Page 23 of Hawk
Chapter 8
Hawk
Ifelt like a bastardas I disconnected the call with Hailey. Stella was crying her eyes out, and the dog rested his head on her lap as she purged the raw pain from her soul. I couldn’t stand to not give her some sort of comfort, so I slowly stood and walked to the other side of the table.
Kneeling beside her, the dog lifted his worried eyes to me as I placed my hand on her back and rubbed her shoulder. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”
She lifted her head from the table and brought her watery blue eyes to me. I could see pain and regret staring back at me as her tears fell down her cheeks.
“What am I supposed to do?” she asked. I brought my hand up and brushed a piece of hair from her forehead.
“I never want to cause you any additional pain, but the two of you deserve to find happiness. Hailey’s on her path, and you can join her. If you’ll let me help.”
She wiped her cheeks before she spoke. “I don’t want to be a disappointment to her any more than I already have been.”
“You aren’t a disappointment. Deep down, Hailey knows something happened that kept you apart, and I promise, she’s not going to hold that over your head. She just wants to get to know her mom.” I paused and lowered my voice before asking, “Do you want to come back to Portstill with me? No one will do anything to make you feel uncomfortable, and I can guarantee you’ll be safe with the Death Hounds while you and Hailey find your way.”
“What about my brother?” she inquired, and I could hear the underlying anger in her tone.
“Fuck the madman if he doesn’t like the way you handle things. He has no business getting involved in your relationship with your daughter, and if he tries anything stupid, I swear I’ll drop his ass where he stands. You have my word that I’ll keep you protected.”
It was the same promise I made to her all those years ago and I meant exactly what I said. If either of her brothers tried to cause her any pain, despair, or guilt, I would handle them both myself. They may think they’re the rulers of the world, but I didn’t give two fucks about either of them. Especially that asshole, Lucian, but that’s a story for another time.
Stella wiped the tears from her eyes as I took the seat next to her. “Why do you call him the madman?”
I hesitated to answer her question, but she deserved to know the truth. Choosing my words carefully, I responded without emotion or anger in my voice. “When your brother first . . . took over from Marco, he had the reputation of being a little . . . unpredictable.” Her eyes grew wide then narrowed suddenly. Quickly, I added, “But all our assumptions about him were incorrect. What everyone thought to be a power play was, in reality, his desire to save someone who needed saving. Over the years, he’s proven himself to be a good man, even if he’s still volatile.”
“I don’t understand,” she admitted.
Not wanting there to be any confusion, I continued. “I’m sure you know about how he ended up in Portstill.”
She nodded as she took a swallow of water. “My bastard father sold him to a man named Marco to repay a debt.” Her voice lowered to almost inaudible as she added, “Just like he did with me.”
I ground my teeth in anger, knowing her selfish father’s decision was what caused her so much pain and regret. “From what I understand, his debt was to be settled on his eighteenth birthday, but Marco had other plans. When Devlin uncovered his deceit, well, that’s when the madman was born. He . . . eliminated Marco and took over his empire. Only, it wasn’t to gain power or money.”
“Then why?”
I smiled as I explained, “He did what he did, and everything he’s done since then, for his lamb, Elise.”
“Who’s Elise?” she inquired with her head tilted to the side. It reminded me so much of Hailey.
“Elise is Devlin’s wife.” Stella’s eyes shuttered before she lifted her pain-filled gaze to mine. “She’s a really nice lady, and their son is the cutest thing ever.”
“Devlin has a son?”
I nodded. “Devlin Jr., or DJ, as he’s called. When he was born, I saw the tough shell around your brother fall away and . . . when he discovered Hailey was his family, he vowed to protect her with everything in his arsenal.” I hesitated to say the next part, but she needed to know the whole picture about her family. “I can only image what’s going through your head, but I want you to know, Devlin is a good man. His methods may be . . . unorthodox, but his heart is always in the right place.”
“Really? He’s . . . he’s not like our father?” she asked and I shook my head, remembering the story she told me when I had taken her away from the prison her father placed her in for his own selfish gains.
“He’s still rough around the edges, but everything he does is for the betterment of someone else. He uses his extensive computer system to help locate missing or vulnerable people, he helps them get back on their feet, and he brings justice to those who have wronged them.” I paused before adding, “I’m not saying he’s not an asshole, but his heart is in the right place.”
“He was always an asshole,” she responded, and I saw a faint smile on her beautiful face.
I stood from my kneeling position by her side and took a seat next to her. Her dog lifted his head from her lap, now that she seemed to be calming down, and laid at her feet. He reminded me of Jasmine, Hailey’s dog, and I thought how ironic it was they both had Dobermans as protectors.
