Page 6 of Hawk

“Here ya go.”He set me on the vanity of a surprisingly spacious and clean bathroom.The place didn’t actually look lived in.The main area was a little messy, but the bathroom was near spotless.“There’s a bench in the shower.Sit there and wash until you feel better.I’ll be just outside if you need help.Don’t fall.”He delivered his instructions in a crisp, no-nonsense voice.

“Are you always this bossy?”The second I said the words, I regretted them.I opened my mouth to apologize, but Hawk only chuckled.

“Yeah, Killer.I’m always this bossy.”

“You might want to get that looked at,” I muttered, which got another laugh out of him.

“Tell you what.When Pain comes to look you over, if you don’t give him too much shit and let him make sure you’re OK physically, I’ll see if he’ll look at my bossiness while he’s here.”

“I really am sorry I got you guys involved.I didn’t intend to.I was just trying to get out of the area and got lost in the fog.”

“Don’t worry about any of that.Get clean.Take a few minutes to sit in the hot water and just be.I’ll leave you some clothes outside the door, then I’m going to see what Knight finds.I’ll come check on you in an hour.”He moved to a wooden cabinet in the corner of the bathroom.“Towels and washcloths.Use all you need.Knuckles says his woman is gettin’ you a few things together.I’ll have her set them just inside the door.Throw your dirties in the corner and I’ll take care of it later.”

My gaze snapped to his.“Will everyone be able to get in here?”

“No, honey.I have a key.I’ll give that key to Hannah, who will give it back to me once she gets your shit together.You’re not gonna be locked in or anything, but I wouldn’t advise leaving without an escort.You saw how pushy the club whores can be.Hannah or Gunnar’s woman, Pippa, will be happy to take you wherever you want to go.”

I tried not to wince at the term “club whores” but wasn’t sure I pulled it off.“They’re here because they want to be.Right?”Of all the questions I needed to ask, that wasn’t any of my business.

“Yeah.Every woman here knows the score before she comes in.”

My stomach clenched and I took a step backward.“I didn’t agree to anything like that.”My heart pounded in my chest.Had I made a huge mistake?Had I escaped one bad situation only to fall into a worse one?I was under no illusion I’d fare as well with this man, or any of the other men I’d seen on their property.Every single one of them looked sturdy, strong, and more than a little mean.

“Relax, Carrie.You’re not here for the same reasons they are, and this is not a permanent situation for you.Now, if you decide you want to live here, that’s different.”

OK, that was funny.If it weren’t for the fact I actually needed a home, his words might have been amusing.But the fact was, I was desperate.It’s how those guys had found me in the first place.Because I wasn’t very good at finding safe places to sleep, and they’d tried to take my last five bucks.When they’d realized that was all I had, they’d decided to take other things from me.

“I see,” Hawk said, sounding like he really did see.“It’s like that is it?”

“Like what?”My whisper was soft.I wasn’t even sure I could speak louder.

“Do you have a place to stay, honey?”

“Sure.”I tried to smile.

“Don’t lie to me, Carrie.You’re shit at it.”

“Yeah.So I’ve been told.”I took a breath.“No.I don’t have a place to stay.I was sleeping in one of the warehouses and apparently didn’t hide well enough.”

“All right.Enough of this.I will take care of everything.I’ll help you get back on your feet.”

“I can’t pay you.And I’m not sure what being a club whore entails, but I’m betting it’s just what the name says.I don’t judge, but I can’t do that.”

“Never said you had to.”He scrubbed a hand over his face.Probably exasperated with me.“Do what I told you.Take a long shower.When you get done, if you want to, lie down and take a nap.I promise no one will bother you.And, Carrie…” He waited until I met his gaze and held it.“I don’t expect payment.Just let me help.That’s payment enough.”

Chapter Three

Hawk

I was in so much trouble as to not even be believed.I think I’d rather go back to prison than have to deal with the shit show in front of me.And I didn’t mean cleaning up the dead bodies.I mean that fucking girl and her fucking big eyes and trembling lips with an apparent streak of badassedness that was off the fucking charts.My cock was so hard right now the fucking room was spinning.And I felt like a fucking giant-ass prick.

Carrie was… ethereal.In some ways, she was so very innocent and timid, but after watching that fucking video feed Knight showed us?That woman was lethal.And a huge fucking question mark.

“Ain’t never seen nothin’ like that in my whole Goddamned life.”Tiny sounded equal parts awed and terrified.“You found the third guy yet?”

“Yeah.”Knight did something on the tablet in his hand and we watched as the third guy she hadn’t mentioned stumbled through the fog.She’d sliced a wide arch over his abdomen with the knife she’d taken away from his buddy but hadn’t been able to finish because one of the others had grabbed her again.He made it about a hundred yards before he was grabbed by someone out of the mist, his neck quickly and efficiently broken.

“Guy’s done that a fuckin’ time or two,” Knuckles muttered.“Were you able to identify the bastard?”

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