Page 43 of Hawke

I got out of the car and did the customary look around. Ever since that day at my condo, I tried to exercise more caution. As I’d figured, there was no one around or anything out of place. Shaking my head, I walked across the darkened concrete toward the road.

Once on the sidewalk, the entire city seemed to come to life. Heavy traffic packed the streets while others took to the city via foot. The warm spring sunshine had pedestrians lining the streets. I joined in with them until reaching the front of the restaurant.

Because Charlotte and Chase were regulars there, the hostess already knew who I was and where my party was sitting. “Follow me,” the petite brunette told me.

I did and once we rounded the corner, I could see not only my oldest brother, but Ayden and his partner, too. “Hey, guys,” I said in greeting, taking the empty seat beside Chase. “Are you joining us for dinner, too?”

“No,” Austin replied before either of the others did. “We’re just here to ask a favor of your brother.”

I knew with Chase being in the FBI, there were a number of times he’d help the police with things. Cortland did much of the same. Thinking about my other older brother, I would need to check on him when he returned from a training trip at Quantico. I smiled at Ayden and Austin.

“You’re both welcome to stay and join us.”

“We’d love to, but unfortunately we have work to do,” Ayden replied.

“That sucks. It must be one hell of a case, especially if you need his help,” I said as I pointed at my brother.

“It is,” Austin piped in before Ayden leveled him with a look.

Okay, that’s strange.

I wasn’t going to worry about it, though. I didn’t expect them to give me classified information about ongoing investigations, but I was slightly concerned about Ayden’s demeanor right now. I made a mental note to mention it to Chase later.

Our waiter arrived, and I smiled at the man. “I’ll take a club soda with lime.”

I was not only driving home tonight, but I had to go back to the office for a bit when finished with dinner. One of my clients was throwing a debutante ball and I needed to be there at the dress rehearsal. I remembered my own quite vividly. My mother had thought it important for me to have an appropriate introduction to society. Emery’s father had decided the same and between the two families, they decided to throw one hell of a bash. To this day, our combined party was legendary on the social scene.

Chase, Ayden, and Austin were finishing up their discussion while I occupied my time scrolling through emails. Most were from work, stores I frequented, and even a few items I ended up dropping into my spam folder. Only one email now sat unopened and my finger hovered over the delete key.

It was from Syn. Members received emails about all the theme nights and promotions the club would run. I hadn’t been back since my scene with Hawke, although I’d been tempted to more than once. I’d been worried about running into him.

Or am I more worried that I won’t?

I shook my head. When I had let my emotions settle, I realized being with Hawke was everything I’d hoped it would be and more. Every ache I experienced had morphed into indescribable pleasure. When I had come for him, I never felt so connected to someone in my life, but on the other hand, I also felt a disconnection.

His brutally honest responses later filled in that blank for me. I had put myself out there, giving him everything inside me, but it hadn’t been enough. I nearly stabbed the delete button as I rid myself of all reminders of that place. When I looked up, Ayden and Austin were already on their feet.

“Let me know what you find out, and remember, Ay, this is all off the book,” Chase told them.

“Of course,” Ayden responded, then looked over at me. “Enjoy your meal, belleza.”

“It was nice seeing you again, Charlotte,” Austin added before turning to Ayden. “Let’s go, man.”

When the men left, I turned to Chase. “It sounds important. Do you need a raincheck? We could meet tomorrow instead.”

My brother smiled. “No, they just wanted my opinion on a couple things in their investigation.”

“It sounds so exciting,” I offered , and as I swirled the straw around my glass, I saw my brother’s concerned expression and backtracked. “Or not.”

Chase was quiet for a few seconds, then leaned in toward me. “This stays between us, okay?”

I quickly nodded. “All right.”

He still seemed torn on what to tell me, which had my stomach sinking. Whatever this case was, it was affecting all those I knew such as my brother, Ayden, and Austin.

Finally, he exhaled. “I’m sure you’ve seen the news lately and are aware there’s a serial killer on the loose.”

“I-I have.” I had seen bits and pieces on the different news channels. Granted, I hadn’t paid as much attention to it as I now thought I should’ve.

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