn’t until he came back—and Dad actually welcomed him back—that I knew the truth.”
“What truth?” Betty asks meekly.
“That the outlaw Hawk Majors was working for my father the entire time, spying on the smaller families instead of working for them.”
She drops her head into her hands. “Why, Lewis? Why does any of that matter?”
Another man, this one doing a shitty job at a perimeter sweep, is practically on top of me before he spots me. By then it’s too late. I snap his neck and leave him on the ground as well.
“I’m supposed to be the head of the family by now, but Dad is taking way too long to die. I’ve been leaking information to competing enforcers for years in the hopes one of them would take the fucking job.”
Betty gasps. “Lewis! Please tell me you aren’t seriously trying…”
“To kill my father?” he answers when she trails off. “Yes, Betty. That’s exactly what I’m trying to do. He’s too soft. When I sit at the head of the table, I’ll run this business like a family at the top of the food chain. We’re the most powerful family in the U.S., for Christ’s sake. Fuck the O’Reillys, those Irish bastards thinking they’re above us in the ranks. The rest of the families should all be second-tier to the Grimm family. Instead of putting the fear of god into anyone stupid enough to cross us, my dad forms an alliance with the other main families. Idiot.”
I inch closer, careful to stay hidden in the shadows as I crouch and silently bounce from bush to bush. That’s it, honeybee. Keep him talking. Keep him distracted. She lifts her head as if she hears my thoughts. Maybe she does. We’ve always had an amazing connection. Maybe my sweet Betty can read my mind. That talent would definitely come in handy right about now.
“But why use me to lure Hawk out here? Why lure Hawk out here at all?”
“Oh, Betty. Aren’t you cute?” Lewis’s condescending tone pisses me off. I can only imagine how she feels, being belittled like this. “He’ll follow you anywhere, do anything to ensure your safety, include leaving the business if it means you’ll be protected. And that’s exactly the deal I’ll offer.”
She sighs and shakes her head. “That doesn’t answer the question.”
“Because he’s the only one who can stop me,” Lewis fires back. “That’s why he has to go.”
