Threading my fingers into her thick hair, I tugged at the back, tipping her head up. Leaning in, I stopped just short of those plump lips that parted on instinct for me. “I love you, Sparrow.”
Her breath hitched, but then she licked her lips before pressing them to mine. Even though her hands were full, she moved her body against mine, and her tongue brushed mine with fervor. She may not have said the words yet, but her kisstold me what I wanted to know.
After a few catcalls from the ladies, Sparrow pulled away, grinning. “I’ll see you in a while. Put that thing away,” she said with a wink.
I wasn’t at full attention, but she gave me a semi, so I adjusted my junk before I walked inside. It wasn’t that I gave a fuck if anyone knew she excited me, but that shit was uncomfortable.
Walking inside, I was stopped by Mama Hen. “Hey, Rooster. Where’s Sparrow?”
Her question seemed innocent enough, but the tension around her eyes gave away her concern. “She went to your place with the other ladies. Fashion show or something.”
The smile she was forcing melted into a real one, her eyes softening. “Oh, I need to head over and check out what ya got.”
She started to pass me, but I reached out for her, gently grabbing her arm. “Did she say something to you?” The look had a million scenarios flashing into my mind, all of which ended in her leaving and me losing my shit.
Mama Hen patted my hand, then turned to face me. “She didn’t. Honestly. I’m just glad to see you so… back. It’s my own silly thoughts giving me concern. She’s a keeper. Don’t mind me, hon.”
As Mama Hen shuffled off outside, I shook off that feeling and headed toward Church. I was a few minutes early, but I wasn’t one for chilling in the bar unless we had a gathering and Hawk expected us to be there.
“Hey, man,” Hawk said as I stepped inside, closing thedoor behind me.
“Afternoon, Prez.” I took a seat on the side of the table. “Fellas.”
Falcon and Eagle were at the table already, too.
“Hey chatty Cathy,” Eagle said with a grin.
My jaw clenched, but before I could respond, the door opened and Red rushed in. “Hey, Prez. Brothers,” he said before sitting next to me.
Only seconds passed and Jackal came inside, walking toward the other end of the table across from Hawk. “Brothers.”
Hawk gave a knock to the table, then addressed us. “I know I mentioned heading to Indiana, but I was sorting some things out first. But I’ll need a few of you to head up.”
“Sure thing, Prez,” Falcon said.
“Still just recon?” Red asked.
Hawk nodded. “For now. We need more info. This Cincy crew could be the only sect. But step one, find if they have a headquarters or clubhouse. We don’t need to launch a national war if it’s just them.” He leaned back in his chair. “Shouldn’t take long.”
Nodding in agreement but knowing long was subjective, I wondered how this would affect Sparrow. “When do we head out, Prez?”
“Two days. Macon’ll have beds for us.”
Macon was the president of the Indy chapter. He and his VP, Phantom, came down for Raven’s funeral, but weren’t herelong. They were dealing with their own problems and had to get back, but they came to pay their respects. Macon had been part of the Atlanta chapter and when Raven started the expansion, he assigned him as their president.
“It’ll be good to see that fucker again,” Jackal said. He’d spent a good bit of time there before officially patching in with us.
“Any news on the trafficking, Prez?” Red asked.
Hawk shook his head, rapping his fingers on the table. “No. It’s been quiet. Too quiet. We need to keep our eyes peeled and listen out for anything suspicious. In fact, we may need to pay Blue a visit soon. The Heathens may have lost some of their muscle, but an operation like that doesn’t just up and disappear.”
Blue owned Peaches-N-Cream, another strip club in Atlanta. Slimy fucker who acted tough but was scared shitless of us. He’d usually give up info if he had it. Some of his girls had gone missing when we’d started to piece together there was a trafficking ring nearby and they were targeting dancers. We had our club, Destiny’s Desires, that Mama Hen was managing, so Hawk pulled her out and beefed up security. She’d already nearly been killed when Raven was taken out, and Hawk wasn’t going to fuck around with the safety of his mom. But he couldn’t shut down one of our legit businesses, either.
“First things first,” Hawk said as he sat up straighter. “We check out a few spots with the Indy crew and see if the Hellbound Heathens have set up shop.”
“Want us to have a chat with any?” Falcon asked.
Hawk rubbed at the short scruff on his face, his pale eyesstaring off as he thought. “Not on this run, if we can help it. Let’s just get info and we’ll plan. Might not be worth us spending too much time up there. They may be able to handle it.” He smacked his palm down. “But until we know more, I think Atlanta needs to be seen in the area. I want those fuckers to know we won’t sit idly here and let them spread like a disease.”
