Page 7 of Hawk

Lainie stood on the other side with a soft smile and two travel cups of coffee in her hands. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she looked effortlessly put together in leggings and a leather jacket that somehow didn’t clash with the sparkly pink polish on her nails.

“Hey,” she said, holding out the coffee like a peace offering. “You ready?”

“Depends how loose your definition of ‘ready’ is,” I replied, stepping aside to let her in.

She gave me a once-over as she entered. “You look great.”

“Thanks.” I took one of the coffees and sipped it gratefully. “I really appreciate you driving all this way. With finals coming up, two hours is a lot. I would’ve understood if you couldn’t make it.”

She waved off my gratitude. “Eh, it’ll be good for me to get some baby cuddles in with Baxter. Maybe I’ll get lucky, and Lindsay will pop a little early. Then I’ll already be here for my niece to meet Auntie Lainie right when she’s born.”

I rolled my eyes with a snort. “Don’t let your brother hear you say that.”

“Yeah, he loves me, but he would not be cool with me hoping my sister-in-law goes into early labor,” she agreed.

I had seen how protective Phoenix was of his wife and son when they brought Baxter in for photos. The vibe of that shoot had been the opposite of my boudoir ones, but it had been a blast.

“I guess we should probably get going.”

She flashed me a soft smile. “Good call. I don’t know him that well, but Hawk doesn’t strike me as the most patient guy. But he specializes in this kind of thing, so you’ll be in good hands.”

I hesitated, the coffee suddenly heavy in my hand. “So this guy…he works for the Iron Rogues?”

Lainie nodded. “He’s one of Beck’s club brothers, but he technically works for Iron Shield. It’s the security company that’s partly owned by the club.”

“Sounds like he’s the perfect person to help me, like you said,” I muttered as I followed her outside to her car.

She laughed. “Yeah, none of the Iron Rogues are exactly sunshine and rainbows. But Beck told me that Hawk doesn’t mess around when it comes to security stuff.”

“Great.” I rubbed my fingers along the seam of the coffee cup. “Perfect. Just the kind of person I want to show my boudoir shots to.”

“I hate to break it to you, but with how these guys work, he’s probably seen them already.” Lainie’s expression softened at my horrified expression. “But you don’t have to tell him that any of the photos are of you unless you want to.”

“I know,” I whispered. “But I will. If it helps stop whoever’s doing this, I’ll do whatever it takes.”

That wasn’t a decision I’d made lightly. But I wasn’t about to back down now.

Lainie nodded once, like she understood what was going on inside my head. “Alright then. Let’s go see Hawk.”

I tried to settle my nerves as Lainie pulled into the lot in front of The Midnight Rebel—a bar owned by the Iron Rogues.

I’d driven past the bar more times than I could count, but I’d never been inside. Even if I’d had a fake ID claiming I was twenty-one, I wouldn’t have dared try it here. Not at a place owned by the Iron Rogues. That would be asking for more trouble than I needed.

Rows of motorcycles lined the front like a warning. Chrome glinted in the sunlight, and I couldn’t look away.

I swallowed hard as Lainie parked and killed the engine.

“You good?” she asked, glancing over at me.

“Ask me again after I meet Hawk.” I smoothed my hands over my jeans. “I need to keep my game face on so he doesn’t think I’m this weak girl who’s about to fall apart.”

She reached over to grab my hand. “You’re the furthest thing from weak, Gem. You didn’t stick your head in the sand and hope this problem would go away. Now you’re about to walk into a biker bar to talk to a stranger who has most likely seen you practically naked. Even if he doesn’t know it’s you. All so he can help you track down the bastard who took them. That’s badass.”

I let out a shaky breath. “Thanks. That helps. Sort of.”

“Come on.”

Lainie unbuckled and got out of the car, and I followed a few steps behind, reminding myself to keep breathing. She opened the door and gestured for me to walk into the bar. I stopped just inside to look around, feeling her come up behind me. The low lighting and dark wood made the space feel intimate and a little dangerous. Leather booths lined one of the walls, with wood tables and chairs scattered throughout the open space. The bar was wide and polished, and I heard the soft clink of glass as someone organized bottles on the shelves behind it.

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