Matty nodded.
“Drop your weapon,” Buck snapped. “I’ve already killed one son. Don’t think for a second I won’t kill another,” he warned.
“Hawke,” I pleaded.
“It’s okay, Tate,” was all Hawke said and I could hear his footsteps getting closer and I sensed he was only inches from me. But I didn’t give a shit about me.
“Remember your promise,” I whispered. “No matter what happens to me,” I said, hoping like hell he would remember his promise to always put Matty first.
“I remember,” Hawke said.
“Put the fucking gun down,” Buck said, his voice ice cold. I couldn’t see Hawke, but I heard the sound of metal on wood and I knew he’d put the gun down on the floor.
“Kick it away.”
A part of me wanted to die when I heard the gun slide across the wooden floor.
“Matty,” Hawke said calmly. “I need you to do something for me, okay?”
Matty nodded, his eyes still closed.
“I need you to try to read my mind like Professor Xavier does. But because it’s so noisy in here, you need to concentrate real hard and not move at all. Not even a muscle, okay?”
Matty nodded again and then he briefly opened his eyes to look at Hawke and then me. “It’s okay, Matty. Go ahead and read Hawke’s mind,” I urged.
Matty closed his eyes again and I watched as he scrunched up his face, his brow furrowed.
“Very touching, Chrissy,” Buck drawled and I held my breath as an ugly smile split his lips and he raised his gun. But it wasn’t pointed at me. It was pointed at Hawke.
“His name is Tate,” Hawke whispered and then everything happened so fast, I barely understood what I was seeing. I saw a flash of silver in my peripheral vision and a split second later, Buck was screaming in pain as a knife pierced the wrist of the hand he was holding the gun with. The gun discharged, but the force of the knife had caused his arm to swing wide and instead of the bullet flying over my shoulder towards Hawke, it slammed into the floor several feet to Buck’s right. At nearly the same time, Hawke launched his body over me, hitting Buck hard and knocking him to the ground. Matty went down with them, but as I scrambled towards him, I saw that neither man had landed on him. I dragged him into my arms and lifted my eyes just in time to see Hawke yank the knife from Buck’s wrist and jam it into his neck. Buck let out a terrible gurgling noise as blood sprayed everywhere and I had to turn away from the gruesome sight.
Even as my father struggled with his last breaths, I turned all of my attention on Matty and began checking him for injures.
“Matty, does it hurt anywhere?” I asked.
Matty was crying and it took several seconds before he finally shook his head. “Can I open my eyes, Daddy?” he asked as the puppy squirmed in his arms.
I glanced over at Hawke who’d climbed to his feet. My father’s body was still twitching and there was blood everywhere so I said, “No buddy, not yet,” and pulled Matty against me as I stood. I carried him out of the barn and then dropped to my knees in the grass and put him down in front of me.
“Okay, buddy, you can open them.”
Matty slowly opened his eyes and then looked around briefly before he burst into tears and launched himself into my arms.
“It’s okay, Matty. It’s over,” I whispered as I held him against me. The puppy was stuck between us, but all she did was lick at Matty’s face so I left her where she was. “You were so brave,” I said as I patted Matty’s back once his sobs slowed.
“They were bad men,” Matty announced as he pulled back from me.
“They were,” I said. “But they can’t hurt you ever again, okay?”
Matty nodded and then looked over my shoulder. I followed his gaze to see Hawke walking towards us. His shirt was covered in blood, but I knew it wasn’t his. I was stunned to see Mav walking behind him. And I knew instantly where the knife that had hit Buck in the wrist had come from.
Hawke dropped to his knees beside me. His face was drawn tight with emotion as he dragged Matty into his arms and buried his face in his shoulder.
“I read your mind,” Matty announced when Hawke released him.
“Oh yeah?” Hawke said, his voice thick and uneven. He shifted his gaze to me and I nearly lost it when his hand went around my neck and he just held me like that. I didn’t need words to know what he was thinking. I pressed up against his side as I focused on my son.
Our son.
“You were thinking about saving me and Daddy.”
Hawke lifted his other hand to stroke Matty’s cheek. “That’s exactly right,” he said.
“And you know what else?” Matty announced as he wiped at his tear stained face.
“What else?”
“You were thinking that Daddy and I should stay with you forever.”
I felt my own throat tighten as Hawke and I exchanged another look. Hawke nodded slowly and then he was pulling Matty into his arms. His free arm dragged me closer and he held us both as he said, “Forever and ever.”
Epilogue
Hawke
One month later
I took my eyes off the sight in front of me only when Ronan tapped my shoulder with the bottle of beer. “Thanks,” I said as I took it from him. He settled down onto the concrete step next to me and took a sip of his beer.
“So when were you planning on telling me you’re out?” Ronan asked.
We were sitting on the steps that led from the patio to the office at Seth and Ronan’s Whidbey Island house and while the back of the house sported an amazing view of the water and surrounding mountains, I had eyes only for what was happening on the expansive grass in front of us. But it wasn’t just Tate and Matty I was focused on as they played soccer with Seth and the two dogs. Of course, the puppy, Storm, wasn’t really interested in the ball because all she did was chase after Bullet as Bullet tried to steal the ball from the players. No, it was the fourth participant in the game I had my attention on. His name was Magnus DuCane and he’d turned out to be nothing like I’d expected.
From the second I’d walked into my house a month earlier, I’d known something was off, but before I’d been able to even call out to Tate in warning, two men had jumped me. My fear for Matty and Tate had consumed me as I’d fought the men, but they hadn’t been just any lackeys and I’d only managed to snap the neck of one of them when the other had managed to put his gun to my head. I’d had a moment where my life had flashed before my eyes as I’d waited for the bullet to pierce my brain and it had turned out to be a really great moment. Because it had been filled with memories of Revay and Tate and Matty and there hadn’t been even one regret or doubt. But I’d felt nothing as the first gunshot rang out and by the time I’d opened my eyes, Mav was already standing over the guy who’d been about to shoot me and he’d put a second bullet in his head.
There’d been no time for explanations as to how Mav had known what was happening, but I’d found out later that Daisy had been tracking the men in Ricardo Davos’s circle and one of them had used a credit card to buy gas in a town just twenty miles from Rocky Point. Ronan had tried to call both me and Tate to warn us, but since my phone’s battery had died just after we’d left Yellowstone and Tate had forgotten his, we’d been sitting ducks. Although Mav had already left town, he’d managed to make it out to my house in time. Ronan had called the police as well, but they hadn’t arrived until well after the whole thing had ended.
Mav and I’d had only precious seconds to come up with a plan as we’d hurried from the house to the barn where we’d heard gunshots and my heart had been in my throat the entire time as I’d run the short distance. My relief at seeing both Tate and Matty unharmed had been almost crippling, but I’d been able to keep my wits about me as I’d waited for Mav to get into position. He’d managed to climb up the rusted out machine that had once been used to move hay bales from the ground into the hayloft and as I’d done my part to make sure Matty didn’t move so Mav wouldn’t inadve
rtently hit him with the knife, Mav had taken aim. The second I’d seen the knife hit Buck, I’d done my best to take him down without hurting Matty and then I’d plunged the knife into his thick neck before he’d even had a chance to try and take another shot at me. And it wasn’t just Revay’s image that had flashed through my mind as I’d taken his life; Tate’s and Matty’s had been there too.
After the police had arrived and questioned us, Tate and I had taken Matty to the hospital to be checked out and then we’d gone to a motel to spend the night. Tate and I hadn’t spoken much as I’d held him in my arms and he’d held Matty in his as Matty had slept. We hadn’t needed to say anything. Because we’d both been aware of how close we’d come to losing each other and our son.
The next day I’d learned more about what had driven Buck to seek us out and when I’d had Daisy investigate Jenna DuCane, I’d been led to her father, Magnus, a Texas Ranger. Tate had been scared to reach out to Matty’s maternal grandfather, but he’d known it needed to be done. His biggest fear had been that the man would try to seek custody of his grandson. We’d been back in Seattle at that point and Matty had been undergoing his second round of chemo, so I’d flown down to Texas to talk to Magnus so I could try to feel him out. What I’d found was a devastated, broken man who’d been searching for his then seventeen-year-old daughter and three-year-old grandson for two years. He hadn’t known about Buck and Denny and it was me who’d ended up having to tell him his daughter was likely dead based on Buck’s comments to Tate in the barn.
At only forty years old, Magnus DuCane was still a young man, but I could tell that his daughter’s disappearance had aged him significantly and I’d understood the raw pain he’d been enduring both in the two years he’d been searching for her and the day I’d told him she wasn’t coming home. The only thing that had caused the tiniest spark of hope to flare in the man’s eyes was when he’d learned his grandson was alive. I’d spoken with Tate that night on the phone and had explained what Magnus had been going through and it had been his idea to bring the man home with me so he could see Matty for himself.
Three weeks later and Magnus was still here.
We’d taken our time explaining who Magnus was to Matty and although he’d understood that the man was his grandfather, he hadn’t asked too many questions about his mother. But we knew there would be a day when he would and Magnus would be the only one who could tell him who she’d been. Tate had been welcoming to Magnus, but his fear that Magnus would try to take Matty away from us hadn’t eased until Magnus had pulled us both aside one day when Matty had been asleep in his hospital bed and thanked us for giving him a chance to know his grandson again. He’d gone on to thank Tate for saving Matty’s life and he’d told him that he could think of no two better parents to raise Matty. His only ask was that he could still be included in Matty’s life. After that, Magnus had been enfolded into our little family and I had no doubt that the man stood no chance against Matty’s persistent request asking him to stay.
Matty’s second round of chemo had progressed much like the first, though he’d been more worn out this time around and had spent a lot of time sleeping or just lying in bed. There’d been some rough days too as Matty had struggled with the inevitable pain that came along with his treatments, but between all of us, we’d managed to build a good support system for him. His recovery from the events of that terrible day in the barn had been slow and he’d been plagued with nightmares. A child psychologist was helping him work through the trauma and expected that Matty would eventually completely recover. There’d been some concern that Ricardo Davos would send someone after us to get rid of any potential links to his organization, but between Daisy monitoring the man and Ronan bringing in several of his guys to give all of us round the clock protection, I knew Matty and Tate were safe. And Matty had found himself his own personal bodyguard in Mav who spent nearly every day at the hospital stationed outside of Matty’s room. The only time he gave up his post was when he was forced to get some sleep.
Tate and I hadn’t started the process of looking for a house in Seattle yet since we spent so much time at the hospital. We’d ended up taking up residence at the same hotel Ronan and Seth had gotten Tate set up in for the first round of Matty’s chemo. I also hadn’t started looking for a job since Matty’s treatment was scheduled to last another four months. I had managed to talk Tate into taking a photography course so that he’d be able to spend some time outside the hospital and after much reluctance, he’d finally consented to try it and had ultimately been excited to have something back in his life that had always brought him so much pleasure. In hopes of encouraging Tate to one day pursue his passion as a career, I’d also surprised him with an expensive camera that his instructor had recommended.
I’d been fortunate enough to have plenty of money saved up for both Matty’s treatment and for Tate and I to live off of, but I knew I had the man next to me to thank for that because he’d paid considerably better than the army ever had. But my loyalty to Ronan had also made it difficult to admit that my professional relationship with him was over. Since I hadn’t taken any cases in the two months since I’d met Tate, I suspected Ronan already knew what my plan was. His question confirmed it.
“I owe you so much-” I began to say, but Ronan cut me off.
“No you don’t,” he said simply. “We saved each other, Hawke. You know it. I know it. Let’s just leave it at that.”
“Are you going to keep the group going?”
Ronan nodded. “It does too much good not to.” His eyes were on Seth when he said, “But I’m not going to be picking up a gun again anytime soon,” he said.
“What will you do?” I asked.
“I’m looking into going back into medicine,” he admitted. He nodded at Matty. “I can still save kids like him. I’ll just use a scalpel to do it.”
I smiled at that.
“What about you?” Ronan asked.
“I’m thinking about doing something in security,” I said. “There’s a security firm out here that has a really good reputation.”
“Barretti Security Group,” Ronan said. “I’ve heard good things about them. They’d be lucky to have you,” Ronan said.
“What about the group? Who’s going to run it?”
“Not sure. Mav seems interested in being second in command, but he doesn’t want to be lead. I’ve got another guy in mind, but he’s not exactly a team player.”
“Who?”
Ronan glanced at me. “Memphis.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “Good luck with that,” was all I said before I took a sip of my beer. I’d only worked with Memphis Wheland on one occasion and while he was the ultimate killer, his interpersonal skills were considerably lacking.
“Yeah,” Ronan agreed. “When are you going to tell Tate about his mom?”
“Tonight,” I said. “Thanks for keeping an eye on Matty for us.”
“Are you kidding?” Ronan said. “Seth can’t get enough of that kid.”
“Just Seth?” I asked knowingly.
Ronan smiled – it was something I still couldn’t get used to. “No, not just Seth,” Ronan murmured.
I turned my focus on Tate who’d fallen to the ground in mock exhaustion and had been promptly piled on by a dog, a puppy and a very happy five-year-old. I knew what I had to tell Tate tonight would be yet another heavy thing for him to process, but I also suspected he’d eventually see the joy in it too. But until then, I would take pleasure in seeing the man who’d changed my entire life enjoy every moment he could with our ever expanding family.
* * *
“Baby, I need to talk to you about something,” I murmured between the kisses Tate was stealing as we walked to our hotel room.
“Okay,” Tate said against my lips, but instead of giving me some space, he crowded me against our door as I fumbled with the key card to get it open. I gave up and wrapped my arms around his waist as he stole into my mouth and teased me with his tongue. I growled
when he refused to give me what I wanted and I quickly spun him until his back was up against the door. I took over the kiss and by the time I was done taking what I wanted, Tate was rubbing up against me, his hands gripping my ass as he tried to pull me closer to him so he could grind our erections together.
I managed to finally get the key card in the door when Tate started fumbling with the buttons on my shirt, and the second we were inside, I ripped my shirt off and then went to work on his. Tate was rubbing my erection relentlessly with his hand and I knew I wasn’t going to last. Since the bedroom was too far away, I dragged Tate to the counter that separated the kitchen from the living area in the small suite and shoved him back against it. I managed to get his pants undone and off of him, but when Tate’s fingers pushed past my waistband at my back and began smoothing over my ass, I was a goner and I ruthlessly turned Tate around and shoved him face down over the counter. I placed my hand on Tate’s neck to hold him in place as I freed my cock from my pants with the other hand and searched out my wallet for the packet of lube I kept there.
“You like it like this, don’t you baby?” I growled as I slid my cock between his cheeks.
“Yes,” Tate said breathlessly as he pushed his ass against me. “Fuck me really hard, Michael.”
The sound of my name always did it for me and since Tate only used it when we were alone, it never failed to elicit a primal response in me. I kept my hand on Tate’s neck to hold him still as I tore the packet of lube open with my teeth and slathered the contents on my dick. I didn’t bother lowering my pants because I knew Tate liked it when I fucked him while I was still partially or fully dressed and he was completely naked. I placed some lube on Tate’s hole, but I didn’t prepare him because I knew it was something else he liked. There were days when we both needed slow, sweet, pleasurable lovemaking that lasted hours, and then there were other days like this where we needed each other too much to go slow.
Retribution (The Protectors, Book 3) Page 23