Reclaimed (15 page)

“Fuck you guys,” Hawk snarled as he tried to pull out of Uncle Jack’s hold. Normally he would have been able to without even trying, but he was in pain and the loss of blood had made him weak. “Don’t you fucking do it, Flick.”

“You can still do this the easy way, Hawk,” I assured him as I offered him the capsules. All he had to do was swallow them and I would go away until it was time for us to leave for the airport.

“Get off me, Bash.” His roar echoed through the room and out into the clubhouse. The entire building went quiet and I could just picture all eyes pointed up at the office.

I shrugged. “Okay. The hard way it is.” I grabbed his hair in one fist and pulled his head back a little rougher than actually necessary. He yelped as I tugged a few hairs free and then used his open mouth to my advantage. I shoved the two capsules into his mouth and poured in a small drink of tea before covering his mouth and nose with my hands.

He struggled against my hold, but I held firm and after a few more seconds he had no choice but to swallow. Shaking my head at him, I released him and headed for the door. “See you in twelve hours.”

Jet caught my hand as I passed and I let him hold it for a moment, once again savoring his heat, before leaving the men to discuss business. 

Chapter Ten

J
ET

P
LANES WEREN’T A FORM OF
transportation that I was used to taking. Having spent my entire life in the Club had put the “ride or die” mentality into me. I rarely drove a cage, using my bike to get me from point A to point B the majority of the time. This was only my third time flying and I wasn’t anywhere near excited about it.

Luckily the plane wasn’t crowded so the eight of us were spread out and comfortable. That wasn’t the problem. It was my tossing stomach and the edginess from what was going on that had me glancing around the tin box with wings like the caged wolf I was.

Uncle Jack and Trigger were in a hushed but heated conversation a few rows back, but I could guess what they were talking about. Uncle Jack was taking his granddaughter being snatched about as well as anyone could expect. His old Irish ass was already discussing with Trigger how he wanted to kill the bastards. As for Trigger, I only knew what Hawk did. That there was a chance that Gracie was his daughter and not Craig Morgan’s. Hawk and Trigger had decided to keep that little bit of information to themselves after Trigger had made his confessions. They were probably wishing they had spoken up about her possible paternity long before now, though. If they had, then maybe the Morgans wouldn’t have bothered to snatch Gracie.

Spread out around the rest of the plane, Raider, Colt, and Matt looked like they could sleep the whole way to New York. Hawk wasn’t so lucky. He hadn’t touched the pain pills Doc Robertson had prescribed when he had reluctantly discharged Hawk a few hours before. He had only taken the antibiotics because Flick had gotten Bash and Uncle Jack to sit on him long enough for her to force them down his throat.

From his seat across the aisle from me, I could tell he was in some serious pain and I didn’t know if that was contributing to the green tint to his face or if he got just as sick when flying as I did. I’d downed two Dramamine before climbing on board the plane, but that shit wasn’t doing what it promised to do.

Beside me, Flick shifted as she flipped the page of her magazine. Hawk was pissed that we had brought her, but I hadn’t put up nearly as big a fight as I could have about her coming with us. I hadn’t wanted to leave her behind and there was no way I was going to stay when my bother was walking into the unknown. Bash had wanted to come, just as much as Raven had, but both had to stay and deal with the shit storm still brewing after the Italians had targeted us.

“I kind of hope he passes out so I won’t have to force those damn antibiotics down his throat again,” Flick muttered as she lifted her head long enough to glance over at Hawk before turning back to her magazine. “Think he’s going to hate me forever?”

From the bored expression on her beautiful face, someone wouldn’t realize that she was feeling hurt by that thought. But I could tell by the way her fingers trembled as she turned the page of her magazine that the thought of Hawk hating her forever bothered her more than she wanted anyone to see. I couldn’t help the shot of jealousy that pierced my chest.

Clenching my jaw, I shrugged. “He’ll get over it in a few days. He’s just got a lot of shit going on in his head right now. Once he has Gracie back where she belongs, he’ll calm down.”

“His being calm is the problem right now,” she said with a sigh and lowered the magazine, obviously giving up on pretending to read it for the moment. “He’s scary as hell like this, Jet. I don’t know where his head is right now, but if he keeps this up I’m scared he’s going to charge into a trap without thinking about it and get himself shot to pieces.”

I wasn’t about to tell her that I had the same fear. My brother wouldn’t appreciate it if I voiced the same misgivings. I knew that if I were in his shoes and it had been Flick who had gotten snatched, I would have been in the same frame of mind. Fuck, it was exactly how I’d felt when I’d found her beaten half to death after Westcliffe had gotten done with her. By the time I’d actually gotten my hands on the bastard, my rage had been overflowing and I hadn’t hesitated as I’d given my ex-best-friend the same beating he’d inflicted on my female. Just as he’d taken my unborn child’s life, I’d taken his. I didn’t regret his death, only that I couldn’t bring him back and do it over and over again.

Hawk was probably feeling the same way…

Ciro and his men were waiting outside the airport when we arrived at a little after seven that evening. He had five, huge, black SUVs waiting on us. He stepped out of the back of one and his eyes went from one biker to the next before they zeroed in on Flick. She let out a small laugh as she threw herself into her cousin’s arms.

Around me, the other men were taking in the men in suits who were getting out of the other vehicles. We all knew they were all packing and we itched to have our own guns. I’d told Ciro to have us some waiting, as well as the knives that Hawk wanted. My brother was already planning on how he was going to cut up the bastards who had taken Gracie. Uncle Jack was just as torn up over the fact his granddaughter had been snatched, but he had been handling his emotions a little better than Hawk. And by better, I meant a little more vocally. He’d already told me in detail how he wanted to handle his granddaughter’s paternal grandfather.

“You are even more beautiful than I remember, little cousin,” Ciro muttered so low that only I heard him because I was standing so close to Flick as he enfolded her against his chest. Very few people knew that Flick was Ciro’s cousin and that was the way we all wanted to keep it. If everyone knew that she was family, his enemies would target her to get to him.

I’d seen some scary fuckers in my life, Bash being at the top of the list followed quickly by Spider. Ciro Donati would always be in the number-one slot, though. It wasn’t any one thing about the man that screamed dangerous, it was the whole package. From the tilt of his chin, the way that ivy cap was pulled low over his cold blue eyes, even the expensive suit that couldn’t hide the muscles underneath. Standing at six and a half feet, he was only two inches taller than I was, but he was several years younger. Only twenty-five years old, he was the youngest street soldier on Vitucci’s payroll, but he was the deadliest.

As Vito Vitucci’s godson and Cristiano Vitucci’s best friend, he was the most feared man on the East Coast if not all of North America.

Ciro released his hold on Flick and stepped back. “It’s good to see you, Felicity. I apologize it is under such tense circumstances, though. I’ll have to find time to come to California to visit with you more.”

“Have you found out anything yet?” she asked softly.

He turned toward the five large SUVs. “Let’s get off the street. Jet, your boys can divide up between the other vehicles with my men. You and Hawk may ride with me and Felicity.”

“I’m not Club president anymore, Ciro,” I reminded the other man. I’d put my cut back on as soon as I could touch the thing, but I was happy just to be able to do that. To be able to call myself part of the Club again. Bash was perfect in the role as president and I sure as hell didn’t want that position back. Fuck, I wasn’t going to push Flick’s limits. She’d said she wanted me back in the Club. That was enough for me. “Hawk is VP now, so you should go through him.”

“I don’t recognize your new president,” Ciro said with a clench of his jaw. “Sebastian Reid is no friend of mine. I will go through your brother, however, if that is what you wish.”

Flick blew out a frustrated sigh and shot her cousin a smirk before climbing into the back of the SUV he was helping her into. “You need to get over that, Ciro.”

“It’s not in my nature.”

“Of course not,” she muttered and looked at me long enough to roll her pretty blue eyes before taking her seat.

My heart squeezed at the look she’d given me. With the chaos that had been going on all day, it felt like we’d stepped back in time. She was turning to me more and more, offering me the support during this fucked-up mess that she knew I needed but would never ask for.

She scooted over to the middle of the seat and I climbed in next to her, tucking her close while Hawk carefully took the other window seat. Once Ciro was in the front passenger seat, the driver pulled out into traffic and Ciro turned in his seat to face us.

“I’ve had my men watching the Morgans. There has been some unusual activity out of Connecticut the last few days, it seems.”

Hawk’s fists clenched, but he didn’t speak.

“Vito has personally spoken to your lawyer, Jenkins, so he knows as much as I currently do. After some careful digging we have found that the elder Morgan is facing possible bankruptcy due to some recent unwise investments. He has no money of his own left. His son, your woman’s uncle, is following close behind. The money that was left to her would assist them greatly in getting back on their feet.”

“So why don’t they just take the money?” Hawk’s voice was still dangerously calm despite the way his fists were clenched.

“It’s all about legalities. Neither man can touch her money. The lawyers have it tied up tight. They need her before it will be released…And I assume you know the stipulations of her father’s will?”

“She’s not marrying anyone but me.”

Ciro inclined his head. “That’s good and all, but Morgan and his son must approve of the marriage, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Hawk gritted out.

“That’s what your man Jenkins said. It seems that the elder Morgan has already found his granddaughter a husband, however.”

My brother’s gaze didn’t waver from Ciro’s but it was Flick who spoke. “Who?”

Ciro grimaced. “Through my connections I have learned that the Morgans have reached an understanding with Santino, who has been wanting to set up house here. He has been trying to take over our East Coast businesses for years, but hasn’t been able to because he doesn’t have the right connections.”

“What the fuck does that have to do with Gracie?” Hawk bit out.

“Morgan has the right connections Santino needs,” Ciro explained. “Politically at least, which is exactly what they have been in need of. Marrying off the granddaughter to Santino’s son puts them in a position that makes Vito very uncomfortable.”

Everything inside of me went cold. Motherfucking hell. I’d had to deal with Santino’s bullshit for years. I knew exactly how the man was, but his son was a cruel sonofabitch. He beat his women bloody. Spider and Bash had given one or two of them jobs at Paradise City over the years, offering them a safe house while they healed. They usually ended up staying because the alternative, the life they would have outside of the MC’s protection, wasn’t worth living.

Hawk and I shared a knowing look over Flick’s head and the look in my brother’s eyes told their own story. Carlo Santino had a very short life expectancy if he touched Gracie.

“So they took her for what?” Flick muttered. “A shotgun wedding?”

“More like an AK wedding, babe,” I told her, trying to ease some of the growing tension filling up the SUV.

“Is she with them?” Hawk was clenching and unclenching his fists now.

“There has been movement in and out of Morgan’s Connecticut residence, but so far no sign of your Gracie. I’ve got eyes on the house there as well as a few locations that Santino has here in the city.” Ciro glanced at the driver for a quick moment before turning his gaze back on us. “I could’ve taken the house at any time, but have been waiting on your arrival before making a move. I didn’t want to chance your woman being there and getting hurt by mistake.”

“Legally…” Hawk started and sucked in a deep breath before continuing, making me wonder just how bad his pain really was. “Legally, if Gracie turned out to be Morgan’s daughter, what would happen to the money that her grandfather seems to want so desperately?”

Ciro shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m not a lawyer and I don’t know the specifics of the will. I would only assume that it would still stand. Without a DNA test there is no way to disprove her paternity and at the speed the Morgans are currently moving, they wouldn’t need it to get the money released once she has married Santino’s son. Once they have the marriage certificate, the money will be released to her and they plan to highjack it.”

“Right.” Hawk nodded. “Let’s pay a visit to the old fucker. You got someplace safe we can drop Flick off at?”

I felt Flick stiffen beside me. “I’m not going anywhere without you guys. I promised Raven I would watch out for you and I’m not breaking that promise.”

Hawk didn’t even look at her. “Vito’s place okay?”

“Scarlet and Victoria are home, so that is out of the question,” Ciro informed us with a twitch of his lips at the mention of his boss’s twin daughters. “My mother was hoping to visit with Felicity. I’ll drop her off at my parents’ home and we’ll go straight from there.”