Page 11 of Hawk

“That explains some basic self-defense, but not the skill you used on the two men we found.Also, Knight found the footage and we’ve all watched you fight.You gave those guys every opportunity to run.It looked like you were begging them to leave.Even after you’d already handed them their asses.”

“Yeah.The harder I pleaded with them to leave, the less likely they were to go.I knew that, but I kept asking them to just walk away.”

“Also, there was a third guy.”

I started and I felt my cheeks heat.“Fuck.I forgot about him.”Yeah, my dad would be laughing at me so hard right now.Then he’d tell me how a girl was useless to him.

Knuckles raised an eyebrow.“Forgot?How do you forget a third combatant?”

I couldn’t help but cringe and all the food I’d just consumed threatened to come back up.Typically, what would have followed would be a lecture to do any drill sergeant proud.After that, an epic beating disguised as training.

“I was focused on the two guys in front of me,” I admitted quietly.I put my chin up because I would not cower in front of this guy.I couldn’t afford to.Because, while he was being nice now -- they all had -- I didn’t know these people.Also, this guy talked just like my dad.He used the same words.I could almost recite the coming beratement word for word.I knew better than to lie, though.He already knew I’d lost sight of the third guy, but he didn’t know the full breakdown.I cleared my throat, trying to choke back bile.“I’m not sure I realized there was a third guy.It’s all a blur, really.”

Hawk nodded slowly.“That happens in a fight.Tunnel vision.But here’s the thing -- that third guy?Someone else took care of him.”

My head snapped up.“What?”

“Yeah.Knight found footage of a fourth person who snapped the third guy’s neck after you wounded him.Clean, professional kill.”Hawk leaned forward, his eyes intent on mine.“Any idea who that might have been?”

“No,” I whispered, genuinely shocked.“I swear, I had no idea anyone else was there.”

“You being followed, Carrie?”

I shook my head.“Not that I know of.I mean, I’ve been on my own for a few weeks now, moving around, trying to stay under the radar.”

“Under the radar from who?”

I hesitated, looking down at my hands.I wasn’t sure how much to admit to this guy.My whole life had been about secrets.It was drilled into me from the time I could talk that I didn’t ever talk about family secrets with anyone.Ever.Under any circumstance.Now that I’d made a break from my father and my brothers, did that rule still hold?

“I…”

“You don’t have to tell me everything if you’re not ready.But I do need to know if there is a possibility someone’s comin’ to the compound after you.”

I bit my lip, weighing my options.I didn’t want to put these people in danger, and I didn’t want to lie when they’d shown me nothing but kindness, but the ingrained secrecy had me hesitating to say much.“My father might be looking for me,” I finally admitted.“He’s… not a good person.”

“What kind of ‘not good’ are we talking about?”Hawk’s voice was carefully neutral, but I could see the tension in his shoulders.When I didn’t immediately answer, Hawk asked another question.“Your dad.The one who taught you to fight like that?”

“Yeah.”I shifted uncomfortably.“Look.You’re going to have to bear with me.My whole life has been about secrets, Hawk.I want to tell you everything, but my entire being is telling me to shut the hell up and leave so I don’t have to tell you anything.”

“Just because you don’t want to spill secrets you’ve kept your entire life doesn’t mean you have to leave.But I need to know if there’s a threat on your heels.A simple yes or no is fine.For now.”There was a measure of kindness in his voice and expression, but also an underlying insinuation he’d expect more later.Either when trouble showed up, or when I trusted him more.I had a feeling the former would happen before the latter.

I took a breath.I’d left the family.While I didn’t want my brothers in trouble, they hadn’t exactly tried to help me.OK, so they had.Kind of.They always looked out for me and hadn’t allowed our father to spar with me if they could help it.If Father was trying to teach me a lesson, one of my brothers would insist on doing the teaching.Unfortunately, Father stopped giving me his “lessons” when my brothers were around a few years ago.I owed my father nothing.Anything I’d gained in being able to defend myself, I’d more than repaid in sweat and enough blood to fill an ocean.No tears.Never tears.“My dad is… intense.”

“If he’s the one who taught you to fight, then yeah.I’d say he’s intense.”

“There is a possibility he’ll come for me.I don’t think he’d hire someone to kill me.He wouldn’t trust my brothers to bring me back.Says they’re too soft on me.No, if he decides I’m worth the trouble, if there is something he needs from me, he’ll come to get me himself.”

Hawk handed me a photo.It was a closeup of a man as he broke the neck of the third attacker.My breath caught.The photo was a bit pixelated where it had been enlarged, but there was no denying the man in the photo was my brother looking up at the camera.“You know that man.”It wasn’t a question because my expression, once again, gave everything away.

“Yes.That’s my oldest brother, Victor.”My heart pounded.“Did he follow me here?Did you see him?”

“This is the only image Knight found, and no one has been near the walls that anyone has seen.”

“You might not see him,” I said quietly.“All of them are good at not being seen.It surprises me you got this photo.”

“Wouldn’t have except Knight pulled footage from cameras way the fuck away from where your brother was.”

Slowly, Hawk reached over and put his hand over mine.“You’re safe here, Carrie.No one’s getting to you unless you want them to.”The certainty in his voice was comforting, even if I wasn’t sure I believed him.

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