Page 4 of Witness Protection

Hawk looked over at Sophia. She was pale as a sheet. “She’s not feeling well. Can we speed this along?”

“Do you have a credit card for our files?”

“No. I have cash.” He reached into his inside jacket pocket, careful not to reveal his gun, and pulled out a stack of hundreds. He slapped them on the counter. “Consider this my security deposit. I need a key card.”

Hawk had been raised in a world where money and power talked. It was ingrained into every fiber of his being. He was used to getting his way, no matter the cost.

By the time the elevator stopped on the top floor, Sophia was wobbling on her feet. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her down the hall to their penthouse suite. Once inside, he kicked the door shut and brought her straight to the bedroom. He laid her down on the king-sized bed, removed her flats, and tucked her in.

“Get some rest,” he said. Hawk gave her a kiss on the forehead and closed the bedroom door behind him. Once alone, he exhaled, wishing this was all a nightmare he could wake up from.

He began to pace, rubbing behind his neck as he tried to focus. Only hours ago, he’d been sitting back in one of Vasily’s custom leather chairs, enjoying a Cuban cigar as they shot the shit about an upcoming distribution meeting. He could still hear Marco laughing, and remembered Enon telling them his wife just had a baby.

They were all dead.

Hawk braced a hand on one of the floor-to-ceiling glass panes, blowing out another breath as he stared at the streets below, the people rushing around like ants. He didn’t know what he was dealing with, so couldn’t be too safe. Hawk still wasn’t foolish enough to believe being forty floors up meant they were untouchable.

He’d only caught a glimpse of the shooter. Dark brown hair, shaved at the sides, long on top, and a tattoo crawling up his neck. He had to be around 6’4”, wearing black jeans and a dark sweater. Still, not much to go on.

All Vasily’s top men were dead. There was just him and Vladimir left. The other hired guns didn’t live in the mansion because Vasily didn’t trust them enough to be under the same roof as Sophia. And they probably didn’t give a shit that their boss had just been assassinated. There was no second in command, no plan of action if Morenov was taken out. Hawk liked to think of himself as a son, but that had always been his own wishful thinking.

He pulled out his cell and called Vlad.

“Yeah.”

“What happened with the cops? You find out anything?” he asked.

“Everything’s been dealt with for now. The cleaning crew is coming for the bodies. Where’d you take the girl?”

“Don’t worry about her. What about the shooter?”

“I checked the security footage. He’s professional, all right. Maybe a private hit? Something personal? No fucking clue.”

“Okay. Call me if you have anything new. I’m going to lay low until we know more about this fucker.”

“Watch your back.” Vlad ended the call.

He put out the “Do Not Disturb” sign and locked the door after checking out the hallway. He was fucking paranoid. At least Sophia was safe. Hawk took off his coat and holster, dropping them on the kitchen island. He opened the crystal decanter on the bar and poured himself a glass of hard liquor, knocking it back in one shot. This was not how he planned his day.

Hawk peered in the bedroom, then slipped inside. Everything had to revolve around Sophia now. She’d always been her father’s number one priority; now she had to be his. He sat on a chair near the side of the bed, staring at her in the dim lighting as she slept.

She was fucking stunning.

A sleeping angel.

And he was a sick bastard to even think it.

Her long, blonde hair spilled over her shoulder and pooled on the mattress as she cuddled up on her side. The gentle rise and fall of her chest calmed him. After the most stressful days, a visit with her always soothed his beast. He’d been her bodyguard for as long as he could remember. Once she turned eighteen, Vasily insisted she be watched twenty-four, seven. He became obsessed that his daughter would humiliate him, become some kind of raging whore. But Hawk knew Sophia. She wasn’t anything like her mother, or her father. But the older she became, the more he saw the life in her eyes ebbing away. The sadness was there even when she smiled, but it wasn’t his place to question anything. The last thing he needed was for her father to become suspicious of him, too.

It was better to keep his thoughts and desires locked away. Now that her father was dead, she’d probably hate him. He wasn’t sure he could ever prepare himself for that, but he deserved it nonetheless.

He stood to leave, but Sophia reached out her arm. “Don’t go.”

Hawk sat on the edge of the bed, the mattress dipping. “I thought you were sleeping.”

She rolled to her back and looked up at him. “I don’t want to be alone.”

He brushed the stray hairs from her face. Her lips were slightly swollen, but there were no tears in her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere.”

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