“Why did you stay away?” Rayen whispered.
“Because it became a bad habit I didn’t know how to break, and I got caught up in the role of vice president. You know shit rolls downhill. It’s not an elaborate answer, but it’s the truth. You broke my trust in you to smithereens. It takes time to get that back. Did you really think you’d just pop in unannounced, and I’d be able to forget the past ten years?” Hawk lifted an eyebrow.
“I don’t know what I thought. I didn’t expect you to walk off,” Rayen said.
“There’s an ocean of issues between us. Doesn’t mean we can’t cross them. But it’ll take time to re-establish shit. You’re always going to be my blood, and dude, you’re Mayhem. You know that’s for life.”
“So, we’re good?” Rayen asked.
“Yeah, baby brother, we’re good, as long as you keep your hands off Ariel. She’s more than some house mouse ready to entertain the brothers.”
“Wow, you into her or what?” Rayen snickered. “Never thought I’d see the day you went wild over a little trim.”
“Shut the fuck up, man. There’s more shit going on there. Just let it lie for once.”
“All right.” Rayen raised his hands in mock surrender. “I know when to let shit go.”
“Good, now let’s go back in before they come out here,” Hawk said. He walked over to the man with the swelling left eye and busted lip, and patted his back. They walked inside and Hawk scanned the various faces and locked on the only one he wanted to see. Ariel’s concern-filled gaze did funny things to him. His lips twitched up, and he waded toward her through the rapidly parting crowd of people.
Chapter Eight
Ariel paced the living room floor. Today the men would be served their complaints. She’d become the glue holding Karla and the other women together. She felt like Erin Brockovich, gathering the information, coercing the victims to come together and file a complaint. I just hope it’s enough. If this didn’t take them down, they were all in for a world of hurt. We might already be. A knock sounded on the door and she tensed. She glanced at Tex, who sat on the couch watching television.
“You expecting someone?” Tex asked. She shook her head, instantly on high alert. “Go into your room and make sure you have your gun ready, just in case.”
Ariel nodded and rushed down the hallway. Her hands shook as she pulled her .45 out of the top drawer of her nightstand. Life had become kill or be killed. She’d seen the destruction these men were capable of.
“Hey, it’s one of your friends, the blonde one.”
“Karla?” she said surprised.
“I guess. I’m going to let her in.”
Ariel put the safety back on her gun, returned it to the drawer and rushed back to the living room. “Karla, what’s wrong? Where’s Smooth?”
“I had him drop me off here. I just…I couldn’t sit at home, you know?” Karla’s eyes were the size of quarters and slightly dilated. “I try to be strong for the rest of the girls, but I’m terrified. I’m committed to this; you know I am. Thinking of the things Emmit will do to keep me quiet has me losing sleep.”
“You know we’re not going to let anything happen to you.” Ariel took Karla’s hands in her own and squeezed.
“I know. I know.” Karla took a deep breath. “I just needed somewhere to just be with no mask, no bravado.”
“Well this is the right place.” Ariel released her hands and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “What can we do to cheer you up? I have a carton of birthday cake ice-cream.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice. To the kitchen!” Karla said, offering up a shaky smile.
“Trust me, girl. One way or another, Emmit and Linden are going to get theirs,” Ariel said. Savagery rose inside her, and she couldn’t help but wish the court case would fall through. As far as Ariel was concerned, the two men deserved more than the pain that would be dished up in prison. They should be tortured and made to beg for their lives. She understood the need to draw attention away from Mayhem though. Too many ex-boyfriends of Mayhem old ladies going missing or being killed under questionable circumstances would bring the feds to them in the blink of an eye. Mayhem had an understanding with the local law, but these men had plenty of money and the links to powerful people to do them real damage.
“Here, have a seat at the table and I’ll get us two spoons. I think today is a splurge day if ever there was one,” Ariel said. She walked to the fridge, took the carton from the freezer, and placed it on the table. “Whipped cream too?”
“Of course, if I’m going to shoot my calorie count through the roof I might as well do it in style.” Karla’s wry tone made Ariel laugh.
“I can tell you’re already feeling better.”
“Yeah. I just needed a freak-out moment. The others girls look up to me. The pressure of not wanting to let them down weighs on me. When we first met up, we were all a mess. We jumped at every loud sound, checked in with each other daily to make sure nothing happened to anyone, and slept with all the lights on. If we slept.” Karla shook her head. “No one should have to go through what we did. But what made it even worse was the knowledge that no one would believe us, and if they did they’d be bought out or bullied. Anyone we brought in on our secret would be placed into danger. So we kept our mouths shut.”
“Yet you found one another,” Ariel said as she retrieved spoons from the drawer and sat down across from K
arla.