Page 49 of Hawk
“Fifty large for whoever takes care of my girlfriend for me.”
Billy sucks in a breath. “Yeah. Sure. Anything else?”
“I want her to be treated real nice.”
“I’ll take her out to a romantic restaurant for you.”
“Take pictures of the date for me. You know I want to live through you.”
“Sure thing, boss!”
My heart is beating faster than it ever has in my life. I’m hyperventilating and I can’t seem to calm myself down. I try to sit on the chair in the kitchen and I miss it. I fall straight to the floor with a big thud.
“Mom, are you okay?” Riley asks.
She has to see the panic on my face. I know it’s there. I know I’m petrified beyond belief. We’re out in New Mexico all by ourselves and there is nothing anyone can do.
“Yes, Riles,” I answer trying to be as fake as I can be at the moment. All I want to do is scream and pack us up.
She looks at me cautiously and then goes back to her homework. I guess I’m more convincing than I thought.
“What am I going to do, Howie?” I whisper.
“You’re going to do what we say. This has gotten bigger than what we thought. They want you dead and they will stop at nothing until you are.”
“What are you saying?” I whisper again. I need to make sure I’m fully understanding what he is saying to me. Right now, everything is a big blur. Everything is a big fucking mess and I’m drowning in it. “I need to know. I need to know right now what I’m supposed to do.”
“I’m going to call you right back.”
He hangs up on me again and I swallow my scream. This is some bull shit!
Right when my whole world is falling apart again, there is a knock on the door. I don’t answer it. I can’t. I know exactly who it is and it’s that man who’s come to murder us.
My fear is choking me and I can’t get enough air in my lungs.
“Maci! Answer the door! It’s Gear!”
I don’t budge.
“Who is Gear, mom?”
Fuck my life. If things didn’t turn shitty on me, I wouldn’t have any luck.
I fought my way through law school with a child! I worked many jobs to be able to give my daughter the life she deserves and this is what has become of me.
I’m sitting on the floor in my kitchen afraid to answer the door. I have hit rock bottom.
There is knocking again. This time it is louder. I still don’t answer.
“Mom! Are you deaf? Someone is at the door!”
“Shush!” I whisper yell at Riley to get her to be quiet. I don’t need her broadcasting that we are in here.
“What’s with you?”
She obviously has no clue about anything and I want to keep it that way. I don’t need her to be freaked out like I am.
I hear my phone ringing and I look at the caller identification. I don’t recognize the number but I know it is local.
