Page 38 of Rayne

"Me too," he replies happily. "I'm excited to get stuck into some files tomorrow. I might need some help."

The elevator dings as we arrive on the ground floor, the doors opening up. I give him a small nod, smiling. "Just let me know if you do. Goodnight."

I turn and leave the elevator, hearing his footsteps behind me as I head outside into the warm gentle breeze. It's a gym kind of day, and I don't look back as I walk because the last thing I need is to get myself in more hot water.

The rest of the week passes by in a blur. Elijah is settling in well, and Nick has continued his usual charade of bombarding me with tasks. Not letting him get to me, I get everything done with a smile.

For some reason, I feel like a quick drink after work, so I head to a nearby bar by the courthouse. It's usually frequented by attorneys, and when I enter, I see several familiar faces—some from my own firm and people from others that we've gone up against on cases.

Taking a seat at the bar, I order a drink, scrolling on my cell. I hear the chair next to me scrap along the ground, but I pay it no attention as I read some social media posts on my screen.

"Busy week?"

I freeze, finger stopped mid-scroll. Slowly, I turn my head to my right, my eyes finding familiar blue ones.

The bartender walks over with my drink, pushing it toward me. "What can I get you?" he asks my new companion.

"Whiskey, neat."

He nods, walking away and I grab my drink, taking a sip.

"What are you doing here, Hawk?"

Hawk rests his elbows on the bar casually, watching me closely. "I'm having a drink."

"This bar? Of all places?" I mumble, looking at all the suits. "Not really your crowd."

He smiles. "And what exactly is my crowd, Rayne?"

I shrug. "Criminals," I answer sarcastically.

Hawk glances around the room. "Seems like I'm in the right place then."

"Why? Because you need an attorney due to your illegal activities?" I snort.

"Because they are all criminals too," he answers casually.

I put my glass down heatedly. "Our father was an attorney," I snipe at him.

"I know," Hawk replies. "And he's a good man. But that guy in the back corner," he nods, and I turn to look. "He's buying drugs as we speak. Narcotics would be my guess."

I roll my eyes. "You're one to judge. Besides, working in law is extremely stressful. It has one of the highest suicide rates in the world."

Hawk takes his drink from the bartender, bringing it to his lips. "That one," he says, pointing his finger slightly before it curls back around the glass. "He steals from trust fund accounts."

"Now I know you're just bullshitting," I scoff. "Is there something you need?"

Putting his glass down, he slowly looks up at me, fingers tapping the glass. "Are you offering?"

"No," I spit out. "Preferably, you leave and never return to my line of vision ever again."

Hawk smiles, unfazed. "You seem tense. Want to talk about it?"

I quickly finish my drink, pulling some money out of my purse. "Absolutely not. I'm not meant to be speaking to you anyway."

"Is that what Margot said?" he asks casually.

Whipping my head toward him, I glare at him. "Leave her out of this."

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