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I chuckle. “Are you always this vague?”
“Usually,” she replies with a grin.
“Oh, she does have a sense of humor,” I smile.
She shrugs her thin shoulders. “Sometimes,” she replies. “But there’s honestly not much to laugh about around here.”
I look around and nod. “I can see that,” I tell her. “Listen, I don’t like how he treats you. I’m going to see to it that his behavior changes.”
“Please don’t,” she shakes her head. “It’ll only make things worse for me.”
I frown and look at her for a long moment then nod. “All right. But I don’t like it,” I tell her. “I don’t like it at all.”
“Thank you. I just… I barely hang on most days. I don’t know that I can handle it getting any worse,” she says softly.
“Fair enough,” I reply.
We work in silence for a minute and the tension in the air is growing thicker. I can feel her putting up higher, thicker walls around herself. I know I shouldn’t be screwing around here. This is Hammerhead’s woman—for better or worse—and messing with her is only going to cause trouble for me and for the club. But there’s something about her that compels me. Something that makes me want to take the stupid risk just for the opportunity to get to know her. It’s stupid. It’s reckless. But I find that it’s something I want more than I’ve wanted anything in a long, long time.
I give her a grin. “C’mon,” I say. “Where are you from?”
“What does it matter?”
“I’m curious,” I reply. “Indulge me.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because of my boyish good looks and overwhelming charm.”
She laughs. “Yeah. That must be it.”
“Are you trying to be an enigma? Or does it just come naturally to you?”
“I like to keep an air of mystery about me.”
“Well, mission accomplished.”
She laughs softly and we work together in silence for a few more minutes. The pipes stopped rattling, which tells me Hammerhead is out of the shower. I just hope he’s got clothes cleaner than the ones he’d been wearing. He really did stink like hot garbage. I just don’t know how somebody lets themselves go to that extent. The guy has really slipped since the last time I was out here. Not for the first time since I got here, I’m thinking that maybe the time has come to put the Howlers under new management.
Hogwild seems like a decent guy with a good head on his shoulders. I’m pretty sure he’d be a hell of a lot better in the big chair than Hammerhead. But I know he’s loyal and that he wouldn’t be down with helping bring about the sort of regime change I’m talking about. I don’t think he’d turn down the job if I offered it to him, but I am fairly certain he’s not going to help us take Hammerhead out. That’s fine, though. I can do that on my own.
A couple of minutes later, I hear Hammerhead’s heavy footsteps coming down the hall toward us. I’m just finishing picking up the larger pieces and holding the dustpan for Molly. He stands in the doorway, trying to buckle his belt but having problems trying to get to it with his huge gut in the way.
“What are you doin’?” he asks as he stares daggers at me.
“Cleaning up the mess you left behind,” I shrug.
“I didn’t leave a mess,” he counters. “The clumsy bitc—”
He doesn’t get to finish that statement because I step up to him and deliver a vicious backhand. The crack of my hand meeting his face is like a gunshot and his head snaps to the side. Molly gasps and covers her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide and filled with terror. Hammerhead rounds on me, his cheek an angry shade of red and his eyes blazing with hate. I shouldn’t have put my hands on him, but I couldn’t help it. That he abuses Molly is bad enough. But I’m not going to put up with him degrading her in my presence.
“You need to learn a little respect,” I growl.
“Didn’t I tell you this ain’t your business, Hawk? You’d best remember that.”
I cut a glance at Molly who’s staring at me wide-eyed and gives me a small shake of the head, silently imploring me to stop this. It goes against my every instinct, but I have to stop. I have to remember that whatever I do not only reflects on her but will be taken out on her as well. I frown and look down, giving him a nod.
“You’re right,” I say. “My bad. This is your house, and I shouldn’t be disrespecting you or it. Apologies, man.”
