“Tell me, Carmen Sandiego, what do you think that means?” Hawk said.
“That these girls were the victims. The ones like Juliette. The inside information they had would be invaluable. If you want to make a deal with men like this, you threaten their money. If the girls spilled their guts we’d be sitting on prime blackmail information. Those men would be so convinced they had one-hundred-percent control over the girls, they wouldn’t have bothered to filter what they said and did around them. Arrogance is always the downfall of the narcissistic. They grow too comfortable and make mistakes.
“I think peace of mind they would get from your protection would be w
orth the risk. There’s no way they’re not looking over their shoulder on a daily basis. As long as the men are out there, they’re not safe. The club can offer them protection they never imagined having,” she reasoned.
“And you think you’re going to show up wave your magic wand, throw around some bullshit reverse psychology and get them to spill their guts.”
“No, but I’m willing to work to gain their trust and be honest. Mayhem can provide them with a new lease on life.”
“So let me get this right. You planned on offering us up for protection without asking us.”
“I didn’t plan on shit, Hawk! This was all a working theory. I told you—”
“How does a working theory get you shot at? You made a misstep somewhere.”
“You think I don’t know that?” she snarled. She speared her fingers through her curls.
He arched an eyebrow, and she took a shaky breath. “Look, get Specs and Gadget to look at my phone, computer, and email accounts. If anyone can find something, they can. Maybe I was bugged. I wouldn’t put it past them,” she said thinking about the way Evonne’s home had been littered with cameras and audio listening devices planted by her personal stalker, Levi. He had started dating her to get revenge for Peter’s death, but he’d formed his own obsession with Evonne. He’d wined and dined her, worming his way into her heart, and their inner circle. His chameleon-like abilities were impressive and terrifying. Hilary didn’t want to think too hard on what would’ve happened if Evonne hadn’t turned to the Lords for protection. They’d hidden her, giving her protection around the clock, until the man was brought down in a rain of bullets.
“Sit down before you fall down. I’m going to see if we can figure this shit out,” Hawk said turning on his heel.
“Wait, what should I do?”
“Nothing to dig the hole deeper than it already is,” he replied coolly as he walked out the cabin.
“Asshole,” she mumbled, fighting the urge to throw her shoe at the door.
* * * * *
Hawk scowled as he strode from the cabin to keep from losing his cool. He couldn’t stand uptight, snobby bitches like the princess he’d just left. She let her mouth get ahead of her every time. Most of the guys thought it was funny. He didn’t. It didn’t surprise him one bit she’d landed knee-deep in shit. She had a vibe about her that screamed trouble. If ever a woman needed to be laid across someone’s knee, it was Hilary, or Harpy as he’d come to think of her. He stopped in front of the cabin that housed Specs and Gadget and knocked.
“Come on in,” one of them called.
He stepped inside.
“Where’s Hil?” Specs asked. A deep frown wrinkled his brow and sat at odds with his upbeat attitude.
“She’s back at the cabin. I didn’t kill her if that’s what you’re worried about,” Hawk said, amused. “You got a crush on her or something?”
“No.” Specs scowled. “She’s like a sister.”
“Right,” Hawk said skeptically. “Well, your sister’s fucked up and I think she’s holding back. It ain’t a secret I’m not her favorite person.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Gadget said thoughtfully.
Hawk shook his head. “She’s been looking into the girls Levi, Peter, Linden, and Emmit had dated.”
“Jesus, if they know that, it could be more than just her in trouble,” Specs said.
“The women?” Hawk asked.
“Maybe. At the very least they’d pay them a little visit to make sure they weren’t growing bold. They’d be fools not to,” Gadget said.
“Shit.” There was nothing Hawk hated worse than a man who put his hand on a woman. It was the ultimate act of cowardice. “What do you need to find out what’s going on?”
“I’m working on Hil’s phone right now. My biggest concern was how they found her at the library. They had to have tracked her some way. Or been following her,” Specs said.