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“True that,” I agree. “Hey, man…” I look down at my Chucks because this next part ain’t going to be easy. “I need to take some time away. It’s my mom.”

It’s more than that. But that’s information Sin doesn’t need to know right now. We still don’t know what exactly went down when Sienna was taken. For years we heard that they took Sienna by force while Tessa watched. I know bringing Tessa’s name up is only going to send Sin back to a place where he blames himself for the death of his sister–and that’s a place I’d rather not throw my best friend.

“No shit? When do you leave?”

He doesn’t ask any more questions, and to that, I’m thankful.

Hawk

Past

As soon as I step into the sterile room, the constant beeping of machines invades my ears. Taking tentative steps, I reach her. The only thing that I recognize about the person lying in the hospital bed is the dark brown hair that’s matted to her head. Fury burns in my veins as I take in her condition. Her neck is secured in a brace along with her left wrist. Her face is purple and swollen. The right eye seems to be sunken in, and her lips are crusted with blood.

When word got back to the club that Sienna had been taken, there was no mention of Tessa. I didn’t think anything of it, which was wrong on my part because it’s a rare occasion that the girls ever did anything apart. My contact at the hospital informed me that witnesses told the police Tessa was physically beaten while Sienna watched. Once those fuckers were done leaving bruises on Tessa’s body, they left her.

It’s been a shitty forty-eight hours since we got word the El Diablo’s got what no one knew they wanted–Sienna. My stomach churns at the thought of what she went through before they took her life. What Devin must have seen right before he was killed–along with my father. I shake those thoughts from my head. He died protecting his Prez, just as it should have been.

Shit’s tense at the clubhouse, and when I got the call that Tessa was lying in a hospital bed, alone, I knew there was no way I couldn’t come. From what I know of the timeline, it took someone six hours to find her body. The entire time I thought she was home safe. I never thought to call. I never thought to go to her house to tell her that her best friend was murdered. I never thought to do shit. A mall employee found Tessa’s almost lifeless body tossed naked behind the dumpsters. Her heartbeat was faint, and the breaths coming from her lungs even more so.

She could have fucking died.

From the looks of it, she’s somewhere in between life and death.

I snatch the chair that’s located near the foot of her bed and set it near her head. As soon as I sit, the coppery aroma of blood invades my senses. Reaching up, I lightly brush away the crimson liquid that’s slowly trickling from her nose. I smear it across the top of her lip, only making more of a mess, so I turn and find a box of tissue.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper as I dab the tissue at her skin. “You shouldn’t have to endure this. This never should have happened.”

I toss the used tissue into the trash can by the door. When I find out who’s responsible, I’m going to make them wish they were never born. I’m going to rip them limb from limb and shit down their fucking throat. They think they can do this to someone I care about? They’ve got another thing coming.

The evils of the club weren’t supposed to touch her. That’s the reason why, even though I wanted to do the opposite, I’ve kept my distance. All I’ve ever wanted to do since the moment I realized the difference between boys and girls was to claim her as mine. And not the way my father has claimed woman after woman. I’ve only ever wanted her. That one night we shared was never enough. It will never be enough.

My hand trembles as I reach for her hair. I make a fist, turning my knuckles white, trying to get a grip on my emotions. Shaking out my hand, I try to comb through the tangles of her hair with my fingers.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her again, praying that she can at hear me. Years of memories flash through my mind, the sound of her laughing, the brightness of her smile, how she always stood her ground around the guys and me. She’s an angel with wings of steel.

A moan rises from her chest as her lashes start to dance along with her cheeks. Her eyes flutter open, blinking a few times before they once again close. “Shhh,” I say as I gently brush my hand over her hair.

I place my hand over her heart as her chest raises in breaths. When it collapses and then builds again, I hesitantly remove it from her body. She’s alive, though I wouldn’t doubt if the reaper is standing guard at her door right now. She has to survive.

Leaning into her, I push the hair away from her ear. “You’re strong, Tessa.” I rub my hand down her arm. “You’ve got this. Heal, baby. Heal and come back. Come back… to me.” I press a kiss to her temple. Making a vow right then that her being by my side is the only way she’ll live her life. I’ve kept my distance, for years now, I’ve held her at arm’s length, but no more.

No. Fucking. More.

Hawk

My shoulders burn, and my ass is numb. Seven hundred sixty-one miles and ten hours have come and gone. I slept like shit last night after Bianca told me. It took everything in me not to hop in my truck and head west the moment I told Sin what I was planning–but I waited. I gave myself an entire day to get in the right mind frame of what I might see when I get there. It’s not going to be a happy reunion between mother and son. I have a lot of warranted anger when it comes to that woman. I know I told Bianca that I didn’t give a shit about what Rose was going through. I was lying to myself, I cared. It isn’t just about Rose, either and I think that’s the real reason why Bianca told me. It was because of who gave her the information.

Tessa.

The smog-filled air of Los Angeles makes the sunrise more hazy than bright. The morning is supposed to represent a new day. The start of something fresh, but the dinginess of the sky doesn’t say new any more than it gives me any promises that today is going to be a good day.

I pull off the Ten freeway, I steer my truck down the multilane streets. The buildings are tall, made of brick and concrete, and the early morning chaos seems to be in full force as large delivery trucks unload their shipments. The constant blaring of horns signal the impatience of the morning commuters. I’ve only been in the city for a short time, and I can already see how much different it is than Las Cruces. The sidewalks are full of business suit-clad men and women. Some are yapping away on their phones while others are holding their phones in front of their faces as they continue to rush down the street. My eyes snap to the rear-view mirror when I hear another car horn blare without stopping.

This city sucks.

I turn on my blinker and signal so I can make the next right. According to my GPS, the facility my mother is supposedly staying in should be five miles up the road. I slam on my brakes as a car cuts in front of me, making me lay on the horn. The liberating feeling I have when I hit my horn has me rethinking the commuters’ lack of patience. It’s such an asshole thing to do, and I’m kinda digging it.

The GPS tells me that I’ve reached my destination, and I start to regret the trip. Maybe I don’t need to see her. She never made it a point in over twenty years to see me. My father may not have told me if she tried, but I hope that Bianca would have. She, more than anyone else, knows how my mother’s leaving has affected me.