Page 54 of Hawk

“Interesting. Here’s what I found.” She pulled up a map dotted with pins on her computer. Personally, I preferred old-school paper maps and physical pins, but I would never tell Kat that. “I cross-referenced individuals who were suspected of human trafficking with people the Jackals had worked security jobs for, and there’s a fair amount of overlap.”

“We already knew they were hired muscle for some unsavory characters, but the question is, do they know what they’re being hired for, or are they simply stupid?”

“Or both?” She shook her head.

“Did you get a hold of Chance?”

“I did. He’s looking into it on his end. He said he’d give me a call when he has something.”

I sighed. “Okay, I guess we just keep digging until then.”

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out, expecting it to be Mika—but it wasn’t. Instead, it was my friend Samuel.

Samuel

Mars is worried about Mika. He says he’s okay, but Mars doesn’t believe him. Is he alright?

Me

He’s fine for now. He’s upstairs in my condo, either crocheting or cooking or snooping.

Samuel

Any progress on catching these guys?

Me

Nowhere near enough.

Samuel

Maybe y’all should come over for dinner.

Me

Let me talk to Mika. I’d rather he not leave the building just yet, but maybe Mars could come visit him here?

Samuel

Sounds good. Have him get with Mars about that. And we need to go out for lunch once all this is over.

Me

You’re on.

Chapter eighteen

Mika

By the time Friday rolled around, I was so glad Mars and Andy were coming over the next day. If you’d asked me a month ago, I would’ve told you that a week of not leaving the house would be heaven.

I would’ve been wrong.

Not leaving andnot being able to leavewere two totally different things. All the baking competitions, crochet projects, and really—and I meanreally—good sex couldn’t change the fact that I was basically a prisoner in a glass cage. I missed hanging out with my friends.

I’d been right about the city’s skyline from the window. It was amazing, but at this point, I didn’t want to look at people out having fun. I wanted to be out having fun. Mostly, I wanted to go to the Farmers Market and buy fresh produce or go to Mars’s shop. I’d gotten used to spending time there, just hanging out in the tearoom and chatting with whoever happened to come in.

I’d stayed in contact with Mary Ellen to let her know I was doing okay, but I missed her, too. I hadn’t told my mother what was going on, but I’d talked to her more in the last few days than I had in ages. If I didn’t find some other way to occupy myself, she was going to get suspicious.

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