Page 42 of Toxic

The drive to the meeting site is tense, the air thick with anticipation. Hawk is disguised, nearly unrecognizable, but I can still see the coiled energy in his posture, the predator ready to strike. It’s intoxicating.

As we pull up to the abandoned Rivers property, I scan the area, my mind processing a thousand details at once. “Your people are in position,” I murmur, noting the subtle signs of surveillance. “I’ve looped the security cameras and set up a signal jammer. We’re ghosts here.”

Hawk nods, his eyes never leaving the entrance. “He must be desperate,” he says, his voice cold. “Coming out in the open like this.”

“He lost both Regina and Kazanov,” I remind him, a hint of pride in my voice. We did that, together. “We’ve backed him into a corner. And cornered animals are the most dangerous.”

We exit the car, Hawk’s hand finding the small of my back as we approach the building. The touch grounds me, focuses my racing thoughts. In moments like these, I’m hyperaware of how perfectly we fit together – two broken, dangerous pieces forming a deadly whole.

Inside, the air is stale, dust motes dancing in the weak sunlight filtering through grimy windows. And there, in the center of the room, stands Hawk’s uncle.

He looks older than when I saw him at the gala, lines of stress etched deep into his face. His eyes dart nervously between us as we approach.

“You’re the ones who can... handle my problem?” he asks, his voice wavering slightly.

Hawk nods, his voice disguised. “For the right price. You mentioned specifics?”

The uncle’s posture relaxes slightly. “Yes, yes. It needs to look like an accident. My nephew, Hawk Rivers – he can’t suspect foul play. Perhaps a car crash or...”

He doesn’t get to finish. In one fluid motion, Hawk strips off his disguise, revealing himself. The uncle’s face drains of color.

“H-Hawk?” he stammers. “What is this?”

“This,” Hawk snarls, advancing on him, “is what happens when you try to take what’s mine.”

The first punch lands with a sickening crunch, and I watch with dark satisfaction as Hawk unleashes his fury. His movements are precise, calculated, each blow designed to inflict maximum pain without knocking his uncle unconscious. It’s a cold, methodical brutality.

“Did you really think you could take what’s mine?” Hawk growls, his voice terrifyingly calm as he continues his assault. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out? That I wouldn’t destroy everything you love in return?”

Movement in my peripheral vision catches my attention. My heart races as I process the new threat, my mind working overtime to analyze and react.

A figure emerges from the shadows, and my blood runs cold as I recognize Hawk’s cousin, Thomas. The glint of metal in his hand has me moving before I can think.

“Hawk!” I scream as two shots ring out.

Time seems to slow. I see the surprise on Thomas’s face as I throw myself in front of Hawk. I don’t feel the impact at first. There’s just a sense of wrongness, of heat spreading across my abdomen. I hear more gunshots, see Thomas and Hawk’s uncle crumple to the ground.

And then Hawk is there, his face a mask of shock and rage unlike anything I’ve ever seen. “Devin? Devin, no, no, no...”

I try to speak, to tell him I’m okay, but my mouth won’t cooperate. Darkness creeps in at the edges of my vision. The last thing I’m aware of is Hawk’s arms around me, his voice calling my name as consciousness slips away.

I don’t care if I die, I think hazily. As long as he lives. As long as Hawk is safe. He’s mine, and I protect what’s mine – even if it costs me everything.

Then, nothing.

The world fades to black, and for a moment, I feel myself floating in a void. But then, like a computer rebooting, my senses slowly come back online. I hear frantic voices, feel the pressure of hands on my wound. My eyes flutter open, and I see Hawk’s face, twisted with a mix of fury and fear I’ve never seen.

“Don’t you dare leave me,” he growls, his voice thick with emotion. “Do you hear me, Devin? You’re mine, and I order you to stay at my side. I’ll follow you into hell if I have to.”

I want to respond, to reassure him, to tell him that I’d burn the world down to stay with him. But the darkness is pulling me under again. As I slip back into unconsciousness, one thought echoes in my mind: I’ve never seen Hawk lose control like this. And it’s all because of me.

TWENTY-ONE

SIX YEARS AGO

The Day After Devin’s 18th Birthday

Isit across from Devin’s parents in their immaculate living room, my posture relaxed but my mind razor-sharp. Every detail of this conversation could impact my future with Devin, and I refuse to leave anything to chance.

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