The Pattels

by S. K. Hardy

With a skill he’d perfected years ago, he put everything that had to do with Thompson out of his thoughts. There was no need to dwell on it any further and hold on to the negativity. He had so many beautiful things to focus on–like his fiancée. Hawk smiled at the word. Who would’ve ever thought he, of all people would be gettin’ married. Life was funny as fuck sometimes.

  As they stepped outside of the dark building and into the sunshine Angel looked at Hawk. “What in the hell are you smiling about?”

  “Nothin’.” Hawk chuckled and slipped his shades on as they headed towards the car. “I’m hungry. Ready for that steak now?”

  CHAPTER 42

  Hawk arrived back at Pattel Manor later than he expected. After he and Angel left the crematory, they went to Hawk’s condo in the city so that he could shower and wash off the stench of Benny Thompson. He and Angel had stayed to have a drink and talk before going to his restaurant for those steaks. Hours later after Angel dropped him off at the airport, he boarded his helicopter and prepared to head back to New York. Back to Raven. He promised her he would be back before she woke up in the morning and he intended to do just that.

  Glancing down at his watch, he closed the front door behind him. It was almost 3 a.m., but he was wide-awake. His first impulse was to go and wake Raven, but he didn’t want to disturb her sleep. Maybe he’d change clothes and do a little exercise to work off some excess energy before he–

  “Finally. You’re back.”

  Frowning in surprise, Hawk turned around and saw Lorenzo walking towards him. “Hey. What are you doin’ here?”

  Lorenzo’s steel grey eyes darkened. “Waiting for you. We need to talk.”

  Hawk’s frown deepened. His cousin was upset about something. That he knew without even having to ask. Lo’s eyes had given away his moods ever since they were kids so it was an easy call.

  “Okay. What’s up?”

  Eyes flashing angrily like hot silver, Lorenzo glowered at him without answering–almost as if he didn’t trust himself to speak. Hawk abruptly changed his initial observation. Lorenzo wasn’t just upset–he was furious. More like pissed the fuck off. And Hawk knew why.

  Shit.

  Lowering his lashes, Hawk smoothed his hand down the back of his head. “Oh, uh...okay. So I guess this is about what I said to Mills.” He raised his eyes and met his cousin’s glare. “Right?”

  Lorenzo answered him in a clipped tone. “Why would you show him those pictures? Huh? Why would you do that?”

  Hawk’s chest lifted in a deep sigh. “Lo–”

  “No, answer the question. What’s your explanation? I mean, what if one of us had pulled some crap with Raven that you didn’t like? I bet you’d be upset, wouldn’t you? Oh, wait. Pop and Uncle Joey did do that when they went behind your back and forced her to come to the manor a couple of months ago, didn’t they? When you found out you damn near lost your shit. So it puzzles me as to why you would go and do the same fuckin’ thing to me?”

  Hawk’s brows bunched angrily over his eyes. “Okay, hold up. What happened with Raven was different and you know it.”

  “No the hell it wasn’t!” Lorenzo growled through bared teeth. “They overstepped and made a decision that should’ve been yours instead of letting you handle it! Isn’t that what you did when you showed those pictures to Mills?”

  Hawk started to bite Lo’s head off in response, but stopped. Damn. He was right. “Shit. I’m sorry, bruh. I wasn’t thinkin’.”

  “No. You weren’t! It wasn’t your place to decide when and where to use that information.”

  “If you give me a chance to explain, maybe you’ll understand why I did it.”

  Lorenzo folded his arms and planted his feet firm. “I doubt that very seriously, but go on. Please. Make it make sense for me.”

  Hawk shook his head at Lorenzo’s sarcasm. Lo had a way of patronizing a person until they questioned their own position in an argument. Still, Hawk wasn’t above a good debate, but as hard as it was, he forced himself not to engage. There was no need to escalate the situation.

  “I walked up on Mills basically trying to convince Raven to turn on us. Keep in mind, we’d just more or less threatened him within an inch of his life if he didn’t fall in line. For some reason, he still thought he could outsmart us. I decided to shut that shit down right then and there instead of bothering with it later.”

  “You should’ve waited for me to take care of it, Hawk! Just like you know how best to handle your woman, I know how I wanted to handle–”

  Lorenzo’s lips clamped shut, leaving the remainder of his sentence dangling between them. Hawk looked at him curiously as he waited for him to finish. He honestly thought Lo was blowing the whole thing out of proportion. And as for comparing his situation with Raven to Lorenzo and CeeCee’s...they were nowhere near similar. Hawk and Raven had developed a bond that he carefully cultivated with the end game being a future for the two of them.

  As far as he or anyone else knew, Lorenzo had not had any contact with Cecelia Mills; he never talked about her to them. Not once. This shouldn’t be affecting him in this way. Yet...it was.

  Hawk’s eyes narrowed as he studied his cousin closer. He got the sneaking suspicion that Lo was keeping something from him, and when he looked away from Hawk and wouldn’t hold his gaze, he was sure of it. Could it be that...

  “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  Lorenzo’s facial muscles tightened as his wary eyes shot back to Hawk. “What?”

  “You got somethin’ goin’ on with her, don’t you? You two are still involved.”

  “What? No we’re not.”

  “Yeah you are. I thought you hadn’t spoken to her since that time on the island?”

  “Stop right there. I know you’re trying to take the focus away from yourself and what you did, but it’s not going to work.”

  Still eyeing Lorenzo intently, Hawk shook his head. He’d known his cousin all his life. He was hiding something. “If anybody’s trying to take the focus off of somethin’, it’s you. Answer the question. What’s up with you and CeeCee?”

  “I never said anything was going on between us.” Lorenzo spoke slow and plainly as if he was losing patience.

  “You didn’t have to, cous.”

  “Hawk...drop it.”

  Hawk paused for several beats then shrugged. A brief hint of relief had just flickered in Lorenzo’s eyes when Hawk decided to try another tactic to find out what he wanted to know. “Fine. But I will say that it’s fucked up that Lucas ran back and told you about what I did.” He saw the quick frown that furrowed across Lorenzo’s forehead before his face went blank. Hawk grinned. He had him. “Oh. You didn’t know Lucas knew about it, too, huh? Which means, Lucas didn’t tell you. And I know for a fact Mills’ ass ain’t gon’ call and confront you about messin’ with his little girl, so...you must have heard about it from CeeCee.”

  Lorenzo’s hands curled into fists, which amused Hawk even more. That was usually the reaction they got from each other in one form or the other when one of them succeeded in pushing the other’s buttons.

  Laughing, he held his hands up and took a step back. “Alright, alright. I’m done. Keep your secrets. I remember how it was when I was trying to sort things out in the beginning with Raven, so I’ll back off. But in all seriousness, if you need to talk, let me know.”

  Lorenzo let out a long breath. His features relaxed as some of the tension left. “I have no idea how Raven puts up with your ass.”

  “Neither do I, but I’m glad she does.”

  “You took care of your problem in Vegas?”

  Hawk’s voice cooled as he thought about Thompson. “Yeah. He won’t be bothering Raven again.”

  “Good.”

  “Anyway. I meant what I said. If you need to talk, I’m here. And I am sorry. You’re right. I should’ve let you handle things with Mills.”

  Lorenzo slowly shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it. Go on and see your woman. We’ll tal
k later.”

  Nodding, Hawk turned and went up the stairs. His pace quickened the closer he got to his bedroom. He needed to see Raven. Hold her in his arms, reassure her that she didn’t have to worry about anything ever again.

  Heart beating furiously in anticipation, he quietly opened the door and stepped into the darkened room. His eyes immediately went to the bed. Walking towards it on silent feet, Hawk stopped a foot away from Raven fast asleep. His eyes softened while staring down at her. She’d kicked the covers off some time during the night, allowing him to see that she was wearing one of his t-shirts and a pair of his sweatpants. The fact that she’d made herself comfortable in his clothes caused a warm feeling to form in his stomach. He liked that.

  Then he noticed her arms were wrapped around a pillow hugging it tight. That was the way she normally snuggled up to him at night. It was almost as if she wore his things and hugged his pillow to feel closer to him in his absence. Damn. He loved this woman so fuckin’ much. Looking at her now, one word continued to echo through his mind at a steady pace: His.

  Hawk had no idea how long he stood there watching her; time was a nonfactor when it came to breathing the same air as Raven. It was so hard to remember a time when she wasn’t a part of his thoughts, a part of his life.

  “Hawk?”

  A slow smile softened his lips when she sat up and blinked as if making sure he was really there. “Hey, you.”

  Raven’s eyes stretched wide. Gasping softly, she stood up in the bed and launched herself towards him full force. After covering his face with a smattering of kisses she wrapped her arms around his neck in a strangle hold. “When did you get here? How long have you been home? Why didn’t you wake me?”

  Hawk chuckled at the flurry of questions she tossed at him while jumping up and down and barely taking a breath. His arms banded around her waist and held her close. “I only got here a few minutes ago. I was just getting ready to...mmmm...”

  He let out a low groan when her mouth attacked his. With his arms still around her waist, he gently lowered her down to the bed. Stretching out on top of her, he eagerly devoured her lips. Hawk ran his hands over Raven’s soft curves that fit perfectly to the contours of his body. He loved her so much he ached. He would go to the ends of the earth if it meant keeping her safe.

  When their lips finally parted, their shallow breaths mingled between them. Hawk lowered his forehead to hers. He kissed her again before reaching over and turning the lamp on beside them. Their eyes met almost desperately as they looked at each other.

  Hawk gently traced the shape of her mouth with his thumb. “Hey.”

  “Hey,” Raven answered in a whisper soft voice.

  “You okay?”

  “Yes. Are you?” Her question ended with a broken catch in her voice as she searched his eyes. “I was so worried, Hawk.”

  “I’m fine sweetheart.” He looked at her intently, wanting her to know she didn’t have to be afraid any longer. “Everything is fine. It’s over.”

  Raven released a relieved breath. “Thank you.”

  Hawk immediately shook his head. “Don’t ever thank me for taking care of you. Nothing will ever hurt you again. I promise.”

  “Hawk...I...I just...” Raven tried her best to stay strong, but her face crumbled as she finally gave up trying to put her feelings into words. Harsh, wracking sobs claimed her body as years of the sorrow, fear, and anger she’d been holding inside for so long hit her all at once.

  Hawk sat up in the bed. Pulling Raven with him, he leaned back against the headboard and held her while she cried. “It’s okay, baby. Let it out.”

  He gently ran his hand up and down her spine, soothing her with comforting words. Hawk didn’t try to quiet her anguish. Instead, he let her expel the emotion with gut wrenching sobs. She needed to get everything out, wash away the nightmare that Thompson put into play.

  Suffering could be like ragged shards of broken glass. If she continued to hold on to it with a closed fist, it would cut so deep that the bleeding never stopped, and Hawk didn’t want that. He wanted her to remember the happy times with Jacoby. The pain would never completely go away, but in time it would fade enough to allow her to smile and celebrate the memories.

  Eventually Raven’s cries quieted. She inhaled a sharp, hiccupping breath. Hawk peered down at her. “You okay, baby?”

  “Yes,” Raven nodded. “Better.”

  Hawk kissed the top of her head, but didn’t say anything. He wanted her to go at her own pace. When she was ready to talk, she would. His baby was strong. That strength was part of what had attracted him. For so long, she’d worn a disguise in front of the rest of the world while she coped with her pain. The very fact that she leaned on him and trusted him enough to take care of her was not lost on Hawk. The woman he met months ago would’ve never done that. He would never take that gift for granted.

  “I talked to my sister,” Raven said quietly as she snuggled closer to him.

  “You did?”

  “Yes. I told her what I...what happened. I told her everything.”

  Hawk’s brows lifted in surprise. “What did she say?”

  “She cried. Said she felt guilty because she wasn’t there for me. I reassured her that she had no need to feel guilty. It was just something I had to do. No one would’ve been able to stop me.” Raven lifted her face and stared at him with a small smile playing at her lips. “She wanted me to thank you for her. And to tell you she’s looking forward to having you for her brother-in-law.”

  Hawk smiled widely at that bit of news. “So you told her that we’re getting married?”

  “Yep. Too late for you to back out now.”

  Hawk threw his head back and laughed. “Good, because I don’t want to. We’ll make plans to visit Nikki soon.”

  “Okay.” Raven leaned forward and gave him a kiss. “I love you, Hawk.”

  “I love you, too, baby. Don’t ever forget that.”

  “Are you and Angel okay?”

  “If you’re asking me if I kept my promise, the answer is yes,” Hawk chuckled. “As hard as he made it, I managed to keep my cool.”

  “Thank you, sweetheart.”

  “You’re welcome, but...” Slowly licking his lips, Hawk’s hooded eyes ran leisurely over her body. As much as he enjoyed seeing her in his clothes, he wouldn’t mind seeing her without them either. “I, uh, seem to remember you promising me a more pleasurable method of showing me your gratitude if I got back safe.”

  “Yes,” Raven answered coyly, pushing herself up into a sitting position. “I did.”

  “You said I could have whatever I wanted. Right?” Hawk cocked up an arrogant brow as he waited for her answer.

  Raven’s head bobbed up and down. “I sure did.”

  “Hmph. Well. How ‘bout you get out of my clothes and you show me exactly what you meant by that.”

  “Finally.” Rising to her knees, Raven pulled the t-shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor. “I thought you’d never ask, Pattel.”

  Grinning and ready to play, Hawk watched as she disposed of the rest of her clothes. Once she was completely naked, she got busy taking his off. Their eyes engaged in a silent conversation as she unbuttoned his shirt. Hawk couldn’t vouch for her thoughts, but as for himself? He was thinking about how lucky he was to have found a woman like Raven who accepted and loved him completely, flaws and all. He was a better man because of her. She brought him peace. Balance. He hoped he did the same for her

  Growing up the way he did, he’d never been one for tradition, but he wanted that with Rae. Love, marriage, kids...all of that. The bond between them was forged in fire; it would only get stronger. Hawk would love Raven for a thousand lifetimes. That he didn’t doubt.

  And he would spend the rest of his life making sure she never did either.

  -THE END-

  As always, I hope you enjoyed Hawk and Raven’s story. We’re just getting started with the Pattel’s family saga, so please stick around. As Hawk would s
ay: Lorenzo’s up next!

  Much love and talk to ya soon!

  SK~