Page 107 of Witness Protection

“Does it shock you she’s fucking both of us?” asked Cayden.

Hawk kept his body between her and the doorway. “And she still wouldn’t marry the likes of you.”

“Go check on my father,” said Antonio, turning to one of his men.

“Your father’s fine,” said Sophia. “We’re not animals. And thankfully he doesn’t feel the same way you do about forcing a woman to marry.”

“Go your own way. Stay out of ours,” said Cayden.

It was broad daylight as they backed away from the house. Hawk opened the passenger door of the car, and she got in her seat as Cayden got in behind her. Once Hawk was in the driver’s seat, he glared over at Antonio Jr. once more before hitting the gas. The tires squealed as they raced up the street.

Sophia’s knuckles grew white as she gripped both sides of her chair, her heart in her throat. It was only when Cayden’s strong hand squeezed her shoulder from behind that she remembered to breathe.

“Is it over?” she dared to ask. “Really over?”

Hawk glanced at her in between watching the road ahead. “Doesn’t matter. We’re getting out of this city. Away from everything.”

She twisted in her seat. “But you said this city is all you had, Cayden. I won’t leave if you won’t.”

“Wherever you are, that’s where I want to be,” he said. “I thought my fucked-up memories made me who I was. But they only brought me down, made me feel like a nobody. You make me want to live.”

Sophia saw the sincerity in his eyes, and her mind went back to their first days together, to all the progress they’d made in their relationship over this crazy journey. She cupped her hand behind his neck, bringing him closer.

“We’re going to have the happily ever after. Our own kind, because nobody can tell us how this story ends.” She kissed him, craving his affection, needing to feel grounded when everything felt so uncertain.

****

Hawk kept driving long into the night. He knew exactly the direction he was heading in. Over the past week he’d been doing a lot of research on the side, making sure they had plans A, B, and C depending on how things went with Antonio Jr. and Cayden.

It appeared they were going with plan A.

Antonio would be smart to keep off the radar for now, and Cayden was part of the package if he wanted Sophia. But he knew he could live with that. All that mattered now was making Sophia happy.

They needed to settle down, grieve their losses, and accept their new normal. Life had been running on full throttle for too long. Breathing for the second, hopping from hotel to hotel, and keeping in hiding—it was no way to live.

“Is that the ocean?” she asked, waking up in the early hours of the next morning. He’d taken turns driving with Cayden, only stopping for bathroom and coffee breaks. Hawk didn’t want to stop. He wanted as much distance as possible between the three of them and everything they were leaving behind.

“That’s right. What do you think?”

She sat up in her seat with wide-eyed wonder despite just waking up. “It’s beautiful. It goes on forever.”

He slowed the car when he reached his destination. Hawk parked along the side of the road by the water and got out, motioning her to follow. Did they stand out in this new place? He’d be paranoid for a while. Maybe forever. But it was part and parcel of his past. Vasily had raised him to be a killer, to protect the family … to be there for Sophia.

She walked toward the water. Gulls cawed above, and he heard children’s laughter in the near distance. When she was out of earshot, Cayden came and stood beside him. Sophia occasionally turned back and smiled. The most beautiful thing in the world.

“This is where you fucking bring us?” Cayden palmed his pockets as he looked around the neighborhood.

“Looking for your smokes?”

Cayden scowled. “Just out of habit. You know I’ve quit.”

Sophia kicked off her shoes and wet her feet in the water. Her blonde hair fluttered loose in the breeze.

“She loves art, so this neighborhood is perfect for her,” said Hawk. There were a couple local galleries, and every weekend there was a market by the dock with art for sale.

“Are we hipsters now?” Cayden touched the gun under his jacket, then interlocked his fingers behind his head as he paced back and forth. “I want to kill everyone here.”

“Relax. You’ll get used to the change of pace. We all will.”

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