Strike Fear (Hawk Elite Security Book 2)

by Beth Rhodes

  “I need to take a ride over to the gym.”

  She jumped and hid the letter behind her back. Stupid. Relaxing, she tucked the envelope, along with her bills, into her back pocket for later.

  “You interested in tagging along?” he asked as if she had a choice, but she understood the unspoken as well. She couldn’t be left alone. She’d have to call someone else to come over if she refused. Or he’d send one of the Hawk agents.

  And she’d already decided she was bored out of her mind. “Yes.”

  “Do you have that list of possible culprits for Detective Jensen?”

  “Hey! How did you know?” She hurried past him to the stairs then stopped short with a gasp and turned back. “That’s why you were in a funk when you got back.”

  “I wasn’t in a funk.”

  “You were! I noticed it right away.” She pointed between her eyes. “The furrow.”

  He frowned, pulled back—figuratively, of course. Liz was getting to know his moods.

  “You should tell me when stuff happens, when the police call, if a friend calls, if someone stops you to ask for directions! Jesus, Liz. Just…I’m not trying to intrude on your private life, but until—”

  “Until we know who is responsible. I get it. I’m sorry,” she whispered, turning to go up the stairs. He’d been offended, but only because he thought his ability to do the job was on the line. “Hey,” she called down the stairs. “You should know. In the last week, I’ve gotten two wrong number texts. One was the day after the attack.”

  He nodded, not answering with words.

  She made a quick change into a pair of jeans and pulled one of her knit sweaters over a cami. She threw on a set of her bangles and stuck long dangly earrings into her ears.

  One swipe of her lip gloss and she was ready to go. She grabbed her purse in the kitchen, flew down the steps, stopped herself halfway down, turned, and took the steps up again—two at a time. Liz opened the drawer next to the sink—her junk drawer—and snatched the paper sitting on top.

  Taking the stairs again, she retraced her steps and found Tan waiting at the bottom, grinning, and it stopped her. He had an amazing smile, full lips, and those eyes—ugh—they held no reserve. Good looking didn’t quite describe it. And she liked that he’d shaken off the serious vibe from the moments before.

  “Desperate to get out much?”

  “I am never desperate,” she answered in her most stuck-up tone and sniffed for good measure. “But yes, I want out.”

  He laughed then and went through the door. She waited, knowing that was procedure. And the look of pleasure that came over him filled her with pride. “You’re figuring things out. Come on. We’ll take my truck.”

  “How long do you think this is going to last?” she asked again, because the first answer she got had been incredibly broad, and with the developments, there seemed to be no telling. And how was she supposed to live her entire life, being surrounded by this man who made her heart thump and her mind crazy every time he was around!

  She’d be frickin’ eighty years old, working to suppress her libido and find normalcy!

  Maybe she could move to…to…the North Pole. They must have ice skating up there.

  “Liz?”

  Zapped out of her mental musing, heat rose on her cheeks. “Yes? I’m sorry. What did you say?”

  “I don’t know how long this is going to last,” he said, giving her a funny look. “Too many unknowns still.”

  He opened the passenger side door for her and then held out a hand so she could climb up. He really was a gentleman. All her brothers had trucks, and they were good guys, but they’d left off the helping up for her for years.

  “If I could get a copy of the list you made, we could go through it at headquarters. Sometimes Malcolm’s software can be faster than the department’s.”

  Her stomach hurt a little though. She couldn’t believe her life in competition had come to this, tainting all her happier memories of that time. And she hated that she’d been dreaming again of the attack. To mix that with what she’d thought was healthy sportsmanship?

  “You’ve made a few enemies, princess.”

  She scowled then, even knowing he was teasing. The nickname made her think of all the times she’d heard the phrase Ice Bitch over the years. When he went around and got in on his own side, she argued, “Circumstance makes enemies.”

  “Unhappy, mean people also make enemies.”

  Liz nodded. Her first partner on the ice had been impatient, and eventually unkind. She’d never been able to make the connection she needed to skate pairs. After a season of forcing herself into pairs skating with him, she’d been dumped, replaced by another. She’d failed.

  But she hadn’t given up. Two years later, the opportunity arose again. And the pairing had lasted eighteen months, more than an entire season! She’d been so burnt out on skating and pairs and training, she’d hooked up with Gabe. Her first boyfriend since junior high. Her stretch into a world she hadn’t been prepared for.

  She’d wanted someone who she could talk to and be with without worrying about what they thought of her skates, her costumes, her double toe loop.

  They’d gone to the movies and taken walks and…kissed. Her first kiss.

  The kiss had been a sign. Too wet, too aggressive…not what she expected, it had filled her with apprehension. He’d wanted more but been willing to wait, which she’d taken as a sign that her intuition was off, that he really was a good guy.

  “Liz?”

  “Oh, my God!” She snapped to, for the second time. “I’m so sorry. You must think I’m such an idiot.”

  “No. But I’m glad we’re getting out. You definitely need a distraction. Lots of thoughts going on up there.”

  She shrugged.

  “You want to talk about it?”

  “No, thank you.”

  She’d been wrong about her intuition being wrong. It was the last time she ever second-guessed a gut feeling. Which was one of the reasons she was so going to have to watch her step around Tan. She wanted him, liked him, respected him… would gladly test the waters with this guy.

  He was the real deal…

  It didn’t matter if her heart was going to pull a schoolgirl crush over this guy.

  To him, she was a job. To her, he was a big fat hurdle to independence and being the strong person she knew she could be again.

  Some deals even she couldn’t afford.

  ~ 13 ~

  He’d made her sad or pissed off. He didn’t know her well enough to determine which.

  She had a newspaper with her, and she’d been nose deep in it since they’d left her apartment. He couldn’t believe he’d agreed to dinner. This was a first…he was thinking it ought to be the last as well. Keeping his distance from clients was a long-standing survival tactic.

  Breaking his rules was proof that he might need to make a change…even get out of personal security. Maybe Hawk could switch him out with…with someone. Anyone else.

  Liz crossed her legs as she turned another page and revealed the long length of her jeans-clad thigh. She had great legs, and for one crazy instant, he could imagine those legs wrapped around his waist. His hands gripped the steering wheel as he forced his attention solely on the road.

  Tan cleared his throat and shifted to get comfortable in his increasingly uncomfortable seat. She was this compact body of tight muscle and fiery energy. She had no version of slow. He’d sat outside her shop the last three nights and watched as the lights remained on well past midnight. And she was always up by the time he got there.

  She sighed. “Oh, no. Another girl found dead.”

  “Where did they find her?” He’d known she was missing.

  Folding the paper first, Liz covered her lap—too bad—and leaned over the article. “Hm. A park not far from her home. Not a lot of details. I can be thankful for that, anyway.”

  At the gym, he parked on the curb. Tan reached over and pulled down the corner of the pap
er.

  She gave him an irritated look but acquiesced to his perusal.

  “One more reason to be extra careful.” He said, as he got out and went around to open her door. “Coming?”

  She looked up from her intent study and reached for her bag without a sound.

  He wanted to growl with frustration. “Are you pissed again? Or merely irritated with me?” Tan kept his body behind her, between her and the rest of the world until he reached around her and opened the door. She walked through.

  Liz stood on the big blue door mat; her shoulders fell a little.

  “What? I’ll fix it.”

  She shook her head. “It’s not you. Go. Get what you need done. I’ll wait here.”

  He almost reached for her, almost took her chin in his hand to look into those eyes he’d been avoiding. But good sense and will stopped him. “I’ll only be a minute.”

  The gym was full today. Malcolm and John were doing a round in the ring. More than one guy was having it out with the punching bag and there was a small crowd on the mats doing combative drills.

  Tan stepped into the office and settled the door against the jamb without latching it closed so he could keep an ear on what was going on in the other room. He didn’t know what he expected, but being prepared for anything was probably a good idea any way. At least this way, he’d hear if Liz went off the deep end or something.

  Unfair.

  “Is there a problem, Tan?” Hawk sat at the desk, tapping it with the folder in his hands.

  Tan ran a hand through his hair, scratched his scalp, and dropped into the folding chair. He let his head fall back against the wall.

  The man might be blind, but he could see crap coming from a mile away.

  “No problem. What have you got for me?”

  Hawk hesitated.

  “I’m fine, really,” Tan restated. He wasn’t going to admit his libido suddenly had a mind of its own, and that it wanted one princess and client, Liz Whitney.

  His boss handed him the folder. “Preliminary check on Gabriel Sands. You have the list?”

  Tan almost handed over the list. “Want me to email it to Malcolm?”

  “Sure.” Hawk hesitated, thinking…studying the silence. “You going to be able to talk to her? Go deeper with this list? Get a personal feel for who the risks are?”

  Are you in too deep? That’s what he was really asking.

  “I got this.” He couldn’t let this one go now. He might have thought it, panicked until this very moment when the real idea of losing the place next to Liz became a reality. Nope. He couldn’t do that.

  Tan flipped through the printout. If anyone had a score to settle, it was Gabriel. But the man had kept his nose clean since being released. He’d put in a request to live near his dad during his probation time. And it looked like he had approval. “He’s leaving the state?”

  “Temporarily.” Hawk rose from his seat and came around the desk. “He’s going up to settle the estate and bring his father back.”

  “And the murdered women. You hear anything more official?”

  “Nothing connects them yet. As a matter of fact, they’re starting to wonder if the two murders are even related. The first looks to be an act of passion. Lots of blood. The second…quiet. An overdose.”

  That stopped him. “Drugs?” After all these years, when was the world going to stop?

  “Sort of. Insulin.”

  “Shit. Easily accessible, no prescription necessary for certain kinds. Detective Fagen’s being awful talkative. Any word on identities?”

  “No. I’m not close enough to the circle for that information. I’m sure we’ll see it in the news eventually.” Hawk leaned against the desk. “Two girls, though. Makes me want to go home, check on my own kids.”

  “I know how you feel.”

  “How is Andrea?”

  “Mom got home late, but yeah. She gets lonely—” Silence outside the office door caught his attention. Tan stood. “What the—?”

  Hawk came around the desk, trailing his hand along the edge of it, and opened the door all the way. “What the heck is going on out there?”

  The quiet was quickly broken by the dull roar of laughter. “Liz is standing, surrounded by all the guys. She appears to be holding court.” Princess.

  Yet, he was struck by the look of pure enjoyment on her face. But he knew it wasn’t that she liked being the center of attention. She loved making people happy—like her own clients. Like her dad and her brother who she pretended annoyed her.

  “She gets along well with the guys.” Even with unseeing eyes, Hawk could sense the way she’d captivated the entire gym. “Oh, she’s telling the story of when she got disqualified at Nationals.” He turned his head in that way when he was intent on listening, then he chuckled.

  Tan frowned. How did his boss know this story? And didn’t anyone around here have better things to do—like work? The guys would always be taken by a pretty face.

  The main door of the gym opened. Tan moved forward. Not that Liz would be in danger surrounded by the crowd of guys, but the instinct was there—to protect her.

  Then he saw his mother and sister cross the threshold, making him slow and change directions. What the hell were they doing here?

  “An,” he said, with a smile as he approached. He gave his mom a side hug, quickly letting go even as he registered the lack of the smell of alcohol on her. He hated being sneaky and the way she stiffened her spine told him he hadn’t quite fooled her. “Don’t you guys have a field trip to the arboretum today?”

  “The school cancelled it on account of the unpredictable weather for this afternoon.”

  “Too bad. We’ll have to plan a trip of our own.” He smiled at Andrea, knowing she’d been looking forward to the outing for the last week, and her eyes brightened at the idea. He held out a hand. “I have someone I want you to meet.”

  The guys returned to working out, and Liz stood near the office with Hawk. Her gaze found him, and she smiled—but hesitantly.

  “Liz, I’d like you to meet my sister, Andrea.” He put a hand on Andrea’s shoulder. “Andrea, this is my client, Liz Whitney. She’s a figure skater. Once, she even skated in the Olympics.”

  “Hi, Andrea.” Liz held out a hand, and Andrea gave her a shy smile and shook it. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “My mother, Sophia Martin,” Tan continued.

  “Nice to meet you.” Liz shook his mom’s hand as well. “You can’t know how grateful I am for all your son’s help.”

  Heat rose on his neck, unusual, but so was hearing a client speak to his mother about him. With a shrug, he redirected the conversation to something else. “You guys on your way home?” he asked his mom and sister. “I can drive by there on the way out.”

  “You could join us for dinner,” An spoke, barely above a whisper. “You missed Sunday.”

  Liz sent him a look—a frowny I-told-you-so.

  “Soon, okay?” His glance found his mom above Andrea’s head. She was studying him as well, and he really wasn’t liking how under-the-microscope he felt. “I’m glad you stopped by, though.”

  Mom smiled. “We’d love a ride home, if you don’t mind.” She turned to Liz as Tan started moving them toward the door. “I hope you get your trouble all worked out soon.”

  “Thanks Mrs. Byrnes.”

  The cold air bit hard into his little group as they hurried over to his truck. His mom was still talking to Liz, who had taken to calling her Sophia. And it was weird. He’d never had a woman—client or otherwise, connect with his mom. Granted, he liked to keep any relationship short and sweet so there was never this opportunity to bond.

  Liz took the back seat, letting his mom ride shotgun. An unexpected show of respect. They’d had those kind of manners drilled into them as kids by his grandfather. He’d found, though, lately…especially with clients, there was a decided lack of courtesy.

  When they pulled up in front of his mom’s, Tan jumped out. The girls all piled o
ut as well, and Andrea ran for the front door. Liz took his mom’s seat in the front.

  It was good to see his mom home so early in the afternoon. It made having this obligation with Liz easier on him, and he wanted to say something, encourage her. But he’d never been very good at the emotional stuff, so he walked her up to the house, and held the door open.

  “Be careful, son,” she said, patting his cheek.

  He stopped her. “What made you come by today, Mom?”

  She frowned.

  And he chuckled. “I don’t mind. I swear. It was really good to see you out and about with An.”

  “You mean not sitting at home, being bored…and drinking?”

  Heat, again, rose on his neck. A record day.

  “Just wanted to check up on you, that’s all.” She smiled before leaving him on the front stoop and closing the door behind her.

  There’d always been distance between Tan and his mom, especially since Thomas had died. Thomas had been the favorite. Fine by Tan. He’d been free to come and go as he pleased.

  Maybe this was her way of asking for more, asking for a new start.

  He’d be a real dirtbag not to try.

  ***

  Liz left her brothers and Tan and went into the kitchen to help Maggie get dinner on the table.

  “Sit.”

  “I can help.”

  Maggie gave her a look and nodded to the barstool across the island from her. “Sit.”

  She pulled out her mail and sat, and she didn’t hesitate this time, ripping the seal open with gusto. The letter was short and to the point. Her heart pounded as the succinct tone of the intro paragraph turned into the warm tone of acceptance. Liz grinned, her feet bouncing against the footrest under her. “Yes. Yes. Yes!”

  Pumping her fist, she waved the paper in the air. “I got it. Front cover, Maggie. Look!”

  Maggie took the paper and read through the few paragraphs. “This is wonderful. Oh, honey. Your dad is going to be so proud of you.”

  “This is what I needed, and before the Expo, too. People will actually be looking for me now.”

  “They would have stopped to look anyway.” Maggie affirmed as she stirred a sauce on the stove.