Page 77 of Witness Protection

Hawk had been holding onto a lot of questions. Something had changed between Sophia and Cayden after their last stint together. His imagination had been driving him crazy.

They sat in awkward silence for a while, and Cayden pulled out a cigarette and eased back in his chair. He started watching the boxing match on the small wall-mounted television.

“Where’d you take Sophia the week you were hiding her out?”

“One of my properties,” he said absently. “Somewhere I lay low when things are too hot.”

He nodded. “What did she think of it? I know she’s used to a certain quality of life.”

Cayden took another drag. “I never would have guessed she was a mafia princess. She didn’t mind roughing it. Besides the lack of A/C, I think she actually liked it.”

Hawk cracked his knuckles, heat creeping up his collar.

“She seemed attached to you after that week. Odd to fall for the enemy.”

Cayden looked him in the eyes. He leaned forward and used the ashtray. “It went both ways. And I was saving her, if you’ve forgotten.”

“What the fuck happened between the two of you?” he said between grated teeth, trying to rein in his volatile passion and not attract attention from the other patrons.

The other man only chuckled. “Relax, Romeo. I didn’t fuck her, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“Then why does she love you? I know she does, so don’t bullshit me,” said Hawk.

He shrugged. “She loves you, too. Fickle little thing.”

“I’d die for her. She’s all I have.”

“Then we have something else in common,” said Cayden.

They both leaned away from each other, not saying a word. The teen behind the counter brought them the pizza box. Cayden paid, and they walked back to the apartment.

“Oh yeah, a junkie gave me your address. You should think twice who you trust with your personal information.”

Cayden growled. “Amelia. We went to school together. Things didn’t turn out so well for her.”

They arrived back at the apartment and ate in silence.

Although he was used to fine dining, he had to admit the pizza was good. Maybe he was just too hungry to care.

Why did he feel so comfortable around Cayden? Even with the rivalry between them, he felt at ease around the other man. Hawk had never had close friendships, forever taught to guard his emotions. Trust created weakness. He didn’t know how to be normal. Wasn’t sure where to draw the line in social situations.

Cayden got up and poured himself a glass of water, then sat on the couch. He began to disassemble his guns.

“I just realized what’s missing around here. Where the fuck is my cat?”

“She’s safe.”

Cayden smirked.

Hawk had no intention of killing the guy’s cat. She was being boarded at a veterinarian’s office downtown. He thought it would be good to have the cat for leverage, plus he worried about her being abandoned in the apartment.

“So, when did you first learn to shoot?” Cayden asked, not looking up from his task.

Hawk had never really reflected on it. He thought back to his childhood. He’d only been in Vasily’s home for a few months before a gun had been thrust in his hands. The hitmen laughed at the child soldier, but he earned their respect with his natural skills with weapons.

“Ten years old. Vasily wanted me trained in everything. Guns are as much as part of me as anything else,” he said. “What about you?”

“One of the foster fathers I stayed with was a hunter, so my first experience as a kid was with a rifle. Long fucking hours waiting in a blind. It wasn’t until I was a teen that I really started experimenting.”

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