Hawk: (8 page)

Hawk could say that he was relieved Tildy left without incident. It wasn’t worth it to get mixed up with a girl like that. He didn’t do drama, period. As he happened to glance over his shoulder, past the brunette on his arm, he realized that drama was about to be forced upon him- regardless of his opinion.

His eyes narrowed as he saw Raina, his slightly older sister and
her two kids bouncing along in front of her, Kyle, 10, and Seth, 7. Raina wasn’t the problem, nor were the kids. Even though Raina was older, Hawk had always felt responsible for her. Raina may have been the older sibling, but she was a bit more naive than Hawk- at least in matters of the heart- or she had been.

Raina had been working at a store on the edge of the Rez when she met a white man with flashing teeth and a
million dollar smile. It was actually worth quite a bit less than that, Hawk would venture to guess, but still more than Raina had ever had in her life. It wasn’t that his sister was a gold digger- or silver digger in this case- but when your whole life had been hardscrabble, and a man in Tony Llamas and a solid silver belt buckle tells you that you’re the prettiest thing he’s ever seen, well, Hawk couldn’t blame her momentary lapse of judgment.

Later, Raina would claim that she saw an easy life behind that easy smile
, and it made her wonder what, exactly, an easy life would be like. She had taken care of their mother when she’d fallen ill while Hawk had been in Afghanistan. It had been a losing battle, and it had, without a doubt, taken its toll on her. Hawk couldn’t blame Raina for wanting to settle into a marriage and fill her empty heart with kids.

He just wish
ed she hadn’t chosen a silver miner, especially one that didn’t actually live, officially, in South Dakota. Or even less desirable, one who balked at the idea of relocating here so that his wife could stay close to her only remaining family and the land she grew up on, the land of her people.

Jackson Kendall fancied himself a panhandler from the days when Wild Bill roamed the streets of Deadwood. The mining in the Dakotas might be good, but
the life sure wasn’t what Kendall, a Northern Californian, had been expecting. When his claim didn’t prove half of what he’d been hoping for, he pulled up stakes, fully expecting Raina to pack up and move with him. When she refused, Kendall left anyway. He took his boots, his buckle, and his silver with him.

Raina had not seen one dime of child support in the years they’d been divorced. She co
uldn’t afford a lawyer, and Kendall knew that. It wasn’t so much, Hawk supposed, that Kendall was a deadbeat dad; he was just a man used to getting his way. Hawk figured the lack of support was Kendall’s way of starving Raina out. Eventually she’d see that she couldn’t make it without the father of her children, and she’d tuck her tail between her legs and hang her head all the way to California.

But Raina didn’t want to leave, s
o Hawk gave her money out of his own paycheck. Between the Army and working at the garage, they did all right. Hawk didn’t mind; he didn’t want to see his only remaining close family connection move so far away. He was frowning now though, as Raina rounded the house and guided her kids toward the backyard. Trailing behind her was another family connection, and this one was no longer close.

Garrett
Standing Bear had a hand on Raina’s shoulder. They were cousins. As close as Garrett’s mother and Hawk’s own mother had been, as sisters so often were, so too had been Garrett and Hawk. They were less like cousins and more like brothers when they were growing up, until they got arrested. That time Garrett went to jail, and Hawk joined the Army. But Garrett kept going to jail- until jail turned to prison- and he’d only recently been released after his second stint.

Hawk knew
Garrett had been released, but he had only seen him once, on the day after his Aunt and Uncle picked him up and brought him home. Garrett’s homecoming had been awkward. Hawk, however, was remaining cautiously optimistic; Raina was optimistic too, minus the caution. She must have mentioned the BBQ today. It wasn’t so much that Hawk didn’t want Garrett to be a part of his life, now that he was on parole; it was just that Hawk would rather Garrett ease in slower.

He wasn’t sure how
Garrett would respond to people he didn’t know telling stories he wasn’t familiar with. The last thing he needed was for Garrett to feel like an outsider, nothing good would come of that. He dropped the brunette and headed across the grass. Garrett smiled at him as he approached, and Hawk returned the sentiment though not as enthusiastically.

“Didn’t tell me there was a party,”
Garrett said, and though he appeared to be joking, Hawk wasn’t sure he didn’t detect a bit of irritation underneath.

“I didn’t think you’d be interested,” Hawk replied
, which was true. Hawk was certain if
he’d
just gotten out of prison, he’d only be thinking about laying low and getting his shit together so that it never happened again.

“Miss a party?”
Garrett said, giving Hawk a crooked smile. “Never.”

Hawk fought the urge to frown. Perhaps
, if Garrett had missed a few parties in the past, things wouldn’t be so bad now, but it wasn’t worth pointing out right this moment. Garrett was here now, and Raina had obviously invited him. Before Hawk could reply, Seth threw his arms around one of his legs, and Kyle beamed up at him.

“Hey,
guys,” Hawk said, rubbing Kyle’s dark mop. With his other hand, he rubbed Seth’s back. “Chips and soda are over there,” he told them.

They immediately bolted.

“Not too much!” Raina called after them, giving Hawk a stern look.

Hawk grinned at her. “It’s a party.”

Garrett grinned as well. “Yeah. It’s a party,” he said, echoing the sentiment as he eyed the table, which also had an assortment of beer available.

Hawk groaned inwardly. Even less than drama, he did not need
Garrett getting trashed at Tex’s house- or anywhere for that matter.

“Come meet the guys,” he offered, trying to steer
Garrett clear of temptation. Garrett glanced at the table one last time and then to the small group Hawk had indicated, his brow furrowing. Clearly beer was more interesting to him than people, but he relented and moved forward. “Yeah, okay.”

Hawk led the way toward Shooter, Easy and Caleb
, who were bullshitting off to the side. All of them had an adult beverage in hand, and Hawk silently prayed that no one would offer Garrett one. “Hey,” he said, giving them a nod as they approached.

They turned
, offered a greeting to Raina when they saw her, and waited for Hawk to introduce Garret.

“This is my cousin,” Hawk said casually
. Though they were all aware Garrett was freshly out on parole, they did not know the details and Hawk was certain none of them would be rude enough to bring it up.

After a round of handshakes, Shooter asked, “So
, what’s keeping you busy?”

Garrett
frowned. “Well, my old man got me a job at the lumber yard. Pay is shit, but work’s work, you know?”

Shooter nodded.

“How ‘bout you?” Garrett asked.

“Work’s good. I own a garage in town.”

At this, Garrett perked up, and the hair on the back of Hawk’s neck bristled. “Oh yeah. So, you’re Hawk’s boss.”

Hawk immediately regretted his oversight. Maybe this was a prime example of how easing
Garrett in slowly was the best way to go. It was probably
not
a good idea to introduce an ex-car thief to a garage owner. Hawk resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose while thinking all of the ways this
could end badly.

When Abby returned to the house, Hawk spotted her talking earnestly with Tex and Sarah from across the yard. Abby clearly looked upset about something. He left his beer and made his way over to them.

“Hang on, baby,” Tex was saying to Abby. “Just slow down. Start from the beginning. What happened?”

Hawk frowned, “What’s wrong?” he asked when he got closer.

Tex shook his head. “I don’t know. Something about Tildy.”

Hawk looked at Abby. “Did she do something?” The blood in his veins started to chill. If Tildy really was crazy and she’d done something to Abby...but Abby shook her head.

“No,” Abby said quietly. “I- I think she’s in trouble.”

“What do you mean?” Hawk pressed.

Abby looked around at all the people in Tex’s backyard.

“What’s going on?” Shooter asked as he joined the group. He was always taking charge, even now that they were all out of the Army.

“Something’s wrong with Tildy,” Tex reported to his former lieutenant.

Shooter looked at Abby. “Not here,” he ordered and ushered everyone inside the house.

Easy and Caleb
also joined them, having recognized an impromptu family meeting from the other side of the yard. Everyone assembled in Tex’s living room, while Caleb shut the back door to give them more privacy.

“Just start from the beginning,” Tex prompted his girlfriend again.

Abby took a deep breath. “I took Tildy home because she was a little drunk, and I didn’t want her taking a cab.”

“I took her home
too,” Sarah added. “Big houses, big lawns.”

Abby nodded to Sarah, “Yeah, but did you meet her mother?”

Sarah shook her head. “No. No one was home.”

Abby sighed. “Well, she’s- wait- first off, Tildy made me stop half way down the street from her house to see if they were home before we pulled up front.”

Shooter frowned. “Why?’

“Because she’d been drinking
, and she didn’t want to get caught.”

“Is she underage?” Caleb asked. “I thought she was 22.”

“She is,” Abby replied. “But apparently they don’t let her drink. At all. And she would’ve gotten into trouble.”

Caleb’s face darkened. “What kind of trouble?”

Abby paused and licked her lips. “That’s the thing. I- I think- I think they abuse her,” she declared.

Hawk’s gut twisted for a second. “Wait a minute. What? What makes you say that? Did she tell you that?”

“No offense,” Shooter said, “but she also said she was going to marry Hawk. This girl may not be stable.”

Abby shook her head. “She d
idn’t tell me. She showed me. By accident. She was a little drunk so I took her to her room, and she started to change clothes, to take a nap. And she’s got these bruises. Small ones,
dozens
of them. All over her upper arms. When she’d realized that I’d seen them, she panicked. Then her mother came home. And Tildy
begged
me not to say that I knew about them.

“So her mother knows,” Abby concluded. “Tildy’s not hiding them from her family. Just from other people. And that St. Christopher medal? She
hides
it in her pillowcase. I am telling you, Chris, that Tildy is
terrified
of her mother. You should see them together. Tildy’s like a robot. She can barely speak. Her mother basically told me she thinks Tildy’s a disappointment.”

Abby sighed. “And if
you want my opinion, I doubt Tildy thinks she’s really going to marry Hawk. It’s just that the medal is important to her. And apparently it broke the moment Hawk touched her.”

“It did,” Hawk confirmed. “I remember that.”

“I think she feels trapped,” Abby declared. “Her mother is
awful
. I haven’t met her dad, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find out he’s the same way. And... well, she knows she’s not marrying Hawk...because she’s marrying someone else.”

Hawk’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? Who?” he demanded.

“A guy named Tate. Her mother told me all about him. Or rather, she told me all about Tate’s
family.
Which I’m guessing is the whole reason for the marriage. Ugh, Jesus. They’ve got it all planned out. They’re expecting a holiday proposal and a wedding in the spring.”

Caleb grunted. “What’s
Tildy
expecting?”

Abby shrugged. “A knight in shining
armor? Someone to rescue her?”

“She said if she ever got lost, the medal would help her find her way home,” Sarah interjected.

Abby looked at Hawk. “I don’t think she’s crazy, Hawk. I think she’s just very sad and very lonely, and you came along, and... well...” She held up her hands. “Desperate times.”

On Monday, Hawk pushed Shooter to finish Tildy’s car first, so it would be ready by the afternoon. When it was, he headed into the office to get her number off the work order. She answered on the second ring.

“Tildy?”

It took her a second to place his voice. “Hawk?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Your car is ready.”

“Oh. Okay. I...I can call my dad. We can be there in a few hours. Would that be okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” he told her and hung up. Mostly
, he just wanted to see her again. He felt like shit for ignoring her at the barbecue. And, if he was being honest, he did worse than that by bringing the brunette into it. It had just seemed easier than a confrontation, but he hadn’t expected to be so wrong about Tildy. Now he was worried about her. He didn’t know if she could forgive him; he could accept it if she couldn’t, but he wanted to make sure she was okay.

He kept one eye on the clock for the rest of the day
, until quarter to five rolled around, and a cherry red Porsche turned into the lot. He couldn’t say he was all that surprised by the make of the car or all that impressed either, but he put a smile on his face when the doors opened, and Tildy and her father got out.

Her father was tall
, though not as tall as Hawk, and wearing a business suit, despite the heat of the day. Between his manicured hands and his hundred dollar haircut, Hawk had a hard time seeing this man as a bully who would abuse his daughter, but then appearances couldn’t be relied upon; the man was definitely scowling and Tildy was definitely not herself. Rather, she wasn’t the bubbly, excitable girl he’d danced with at Maria’s. Hawk wasn’t sure who the real Tildy was, though he knew which one he preferred.

Shooter did most of the talking,
which suited Hawk just fine. Hawk kept his gaze off Tildy for the most part, not wanting to alert her father to his undue interest in her.

Mr. Fletcher shook his head and handed Shooter a credit card. “I don’t suppose you’re authorized to work on a Mercedes,” he said looking around the garage
to where a hot rod and a custom chopper were on display.

If Shooter was offended he didn’t show
it. “Not as such,” he admitted. “No, Sir. But I’ve been working in garages all my life, and this was an easy fix.”

Tildy’s dad was barely listening
. He fiddled with his phone, while Shooter ran the card. “Well, I’ll take it to our mechanic tomorrow,” he informed everyone. “I hope this doesn’t void the warranty.” He glanced at Tildy, who kept her gaze on the concrete floor. Mr. Fletcher sighed angrily. “Of course, it wouldn’t be an issue, if you’d told me the car was having problems,” he snapped.

Tildy raised her head and looked at him. “I did,” she insisted. “I-” But her father’s icy glare
made her shut her mouth again.

Hawk was f
airly certain she’d mentioned the problems with the car. He was also certain that, like now, Mr. Fletcher was probably too distracted to give a shit about anything his daughter had to say. Tildy’s father slid the smartphone into his pocket, took out a pen, and signed the receipt for the parts and labor.

“I have to get ba
ck to the office,” he snapped at her. “Do you think you can manage to get home this time without any further incidents?”

Tildy pressed her lips together and nodded.

Hawk resisted the urge to grab the man by his silk tie. Instead, he turned his attention to Tildy. “The car’s parked out back,” he said to her. “I’ll show you.”

This seemed to placate
her father. He turned and stalked to his car, leaving her behind. Tildy shook her head. “You don’t have to,” she told Hawk. “I’ll get it.” She turned and went out the side door without waiting for anyone to respond.

Undeterred
, Hawk followed her out to her car. “Tildy,” he called after her, but she didn’t turn. He caught up to her easily, and put a hand on her shoulder. She stopped and wiped a hand over her cheeks. As Hawk circled in front of her, he saw her tears. “Are you alright?” he asked, mentally cursing himself, because the answer was obvious.

She nodded
nevertheless, putting up a good front. Apparently Tildy was great at putting up a front. He hooked her thin sweater with his thumb and slowly pulled it off her shoulder. She closed her eyes but didn’t fight him. In the sunlight, he saw several smallish bruises: some yellow, some green, and some purple. All dispelled any hope Hawk might have had about how infrequently this happened. He replaced the garment carefully; it wasn’t necessary to see the other arm.

“Thought I knew all your secrets,” he told her.

She opened her eyes and looked at him with an expression of pain and resignation. Hawk reached up and wiped a tear away for her. He dipped his fingers to the neckline of her shirt and pulled out the forbidden necklace. It was supposed to help her find her way, but it was failing miserably, because Tildy looked utterly lost.

Hawk had a more reliable option.

“You have my number?” he asked.

Tildy blinked up at him, momentarily confused.

“I called you from my cell,” he reminded her. “Do you still have the number?”

“Yes.”

“I want you to call me,” he insisted. “If you’re in trouble. Or...if you just want to talk.”

She frowned
, and Hawk could tell she was about to say, ‘Thanks, but no thanks.’

He moved closer and cupped her face in his large hands. With his thumbs
, he brushed away more tears. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Can we be friends, Tildy?” he asked quietly. “Is that enough?”

Miraculously
, she smiled up at him. “Do I get to ride on your bike?”

He grinned
but shook his head. “No one shares the saddle,” he replied.

“I did.”

“Yeah, but you needed rescuing.”

Hawk figured it went without saying that she still did.