Page 22 of Restless Hawke

He steps from the elevator in another perfectly tailored one that can’t hide the tension in his broad shoulders. Even with his hands relaxed at his sides, his stride casual, I know him well enough to understand it’s all an act.

A well-practiced one he perfected over many decades.

One meant to lull unsuspecting targets into a false sense of security before he strikes.

And right now, I am squarely in his sights.

Fuck.

I knew it was only a matter of time until they found me, but I thought I’d have a plan figured out by the time they did. Some way to explain what I did that they could understand.

Right now, I have exactly jack shit…

Plus, Allegra stands only a few feet from me, barely concealed from his view, for only a few more steps into the suite.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

I clear my throat, actually afraid of the approaching man for the first time in my life, despite always knowing who and what he was. “Luca…”

His eyes rake over me and land on the glass in my hand?—

“Is everything all right?”

Shiiiiit.

Allegra’s sultry voice floats over me, and she steps up to me, putting herself directly in Luca’s line of sight—and him in hers. She takes in the man in front of her with wide eyes. “Oh, I…didn’t realize you were expecting company.”

My grip on the glass tightens. “Iwasn’t.”

Her confused gaze cuts to mine, and I can see her discomfort with the tension permeating the air between Luca and me. It would be impossible to miss it, the way it practically vibrates and becomes its own living thing the longer he stands there.

“Umm…I should go.”

I turn fully toward her, giving my back to the type of threat everything in me says I shouldn’t. “Don’t. He’ll be leaving in a minute.”

Luca closes the distance between us with three big steps and leans in, dropping his voice so she won’t hear from where she stands only a few feet away. “I highly suggest you get your friend out of here before we have what is going to be a very uncomfortable conversation.”

Fuck.

A shiver rolls down my spine at what is as close to a threat as I’ve ever had directed at me from Luca.

For all the knowledge we all grew up with about Luca’s history, for all the things we witnessed as we got older, he has always been kind, caring,lovingwith all of us. He’s been a member of the Hawke family as much as anyone else who sits at Nana’s Sunday table—regardless of what lies in his past.

And he certainly never directed any of the violence he’s so capable of at us.

I down the rest of my drink and turn to lock gazes with Allegra again. “We’ll pick up where we left off after my friend leaves.”

She eyes him suspiciously and shifts in her heels, then slides her half-drunk bourbon into my hand, leaning in to press a kiss to my cheek. “I’ll see you around.”

Hell.

That sounded alotlike a permanent goodbye rather than the “see you later” I had hoped for, but before I can try to persuade her to wait while Luca and I take this conversation elsewhere—or to return to her room where I could meet her later—she offers a tight smile to Luca, then saunters past toward the elevator.

She doesn’t even look back; she just hits the button and disappears into the still-waiting elevator cab.

The moment the doors slide shut, I whirl to face him. “What thehellare you doing here?”

Okay, that was dumb.