by Naomi West
Alexa looked over at Damian. He seemed very healthy now, at least.
“We’ve got to find this guy, Alexa. I want justice for my brother. I want to be able to look Damian in the eyes when he grows up and tell him I did everything I could to make his father’s killer pay for what he did.”
Hawk’s voice shook and he pounded his fist in his palm as he spoke.
“I can’t accept the gang thing. It’s too convenient and doesn’t fit. Will you help me find him? Please?” His voice broke and she saw tears lying low in his eyes. His whole face pleaded with her.
One thing was certain to her in that moment. Hawk did not kill his brother. She’d spent years learning how to read people, and all the signs were there. He was genuine in his plea. No one could fake it for as long as he had.
“I’ll help you in any way I can.”
“Thank you.” He looked at her intently for several long moments. She thought he might kiss her again but he quickly looked away. Hawk stood up and paced the room a few times.
“Do you have any other information that could be helpful?” Alexa asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so, really. I didn’t see the guy. I don’t know for sure that he was in the house. Just seemed like it.”
“How so?”
“The direction he was running from. And knowing Hugh’s drug connections, it fits.”
He continued to pace as she thought. They needed evidence, fingerprints. That would help, but was only circumstantial and Rucker might’ve had his own alibis. A weapon, then? If Rucker had the gun that killed Hugh that’d be more than enough.
She wanted to call up her boss and give him this new info but this wouldn’t be enough for him to reopen the case. Reopening the case would mean a big media frenzy. If she found something solid that would change everything.
“I have to get out of here,” Hawk said. “I can’t just sit here like this. Can you watch Damian for a while? I’m going over to headquarters to blow off steam. And to keep myself from driving over to that house and ripping that guy to pieces.”
“Whoa, whoa.” She stood and put a hand on his chest to stop his pacing. “Whatever you do, do NOT go over there. First of all, it’s gated. You’d have to break in and you don’t have a repo order to fall back on this time. We don’t know for sure he did it. What if you attacked the wrong guy? And besides, if he did do it, you killing him would only send you to jail, too. That’s not the way to do this.”
He blew out several hard breaths, but seemed like he was calming down. “Okay. You’re right. I’m going to play some pool and get my mind on something else.”
“That sounds good. I’ll stay here. I’ll keep poking around and see if I find anything else.”
“Thanks.”
He dashed into the bedroom to grab his keys and then headed out the door.
She heard his bike roar to life, then he took off. She looked over at Damian, sitting on his blanket on the floor. “Just you and me again, kid.”
He clapped his hands together happily.
Chapter 15
Alexa read through the files on Rucker to see where they were with his pending charges. Looked like they were waiting for the trial date to come up and were trying to secure some testimony from an informant. He’d already been arrested, but was out on bail. The case seemed fairly strong. She’d been sitting reading for over an hour while Damian played with a toy. But now he was wiggling around, getting bored.
“Okay, kid. Let’s do something.”
She picked him and swung him around. She glanced outside where it was nice and bright, the sky full of fluffy clouds.
“Maybe a walk?” She waited for his answer and when he hiccupped she took that for a yes.
She packed him up in the stroller and went out through the garage. She tucked the garage door opener into her pocket so they could get back in. She hadn’t been out much in this neighborhood since moving in. She walked on the sidewalks, making sure to pay attention to which direction she went so she wouldn’t need her phone to find her way back.
As they walked, she pointed out trees and birds to Damian. He looked around with intense interest. He fell asleep after a while and she turned back. As she hit the door opener and pushed the stroller into the garage, she heard a door slam inside the house and was on instant alert.
Her training kicked in and she pulled out the pepper spray. Hawk’s car was still there and his bike was still gone.
She pushed the stroller closer and stopped. Instead she put the pepper spray back in her pocket and took out her phone and quickly dialed 911. Then she pushed the stroller back out of the house and across the street to wait. At least this way she could watch the house and see if anyone left.
“What’s your emergency?”
She explained what had happened and waited on the phone until the police cruiser pulled up. As she was waiting, she saw a shadow run down the backyard. Someone had left the house and had probably gotten away.
She knew the cop who showed up. “Hey Gary,” she said. “I think he ran out the back. But I can’t be certain.”
“You just stay here while I check it out.”
He went in and she waited again for several minutes. He finally came back out.
“Didn’t find anyone in there. Nothing looks like it was broken or disturbed. There was a…” He pressed his lips together.
“A what?”
“Well, a message.”
She pulled her eyebrows together. “What sort of message?”
“I’ll show you. It’s safe to come on in.”
She followed Gary inside and to the bathroom. On the mirror, in black marker, crude letters formed the words STAY OUT.
She sucked in a breath. “Wow.”
“Any idea who might have done this?”
“No. It’s not my house, I’m just babysitting. I’ll have to question him when he gets back.”
Gary cleared his throat. “We’ll talk to him.”
“Right.” Sometimes she forgot she was no longer a cop and couldn’t just question whoever she wanted or get any info she needed.
“We miss you, you know. You were one good detective.”
“Thanks. But maybe I was a little too good. I wasn’t willing to stop.”
“Well, it is what it is, I guess. I’ll call the homeowner and let him know what’s going on, then ask him a few questions.”
“Can I call him? Please?”
She took out her phone and hit his number but suddenly choked up. Someone had been in the house and had gotten away. She had to remind herself that the reason she hadn’t done anything was Damian. She was keeping him safe.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice wavering, “He got away. I didn’t stop him. I didn’t get him.”
“Damian’s okay, right?”
“That’s why I didn’t go after the guy myself.”
“Alexa, that’s crazy. You can’t go after someone who broke in. You did exactly the right thing.”
“I just feel like I could have done something else,” she said.
“I wouldn’t want you to. Let me be the one to put myself in danger and go after the bad guy. I’ll be the one to protect you and Damian, okay?”
“Okay,” she whispered.
Gary stayed and took fingerprints around the house while Hawk raced home. She sat on the couch with Damian, letting the events of the day soak in.
The thought of Damian being in danger panicked her and brought tears to her eyes. She couldn’t let anything happen to him. When Hawk burst in the door, he came right to her. She was on the couch, clutching Damian to her chest, and he scooped them both into a tight hug. Tears spilled down her cheeks. She’d never felt protected like this, and after a near miss, she needed to feel safe and in control in some way. If she couldn’t still be a cop, she had to do everything else she could for those around her. Right now, that meant protecting Damian and finding Hugh’s killer.
He sat beside them on the sofa as he talked to Gary, answer
ing his questions. He went to get the marker cleaned up once the photos had all been taken, then he came back to the living room where Damian had fallen asleep in Alexa’s arms.
“I’ll take him,” Hawk said.
He picked up the baby and walked him to his room. Hawk came back to the living room and sat beside Alexa.
“Thank you for protecting Damian. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to him.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t do more, I—”
“Stop that.” He put his hand at the back of her neck and pulled her close to kiss her. “You did everything just right.”
He kissed her again and her heart surged. Maybe all wasn’t lost when it came to him. She felt her longing for him return. She liked feeling protected, knowing that he would do anything to keep her safe. Not that she couldn’t defend herself, but it was nice to know he cared that much about her that he’d put himself in danger. She couldn’t say that about anyone else in her life.
She kissed him back hungrily. She wanted a repeat of the night before. He’d been the best lover she’d ever had and she wanted more. Even if things wouldn’t keep going between them, she wanted him now. She moved herself into his lap so she could rub against his hardness.
“Alexa.” He rang his hands through her hair and whispered into her ear as he kissed along her neck. “You drive me crazy.”
She chuckled softly. “And you drive me crazy right back.”
He stood, holding her tight in his arms as he carried her. He walked into his bedroom and kicked the door closed behind him.
“I’m going to show you just how crazy you drive me.” He gave her an intense stare, full of desire, and laid her down on the bed.
She looked back up at him, her insides warm and full of wanting. Her mind went back to the other times they’d been together and how good it felt, and the longing swelled within her. She pulled her top off over her head and removed her bra. Hawk smiled down at her.
“That’s better,” he said. He pulled off his own shirt and tossed it to the floor.
He leaned down to kiss her again and trailed his fingers over her skin. Her nipples hardened, and chills broke out over her stomach in waves as he moved over her.
“I don’t think I can take it this slow,” he said, growling lightly in her ear.
He reached down and nearly tore her pants getting them off in a hurry. He wiggled out of his own pants and slid down between her legs. Only once had a man eaten her out before and, while it’d been a nice enough experience, it was nothing like what Hawk did next. His tongue moved around and in her, flicking as he sucked and pulled. He slipped a finger in and out as he licked around her clit.
She felt the orgasm build and gripped his hair in her hands as she came. She cried out loudly, not thinking of Damian asleep in the next room until after her head had stopped spinning.
He came back to her, a wide grin on his face. “I guess you liked it.”
“Mmm,” she murmured, barely able to form a sentence.
He kissed along her neck and down her chest to suck on her nipples while she took a moment to recover.
He moved his hand to rub her in slow circles. He pressed the tip of his dick against her, rubbing it around and spreading her wetness. Then he pushed in. She moaned and held a pillow over her face so that she wouldn’t wake the baby. He pounded her fast, bringing one of her legs up and sliding it over his shoulder. He leaned down to bend her knee more and he was able to push even deeper. She kept her face buried as she continued to cry out in pleasure.
“You feel so good,” he said.
He moved in a few slow circles, letting her calm just enough for the momentum to grow. She felt another orgasm building. She rocked up her hips to meet him. He slammed in harder and faster again, and she was coming in a few thrusts.
He cried out a moment later, then held in deep. She could feel his heartbeat in his cock as it rested inside her. She breathed hard, her mind reeling from the sensation. When he finally pulled out, he did so slowly. She felt entirely empty when he slipped all the way out. She wished he’d stayed in longer so she could feel that deep connection to him, that intimate coupling.
He curled around her and brought her to him, her back to his hot chest. The heat poured off him. His strong arms around her made her feel safe. She stopped worrying about the man who’d been in the house, or the warning written on the mirror. Hawk would protect her, and for the first time in her life, she thought that if something did happen, she would let him rather than trying to be the hero or feeling the need to protect herself. It was nice to have someone to be there, who she knew wouldn’t let her down.
She drifted off to sleep with the thought in her mind that she was falling for him, and that maybe she was okay with that.
Chapter 16
In the morning, after a long hour of cuddling, Alexa pulled away from him.
“Where are you going?” he asked, reaching for her.
“I have a ton of laundry to do. And dishes. My place is a mess. Maybe I’ll see you later?”
It was his day off. Though repos could be done almost any time, it was easier to take off when places like banks would be closed. They never sent new orders over the weekend anyway. He could do the ones that had piled up, and the cops would still be around if need be, but it was nothing that couldn’t wait until Monday, and he needed a day off.
He would see Alexa later, and in the meantime, he let himself wonder about the ominous threat on the mirror. He let himself wonder if it meant Alexa - it wouldn’t surprise him if she had some admirer that she’d never mentioned, or possibly that she didn’t even know about. But more likely it had something to do with the Charger or that Rucker guy. He’d been digging around in Hugh’s case.
His fingers twitched. If only he could get his hands on a gun. He’d shoot the guy himself and be done with it. Let the cops call Rucker’s murder a gang incident, too. Why not? If Rucker had gotten away with it, why shouldn’t he?
Except he had already done time for killing someone, and that would make him look even worse. He wondered what Alexa would do if she found out. If she knew she’d slept with someone, came to the house of someone, and lived so close to someone who had served years for killing his own father. Didn’t matter if he’d done it or not. The jury said he did, and that was all that had counted when it came to law. And Alexa belonged to that world.
He shook his head. Between Alex and Damian and Hugh life had become a maze. Before he knew it, he’d end up some kind of family man with a wife and a bunch of kids, a minivan and a to-do list on the weekends. He pictured that for a moment, then shook his head again.
Hawk pulled himself out of bed. Damian should be waking up soon. He got up and put on some clothes, then poked his head in the nursery. The baby was still sleeping soundly. Downstairs he headed to the computer, prepared to do some paperwork, when there was a knock on the door. Maybe Alexa had come back over. He got up and went to the door, not bothering to look out the window to see who it might be.
But it wasn’t Alexa. She had dark hair, long and dirty looking. She looked one step away from being on the streets. Her clothes were dirty and she needed makeup, and there was a tiredness about her.
“Can I help you?” he asked. He crossed his arms and took on a defensive stance.
She sniffed and wiped her nose. “I’m Jessica. I believe you have my son.”
Hawk’s stomach instantly tightened, and he was on his highest alert. “What son?”
“Damian? You have my baby.”
“No, I don’t.” He started to close the door, but she stuck out her hand.
“I’m his mother. He’s my baby, and I want to see him.”
“His mother is dead. Get out of here before I call the cops,” he snarled.
“No, please. I know what Hugh told you, but it’s not true. He said I was dead to him because of what I did. Please let me come in and explain.”
Hawk inspected the woman for a moment. He’d only met Damian’s
mother once. It was not a bright room, and he hadn’t gotten the best look at her. When he’d gone over to Hugh’s, it was always late, and she was always upstairs passed out or asleep. She and Hugh had only been together a short time before she got pregnant.
Hugh and Jessica had lived together, sure. But she did little to take care of the baby or to help around the house. Their place was usually a dump, unless Hugh had cleaned up. She did the drugs he was trying to sell, and she got drugs from other sources. Hugh had guessed she was out sleeping around or selling herself, though she wouldn’t admit it. And because of that, he rarely slept with her. But all the same, Hawk tried to find recognition in this pitiful woman standing on his steps.
