Page 10 of Hawk

HAWK

As soon as Titan saw the police cruiser pull up to Etain’s driveway, he called to let me know that something was up. Titan could have handled the situation, but when I hear that Etain is involved, I tear out the door and I’m on my bike in minutes.

I ride to her street and catch Titan’s gaze. He was guarding Etain’s place tonight and was just about to leave to make our club meeting when the police car arrived. He follows me up to the house now and is by my side when I see that Syd is the officer at the door.

“Hey, Syd, how’s it going?” I ask. Officer Syd is a good man and takes his job seriously. When we first got to town, he was a straight shooter and came to see me. After I assured him that the Redemption Riders were making this place their home and our intention was to establish a legitimate business, he calmed down. It didn’t happen overnight, but the local cops and the Redemption Riders have been able to work amicably together, and we’ve all been better for it.

“Hawk,” he says, acknowledging my presence. He glances at Etain and back. “What are you doing here?”

“Etain is my new office manager.”

“Since when does an employer come to the home of their employee?” Robert asks. Up to now, I haven’t paid any attention to Robert, but I take a good hard look at him now. He’s an arrogant asshole, but when I stare into his eyes, I see uncertainty and fear.

Lawyer or not, Etain was the brains of his enterprise. “None of your business,” I respond. I look over Syd’s shoulder at Etain. “Are you all right?”

She crosses her arms, sending a stabbing glare at Robert. “I was perfectly fine five minutes ago.” She then directs her anger at Robert. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? You bring a policeman to my door for no reason other than that you didn’t get your own way. Earlier today, I told you not to contact me anymore. And what do you do?” She takes a breath and continues, “You’ve called me thirty times, until I couldn’t stand it and turned my phone off, making me miss a call from my parents. What do you want, Robert? And don’t say for me to come home, because that’s not going to happen. You can keep the clients, the apartment, and your new plaything. Just leave me the hell alone.” Her chest is heaving, her eyes turn vibrant green, and I can’t help but smile at her ability to speak her mind.

“You can’t walk away from everything we’ve built,” Robert starts.

“Wrong! I just did.”

“You’re being ridiculous.” He steps closer to her, but I intercede and push past him and Officer Syd to put myself between Etain and Robert.

“Stop right there. I believe Etain has made it perfectly clear that she doesn’t want to speak to you. I think ignoring your calls was enough of a hint, but you seem to be averse to catching on.” I catch Office Syd’s eye. “This has gone on long enough. He needs to leave. He brought you here under false pretenses, and this is bordering on stalking.”

“Stalking! Are you out of your mind?” Robert exclaims. “I’m a lawyer, for God’s sake.”

“It’s time to go, sir. You can see that Miss Huggart is safe and is unwilling to speak with you,” Officer Syd says with a sigh.

“She needs to listen,” Robert shouts, pointing a finger toward Etain.

“She doesn’t need to do shit. I suggest you put your finger away before?—”

“Hawk, zip it,” Office Syd says, shaking his head. I rein it back in. Threatening Robert in front of a cop is a no-no, but Robert being a lawyer would be a problem too.

“Etain, are you done?” I ask, looking down at her reddened cheeks, another clue to her anger.

“More than done.” She manages a smile for Officer Syd. “Thank you for checking on me. I wish we could have met under nicer circumstances. Good night, Officer,” she says sweetly.

Robert’s about to protest, but Officer Syd gives him an expression that has him closing his mouth, turning around, and stomping back to the police car.

“Wait for me,” I tell Titan. It’s the first time Etain notices him.

She blinks. “Have you been here all this time?”

Titan laughs. “Yup. I enjoyed the drama,” he teases. He gives us a two-finger salute and walks down to the edge of the lawn, where he climbs on his bike and waits. I push Etain lightly with my hand on her belly into the house and shut the door.

“Can you believe that guy? He called the cops because I wouldn’t answer his calls. He’s loony!” Etain is pacing around the room, her hands waving dramatically as she speaks. “How is it thathecheats onme,and I have to deal with his idiocy?” She suddenly stops and stares at me. “Wait! What are you doing here?” Then, without waiting for a reply, she says, “Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind, and I’m fired.” She ends with her hands on her hips, almost daring me to announce her impending doom.

“I heard there was trouble and came to help,” I state calmly.

“You came to help me?” Her eyes brim with tears. All this time, she’s been tough, hiding her soft underbelly, but she’s vulnerable. My girl is a mixture of steel and feathers. Tough to crack, but once you get in, she’s soft and cuddly. She turns away to keep from showing me her tears, but I see her wipe her hand across her cheek.

“Hey, babe,” I say to her gently, turning her to face me. “You don’t have to worry. I got your back. Your job is safe.”

Her eyes meet mine. She takes in a deep breath. “How did you know Robert was here?”

“Titan’s been watching your place. When you told me your ex wasn’t done with you yet, I decided to keep tabs. You were right. He showed. Titan called me, and I came.”

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