by K. C. Lynn
Austin may share those qualities with his father but he no doubt gets his generous heart from his mother. She has gone out of her way today to be kind to me and to get to know my sister.
“Listen, honey, Austin has told me a little bit about you and your sister. Now I don’t mean to overstep but I want you to know that even though we have only just met if you ever need anything, anything at all, I’m just a phone call away.”
“Thank you.” My voice is barely a whisper as I fight to keep my emotions at bay. “I appreciate that.”
Her hand lifts, touching my shoulder. “If you’re important to my son, you are important to me.”
She and my mother are like night and day. It makes me wonder how different my and Chrissy’s life would have been if we had someone who cared for us the way she cares for her son.
Our conversation ceases when Austin’s father, Jack, walks over to join us, linking arms with his wife. “What are you two beautiful ladies talking about over here?”
“How amazing our son is,” she tells him honestly, unconditional love thick in her voice.
His gaze shifts to mine. “He’s a good boy. Gets his good looks from me.” He flashes me the same playful wink his son just did minutes ago.
Laurel slaps his arm. “You’re incorrigible, Jack Hawke,” she scolds, but can’t hide her smile.
All of it makes me smile, though I must admit. Austin is the spitting image of his father.
He wraps an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close. “How about you and me go for a walk on the trails? Take in some scenery.” The suggestive look he shoots her puts a slight blush on her face.
“Well, how can I refuse that?” She turns my way. “Excuse us, dear.”
“Of course. Have fun.”
They walk across the yard, hand in hand, heading in the direction of the creek. Seeing their love for one another is foreign to me. I never had it growing up. Until a short time ago, I never thought it existed. Now I realize just how wrong I’ve been.
“Zoey,” Austin calls my attention from across the yard. “Get out here.”
I raise my hands out in front of me, the thought terrifying. “No, that’s okay. I’m good with just watching.”
“Come on,” he coaxes. “Come play.” That lazy grin I love so much eases on his face, wearing down my resolve.
“Yeah, come play with us,” Cam chimes in. “You can be on my team and we can kick your boyfriend’s ass together.”
A laugh tumbles past my lips at the glare Austin sends him.
“Forget it, asshole. She’s on my team. Get your own damn girlfriend.”
“But yours is so hot.”
Austin shoves him, hard enough to make him stumble before he jogs across the yard, extending his hand to me. “Come on, Zoey girl. Don’t make me throw you over my shoulder.”
“I don’t know the first thing about football. I’ll make a complete fool out of myself.”
“You’re too pretty to be a fool.”
His sweet words settle around my heart like a warm blanket. Regardless of the compliment, I keep my feet firmly planted and shake my head.
“Fine. You leave me no choice.” He ducks, lunging forward, and throws me over his shoulder, just like he said he would.
A bunch of whistles and catcalls are made by the guys while my sister’s stuttering laugh travels above it all.
“You’re crazy, put me down right now.” The threat is weak at best because I can’t deny how great my view is right now, watching every muscle in his back flex as he strides across the yard is no hard feat.
After a playful smack to my bottom, he finally places me on my feet. I blow a strand of hair out of my face, my hands planting on my hips as I take in his proud stance. “Just for that, Hawke. I’m switching teams.”
My feet retract as I start backing up toward Cam. His eyes darken in warning, the narrow slits sending a flutter to ripple through me.
Cam is more than amused and eagerly awaits me with open arms but just at the last minute, I move in next to the captain, causing them all to break into hysterics, even triggering a smirk from Austin.
Cam grabs his chest in mock pain. “Zoey, babe, that cut me deep.”
The captain throws an arm over my shoulder. “That’s because she’s smart and knows a winner when she sees one.”
“Can you believe this, Chrissy?” Austin says to my sister, arms crossed over his bare chest. “She traded us in.”
“I-It’s o-n.” She tosses back playfully.
“Bring it, sis.”
Jake calls us in to a huddle and gives the rundown of the play; all of it sounding like a bunch of gibberish to me. Afterward, the captain leads me to my position on the field then proceeds to tell me our plan of attack.
The entire time I listen, I can feel Austin’s eyes on me, the promise of retribution to come. It sends heat spiraling down to my toes.
When Jake calls for the ball and Cam snaps it to him, I run across the field to where the captain instructed me. Just as Jake makes the pass, I jump in front of Cam, and to my surprise, I catch it.
I gasp in excitement, staring down at my hands in disbelief. “Oh my god, I caught it.”
“Run for your life, kid!” the captain bellows, waving his arms wildly in the other direction.
Looking up, I see everyone coming straight for me. With a shriek, I bolt as fast as I can toward the end zone, my tennis shoes slipping on the soft grass.
“I got her!”
One final glance behind me and I find Austin hot on my heels while the others hang back, watching in amusement. I push myself harder and make the touchdown just before his arms circle my waist. He takes us to the ground, his strong body bracing our fall.
I laugh as he rolls me beneath him, his playful expression hovering above me. “You can run, Zoey girl, but I’ll always catch you.”
My heart prances in my chest. “Is that a promise?”
“Damn straight.” His mouth lands on mine with a growl, claiming my heart along with my lips.
The ball falls away, my arms wrapping around his neck as I become lost in all the beautiful feelings he evokes within me.
“Well look at that,” Cam’s boisterous voice breaks up our moment. “Looks like Hawke finally knows what it’s like to score in the end zone.”
Another round of laughs explode through the air, including mine.
“I’m so going to kick his ass,” he grumbles before pushing off the ground to stand, his hand reaching for mine. “Come on, baby. Let’s finish this.”
I allow him to help me up and this time I run onto the field with a lot more confidence, high fiving the captain and the rest of the gang as they congratulate me. My eyes meet my sister’s, her proud smile lighting up my entire heart.
A strange sense of belonging washes over me as if the two of us are exactly where we’re meant to be.
Unfortunately, after a few more plays, the time to take Chrissy back to the hospital has arrived. It’s bittersweet, I’m not ready for it to be over but I’m thankful for the time we were blessed to have.
Once we arrive at the center, I walk over to let the nurses know we are back while Austin gets my sister in bed.
“How did it go?” Dina asks.
“It was wonderful,” I tell her, unable to hold back my smile. “She’s tired but I think it’s exactly what she needed.”
The other woman shares my joy. “Good, I’m glad to hear. Are you staying the night?”
I nod.
“Then I’ll see you on my rounds soon.”
After thanking her for allowing us this day, I head back to my sister’s room but stop just outside the door when I see Austin tucking her in. He grabs Gus off her nightstand, pressing the dog’s nose against her cheek with a kissing noise that makes her giggle before taking the seat next to her. “Comfortable?”
She nods shakily. “Th-an-k y-ou.”
“You’re welcome. Did you have fun today?”
“Ve-ry mu-ch.”
Chrissy says nothing back. She peers into his face, hand struggling to reach for his, much the same way she did with me the other night.
He moves it closer, grasping it in his. “What’s on your mind, pretty girl?”
“Ne-ed a… fa-vo-r.”
“Anything,” he says.
“T-a-ke ca-re of Do-oey?”
Pain infiltrates my chest as I realize today didn’t ease her worry as much as I hoped.
“I’m going to take care of both of you.”
His promise glides through the air, penetrating my heart while bringing another smile to my sister’s face.
I use the opportunity to announce my arrival, clearing my throat as I walk in. “All set. Nurse Dina will check in soon.” My voice is gruff and I have no doubt that Austin knows I just heard every word.
With a nod, he pushes to his feet. “I should get going. I have some stuff to take care of before work tomorrow.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
He turns back to my sister. “Later, pretty girl.”
“B-ye. Au-sdin.”
I follow him out into the hallway and when he turns around, I don’t hesitate stepping into him, hugging him close. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being you,” I answer, my throat thick with emotion. “Today was amazing and it’s all thanks to you.”
His arms come around me; the strong rhythm of his heartbeat thrumming against my cheek. “It was a good day for us all, Zoey. I’m glad we did it.”
“Me too.” I lift my face from his chest and gaze up into his dark irises. “For the first time ever, I felt like I was part of a family, like I finally belonged somewhere,” the confession falls on nothing more than a whisper.
His hand lifts, cupping my cheek in my favorite gesture. “You belong wherever I am.”
His beautiful words dance along my skin and kiss my soul. “Would it be completely unromantic if I told you right now that I am irrevocably falling in love with you?”
A lazy smirk dominates his face. “Would it be unromantic if I told you right now that I already am?”
My smile matches his. “No. It would be perfect.”
“Good, because you’re perfect.” He leans down, brushing his lips to mine, his thumb stroking where his mouth just touched.
“I’m sorry I’m not spending the night again,” I apologize, regret heavy in my voice.
“Don’t worry about it. We have all the time in the world, Zoey. I’m not going anywhere.”
My forehead falls back onto his chest, a groan escaping me. “Stop it. You’re too nice.”
His chuckle vibrates my cheek before he drops a kiss on my head. “Call me tomorrow?”
I lift my head and nod. “Yeah, tomorrow.”
He leaves me with one more heart-stealing kiss, one that I will feel for the rest of the night. “Bye, Zoey girl.”
“Bye.” I all but practically sigh, sounding like a silly schoolgirl.
He finds it quite amusing if his grin is anything to go by. Once he leaves, I walk back into my sister’s room and find her eyes heavy with sleep.
“Tired?”
“Mmm.” Is all she can manage.
I sit next to her, taking her hand in mine. “It was a big day but a fun one, wasn’t it?”
“The be-st.” Her eyes flutter closed, breathing evening out as she’s unable to fight the exhaustion any longer.
Leaning over, I press a kiss to her forehead. “Sleep, Chrissy Bee. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
“Lo-ove you, Do-oey.”
“I love you, too. Always.”
It isn’t long until I fall asleep too, feeling a lot more hope for not only my future but for my sister’s, too.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Austin
It’s late by the time we roll in from our last call of the night; all of us climbing out of the fire truck at the same time while Cap pulls up in his squad truck next to us.
“Well that was…interesting,” Rubin makes the comment, looking more amused than annoyed like the rest of us.
I’ve been to a lot of fucked-up calls before but being called in to save a pervert from an air vent at a tanning salon because he’d been up there peeking at naked women all day has to take the cake.
“I still say we should have left him there to rot,” Cam says, getting agreements from Jake and me.
Cap points at him in warning. “You better hope like hell that fist of yours doesn’t come back to bite you in the ass.”
The bastard struggled and fought with everything he had once we got up there that he even managed to clip Jake in the face with his boot. That’s when Cam let his temper get the best of him and sent a fist to his face.
“What?” Cam feigns ignorance. “I told you it was an accident.”
Cap grunts, knowing he’s full of shit.
“Besides, he hit Jake first. Look at his mouth all busted up. We should take him to the hospital.”
Jake sports more of a minor mark than a busted mouth, but I decide to keep that to myself since Cam is in enough shit.
“He did kick me,” Jake adds, barely containing his smirk.
Cap doesn’t find it as amusing as the rest of us. “I mean it, Phillips. I understand that prick had it coming but don’t let it happen again. The last thing I need is the commissioner on my ass.” He stomps off to his office, entering through the side door.
Once he’s out of earshot, we look at each other and burst into laughter. It’s how we usually react to one of his fits, which can happen more often than not.
“Whatever, the fucker deserved it,” Cam says, refusing to let it go. “I hope he spends a while behind bars and is made someone’s bitch. He deserves to know what it feels like to be defenseless like all his victims today.”
The thought of all the women who changed unknowingly in front of unwanted eyes sends anger surging through my veins. I’m personally glad Cam got a shot in on him.
Jake nudges my shoulder, his chin lifting in the direction behind me. “Look.”
Turning around, I find Chief Ramsey walking across the street toward us. A scowl morphs on my face as I wonder what he’s doing here so late. Last I heard, he had taken a leave of absence and it didn’t sound like he would be coming back. Not that I can blame him after all he’s been through.
“I’m going to head in and start packing up,” Rubin mumbles, suddenly becoming uncomfortable. “I’ll see you guys later.” He barely gives us a chance to bid him a goodbye before bolting into the station.
The three of us get our feet moving, meeting Ramsey just outside the overhead doors.
“Chief.” I extend my hand to him first, noticing his unkempt state. His usual clean-cut hair is a greasy mess, his jaw unshaven, and clothes rumpled. He also smells like it’s been days since he showered. The one attribute that stands out the most though is the pain that haunts his face, a misery that looks even worse than the last time I saw him at the funeral.
However, he shakes each of our hands, greeting us as he would any other time.
“You here to see Cap?” Cam asks.
“Actually, I came to talk to you boys.”
Surprise flares inside of me, my interest piquing. “What can we do for you?”
“I need your help.” He exhales a heavy breath, the weight of his pain carrying with it as he runs his hand through his dirty hair. “It’s about that night, the one that took my boy.”
Guilt rushes to the surface as I relive the few haunting seconds that took Declan’s life.
“I need to know everything about that fire,” he chokes out. “No one is telling me a goddamn thing other than it was set intentionally. I need answers.”
I shake my head. “Look, Chief, with all due respect, I think you should talk to Roper. He’s the one running the investigation with the police and can give you more insight.”
“Roper is a corrupt son of a bitch who d
oesn’t know his head from his ass,” he bites out. “He can’t be trusted.”
Every muscle in my body tightens, the three of us exchanging a look.
“What do you mean by that?” Jake asks.
“I mean exactly what I said. Why do you think your old man and him never got along? Besides the fact the asshole was always jealous, he couldn’t be trusted and your father knew it.”
Silence thickens the air as we all absorb this piece of information. I knew Roper was an asshole but corrupt?
“Look, they don’t want to tell me anything because I’m too close to the case. Declan…” He trails off, swallowing back his emotion. “He’s all I had left. I can’t just sit back and do nothing. I need justice. Is there anything, anything at all you can tell me?”
I look over at Jake, seeing the same indecision battling on his face. The information I have came from him, and I decide to let him be the one to share it or not.
“Sorry, Chief. We don’t know much more than you,” he says in the end. “But Hamilton is in on this too, he’s working harder than Roper, and I promise you, if he tells me anything concrete I’ll let you know.”
The chief nods, satisfied with that answer. “Good.” He claps him on the shoulder. “You’re a good boy, Ryan. Just like your father.”
It’s meant as a compliment but by Jake’s pained expression all it does is trudge up the hurt he may never overcome from losing his parents. A pain Cam and I share in since they were like family to us as well.
Just then the side door opens, revealing Cap. Tension immediately penetrates the moment, sending the chief backing away.
“You boys keep in touch.”
“Will do.” I give him a final nod before he turns around and walks off.
Cap joins us, his narrowed eyes following the chief as he climbs back into his car. “What was Ramsey doing here?”
“He wanted to talk to us,” Jake answers.
He cocks a brow. “About?”
“He asked if we had any information about the investigation,” I respond, refusing to keep anything from him. If there is anyone we can trust in all this, it’s Cap.
His lips press together in a thin line. “He shouldn’t be bringing you boys into it.”
Cam shrugs. “I think he’s just desperate for answers like the rest of us.”
