Hawk (A Stepbrother Romance #3)(78)

"You're not getting out of this," I tell her, ripping a strip from my shirt.

I hold her down and wrap up the wound. It's bad, she needs medical attention or she's going to bleed out. The bone is broken, I must have hit it. I do what I can, use a metal ruler from Tom's desk as a splint and wrap the wound tightly, and elevate her torso, propping her against the bookcases. I wrap her gun in a tissue and take it.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm not going to be here when they find you. I'm taking May someplace safe. You're never going to see her again, and when Tom goes down you will, too."

"Based on what?" she rasps.

I look at her. "You think Tom's going to take a murder rap when he can put it on you? You'll have a date with a needle, Helen. Sorry."

As I leave she shrieks at me. "Get back here, you son of a bitch!"

"Don't talk about my mother that way, you piece of shit," I say, and slam the door.

May is in the kitchen, clutching the phone.

"I called, what do we do now?"

"Come on, we're leaving. I'm taking you to Alex. Everybody’s going to be okay. Promise."

May clings to me like if she lets go she'll fall off the Earth as I bundle her into the back of Jacob's car.

"Well?" he says.

"Drive. Fast."

"Got it."





Alexis





Now





I wake up and find myself surrounded by people. Hawk leans back in a chair next to the bed, his eyes closed, dressed in fresh clothes. My mouth is dry and my neck hurts. I can feel the bandages pulling at my skin and lightly squeezing my throat. I watch him, even as May sits up and notices I'm awake. It's July, but she's drinking a cup of hot cocoa, a little marshmallow floating on the top. She's been crying, a lot. She doesn't say anything, just sits there. When I look up, I see Jennifer leaning on the door frame, arms folded over her chest, watching me with a soft, sad frown on her face. She turns away and walks out the door.

"Wait," I choke out.

Jennifer stops and walks into the room as Hawk stirs. May is still silent. She rests her hand on mine.

"I'm sorry," she says.

"For what?"

"I should’ve made you leave earlier. All of you. By force if necessary. I should never have let you risk yourself by sneaking around in Tom's office. This is my fault."

"If you made me leave," I croak out, "I would’ve came back and done it anyway."

Hawk offers me a drink from a straw. It's just water, but it's blessedly cool and wet. I take a trickle at a time, feel it soak into my dry throat. I try to sit up, but Hawk puts his hands on my shoulders, slips his hand under my head and gently lifts me up, tucking another pillow under me so I can sit higher.

"Lay still," he whispers. "We don't want that wound to open again."

"How long am I going to have to lay in bed?"

"Until I say you can get up," Hawk says, squeezing my hand.

I glare at him.

"You can move around a bit," Jennifer says, "But not much. Do what he says and be careful. I'll leave you guys alone to talk. Call me if you need anything."

I look around a little more. I'm on a bed I don't know, in a room I don't know. Hawk is in an old looking recliner chair and May in what looks like a borrowed kitchen chair. The walls are plain and the furniture looks cheap.

"Where the hell am I?"

"This is Jennifer and Jacob's house," Hawk says. "Guest bedroom."

Huh.

"Where's my mother?"

May lets out a little sound and stifles it in her hand.

"What?"

Hawk squeezes my hand. "She's gone."

I blink a few times. "What do you mean gone?"

I look at him, and I'm shocked how completely calm I feel. Hollow. I squeeze his hand.

"Hawk, she killed your mom."

I don't know why I just blurt it out, I can't keep it in. He sighs and leans back in his chair.

"She said. I was there when she…"

"She pointed a gun at me," May says, very softly.

I reach over and grab her hand and she squeezes hard, almost painfully.

"She pointed it at me and she was going to pull the trigger and then she… she…."

"Shhh," I whisper, tugging on her hand. "I know."

"I thought I was going to die," May whimpers.

She stands up and surges through the door, and takes two steps before Jennifer appears and gathers May up in her arms, leading her away.

We're alone.

I sink back into the pillows. "That f*cking bitch. She couldn't just do it. She had to make May watch. That was her revenge."

"Yeah," Hawk says.

I stare up at the blank ceiling for a while. I need time before I ask, "Where's Tom?"

Hawk leans back in the chair again, and runs his thumb over my knuckles.

"You're going to have to testify in court," he says, very softly. "The FBI wants to talk to you."

"What?"

He takes my hand in both of us.