Page 25 of Cease and Desist

He turned to go.

“Hawk?”

“Yeah?” He faced her again. She walked across the room and stopped directly in front of him. He had the strongest urge to pull her to him and kiss her until the fear in her eyes vanished, replaced by something baser.Hawkins, don’t be an asshole.

Their gazes locked. “I really mean it. Thanks. I’m not sure I would have gotten through today without your help.” She rose on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, but she stumbled slightly, and he instinctively brought his arms around her and crushed her to his chest. Raw lust sparked through his veins. There was an electric current running between them like nothing he’d experienced before.

He wanted Remy like he hadn’t wanted any woman. Those gray eyes held him captive, and the feel of her curves against him was almost too much.

She made a sound in her throat, and the fog of lust lifted. He removed his arms and took a quick step back. “No problem. Glad I could help.” Giving her a quick smile, he bade her good night and closed the door.

He walked down the hallway to the living room and picked up his bourbon, downing the remaining alcohol in one big swallow.

Seeing the depth of her vulnerability had kicked every protective instinct he had into overdrive, but the fact that she dropped her tough exterior and gave him a glimpse into her softness had made his heart lurch in his chest just a bit. It had also kicked other things into motion. This was supposed to be a job. If he wasn’t careful, he’d end up getting tangled up personally with Remy and that would be all bad.

* * *

“Thanks for doing this,” Hawk said as he sat down on the same stool he’d vacated a couple of days ago.

“Not a problem.” Logan nodded toward Lacy and Remy, who were sitting on the sofa in front of the fire. “She okay?”

He shook his head. “I have no idea. It’s a hell of a thing to find out someone you loved and trusted has been lying to you for your whole life.”

“I can’t imagine.” Logan’s phone buzzed, and he glanced at the screen. “That’s interesting. The prints didn’t have a match in the law enforcement databases, but they did come back in a military one. They belong to one Archer Gray.”

Hawk frowned. “Never heard of him. You?”

Logan shook his head. “Apparently, he was in the Army. A Ranger. The file is mostly redacted, so I can’t tell you much. Let’s see… was born in Europe, country redacted. Jesus, his file is a mess, and a lot of it is missing.” Logan scanned his phone silently, a frown pinching his brows. “Okay, he spent the first part of his life in Italy. He grew up all over the world, by the looks of things. The file stops five years ago. I’ve got nothing on him since then.”

“So, you have no idea what he’s into?”

Logan shook his head. “I had the tech guys check and check again, but nothing. I even asked Dani to take a look, but she says she can’t find anything either. Unless we know where we want her to look, she can’t really help.”

“Huh. That’s weird. Five years is a long time to go dark.”

“Agreed.”

The elevator doors opened, and Dragan stepped out, followed by Mitch. They strode across the room and took stools on either side of Hawk.

“I hear you’re looking for information on Archer Gray,” Dragan said. “You don’t want to do that.”

“What? Why? What do you know?” Hawk asked. Dragan warning him off set off alarm bells. He wasn’t known for overreacting.

Dragan studied Hawk for a second. “Archer Gray is a deadly son of a bitch. Nothing good will come from tangling with him.”

“I concur,” Mitch said and popped a cookie into his mouth from the plate that was on the bar.

“Does someone want to fill us in?” Logan asked.

Mitch swallowed his cookie. “I’ve only heard rumors about him, but none of them—and I repeat: None. Of. Them—are good. He’s an assassin.”

Hawk tried to make sense of what they were saying. “So, he’s a gun for hire?”

Dragan made a sound. “Not any longer. At one time, he was the best in the business.”

“And you know this how?” Hawk needed details. Vague warnings weren’t going to work for him.

“Because I used to work with him.” Dragan said it so matter of fact that it took a moment for it to sink in.

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