by Eve Langlais
“We’d be delighted to; wouldn’t we, Hawke?”
Hawke found himself nodding without thought. He’d do anything she wanted to keep that smile on her face. She was radiant and so full of happiness it almost took his breath away. He quietly followed behind them as the two made small talk while latched onto each other’s arms. If he had to be replaced he was just happy it was to a man old enough to be his grandfather.
The next few hours dragged by as man after man manufactured reasons to come up and be introduced to Shawna. It was beyond Hawke’s comprehension why she thought people wouldn’t want her; did she not have eyes to see how many men braved his icy glare to talk to her?
“Excuse me; I need to take this call,” Shawna murmured politely as she got up and hurried out of the ballroom.
Hawke watched her go, debating whether he should follow her or wait. After five minutes and she still hadn’t returned, he gave up and went after his missing mate. He found her in a small alcove, clutching the phone and sobbing.
“Babe, what happened? Are you okay?”
Shawna shook her head no, before throwing herself into his arms. “My mom. It was my mom. They are safe for now. They’re in hiding and won’t tell me where, but they’re still safe. She got my brother to a doctor.”
“That’s great news, right? Why are you crying then?”
“You don’t understand. Just because they’re safe now doesn’t mean they’ll stay that way. Those people won’t quit until they find them and make them examples. I’m not stupid and neither is my mom. They will have to hide and stay hidden; I probably won’t ever see them again, and that’s if they don’t get caught.”
“Come on, let’s get out of here.” Hawke tucked her under his arm and led the way out. His mate was one hell of a woman, so strong and independent, but now it was time to let the big guns handle things.
“Shawna, here’s the car,” he whispered as he opened the door and helped her buckle in. Within a few minutes they were driving down the road and he was making a call.
“Xander,” Hawke barked into the phone. “Any luck with tracking down Shawna’s missing family?”
“Still working on it. Why? What’s happened?”
“Her mom called; they found a doctor to treat one of the boys. We need to find them before they are caught again.”
Xander sighed audibly. “I know. Trust me we have more people on this than you can imagine. Between all of us we should have found them already.”
“What are we going to do when we locate them? I want them here so Shawna can be with them. I’m not letting them be separated under any circumstances.”
A bitter laugh filled Hawke’s ears. “Yeah, well, that’s not goin’ to be so easy. Has she told you who has been holding them? Or why they were there in the first place?”
“No,” Hawke growled. “Something tells me I need to demand answers. But mark my words, I will find a way to make this happen.”
“I know, Brother. I’ll call Keir and see if he has heard anything. We’ll get your mate’s family back; don’t worry. Just stay with her. I’ve heard of some reports of suspicious people asking questions.”
They said their good-byes and Hawke jabbed the off button. His anger was mounting by the second. How was he supposed to help when he didn’t have the whole story?
“Shawna, beautiful, I need you to talk to me. Tell me everything. No more holding back. I can’t protect you if I don’t know what is really going on.”
Shawna sniffed and glared at him. “It’s not really any of your business. You’re my boss, but that doesn’t give you the right to demand personal things.”
He wanted to laugh, but he knew she was just lashing out in pain and he was an easy target. “Demand?” he bit out angrily. “I asked you to talk to me. I didn’t demand yet, but don’t get me wrong. You will tell me everything starting with why there are people here asking questions about you. And if you want to see me demanding wait till I get you in bed.”
“You don’t get to go to bed with me. You have a mate; I don’t poach on other people’s territory, you asshole.”
Hawke stared at her in amazement. How could she be so brilliant and so bloody stupid at the same time? Her two best friends were mated to shifters; did she really not know anything about how they lived or mated? Did she really think he could sleep with her, do the things he’d done to her earlier if he was mated to someone else?
Before he could form a reply, she started talking again.
“You’re right, though. I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I know you’re trying to help and can’t do it without all the information. Two years ago my father was seized for debts he owed to a gang in our hometown. My brother has a chronic illness that costs a lot of money to keep under control. I sent what money I could to help each month. My father borrowed money from the wrong people in desperation for emergency surgery. My brother made it through and has been doing fairly well since then. Two years ago, like I said, they came and took my father to make an example of him. He was making payments, but they were often late or only half of what was due.”
“Where is your father now?”
“We assume dead; we haven’t heard from him since that day. A year ago they came back for my mother and brothers. They contacted me and said they’d keep my family until the debt was paid off, but that we’d owe more every day it took until it was paid off. They charge them for the place they sleep, for the food they eat, and anything else they can come up with. So on any given day my family ends up owing more than they earned for the day. I’ve been sending the payments each month. What’s owed for the original payment plus a bit extra to help offset my family’s incurred debts.”
Hawke wanted to destroy all of those bastards. It was unthinkable that they were getting away with what basically amounted to extortion. There was no way that Shawna’s family would ever be free of debt at the rate they were going, even with Shawna sending money.
“When Clark fired me I was late on the payment and they beat my mother bad. She ended up needing to be taken to the hospital. They added that to the bill, plus her lost wages for the time she was too hurt to work. Two days ago my mother called me frantic; my brother is sick again and the gang won’t or can’t get him the help he needs. She was going to escape with the boys and get him help. She called to say good-bye in case she didn’t make it.”
“Shit,” Hawke cursed. That explained her breakdown; he was only surprised she’s held up as well as she has under these circumstances. If it had been his mother and siblings, he’d have torn open hell itself to get them back safe. “What about the people asking questions?”
She shrugged. “I figured they’d send people to see what I know, and if they’d come here I guess I was right.”
Was she insane, acting so nonchalant about all this? If the men were part of this gang, then they were dangerous. How did she expect to take on two men determined to get information from her? In the area she lived in, no one would bat an eye if she screamed or called for help. Sure, Robbie was around, but Hawke wasn’t about to put the life and safety of his mate in someone else’s hands. “I don’t think you should be alone with them around asking questions,” he blurted out, knowing her reaction was going to be borderline nuclear.
“I’m not endangering any of my friends, and what if somehow for some insane reason my family is able to get here? They have my address; I’m not running away and hiding when they need me.”
“You said it yourself: The chances they’d show up at your place are minuscule. Your mom isn’t stupid; she would know they’d look there for her. It’s why she hasn’t told you where they are. She’s trying to protect you.”
Shawna grunted, shook her head in the negative, and glared at him. “I don’t care what you say; nothing will get me to leave there.”
Hawke silently fumed the rest of the way back to her dump of an apartment as he tried to come up with something that would convince her to leave. But he knew one thing for sure: His
mate was stubborn as the day was long. Nothing he could say would sway her. If she wouldn’t leave, then he was coming to stay there, and god help anyone who showed up that didn’t belong. He protected what was his, and this woman was his life.
“Fine, stay there. But before we head back I need to stop by my place and grab a few things.”
“Drop me off and then go get whatever it is you need.”
Before she’d finished, Hawke was already shaking his head no. “Unacceptable. I’m not leaving you alone now that I know they’re here.”
Countdown three, two, one, ignition, he thought just as she caught on to what he was saying. “You are not staying with me. Go find your mate and shack up with her. I don’t need to be under constant supervision. I’m a big girl, if you hadn’t noticed. I can take care of myself, and I don’t need you thinking otherwise.”
Well, that went well, he mused. “How about a compromise. I’ll walk you to your apartment and leave you there while I run home, but I want Robbie to stay with you. He may be smaller than me, but something tells me he’ll defend you with his life.”
“I don’t need a babysitter, carajo. What do you take me for?”
Hawke sighed. Time for a new plan of attack. This one obviously wasn’t working at all. He pulled to a stop in the garage and put the car in park as she glared at him.
“Robbie’s right there. He can walk me to my apartment. No need to come back.” She seethed as she climbed out of the car and slammed the door shut.
Hawke rolled his window down and gave Robbie a pointed look and nodded toward Shawna. He smiled in relief when Robbie agreed and took off after Shawna with a grin. “I’ll be back in a few minutes!” Hawke called to them.
Life with his mate was never going to be boring; that was for sure.
CHAPTER 9
“Miz Shawna, wait for me!” Robbie called as he raced behind her. “You shouldn’t be walking around here by yourself. Especially not with those guys around. They were here earlier and they didn’t look happy.”
Shawna groaned at the news. Why couldn’t those guys just go away and leave them all alone? She’d made this month’s payment even after her family had left. That should have given her some leeway, but nope. Why was life such a bitch? The last few days had been a whirlwind of highs and lows. Every time she thought things were turning around there was life kicking her in the heart again.
“Are you all right? Your friend seemed pretty upset when you stormed out of his car like that.”
“He can go roast in the fiery pits of hell for all I care. He’s got a mate, a freaking mate, and here he was making me think things, impossible things.”
Robbie scratched his cheek. “I don’t know much, Miz Shawna, but I do know a thing or two about shifters. I had some old friends that were and they taught me a lot. If I recollect correctly, there is no way your man there would be taking you out or looking at you the way he does if he had a mate. You see, when shifters find their person that’s it for them. They never look at anyone else.”
“But he admitted he’d found his mate a few months back. He flat-out told me he had a mate, Robbie.”
Robbie bit his lip and tried to hide his smile, which just made Shawna even more confused. “What?” she asked as she put the key in her lock and opened the door. “Come in and tell me what you’re smirking about.”
She took two steps into the apartment before she realized they weren’t alone. She froze in terrified shock as she took in the two men standing in front of them with guns pointed directly at their heads.
“Come in and shut the door. Both of you,” the uglier of the men snarled. “Don’t think you will get far if you try to run. We’ve been watching; around here no one will care if we shoot.”
Shawna nodded slowly and stepped farther into the room. She glanced over to see Robbie standing next to her glaring at the two men. “Don’t do anything stupid,” she whispered quietly.
“Shut the door. We’ve got things to discuss,” the smaller man said with a sneer on his smarmy face.
“What do you want?” Robbie asked as he stepped in front of Shawna as if he was her human shield.
As much as she appreciated that, she couldn’t let him get hurt trying to protect her. This was not his fight. “It’s okay, Robbie. Let me handle this.” She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder as she stepped around him and faced the two men.
“If this is about my mother, you’re wasting your time. I don’t know where she is. She isn’t stupid enough to tell me that. She had to know you’d come here looking for her. As to your money, you got this month’s payment, and I’ll keep paying until the debt is gone.”
The two men glanced at each other and rolled their eyes as if to say this woman was loco. “It’s too late for that, my sweet. Your family has to be taught a lesson. No one makes us look like fools and lives to tell the tale. When she ran off with those bastard kids, she signed her own death warrant. Pay or don’t, but their future has already been decided. Yours, on the other hand, is still up for discussion.”
“Don’t touch her,” Robbie growled as he took a step forward.
“Brave man, but you know what they say about bravery, don’t you? The line between bravery and stupidity is so thin that you don’t know you’ve crossed it until you’re dead.”
The ugly one laughed at his friend’s words. “Maybe we’ll take him to help pay off their debt. What do you think?”
“What do you say, Miz Shawna? You and your friend willing to come work off your family’s debts with us or will you keep paying so we don’t have to come back and pay you a visit?”
“I’ll pay. Just get out of here and leave me alone,” Shawna demanded.
“I’m afraid it’s not that easy. There’s still the matter of your missing family.” The ugly man walked into the kitchenette and pulled two chairs behind him as he headed into the bedroom. “Bring them and come on. We’re wasting time.”
Shawna trembled as the man approached with an evil gleam in his eyes that said he was enjoying this way too much. “What are you doing?” she choked out.
“Getting our answers. Let’s hope for your sake you have a low tolerance for pain and this ends quickly,” the smaller man said.
“No!” the ugly one called back with a laugh. “I like to watch them cry out in pain and beg for mercy. It gets me so hot to see that.”
Robbie cursed as he tried to push the man away from Shawna. “I told you not to touch her.”
Shawna screamed a warning, but it was too late. The pistol whipped across Robbie’s face, knocking him to the floor in a blur of movement.
“Help me carry him; the stupid gringo got himself hurt.” The man pointed the gun back at Shawna and gestured for her to go first. “Don’t try anything or you’re next.”
Her thoughts were going a mile a minute. Was Robbie okay? What were the men going to do to them? Why hadn’t she listened to Hawke and let him stay? He’d said he was coming back; with any luck she could hold on till he got here. He’d hear what was going on and get help. She had to believe that.
“Sit down and put your hands behind your back,” the ugly man demanded as he helped drag Robbie in. “Don’t move; I promise you won’t like the consequences.”
Shawna dropped into the chair and surveyed the room as unobtrusively as possible, looking for anything that would help her out of this nightmare. If she survived this, she’d never be vulnerable like this again. She’d take self-defense classes or carry mace or … Who was she kidding? None of those things would have helped against a loaded gun.
“You got him? I’ll grab the rope and we can tie him up first.”
Shawna turned her attention back in time to watch Ugly lean to the side and pull a coil of rope from her bed. With quick, deft movements Robbie’s hands were tied behind his back and the duo were advancing on her. She tried to remember everything she’d ever heard about what to do if you got tied up, but her brain couldn’t comprehend what was happening to give her a good answer. Was s
he supposed to flex her wrists? Like that made sense; how do you flex your wrists?
Ugly smiled as he leaned over. “You ready for some fun?”
She closed her eyes and tried not to breathe in his foul smell as he leaned back with a laugh. Go to your happy place, she thought frantically as she listened to the two men discussing their plan of torture and which questions to ask first in case she passed out too quickly.
CHAPTER 10
No one had ever dared to stand up to him like Shawna did. She was all fire, grit, and beautiful passion. She didn’t care who he was, how much money he had, or what type of shifter he was. She wasn’t giving in without a fight if she believed she was in the right. Hawke had never seen a more beautiful sight than his mate storming off, anger radiating off of her in waves. Now if she’d only listen when he was right, their life would be perfect. The danger was still here, but his stubborn, sexy-ass mate was determined to do things alone.
The ringing of his phone pulled him from his thoughts as he pushed the hands-free talk button and answered.
“Hawke, where are you?”
He tensed at the tone of Keir’s voice on the phone. “A couple miles from Shawna’s place. Why?”
“We filled Bess in, and she had her nephew put some people on the place. She just called because she got a report that those men were in the building. There was some communication breakdown and she was just informed fifteen minutes ago. They’ve been in there for a couple hours, though. We’re on our way, only about five minutes away.”
Hawke cursed, did an illegal U-turn, and raced back the way he’d come. Thankful that it was quiet on the streets at this hour in this neighborhood. If the men laid one finger on his mate, they were going to wish they were dead by the time he got done with them. The coroner would need a sieve to sort things out.