“I’m tired, that’s all.”
“Is it? The lawyer bitch did a good job. I didn’t think she could do it.”
“Why not? She’s smart and she knows her stuff. She’s way better than that crook, Les.”
“Why you callin’ Les a crook? He got us the licenses for the dispensaries and we’re making a shit load of money, legally.” Banger laughed aloud. “Remember what a pain in the ass it was when the club was dealing in illegal drugs? The badges were always snooping around, especially in Denver when the brothers would do pick-ups or deliveries. Now, the club’s making a ton of money by growing and selling weed. We live in a great state! Fuck, it’s too sweet. We’re pulling in millions, and it’s all legal. No more dealing crack and smack. It’s fuckin’ ironic.”
“Yeah, but Les wants a big piece of it. He’s taking almost fifty percent,” Hawk said.
“What? When did this happen? I gotta talk with him. No way are we paying him fifty percent. Fuck that greedy bastard!”
“Agreed. We should replace him with Cara. I know she wouldn’t cheat us.”
“How do you know she’d want to come in?”
“I can talk to her. Feel her out, you know?”
“Is this suggestion a hundred percent for the club, or you got personal reasons, too?”
Hawk narrowed his eyes. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“Don’t get your ass in a hitch. As prez, I need to know. I’ve noticed that you’ve taken an interest in her.”
“It’s for the club. My personal life is my business.”
“It is, but when it clouds your decisions, then it becomes my business. You have it bad for her. I ain’t ever seen you like this before. Hell, we’ve known each other for over eleven years, and you never let a bitch get to you. I see it’s different with this lawyer lady. Why don’t you just claim her? You want in her pussy and she wants you in it, so do the grown-up thing and claim her. Make her your ol’ lady, if you want.”
“My reason isn’t clouded by any bitch, okay? Again, this isn’t your fuckin’ business. I know you mean well, but stay the fuck outta my personal life. I don’t want an old lady.”
“Just sayin’, brother. I know what it’s like falling hard for a bitch. It grabs you. When I met Grace, shit, I knew I’d never look at another woman again. She was the best ol’ lady a poor sonofabitch could have. I lost her too soon.”
“Yeah, Grace was the best. You were lucky.”
“Ain’t that the truth. All I’m sayin’ is that you should either claim the woman, or move on. Although, why you’d want a smart-mouthed woman like her is beside me. She also comes from a different background, so she’s not used to the lifestyle. My Grace was born into it. This lawyer won’t give you a smooth life.”
“I don’t like smooth. I’ll figure it out.”
“I’m just sayin’, ’cause if she comes ’round here, she’s open game if she ain’t claimed. You know that.”
“No one’s gonna touch her. I’ll make sure of that.”
“Then claim her. No reason to have trouble over a bitch, right?”
Hawk’s jaw tightened as he nodded. “Good talkin’ to you, Banger.”
He opened his door and stepped aside. Banger shook his head and walked out before Hawk slammed it behind him. It took all of his strength to stay steady while Banger butted his fucking nose into his business. Hawk almost punched his president’s face in when he started his shit about Cara, and he seethed because he knew Banger was right—this woman was in his system. All his decisions revolved around her, and she was always in his head. He knew she was cautious because of their client relationship, but he didn’t think he could wait until his case was done. Just thinking about her made his cock spring to life. Fuck.
* * *
Yellow tape roped off the core area. The CSI tech arrived, blocking off an area larger than the core as deputies huddled, heads down, murmuring about the atrocious way the victim died. From their position, they could see the ligature marks around her small throat. The CSI began his systematic search for incriminating evidence, standing over the body of Hannah Jackson while performing a visual examination. He noted that she had been strangled. The cuts to her ankles and wrists indicated she had been tied up, as well as beaten and tortured, which he could tell from the other marks on her body. The blood between her thighs and at her anus pointed toward a strong possibility of rape and sodomy.
After hours of bagging evidence, combing the nearby woods, and sifting through the dirt for any clues, the battered and bruised body of Hannah Jackson was laid on the gurney. A white sheet covered her corpse. The ambulance doors closed. The lifeless form began its journey to the town morgue.
* * *
Hawk: How r u doing?
Cara: Ok, too busy.
Hawk: Why haven’t I heard from u? Been 3 days.
Cara: Nothing new. Trying to get photos. Will let u know if something new on your case.
Hawk: Don’t care bout that. Let’s get together to talk.
Cara: Can’t, busy with a murder case. Sorry. Will let u know re photos. Got to go. Bye.
Hawk: Bye babe.
Cara almost weakened by agreeing to meet Hawk and canceling her dinner date with Luke. She so wanted to see Hawk again; she missed him. For the last few days, she wondered if he was going to contact her, then his text came and her heart surged with joy. The previous night, when she was feeling lonely and empty, she made her decision: she would sleep with Hawk one time. She had a notion the sex would be mind-blowing, but one time was all she would give herself.
She decided to tell him the next time she had contact with him, but when she saw his text, she chickened out. After all, she rationalized, she did have an ethical obligation not to screw her client. But when her attorney-client relationship ended, she’d approach him and have one night of pure sex. Squaring her shoulders and inhaling deeply, she threw off the burden which had been weighing her down ever since she first locked eyes with Hawk.
The ringing phone broke through her thoughts.
“Hello?’
“Cara, it’s Josh. I got something you’re going to like.”
Sitting straight in her chair, Cara said, “Don’t tell me, you’ve got the photos?”
“Okay, I won’t tell you,” Josh teased.
“You do, right?”
“They’ll be delivered to you tomorrow afternoon.”
“Awesome! How can I thank you?”
“Don’t tell anyone about this. And introduce me to your friend, Sherrie.”
“It’s a deal.”
After chatting with Josh, Cara hung up the phone and yelled. Asher ran into her office. “What’s wrong?”
“I got the pre-raid photos.”
“Do you know if they have the ammo in them?”
“No, but I’ll bet they don’t. They weren’t ‘misplaced’ for the hell of it.”
Cara reached for her phone to tell Hawk the good news. She dialed his number then hung up, deciding to wait until she saw the photos before calling him. If the photos showed no .22-caliber ammo on his kitchen table before the raid, she’d go over to his clubhouse over the weekend and show them to him in person. The possibility of seeing him made her insides lurch.
Looking at the time, she jumped up from her desk. She was already late for her dinner date with Luke. They were meeting up at Big Rocky’s Barbecue, the new restaurant by the lake, which boasted a menu of Colorado-grown beef and buffalo prepared Texas-style.
Grateful that she had brought a change of clothes, Cara slipped out of her tailored dress into a short, flounce black skirt with a spandex black and white striped top. A wide belt with a sprinkling of crystals gave the retro look an elegant flair.
After she touched up her hair and makeup, Cara glanced in the mirror; she looked nice, but a hint of dark circles under her eyes gave away her lack of sleep for the past two weeks. Her emotional life had been turned upside-down since she’d met Hawk at Rusty’s six weeks before, and she wasn’t used to chaos; her world had always been orderly and controlled. It was unsettling, and she had to admit a part of her loved the turmoil—it was exciting and new—but she promised herself she would get back to her old routine.
The good Cara was always reminding the want-to-break-free Cara that emotions had their time and place, and this thing with Hawk was neither the right time nor place; hell, he wasn’t even the right person. Of course, the good Cara knew this and heard her family’s voice in her head, but the break-free Cara longed for one sex session with the hot biker. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, knowing the break-free Cara was going to win this one. After all, one time won’t hurt anyone, will it?
Chapter Nine
The restaurant was beautiful nestled among the evergreens on Aspen Lake, and the trees surrounding the water had tinges of burnt orange, a reminder that summer was winding down. The misty breeze off the lake was refreshing and cool, and the full moon cast a shimmering reflection while the swaying lanterns created dancing illuminations on the glassy water.
“The food was delicious. Thanks for bringing me here. I had a nice time,” Cara said to Luke as they walked through the parking lot to his car.