Page 71 of Hawk

“Sounds like Gator,” Mika replied.

“Oh well, tell him I said hi.”

“Gator, Mars says hi.”

Gator grinned over at me, and I shook my head. “You guys just go about your day and pretend we aren’t here.”

We sat there for about twenty minutes, listening as Mika and Mars talked about events Mars was planning for the shop and new merchandise he’d gotten in.

I could tell when they got comfortable and forgot we were listening because the conversation shifted from shop talk to gossip and rumors.

Normally, Gator and I would’ve done the same, but I wasn’t in the mood for small talk today.

“So,” Mars said. “Hawk’s like a really big guy, huh?”

Gator glanced at me, trying not to laugh.

“Yeah, he is,” Mika said.

“So like proportionally—” Mars trailed off, waiting for Mika to respond.

I cleared my throat loudly as a reminder that we were still here and still listening. Even though I had nothing to be ashamed of in that department, Mika would be mortified later if he answered that question.

“Mars,” he scolded, and I could just imagine him pointing to his ear.

“Oops, sorry about that. We totally weren’t talking about the size of anyone’s… well, you know. Anyway, what do you think about these fluorite spheres, Mika? Aren’t they just gorgeous?”

We sat there for a couple hours while Mars handled customers and chatted with my boy. By then, I figured we’d been at it long enough, so I sent Mika a text telling him we should call it a day.

We hadn’t seen Butch, but we’d known it might take a few days for him to spot Mika—assuming he was still in town. Now came the part of the plan I’d put my foot down on. Chance had wanted Mika to sleep at his house alone in an attempt to lure Butch out, but there was no way in hell I was agreeing to that.

His car would stay there all night, but he wouldn’t. Instead, one of Chance’s guys with a similar build to Mika’s—wearing a hoodie—would be sleeping in Mika’s old bed while my boy was safe at home with me, where he belonged.

Chapter twenty-three

Mika

By the time a few days had passed, I was starting to think that maybe Butch had left town. I’d gone shopping, been to my house, even spent one day over at Mary Ellen’s place. And as good as it was to see her, it would’ve been better if Butch had followed me there.

Not that I wanted to see him—I didn’t. But I did want this to be over with.

I was in the kitchen cooking breakfast when a pair of strong arms wrapped around me. I was startled before I registered the familiar weight and scent of Hawk.

“How are you doing, baby boy?” he murmured against my ear.

“Okay,” I said, though I wasn’t sure it was true. “Just ready for this to be over. How long do you think we should wait?"

“A few more days, I imagine. At that point, we’ll have to assume the gang has moved on.”

I let myself relax back into him, just for a second. “Part of me hopes that’s the case so I won’t have to see him again, but the rest of me wants him to pay for the things he’s done.”

“That’s a perfectly normal reaction.” He kissed the side of my head. “Now, since you insist on cooking, what can I do to help?”

“Nothing really. It’s about done. You can set the table, though.”

I dished up our food and joined him. He said he liked eating breakfast every day, but he was so sweet I didn’t know if he’d tell me otherwise, even if he was just humoring me.

“So, what’s your plan for today?”

---