Page 40 of Leading Conviction

Purpose welled in her chest and Hannah let go of Ellie’s hand to sit straighter. As she did, Nora pulled out a laptop from a bag beside her and quickly set it up on the table.

“What can I do?” Hannah asked as she watched her get settled.

Nora looked around at Jules, Callie, Ellie, and Naomi before seeing whatever confirmation she was looking for. She faced Hannah, her fingers poised on the keys as Callie spoke again.

“Tell us everything you know about your father.”

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

Thepopof the baseball hitting his worn glove was music to Hawk’s ears. He retrieved the ball from the center of the leather and threw it back to Tommy.

Hawk didn’t hold on to many tangible things from his past since he’d had to move all throughout his military career. But thanks to his pops’s hoarding tendencies right before he passed, Hawk still had his favorite mitt, baseball, and even the binoculars his old man used to wear to games. Hawk hadn’t been able to part with any of it after getting them out of storage two years ago. It’d taken a good amount of conditioner, new netting, time, and love to restore the mitt, but working on it took him back to late summer afternoons with his pops.

Apparently Tommy took his own ball, glove, and bat everywhere he went, too.

“Ever throw a ball on top of a roof before?” Hawk asked with a grin, but Tommy just shrugged.

Eagle’s little mini-me was nothing like his father in that respect. Eagle had always had something to say and never met a stranger. But Tommy seemed much more cautious and reserved. Which was understandable considering what the little man had been through.

When Hawk suggested they throw the ball on the roof of the BlackStone Securities facility, the kid’s bright-blue eyes widened with excitement. But as soon as the glow took over his face, it disappeared just as quickly, like life had already taught him to tamp down his emotions.

“PB&J used to be a food group for me growing up, but I’d never had an Uncrustable until tonight. They’re pretty good, actually. Did you like yours?”

The kid had eaten three so Hawk knew the answer, but he was trying to make small talk until he felt like opening up. Tommy lifted a shoulder in answer, and it wasn’t until they’d thrown back and forth several times that he finally spoke without prompting.

“So what do you think they’re talking about down there?” Tommy asked as he caught the throw with practiced skill.

“Who taught you how to catch?” Hawk asked instead, hoping they could change the subject.

The kid frowned like he knew exactly what Hawk was doing, but he threw the ball back and answered, “My mom. I used to do T-ball until…”

“Until… what?”

“Until we had to start moving around everywhere.”

The answer made Hawk’s heart ache. Finding out Hannah had been living on the run had been such a shock. Now he craved all the information he could get about their circumstances, even if every word stabbed guilt through his chest like a knife.

“When was that?”

Tommy shrugged after Hawk’s throwthunkedinto his glove. “I dunno. We left when I was in first grade. All I remember is waking up in the middle of the night, her putting me in the back of the car, then driving forever and ever. We had to change our names. She changed her hair a whole bunch.”

A few more thumps of the ball passed between them before Hawk prompted him again.

“But she threw the ball with you?”

Tommy nodded. “I think she feels bad about having to move a lot.”

Hawk felt his heart beat in time with each catch and throw thumping into his mitt, a rhythm from a past life. “How do you feel about it?”

“I dunno. I don’t care. I miss T-ball. But going to new places is cool.”

“Which one was your favorite?”

“Mérida,” he answered without hesitation.

“How long did you stay there?”

“I dunno. The longest time out of any of them. But it was cool.”