Page 16 of Hawk

You could tell Bambi had put thought into every single room, from the soft rugs to each individual plant.

There was a soft knock on the door, and I gathered the blankets around me before yelling out.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Bambi came in, holding her pregnant stomach. She glowed with joy everywhere she went.

“Hey, girl. Just coming to check in on you!”

“Shouldn’t you be resting? Two babies are a lot to handle.”

Bambi just laughed as she sat on the end of the bed. “I’m fine. Too much shit to do before the babies get here to stop.”

Shaking my head, I leaned a little closer to her. “How are you feeling, though? Like really.”

“I’m good. I really am. I’ve got a hot husband, two beautiful babies on the way, and my dreams are all coming true. What more could a girl want?” Bambi turned and looked at me with a serious face. “You deserve that too, Sav. You deserve more than that shitbag.”

I sighed and turned to look out the window. “It’s not that easy. Lloyd and his daddy are big names in this town. I can’t escape them.”

“But you can! The Devil’s Highwaymen are bigger than those two assholes. Please stay for a bit. I have a new lawyer-”

I put my hand up to stop her. “I’ll stay for the day. But I’m not staying here for good. I just can’t…”

“Listen to me, lady. This lawyer isn’t just some random small-town attorney. She’s this badass fucking woman from California. Give her a chance when she gets here, okay?”

I nodded as I laid back on the pillows. “Fine. Only because I know you won’t leave me alone until I do.”

Bambi laughed as she slowly stood. “And because you deserve more than fucking shitbag Lloyd. There’s that certain someone with pretty blue eyes that wants you...”

As Bambi left the room, I turned to stare out the window. I knew deep down Bambi was right, but I was having a hard time seeing the future. How could I leave without dragging everybody else into this mess? I couldn’t let them get caught in this toxic web Lloyd had created.

Plus, all I had was a high school diploma and a shitload of baggage. Who would ever want me? Other than the diner, who would ever hire me? Lloyd had stripped me of everything I knew and left me with nothing.

Hawk may want to take a ride in bed with me, but would he really want me after it was all said and done? Could he really handle all the baggage I came with?

I pulled the blankets back over me and closed my eyes. It felt like once again I was trapped with nowhere to go.

Maybe one day this would all just end.

Ihadstayedthenight at Hope Hearted after Bambi convinced me and had Lilah write me a prescription for some pain meds. I was still pretty sore, but doing better.

Without a car, I had no choice but to walk back home. Bambi had offered a ride with her or one of the guys, but I turned them down. I didn’t want Bambi and Lloyd going after each other and asking one of the guys was just asking for trouble.

So I avoided a fight by just walking. Thankfully, the weather wasn’t too bad, making it an enjoyable walk. I kept my head down as I walked past the stores and diner.

I came to the end of Main Street and took a left. Lloyd’s house sat at the top of the hill right next to his daddy’s. They shared a driveway for their'family compound’. That made me want to fucking puke. They acted like they were these fucking high rollers when really they were small fish in a big pond. Lloyd and Eckhart had built these two massive homes to show off to the town.

I stood at the end of the driveway and stared up. Most girls would do anything to live in a place like this. But to me, it was a prison. They had no clue what life with those two monsters was like.Looks can be deceiving.

Sighing, I hiked my purse up on my shoulder and walked up the driveway. The garage was closed, so I quietly opened the front door and started down the hall. Before I even got two steps down the hall, hands wrapped around my arm, pulling me back.

“Where the fuck were you?”

I turned to see Lloyd glaring down at me.

“At the hospital. I needed stitches…”

Lloyd pulled me closer to him and sneered.

---