Hawke Read online

  It was fine to think about his buff physique and to harbor feelings of lust, so long as she didn’t reveal her inner feelings to anyone else. Hawke wasn’t hers. And he wasn’t going to be. She wasn’t right for him, anyway.

  Emilia curled her long hair into soft waves. It was the best she could do at styling. The dark blond color tended to be drab, so she’d recently added blond highlights. She considered her brown eyes her best feature, so spent a few extra minutes on the eye shadow. She was finishing her makeup when her phone vibrated. A warm feeling came over her, as she guessed that Hawke might be checking about her expected arrival at the party. But it wasn’t him.

  She stared at the text, and her hand trembled. The message was offensive and upsetting.

  You haven’t seen the last of me. You’ll pay for what you did.

  It was Ray. He had been simmering in hatred all afternoon. It didn’t appear that he’d forget what had happened very soon. The alarming part was that Emilia didn’t know what he intended to do about it.

  Chapter 2

  It was Friday night, time to unwind. Hawke had piled into his Cherokee with a few of the team to go to a party at a townhome in South Philly. His partner Ryker was there, since the get-together was at his cousin’s place. Jake and Amanda, his tech pros, came along.

  Ryker’s cousin Lonnie was a cop in the neighborhood. He’d been married but divorced, so hung out with friends on weekends. He’d been of assistance to the team on more than one occasion and had lived in Philly all his life. So, he had stayed in touch with friends over the years.

  One such friend was Emilia Draper, and she was going to show up later. Hawke had her on his mind. He’d seen her a few times since he’d been home, but they had some catching up to do. She was a biotech at a prestigious lab. And she had turned out to be quite pretty.

  The townhouse was small but spacious enough to entertain a few friends. Lonnie welcomed them and motioned to the kitchen. “Help yourself; beer, wine…whatever is your pleasure.”

  Ryker grabbed a beer then handed another to Hawke. “You’ll know most of the people here.”

  Amanda had already found some friends and was chatting in the hall. Jake was talking to another cop that worked in the district. It hadn’t taken long for the two to split up. As team members, he could count on them and depended on their skill with technology.

  But personally, Amanda and Jake didn’t get along. As a rule, any contention didn’t affect the workplace. Being part of a team came second nature to them. Hawke didn’t even want to get into what their beef was with each other. That was their business, as long as it didn’t affect his.

  Music played loudly from the other room. Hawke recognized Imagine Dragons. Since he’d been back, he’d heard lots of stuff. He still preferred Nirvana or R.E.M., even some of Smashing Pumpkins’ older stuff. For some reason, what he’d listened to in high school was still his favorite.

  Ryker swigged his beer, then grabbed a handful of chips from a bowl. “I’m going to mingle.”

  Hawke grinned at him. “I’m sure Lonnie has invited some singles. Could be someone for you.”

  “I’ll be on the lookout.” Ryker headed toward the other room, then turned back. “Emilia’s coming tonight.”

  “Yeah, I heard.” Thinking of Ryker hanging with Emilia bugged him, although he couldn’t imagine why. She was a friend, that was all. “Don’t be surprised if I monopolize her time. It’s been a while since I’ve seen much of her.”

  “Yep, understood.” Ryker lifted his hand. “I know you guys are good friends.”

  Ryker had grown up in the same neighborhood as Hawke, so he knew a lot of the same people. He’d joined the Navy when Hawke had. So they’d been in the service together. Now they were out and running a private company. It had been a good move to hook up with his longtime buddy.

  Hawke moved toward the door, just as Amanda came in. She cleaned up nice, and looked pretty in her sweater with white jeans. She’d worked in military security, managing communication systems and intelligence. Although the service made accommodations for mothers, Amanda had decided she wanted to start a family as a civilian.

  She wasn’t married, but she’d find the right guy. She was fit from active duty and sharp as a whip. Whoever connected with her would have to stay on his toes, because she rarely missed a beat. “Hey, Hawke—the party’s out there.”

  “Just heading that way. Didn’t take you long to make friends.”

  “It’s old home week here.” Amanda grinned. “I hear Emilia is coming later.”

  What was it with everyone mentioning his friend? And what was that expression on Amanda’s face?

  “So I hear,” Hawke said, and headed for the living room.

  Over the last few minutes, the place had filled up. It appeared Lonnie had invited more guests than could easily fit. Good thing he had a back patio. Hawke mingled, had a few laughs with friends he hadn’t seen in a while, and was on his second beer when the front door opened.

  He’d been watching the door, for Christ’s sake. Of course Emilia would show. There was always that chance that she’d have to work late, or that she’d bail on partying. He knew her well. Either one wouldn’t have surprised him.

  There was no denying that Hawke was looking forward to seeing her. Memories of long talks, shared jokes, and even some embarrassing moments came back to him. He’d had a good time, way back when. He wondered if he’d still be good friends with her like before.

  The moment Emilia walked through the door, his doubts dissolved. There was an instant connection, an undeniable bond of friendship. He knew her so well, better than he knew himself sometimes. Yet it had been so many years. She must have changed—he certainly had.

  Emilia wore a short gray jacket over a fitted top, with casual slacks. She looked taller than he remembered. Then he noticed the ankle boots with high heels. Her honey-blond hair shimmered in the light and fell in waves to her shoulders.

  His friend had changed. She’d become a beautiful woman. Although he detected a hint of shyness, instead of the self-assurance of a woman aware of her allure. Some things remained the same. She’d always been self-conscious at parties.

  Hawke watched as Ryker turned to greet her. He grinned and lifted her hand for a kiss, making her laugh. Then Lonnie rushed over and gave her a bear hug, before ushering her toward the kitchen.

  It was time to rescue her, a role Hawke was used to. On numerous occasions, he’d hung out with her when the social pressures had been too much. Sometimes Emilia needed the connection, and other times Hawke needed a break from entertaining.

  That’s what it had been. Hawke was the funny guy, the charmer. While Emilia was the serious type. Yet he’d often preferred her company to anyone else’s. And he was no longer into charming the women. That had been a pastime for his youth.

  Lonnie was handing a glass of wine to Emilia, who smiled appreciatively. She turned when he entered. “Hawke, there you are. I’ve been swept off my feet with hospitality.” She took a sip of wine. “I didn’t know there would be so many people here.”

  Hawke lingered in the doorway. “You know Lonnie—he doesn’t want to leave anyone out. The more the merrier.” He walked over to the cooler. “I could use another beer. This will be number three.”

  “It took me a while to get ready, and there was a bit of traffic.”

  Hawke grinned then popped the top of his beer. “No need to explain. I’m just glad you made it.”

  Jake swooped in for a refill, in time to catch the conversation. “I fully expected you to text with some excuse for not showing up.”

  Emilia laughed. “Hey, that’s not fair. Can’t a girl live down her reputation?”

  “Never.” Jake winked at her, then went for the cooler.

  Hawke looked at Emilia. “Care to find someplace quieter? A person can hardly think with all the racket in here.”

  Jake piped in, “Same to you, buddy.” He toasted his beer can against Hawke’s then disappeared.

&nb
sp; The living room was out of the question. The music had gotten louder, so the guests were yelling to hear each other. That was, when they weren’t roaring with laughter.

  “Patio,” Hawke mouthed.

  It was cool outdoors, but not bad. When the glass door shut behind them, most of the noise was drowned out. It seemed the others hadn’t discovered the overflow area, so they had the place to themselves.

  Emilia sat in a wicker chair across from Hawke. She crossed her legs and sipped her wine. “How’s the business going?”

  “Good…pretty good. Ryker and I are building a strong team. We have quite a few clients already. The first year is the toughest.”

  “You have a location in West Philly, is that right?”

  “That’s our central office, but most of our assignments are in the field.”

  “I’m curious,” Emilia said. “How would you describe what you do? Are you bodyguards?”

  “No, that doesn’t fit. We’re in the EP field, executive protection. The clients are company execs, so our duties can involve covering events, travel, dealing with threats,” Hawke said. “But it’s not the daily security functions. Corporations hire on-site security for that.”

  “When do you come in?”

  “We deal with high-risk situations, when things are volatile.”

  Emilia smiled. “Of course…black swan.”

  Hawke shrugged. “Ryker came up with that. He thought it sounded edgy. I would have probably called the company H & R Protection, but it doesn’t have the same ring to it.”

  Emilia set her wine on a table and looked up at the sky. “Fall is my favorite season. The trees are changing, and the weather is turning cool.”

  “I’m glad to be back. I missed Philly.”

  “Did you always know you’d return once you retired?”

  Hawke shook his head. “I didn’t think about it too much. On deployment…” He rolled his shoulder. “Well, I didn’t look to the future. I was focused on the present, you might say.”

  “You seem different.”

  “How so?”

  Emilia’s eyes sparkled under the porchlight. “Older, I guess.”

  “Yep, no denying that.” Hawke took a gulp of beer. “I’m not the same. The things I’ve seen, done…” He hesitated, not wanting to tell her too much. “Well, it has a way of changing a person.”

  “Older wasn’t derogatory. I find it attractive,” Emilia said. “You have more depth, I suppose. Although we haven’t talked that much, I have a sense of that.”

  Hawke drained his beer. “Enough about me. You’ve covered a lot of ground in the years I was away. You have a career in a scientific field.”

  “Yes, I do have that.”

  Hawke looked at her. In her lovely brown eyes, he saw an emotion he didn’t quite recognize. It could be sadness, or maybe loneliness. “I’d heard you were getting married. But when I got back, you weren’t.”

  Emilia stiffened, but didn’t offer an explanation.

  “We’re friends, right? You can tell me.”

  “It’s embarrassing, and heartbreaking.”

  Hawke didn’t want to imagine another man breaking her heart. He swore he wouldn’t do such a thing, if he ever had a chance. “I’m waiting. There has to be a story to that.”

  After a nervous laugh, Emilia began, “I prefer not to talk about it, but you’ll hear sooner or later. So better to hear it from me.”

  She took a deep breath. “I was engaged to Michael Burke. You remember that his father ran a hotel chain.”

  Hawke nodded, then leaned back in the chair.

  “I thought… Well, he told me he loved me,” Emilia said. “And I was sure I loved him. I agreed to marry him. I bought the dress, sent the invitations. The food was ordered for the reception.”

  Hawke was getting the picture.

  “Then, two days before, Michael told me that he didn’t want to go through with it.” Emilia wiped away a tear with her finger. “He came just short of leaving me standing at the altar.”

  “Unbelievable.”

  “It crushed me, as you can imagine,” Emilia said. “It was awkward to announce that the wedding was off, and pretty rough on my self-esteem.”

  “Why, what happened?”

  “I’d thought we were getting along.” Emilia shook her head. “I must have been blind. It’s weird how easy it is to misjudge a person.”

  “To say the least.”

  “Not long after he broke off our engagement, Michael eloped with a sexy blonde. She was an aspiring actress. He’d met her at one of his father’s hotels.”

  Hawke hardly knew what to say.

  “It’s okay. It was a long time ago now. I faced reality. I wasn’t…”

  “It was nothing to do with you,” Hawke said. “It was him. You shouldn’t think otherwise.”

  “The hardest part was that I’d thought he was in love with me. It was difficult to deal with finding out that he hadn’t been.”

  Hawke wanted to hold her, to comfort her and tell her what a wonderful woman she was. But he dared not. It had been many years since he’d had such a heartfelt talk with her. He didn’t want to blow it.

  “You have to admit I’m not a beauty. I’m used to being in the background,” Emilia said.

  “That’s not true.”

  Emilia shrugged. “Even you, all those years…”

  Hawke was dumbstruck. He must have been blind. In his youth, he was so arrogant, cared about all the wrong things. He knew better now. But there was no way to tell her. No words to convey it properly. He said, “I was into myself in my youth. If the service did anything, it realigned my priorities.”

  Emilia looked at him but didn’t show any sign of understanding his meaning. He hadn’t explained it right, didn’t know how to put it into words. She was a beauty, inside and out. But he couldn’t just blurt that out. He’d thought he was so suave before, but now he was tongue-tied.

  The back door opened, and a group of partiers flowed out to the patio. So much for time alone.

  “I need a refill,” Hawke said. “How about you?”

  Emilia went inside, and he followed her to the kitchen. It looked like a war zone, with empty cups and plates stacked everywhere. That was what you got when a bachelor threw a party. Hopefully, Lonnie had a maid to do cleanup in the aftermath.

  Hawke opted for Coke. He could easily drink another beer, but his training kicked in. He didn’t like not staying sharp. He refilled Emilia’s wine glass, then guided her out to the music.

  The roar of the party was deafening. A few people were dancing, after moving a sofa out of the way. There was even a poker game in progress at a coffee table. Hawke had considered himself a partier, but he preferred to be with Emilia.

  He motioned toward the hallway, then looked for an open door. The first room was the den, and it was standing room only. So he selected the first quiet space, which had to be Lonnie’s bedroom. Emilia sat on the bed, and Hawke sat on the floor with his back against the wall.

  Hawke took the opportunity to admire Emilia. She thought that she wasn’t pretty enough. Her flaky fiancé hadn’t done much for her self-image. He remembered that she was reserved, quiet. But he hadn’t realized that she didn’t know how beautiful she was.

  He’d like to tell her, to reassure her that she was desirable. But that wasn’t his place. It would give her the impression that he wanted to take the relationship to the next step. He couldn’t do that. He wasn’t the happy-go-lucky guy she’d known.

  Hawke had baggage, a lot of stuff in his head that he didn’t intend to share with anyone. He had nightmares and hadn’t spent the entire night with a woman in a while. It wasn’t right. He couldn’t burden a woman with his issues.

  Emilia deserved better. He was her friend and intended to remain so. She could use one, it seemed.

  “What are you thinking?”

  Hawke smiled. “How good it is to talk with you.”

  “Just like old times.” Then she frowned.


  Hawke raised his brows, waiting.

  “I hope you don’t mind me sharing,” Emilia said. “You’ve been kind of quiet.”

  “I’d rather listen. There’s not too much you need to hear from me.”

  “I’m working on a crucial project at the lab.” Emilia held her glass in both hands, studying the wine. “I won’t go into it, but I’m on a deadline. I refuse to fail. I’ll tell you what it’s all about some other time. But I have a problem.”

  Emilia proceeded to tell him about Raymond Simms and his violent reaction to being fired. Hawke didn’t like it one bit. His team had dealt with a similar incident, when a corporate exec had been let go. He drove home and got his gun. Fortunately, his girlfriend had called the office to warn his boss. That had saved him temporarily. Then further actions had to be taken.

  “I’ll look into it for you,” Hawke said. “I don’t like the sound of that at all. It’s possible that Ray will just fade away.”

  “I’d hoped so,” Emilia said. “But I got a text, just before I left for the party.” She retrieved her phone from her pocket, pulled up a message, and handed him the phone.

  Hawke stared at the screen. “This is a bad sign. The dude is harboring a grudge.”

  “I’m not sure what to do.”

  “Tell Lonnie before you leave. He’ll get a report set up. The police can’t do anything based on a verbal threat,” Hawke said. “But the data should be there, in case.”

  “In case?”

  “It’s a volatile situation, so it’s difficult to predict. We’ll see if you hear any more from this guy. Meanwhile, I’ll have Jake and Amanda do a background check and work up some other details.”

  “Your team?”

  “Yes—in fact, they are here tonight. I haven’t had a chance to introduce you.”

  “I have no experience with this type of thing,” Emilia said. “It’s very unsettling.”

  “Did you drive tonight?”

  “Yes, my car is parked on the street.”

  “When you finish your drink, I’ll drive you home,” Hawke said. “I don’t want to take the chance that the guy followed you. And I’ll check your place for any signs that he’s been around.”