Page 21 of Speed Trap

Hawk stood at my back the entire time the police dusted for prints and did their job. After a while I stopped watching andlet conflicting thoughts of Hawk and Benson roil around in my head. It was so much easier when I kept wondering what both the police and Hawk kept asking about who might have wanted to ruin my car. We all came up with the same, blunt answer.

I don’t know.

So instead I spent the time contemplating my career.

Either direction I headed in had death written all over it. Well, maybe not my death, just the end of my working life. That was all. Benson was clearly someone different to who I had thought when I signed up as part of his team, and Hawk…he was in a whole other category all of his own.

The dark-haired driver bolstered me through several hours of waiting without being asked, no expectations. He remained silent when I needed to process everything, asked the police all the questions that stuck in my throat. The rest of the information in my head swarmed until I could barely grasp onto one idea before he moved onto the next in a logical sequence that evaded me.

I hated being the damn damsel in distress, but knowing he was there became a comfort I wanted to rely on, at least in this moment.

“You look miserable.” Hawk poked an elbow in my ribs.

I turned from where we perched on the steps to the office building to stare up at him, my mouth flapping open. “Gee, thanks for that.”

“Happy to help. Tell me a story to distract me from the pins and needles in my feet. You said the car was your dad’s?”

I rolled my eyes. “Your idea of a distraction is to talk about the literal wreck in front of us? Your bedside manner is not your strong point, Hawk.”

“You can do so much better than that.” His fist nudged my thigh in a gentle bump. “Come on. Educate me.”

I stared at him for a long moment. “Are you taking the mickey?” Hawk’s eyes widened as he shook his head. I sighed. “Okay, fine. My father was a collector. Of…well, pretty much everything. Where I grew up there was a lot of unrest. Kosovo was a mess and we lived in a small town near the border.”

“So you immigrated to the US.”

I grimace. “That’s…one way of putting it. There was a lot of paperwork involved, and a lot of money changed hands. It wasn’t just one move, either. It—” I swallowed hard, trying not to recall the childhood torn from Honey and me. The family we lost. “My father—he sold everything to bring us across. I still don’t know if it was the right thing, whether we should have—could havestayed.”

“I’m sure he wanted you to have the best chance at life, and an unknown future is a terrifying thing for those you love.” Hawk gave me a barely-there smile when I gaped at him. “I’m not a guns blazing guy all the time, you know.”

“That’s good to know.” I pressed my lips together, collecting my thoughts. “Dad got a job managing a small branch of a big bank. He set us up with everything. School, the townhouse I live in. He never collected anything ever again. The cobra was the only thing he bought for himself and he never got to enjoy it. Mom couldn’t bear the thought of being away from her home, and she—” I swallowed back the tears that blurred my vision. “She committed suicide. Dad followed her a month later. Not suicide, just…I think he died of a broken heart. The cobra is—was—what I had left of him.” I sniffled. “So, cheery story, huh?”

“I asked for it.” Hawk turned a pensive gaze my way that pierced any barriers remaining between us.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—” I swallowed again. A single tear broke free and tumbled down my cheek.

Hawk’s arm wrapped around my shoulders, drawing me into him for a long moment. “I’m glad you told me.” His knucklesbrushed over my cheek, and he released me to shift his knees. “But seriously, Coops. You’re a cruel taskmaster, making me listen sitting here.” His mouth crooked up at one side. “My ass is numb from moving steps with you. We’ve gone up and down this row three times. As much as I know I’m an arrogant bastard, I don't really want Miss Police Officer over there to see me in my tighty whities.”

“You don’t like a woman in uniform?” I teased, my heavy mood evaporating as Hawk lifted the moment. My fingers brushed over my purse and laptop case I’d collected earlier, letting their solid forms anchor me as I tilted my head back to meet those dark eyes.

And was swallowed whole in a maelstrom that roiled below the surface.

“I like what I like, Coops.” Hawk reached out to wind a finger through the long curl nearest him and gave it a gentle tug.

He leaned forward, drawing me closer until my breath was as lost as the rest of me. Conflicting need and desire tumbled over me. His breath brushed my lips, and as my lips tingled at his proximity. Just as I thought he might kiss me, he drew back and left me floundering.

Hawk’s gaze flicked up, his face going curiously blank. “Ah. They’re done.” He stood.

I hadn’t realized his hand was wrapped around mine until he drew me up alongside him.

The police officer clutched his tablet, his gaze flicking between me and Hawk. “Uh, ma’am. Your car. It’s— we didn’t find any prints. Or anything much. Everything will be sent to forensics. We’ll hear back when we hear back.” A twitch seemed to have developed beneath one eye where he stared at me.

“Okay, thank you. So I have to get this cleaned up? I can touch stuff now?”

“Yes.” He stared harder at me. A sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead.

“Okay—”

“Officer.” Hawk’s hand on my back stiffened the slightest amount. “How long until we hear back on the reports? I’d like Sunny to get her life back together as fast as we can. And—” His fingertips dug into my back, “—I want to know she’s safe from whoever did this.”

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