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Chapter Two
Hawk
My honeybee tastes even better nowthan she did five years ago, and I remember every detail of that kiss. It’s the only thing that kept me sane after I left. I waste no time sliding my tongue into her mouth and picking up where we left off the night I walked out, kissing her with all the want that’s been coursing through my veins these past five years. And more.
I wrap her in my arms and growl into her mouth, claiming it as mine. It’s only the first of many inches of Betty—my little honeybee—I’ll claim now that I’m back. I hadn’t intended ever to darken the door of Grimm Microchips or any other of Charles Grimm’s legit businesses again. But now I’m here, and despite what the old man told me, so is Betty. Which means she’s mine. Nothing will stand in my way of making that a reality.
I nip at her mouth and pull back, licking her from my lips and grinning. “Hi, Betty.”
She drops her smile and I brace myself. I know that look flashing in her beautiful green eyes. She’s about to unleash on me, and I’m right as she punches my shoulder. Hard. “You left.”
“And now I’m back,” I say and take her hand before she hits me again, kissing her palm. Her mouth falls open as she blinks up at me. When I wink, she colors hard and I chuckle. Some things never change.
“Oh, good. You’re here.” Mr. Grimm walks out of his office and offers his hand. I take it and shake hard, then laugh when the old man pulls me into a bear hug, despite how much I want to growl at him for lying to me. He told me—assured me—Betty was out of the picture. That she was no longer working for the family. Those were his exact words.
I lick the taste of her mouth from my lips. She’s not out of the picture. The fact she jumped up and literally launched into my arms from the receptionist desk tells me she still does, indeed, work for the family. Not only that, she’s been promoted from babysitter to answering Mr. Grimm’s phones.
When he called me out of the blue, ordering me back in for one final job, I had my suspicions. I still do. Mr. Grimm has an entire army of people with very specific skills at his disposal. I’m supposed to be blacklisted, the one who deserted the family and earned the label of an outlaw—a critical element for the job I had to do—so when he asked me back after all this time, he put us both at risk. Whatever final job he needs me to carry out must be important.
“Come, Hawk. We have business to discuss. Betty, please be sure we aren’t disturbed.”
“Yes sir,” she sings. “I’ll guard the door and make sure no one goes in…” she pauses before adding, “or out.” I glance over my shoulder, snagging her gaze. She arches an eyebrow and I know she’s not done with me.
Good, because I’m not anywhere near done with her. That kiss was just a taste of what I have planned now that I’m back. She’s no longer a kid, and I’m no longer officially in the business. There’s a whole lot of no longers no longer in our way.
Which is why I wanted her gone before I arrived. Now that I’ve seen her, now that I’ve tasted her again, inhaled her scent so deep it’s a part of me, I won’t be able to walk away this time.
“Have a seat,” Mr. Grimm says and motions at the chairs in front of his desk before he settles in behind it. He takes his time making a few notes, so I wait until he’s ready to bring his attention to me. It gives me time to study the man who’s been more of a father to me than my own father.
His hair has gone almost completely white now, which gives him an even greater air of authority. His full beard matches the hair. He looks every bit like a man you’d expect to be sitting at the head of the table of the Grimm family—one of the most powerful families in the U.S.
At one time, I was the man standing at his side, always watching the boss’s back, always protecting the family. Is that why he called me? Does he need someone to watch his back again? If he’s in any sort of danger, I won’t hesitate to resume my role as his top enforcer. No one fucks with the family.
He finally sets down his pen. “Hawk, how long have we known each other?”
“Going on twenty years,” I respond. “You gave me a job when I was fifteen.”
“And you’ve never once let me down.” He sighs deeply, the gesture deepening the lines on his face I didn’t notice there before. “I trust you more than I trust myself. You’re fiercely loyal, which is why I need you now. We had an agreement, do you remember?”
Of course, I remember. I don’t forget my obligations, and he knows it, so I don’t answer.
“The family is in trouble.”
I stiffen and grip the arm of the chair as my muscles tighten, readying me for battle. I’m sure it’s going to be a battle. Why else would he call me back? “What sort of trouble?”
He draws a breath and slowly releases it before regarding me with tired eyes. “It’s Betty.”
Now I really am ready to fight. “What about her?” If she’s being threatened, I won’t hesitate to hunt down every last son of a bitch threatening my honeybee. “Is she in some sort of trouble?”
Mr. Grimm nods, his answer not pleasing me at all. “She’s why I called you back. Some things have gone missing around the house which, in itself, isn’t any reason for alarm. But recently, some confidential information was leaked, information that could’ve caused a lot of damage to the family had it not been brought to my attention.”
“So, you need me to do damage control.”
“Franklin already did,” he explains. “I need you to find the leak.”
“What does any of this have to do with Betty?” When my question prompts a knowing look from Mr. Grimm, I nearly rip the armrest from the chair. My insides grip and twist as my nerves flare into attack mode. “No. She’s not your mole.” Betty doesn’t have a traitorous bone in her beautiful body. There’s no way she could do anything to betray the family like this. “Why do you think she is?”
“We’ve got no information to verify she’s the source of the leak to the outside, but a recent action of hers has been—troubling. Lewis said he saw her take a message and slip it into her pocket instead of deliver it to me.”
