Page 38 of Hawk

The city had invested a lot of money in making this part of town look nice. It had a wide sidewalk dotted with flower boxes filled with colorful spring blooms and antique-looking light poles that were absolutely beautiful when they were decorated for the holidays. I walked past a stationery shop that always tempted me, even though I never wrote letters to anyone, and a bookstore called Twice-Told Tales that sounded magical.

I kept my pace steady as I walked down the sidewalk toward the shop about a block ahead. The mid-morning sun cast long shadows across the pavement, the hum of traffic and chatter from passing pedestrians filling the air. All normal stuff, but then I heard it.

“Well, well. Look what we have here.”

My body went rigid. The voice came from the alley to my right—low, amused. It sounded familiar. Or at least I thought it did. Maybe it was just my imagination running away with me because I was living in a constant state of freaked out. Yeah, just like thinking I saw Butch was my imagination.

Don’t stop. Keep moving.

My heart hammered, and my fingers itched to press the panic button on the watch Hawk had given me. But I wouldn’t press it yet. There was a bank up ahead, and if I could make it there, I would be safe. Then I could call Hawk without scaring him half to death by pushing that button.

But then I saw him. Snake. Not all the guys that had run with Butch had been horrible, but some had been. And Snake was one of the worst. He was leaning against the wall just inside the alley, arms crossed, a smirk twisting his scarred face. The vest he wore told me everything I needed to know—he was still running with the Jackals.

“If it isn’t Butch’s pretty little bitch wandering around like he hasn’t got a care in the world.”

My stomach knotted. I picked up my pace, my breath quickening as I reached for my new watch and pressed the panic button. I had no idea how long it would take Hawk to get here, so I could only hope he would make it in time. The bank was close. If I could just—

A rough hand latched onto my arm, and before I could react, Snake yanked me into the alley. I stumbled, my shoulder slamming against the brick wall. I cried out in pain and twisted away from him.

“You got no idea what a prize you are,” he said, sneering. He grabbed my arm, his fingers tightening around it as he shoved me farther into the shadows.

I fought, twisting my arm, trying to break free, but he was ready for it. His other hand shot up, grabbing me by the throat and pinning me against the wall.

“Butch’s been looking for you, Mika,” he said, grinning like he’d already won. “And guess what? Finding you’s my ticket to a real good spot in the club.”

He pulled out his phone with his free hand and pushed a button, holding me there while it rang. Then I heard Butch’s voice from the phone.

“What are you calling me for, Snake? You’re supposed to be tailing Mika today. Don’t tell me you lost him.”

Snake chuckled. “I didn’t lose him. As a matter of fact, I’m standing right here with him.” He locked eyes with me and gave me a menacing smirk. “Say hello to Butch.”

I shook my head frantically, but he squeezed my neck even tighter. “I said say hello.”

“Hello,” I managed to croak out.

“I was following him like you said, but he’s out running around town like the Iron Jackals ain’t right here in town looking for him.”

Butch said something, but I couldn’t hear him this time.

Snake nodded. “Yeah, he’s alone. What do you want me to do with him? Bring him to you or put him with the others?”

Others? What the hell did that mean? What others? I had no idea what he was talking about, but what I did know was he was planning to take me somewhere. One of the first things we learned in self-defense class was that if you let them take you to a secondary location, your odds of survival dropped drastically. So no. He wasn’t going to take me anywhere.

I was sure he thought I was an easy mark. Lord knows I had been when I was with Butch. But I wasn’t that scared, helpless kid anymore. Now, thanks to Hawk, I knew what to do.

I took advantage of the fact that Snake was distracted by whatever Butch was saying, and I swept my arms up and hit that spot right between Snake’s wrist and his thumb, breaking his hold just like Hawk had drilled into us a hundred times. Snake barely had time to register what happened before I drove my knee into his groin and bolted.

I didn’t stop. Didn’t look back. I kept saying to myself over and over that the goal was to get away. I tore into the bank, forcing myself to slow down the second I crossed the threshold.

Act normal. Act normal.

The bank had a security guard, but this guy wasn’t a cop, and he wasn’t prepared to deal with the likes of Snake. I would never forgive myself if he got hurt just doing his job.

He looked at me, a little concerned, but I gave him a smile. “Sorry, I was in a bit of a hurry.”

He nodded at me, but I was pretty sure he’d be keeping an eye on the weird guy who literally ran into the bank, but he was here, and he had a gun. I thought that was probably enough to keep Snake from coming in after me. I sucked in a breath and walked to the counter like nothing had happened, heart hammering in my chest.

The tellers were busy, the hum of quiet conversations and clicking keyboards filling the space. The bank smelled like paper and ink, so normal and steady it was almost enough to ground me.

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