Page 69 of Hawk

“I know. But I still hate it.”

I knew he was right. This was our best shot, but it didn’t make it any easier to watch Mika walk around his house by himself while he waited for his worst nightmare to jump out and say boo. The cameras we’d installed gave us eyes on almost every angle of the house, and Mika moved into frame on the living room cam, setting his crochet bag on the coffee table before disappearing into the kitchen.

“He’s makin’ himself a sandwich,” Gator said, one corner of his mouth turned up in a grin. “He sliced that tomato like he was mad at it.”

I shook my head, my own lips twitching despite the knot of worry in my gut. “He gets fussy when he’s nervous.”

“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that. Better to be fussy than foolish. That boy’s got good instincts. He did a great job defending himself against that asshole the other day.”

“He did. I was really proud of him. He did everything we taught him in the class.”

We watched in silence for a while as Mika set his plate on the kitchen table and sat down, his foot bouncing under the chair. He took one bite, then another, but it was clear he wasn’t really hungry.

“I like him for you, Hawk,” Gator said after a moment. “That boy’s a sweetheart. He’s got a lightness to him.”

I nodded, still watching the screen. Mika got up and started fiddling with something in the kitchen drawer. “Yeah, he does.”

“Kinda reminds me of my cousin Jolie… heart so big it barely fits in her chest. Always tryin’ to fix what ain’t hers to mend. Kinda like how Mika feels responsible for any damage his ex might do, even though it ain’t on him. He’s good people. I like him.”

I looked over at him. Gator didn’t hand out compliments easily. “Thanks. That means a lot.”

He waved a hand. “I’m just sayin’. It’s nice to see you smilin’ again. Been a long damn time since I seen that.”

I leaned back in the chair and scrubbed a hand over my face. “Yeah, well, I didn’t think I had that in me anymore. And then Mika... he just walked into my life like it wasn’t a big deal. Like I was someone worth keepin’.”

Gator nodded slowly. “Funny how that works. Sometimes the right one don’t knock—he just strolls in, sets down his bags, and makes a home in your heart like he been there all along.”

I chuckled under my breath. “You get that off aHallmarkcard?”

“Nah,” he said with a grin. “Off my meemaw’s porch. Woman raised twelve kids and still had room to take care of the neighborhood strays. She knew a thing or two ’bout love.”

We fell quiet again, watching as Mika flopped onto the couch and pulled out his crochet project. He picked up where he’d left off and started working the yarn, but I could tell his rhythm was off.

“I wish I could be in there with him. He shouldn’t have to be doing this alone.”

“Yeah, but you know if you were in there, ain’t no way Butch would show up. You don’t have to be the one to sit out here, though. We can swap off.”

“I appreciate it. But no. I need to be here. I need to see it with my own eyes if that bastard shows up.”

Gator nodded. “A’ight. But you remember this ain’t all on you. We all got his back. We’re a team. And if Butch so much as breathes wrong near your boy, I’ll make sure he don’t breathe at all.”

I met his gaze. “Thanks.”

He clapped me on the shoulder, then turned his attention back to the monitors. “Now shut up and watch your man. He’s tryin’ to figure out how to fix that knot he made in the yarn and cussin’ under his breath like a sailor.”

I looked at the screen, and sure enough, Mika was muttering to himself, eyebrows scrunched together as he tried to unkink a stubborn twist in the yarn. My chest ached at the sight of him. Brave, sweet, stubborn little thing.

“He’s gonna be okay,” Gator said. “We got him.”

“Yeah,” I murmured, watching the man I loved through the grainy black-and-white lens. “We got him.”

A few minutes later, Mika let out a frustrated huff and tossed the yarn aside. I knew his mind wasn’t really on what he was doing, so I hoped whatever he was working on wasn’t important.

He reached for his phone and started typing furiously. A few seconds later, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the text he’d sent me:

Mouse

This is a waste of time. If he knew I was here, he would’ve shown up. I’m going to Mars’ shop.

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