Page 103 of Hawk
His nostrils flare. “Listen here you a little piece–”
Both Brass and Cut stand up from their seats. Cut steps towards Frank, only about a foot from the man. “Let’s get one thing straight,” Cut speaks up. “Tessa is more Sinclair than she’ll ever be a Reese, and that means that she’s family. My family. She’s my sister, and I’ll be damned if I let you or anyone else tell me that I’m not needed. You have no say in who comes and goes from this room, not while Tessa is lying in that room fighting for her life. No fucking way.”
His eyes flash in anger. “Blood or not, she’s my daughter. It’s my name that’s on her birth certificate. You don’t get to push your weight around in here. This isn’t a biker bar.”
“Enough,” Bianca growls. “Tessa isn’t a child. We’re all here to support her. It doesn’t matter who hasn’t or has been in her life. We’re all here now, and we’ll continue to be here until she says otherwise.”
“Hawking Gentry?”
My name gets called making me step away from the argument. “That’s me.”
“Miss Reese is asking for you.”
I follow her towards Tessa’s room.
“You okay?” She asks when she see me enter. Her voice is husky like she just woke up.
I grab a chair and set it next to her bed. When I sit, I grab her hand in mine. “Yeah, just remembering the last time I saw you in a bed like this.”
“I’m scared, Hawk.”
I’m fucking scared too, but I don’t want her to see that. Not when she needs me to carry her worry. “Everything is going to be fine. You’re going to be fine.”
“Sam. I need you to take care of Sam. I don’t want my mother to get him. He doesn’t know–”
“Tessa.” I pull her chin towards me. “Listen to me. You’re going to be fine. Sam isn’t going to lose you, so you don’t need to worry that Gloria is going to get her claws into him.” I wipe the tears from her cheeks. “You can’t let this consume you. You have too much to live for.” I lean into her and place a kiss on her forehead.
She reaches out and wraps her arm around my neck. “I love you, Hawking Gentry.” The warmth of her breath sends chills through my body. “Please know that.” She sniffs, and it breaks my fucking heart that there is nothing I can do to protect her from this pain.
“I love you too, Tessa. More than you know.” I kiss her temple then stand up. “You need to rest. I’ll tell everyone to go home.”
“Who’s out there?”
“Your family.”
“I can’t even wrap my head around that.” She turns her head towards me. “You never knew?”
“No. We asked Brass when he showed up today, and he said he didn’t have a clue. Devin kept it to himself—well and Bianca.”
“I love my dad, Hawk. Even though he allowed my mother to cut me out of our family, he’s the only dad that I know. I don’t see Devin as that man.”
“You don’t have to, Tessa. That doesn’t make you any less of a Sinclair. You’re just as much a Sinclair as Sin and Cut. But we don’t need to concentrate on that right now. First things first, you need to get out of here so we can start on getting you better.”
I take her hand and give her a squeeze, but she doesn’t let go. “The last time I was in this hospital I lost everything. I’m afraid.”
“You’re never going to lose anything ever again. I’ll be back in the morning, I promise you.”
Hawk
“Hey, Heather. Can I get a beer, please?”
I’m in the clubhouse. It’s quiet, but then again, it's not like it used to be. It’s evolution, I guess. We’re all changing. The club is still what binds us, but it isn’t our livelihood anymore. Hell, the bounty hunting gigs are becoming few and far between. Kinda feels like an end to an era, something I haven’t allowed myself to stew upon because of all the shit that I’ve had going on in my life.
The club isn’t growing like it was a few months ago when Louie Sr. was first killed. Many of the guys, me included, thought it was the perfect time to resurrect the club. To make it bigger than it ever was, but that didn’t happen. The bike building is growing. Our partnership with Choppers West is solid, and that’s where the money is. There was a time when every single one of us breathed this club, but now it’s turning more into a hobby.
“You okay?” She places a frosted mug in front of me.
It’s Friday. The only night that clubhouse is open. “Yeah.” I twist in my chair and look out into the room. The place is practically deserted. The music plays at a low tone, the dance floor is empty. If Tessa doesn’t pull through, I’ll have the responsibility of Sam. I’ll have a boy to look after, to mentor, to rise to be the best man he can possibly be. Am I qualified for that? I was walking these halls before my balls even dropped. Would I be okay with Sam doing the same? Will the club be here when it comes to that point? Fuck, would Tessa even want that for her son?
