Page 54 of Witness Protection

Chapter Eleven

Hawk peered under the dressing on his side, grimacing at the sight of the wound. He’d stapled himself back together in a rush, so it wasn’t going to be pretty when it healed. The bullet had gone cleanly through his side, but he’d cut off the tattoo that piece of shit had given him. He wanted no memory of Vasily. If only he could cut the memories from his head as easily.

He looked out the window of his hotel window, the sun starting to set.

“Where are you?” he murmured.

He’d told Cayden to take Sophia. It was the only way to save her. But now he couldn’t track her down. To know if she was okay.

He trusted no one. Especially with such a high bounty on her head.

Hawk picked his drink up, the ice jingling in the glass.

He’d come too close to blowing his own brains out at the factory. Luckily, he’d emptied his clip into that piece of shit Vlad first. It was hard to come to grips with his entire life being a fucking lie. Nothing made sense. He didn’t know what was real or fabricated.

The fact Vasily Morenov had killed his parents, nearly raping his mother, changed the entire game. Sophia was the daughter of his enemy. But he’d never blame her. She was nothing like that bastard.

And she was his for the taking.

If he could find her.

He sat back on the sofa with his drink, the decanter on the coffee table. The place was a disaster—thanks to his rages and refusing the cleaning service. He’d been having nightmares, waking up in cold sweats. Memories of his mother haunted him. Her sweet voice singing him to sleep, her homemade meals, her blurred smile. He had so few memories, probably to block out the trauma he’d endured at only ten years old.

He tried to remember his parents’ faces but failed. Hawk didn’t want to forget them. It was bad enough he’d never have a chance to see them again.

Everything was taken from him thanks to one man.

Vasily was a fucking monster.

Sophia had always believed it, but Hawk had sided with her father, believing he was faultless. Hawk had been told Vasily saved him. He’d always wanted to be his real son, to belong and make him proud, but there was no love, only strict discipline, training, and mandatory compliance.

Vasily ruled by fear.

It was all Hawk knew, and he never questioned the way the family was run. He’d been loyal to a fault, to the point he’d almost lost Sophia’s respect.

He wanted to right the wrongs but wasn’t sure who he was any more.

His identity, his focus, his past and future were all in upheaval. He’d have to investigate his parents’ history when the pain wasn’t so fresh. What he needed right now was Sophia’s sweet innocence. If he could focus on helping her, on being her hero, he could ignore his own pain. He needed someone familiar.

The phone rang.

It was probably hotel security wondering what all the fucking banging was earlier. He had a lot of anger he needed to vent. Anything not bolted down had been destroyed. Luckily, this was a Morenov-owned hotel. “Yeah.”

“Mr. Smith, you have a guest in the lobby. Did you want to come down or would you like me to send her up?”

“Who is it?”

“She says her name is Sophia.”

His heart skipped a beat. He bolted upright in his seat. Just hearing her name brought him to full attention, despite the alcohol in his system. It could still be a trap. The lobby was bustling, so it was a good place to meet.

“I’ll come down.”

Hawk poured the rest of his drink down the drain, splashed some water on his face, and ran his hands through his hair. He was a fucking mess, but still couldn’t wait to get his ass downstairs.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, he scanned the lobby for Sophia.

There she was.

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