Page 51 of Hawk

“And are you from this area, Duncan?”

“I’m not. I’m from Houston. But my co-owner, Jason Wolfe, is from here.”

“Jason Wolfe.Is that Gareth’s grandson?”

“Yes, it is.”

“He and my David were friends. He was a good man.” She paused for a minute, thinking things over. “So you plan to find this man who’s threatening Mika and do something about it?”

“Yes, ma’am, I sure do. I don’t plan on letting anyone hurt him.”

She cocked her head to one side. “And does that include you, Duncan?”

OMG.I wanted to crawl into a hole, but Hawk just reached over and patted my leg.

“It sure does. I would never hurt Mika.”

“Okay then. You can call me Mary Ellen, and you can just send me the bill for his protection. I won’t have him receiving subpar service because you aren’t charging him.”

“Trust me, Mary Ellen, if anything, Mika’s receiving even better protection because he’s mine. And at Three Bears Tactical, we take care of our own. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d feel better if I went back outside so I could keep an eye on the property.”

“Absolutely. It was nice to meet you, Duncan.”

We sat there and watched while he walked out, neither of us saying a word, but once we heard the front door close, she looked at me and fanned herself.

“Holy moly, that’s one good-looking man.”

“He is, isn’t he?”

“Is he staying at your house with you?”

“He was right after Butch showed up. But after that guy accosted me yesterday, he decided I should stay at his condo in the Three Bears office.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

“And he thinks I should take a few days off. That guy followed me from here, which means he knows where I work. I don’t want to put you in danger by being here.”

She waved me off. “I’m not worried about that. That gate out front does a good job of keeping the riffraff out, but I would feel better about things if you were someplace safe, so I agree with him. You should take some time off. As much as you need, dear.”

“I—”

“Nope, no apologies. I love having you here with me, and your job will be right here waiting for you. But you know as well as I do, I don’t need you here. I can take care of myself just fine. As a matter of fact, why don’t you go ahead and go now? I’d much rather your man be out looking for that scoundrel than sitting out front while you’re in here helping me do something I’m perfectly capable of doing on my own.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“Is there anything you need me to get for you first? I don’t want you up on any ladders trying to hang lights or anything.”

“I’m good.”

I lifted one eyebrow at her.

“No ladders, I promise.”

“Fine, but you call me if you need anything. I can get someone to run me over.”

“I will. And you keep me updated so I know you’re all right.”

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