Page 15 of Hawk

“Yeah.” I turned around with a hot pot of coffee and set it on the warming stone. “I don’t even remember disconnecting the call, I just took off running and they chased me. They wouldn’t stop.”

“But they did stop eventually,” Brown said. The skepticism in his voice was hard to miss.

His response brought me up short, but I nodded. “I made it to the community center, and I guess there were too many witnesses. They tried, but they were scared off. That’s when I called 9-1-1 the second time to report the attack.” I wondered if they’d heard about the abduction attempt at the community center, and I wasn’t sure if I should mention it or not. I decided better to keep Hawk out of it, and to say nothing.

Both detectives were quiet for a long time while I sipped my coffee and waited them out.

Eventually, Jones spoke. “Why didn’t you call Eric?”

“Why would I? He doesn’t work patrol and he doesn’t respond to 9-1-1 calls. Unless something has changed?” I knew damn well it hadn’t and what they were actually implying, made me pissed as hell.

“He would want to know,” Brown answered, as if I was fucking idiot.

“Yeah, well, what he wants is irrelevant to me. We are no longer in a relationship, and this has nothing to do with him. I didn’t involve him because he doesn’t need to be involved.” I saw the way they shared a look, and I felt my anger rise. “I don’t care about your cop brotherhood shit, he’s not involved. Period.”

They shared another look and stood up simultaneously.

“Thanks for your time, Ms. Carpenter. If you think of anything else, give us a call.” Detective Jones left a business card on the kitchen table and headed to the door.

I followed. “That’s all I know, but if anything comes to me, sure, I’ll call.” Maybe. They rubbed me the wrong way and it would take a while for me to get past that.

“This could be gang violence,” Brown added with an apologetic tone.

I stopped that shit immediately. “You have no idea what it is yet, but here you are, already trying to justify telling Detective Owens about what happened. We. Are. Over. No matter what he told you, that is the truth. If he shows up here, I will be filing a complaint. Goodbye.” I closed the door on the detectives, even angrier now.

Usually, I loved the silence of an empty apartment, but right now it was oppressive. It was stifling and I needed fresh air. I dumped the coffee mugs and what was left in the coffee pot, grabbed a glass of white wine, and settled on one of the comfy chairs on my balcony. It wasn’t the best view. It faced the houses and buildings across the street and the quiet was too often broken up by the flow of cars through the residential area.

Just then a midnight blue sedan rolled by slowly. So slowly the car behind it honked angrily. Unease slithered through me, but I shook it off and took another sip of wine. But then the car came around again, and I was officially worried.

It had to be those Ochos fuckers, right?

On the third trip around the block, my heart rate kicked up and worry settled deep in my gut. I reached for my phone.

“Hawk, it’s Laura.”

Chapter Nine

Hawk

I took the stairs up to Laura’s apartment two at a time, in a goddamn rush to get to her. She sounded so shaky and vulnerable on the phone. So small. “Laura, it’s me. Open up.” I knocked with enough force to be heard without scaring her. “Laura,” I said again in a softer, gentler tone.

The first lock sounded and then the second before the door opened and there she was, a messy bun on top of her head with a few golden tendrils that framed her face. Red cheeks and watery eyes. “Hawk,” she sighed. “You’re here.”

“Of course. You called.” I stepped inside and gave her apartment a cursory glance before I turned my full attention to her. “What’s going on?” I rested my hands on her shoulders in a gesture meant to comfort her.

“I’m sure I’m being silly,” she began. “It’s probably nothing.” She shook her head, a sad smile on her face as her cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink.

“Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. Tell me and I’ll let you know.” I flashed a smile, hoping it would relax her.

Her shoulders fell forward first and then she rested her forehead on my chest. A huge sigh escaped and then she launched into the tale of the blue car that circled the block at least three times. “It just seemed a little too coincidental that it happened right after the police left. Then again, there’s no way they could know that it was my unit the police were visiting, but it all happened at once. Or at least it seemed like it did.”

“What did the cops want?” I asked.

“It was about the report I made on Mark’s murder. I didn’t say anything about the kidnapping attempt, should I have?” her gray eyes were filled with concern.

It seemed like it was all related because it definitely was, but the way she looked at me told me she didn’t want to hear that.

“You’re not saying anything, Hawk.” She poked my chest with her index finger. “Why?”

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