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Chapter eleven

Mika

I got a little thrill when I arrived at my house and saw Hawk’s truck sitting out front. I had to remind myself he wasn’t here because he wanted to be. He was here to protect me, but it would be nice to have someone waiting for me at home. Someone to cook dinner for and to talk about my day with. That had always been what I wanted. Or at least it had been before Butch. I hadn’t even let myself think that way in a long time, but having Hawk around was waking up those old thoughts.

I thought I’d been doing good here in Vesper, but the truth was Butch was still in my head, making me scared and stealing my dreams. I didn’t say that because he was here, literally scaring me. I meant somewhere in my subconscious, where I held all my deepest wants and desires, and that dirtbag didn’t deserve to have that kind of power over me or my life.

I pulled into my driveway, and I didn’t even get the car stopped before the door opened and Hawk stepped out. I reached for the door handle, but he held up a hand in the universal sign of stop. I froze, looking around to make sure I wasn’t in any danger, but I didn’t see anyone around. He came down the steps and around the car to the driver’s door.

He opened it and looked down at me. “Hey.”

“Hey. Have you been here all day?” I knew he’d said he would take care of letting Seph out, but I hated for him to miss work because of me.

“No, I got here about thirty minutes ago.” He motioned for me to get out of the car. When I stood up, he placed his hand on the small of my back and kept it there until we were safely in the house.

Seph was sitting in the entryway, waiting for us to come in. “Hello, pretty girl. How are you today? You’re going home tonight. Did you know that? Your dads will be here to get you in a couple of hours, and then you can sleep in your bed.”

She wagged her tail and stared at me like she’d understood exactly what I said. I looked over at Hawk. “When all this mess is over, I want to get a dog of my own. I had a boxer when I was a kid that I just loved, and I really miss having one.”

“You should do that, then. What kind do you want? Another boxer?”

I shrugged. “I don’t think so. I think a different breed. Not one as big as Seph, but not a tiny one, either. Maybe something the size of a beagle or a terrier. But I’d like to adopt one from the shelter, I think.”

“That’s a good size. So how was your day? Anything happen I need to know about?”

“Not today. I helped Mary Ellen—that’s the woman I work for—repot some of the plants in her conservatory, and that’s about it.”

“Her conservatory?” he asked.

“I know, right? I didn’t even know conservatories were real things until I went to work for her.”

“She’s a very wealthy woman, so I’m not surprised.”

My brows furrowed. “How do you know how wealthy she is?”

“She lives in Fairway Oaks, so you can’t be that shocked I would know. But the truth is, I had Kat look into her just to be safe.”

“Be safe from what? She’s an eighty-year-old woman who’s lonely because her husband passed away, and they don’t have any children.” Mary Ellen was the sweetest person alive, and I hated the idea that her privacy had been violated like that.

“It’s just standard procedure, Mika. I wouldn’t have been comfortable with you staying there all day without protection if I hadn’t checked.”

“Fine, but don’t tell me anything you learned. She has a right to only share what she wants with me.” At least then I wouldn’t feel like I’d personally crossed any lines. “Now, have you eaten? Because I’m starved. She likes to eat brunch instead of lunch most days, so by the time I get home, I want dinner.”

“I could eat. We could order pizza.”

“I was thinking I would cook something. Cooking relaxes me.”

“You don’t have to cook for me, you know.”

“I have to cook for myself, so why not make enough for both of us?” I really did like to cook. At least Butch hadn’t managed to take that away from me. I especially enjoyed cooking for my friends and for people I liked, and I liked Hawk.

“I’m not going to complain about a home-cooked meal. I don’t get them very often.”

“Well, tonight you do. It won’t take me long.” I had all the ingredients to make one of my favorites, and hopefully he would like it, too.

“I left work early, so I need to check my email real quick. I’m hoping that maybe Kat has some information for me, so I’ll go do that while you get dinner ready.”

I was sliding the chicken into the oven a few minutes later when my phone chimed with a text notification.

Andy

You home?

Me

I am. Are you going to take your dog away from me?

Andy

I am. We’re pulling into town now.

Me

See you in a minute then.

I went into the living room to find Hawk sitting on the couch, leaning over a computer that was sitting on the coffee table, reading a report of some kind.

“Andy and Jesse are on their way to pick up the dog.”

He looked up. “Did you tell them I was here?”

“No, I probably should have.”

“It’s up to you what you tell them, mouse.”

“Trust me, Andy would never forgive me if I was in danger and didn’t tell him. He’s a little bit protective of me.”

“Sounds like he’s a good friend.”

“He is.” A knock sounded from the front door. “And apparently, when he said they were on their way, he wasn’t kidding.”

I started in that direction, but Hawk called out for me to stop. “You don’t answer the door, Mika. I do, okay?”

“Oh, yeah, okay. That makes sense.”

Hawk looked through the peephole, pulled the door open, and stepped back to let them in.

“Oh, hey, Hawk. I wondered whose truck that was out there.” Andy smiled at him and came inside with Jesse right behind him. As soon as he was past Hawk so he couldn’t see him, he gave me a you got some explaining to do look, but lucky for me, Seph heard his voice and came flying around the couch to greet him.

He dropped to his knees and hugged Seph like he hadn’t seen her in years instead of days. “That’s my girl. Did you have fun while we were gone?”

“She was the best girl, as always,” I said.

He gave her a few scratches and then stood back up. “So, you want to tell me what’s going on here? When Hawk opened the door, I thought maybe you two were having some fun—finally. But you’re both way too uptight for a couple of people who are having sexy times.”

That was the problem with having friends who really knew you. There was no pulling the wool over their eyes. I looked at Hawk, and he gave me a nod of encouragement.

“So remember that day that I thought I saw Butch at the Farmers Market?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s here. In Vesper. He came to my house and banged on the door.”

“When?”

“The day y’all left. Seph scared him away—if she hadn’t been here...” I swallowed down the lump in my throat. “Anyway, I called Hawk, and he came to the rescue.”

“Well, we’re back now, so you can come stay with us,” Jesse said. “He won’t look for you there, and Seph will be there, just in case.” Andy was standing there beside him, nodding his head.

I’d told Hawk that was what they would say, so it didn’t surprise me at all. Hawk hadn’t thought it was a good idea then, and apparently, he hadn’t changed his mind.

“That won’t be happening,” he said. “I’ll be staying with Mika until the problem is resolved.”

“Resolved?” Andy asked. “In what way?”

“In whatever way is necessary to make sure Mika's safe.”

Andy looked back and forth between me and Hawk. “This is up to you, Mika. Do you want to stay here with Hawk, or would you rather come stay with us?”

I locked eyes with Hawk and inhaled a deep breath. I knew Jesse and Andy would keep me safe, but I knew what I wanted to do. “I’ll stay with Hawk, but seriously, thank you for offering.”

Andy gave Hawk a look that I think was supposed to be a warning of some kind and then said, “Okay, but if you change your mind at any time, you can come stay with us.”