Page 38 of Hawk and the Cougar

Chapter Eleven

Lava-hot fury rammed through Hawk. The man who emerged from the garage had tried to kill Liz. Her attacker veered right, heading for the neighbor’s yard. Hawk dove for him. They crashed to the concrete. Hawk reared up and drove a fist into his already bloody face.

“Hawk!” Liz shouted.

“Professor Hawkins!” Emma cried.

Hawk jumped to his feet, dragging the man up with him. “I warned Reid,” Hawk growled.

Hawk slammed a fist into his stomach. The man doubled over with a heavy grunt. Hawk swung an uppercut to his jaw. The man flew back and landed on the neighbor’s lawn. Hawk leapt onto him like a wild animal, fist raised. Weight dragged his right arm down as he threw the punch, and Liz jerked forward from the force of gripping his arm. She fell on top of the man. Hawk seized her arm and pulled her off him.

“Hawk!” she shouted as he raised another fist, aiming for the man.

She grabbed his arm again. He yanked his gaze onto her.

“I’m okay,” she said.

He blinked.

“He wasn’t trying to kill me.”

“What?”

“The blood,” she said. “It’s his, not mine.”

Hawk glanced from her blood-stained pants to the man. Blood soaked his face where his nose had been broken, and his left trouser leg was drenched with blood. The guy moaned.

Gentle fingers cupped Hawk’s jaw, and Liz turned his face toward hers. “I’d rather you didn’t go to jail for killing him,” she said.

Hawk shoved away from Reid’s man, pulling Liz into his arms as he gained his feet. He held her, unable to do anything else. He became aware of the blare of an approaching police siren and registered the fact that Emma stood a few feet away.

“Damn it,” he cursed. “Emma.…”

Liz turned and opened her arms. Emma launched herself into her mother’s embrace, tears streaming down her face. Hawk looked up to find neighbors up and down the street standing on their lawns and on the sidewalk, watching. Blue and red lights bounced off the houses an instant before a cruiser sped around the corner. Hawk started toward the curb as the car came to a skidding halt in front of Liz’s house. The driver’s side door swung open, and a cop jumped out, hand resting on his gun.

“We’re all right, officer,” Hawk said.

The cop’s eyes flicked to the man lying on the grass as he took two steps to meet Hawk. “What happened?”

The other cop came around the hood.

Hawk pointed to Liz’s attacker. “That man broke into Ms. Williams’ home and attacked her.”

The police officer’s gaze shifted to his partner. “Check him out.”

The other cop started around Hawk.

“What do you have to do with this?” the officer Hawk was talking to asked.

“Ms. Williams’ daughter and I happened to pull up when she was running from the garage.”

The cop flicked another glance at Liz’s attacker, then looked back at Hawk. “Looks like she didn’t need any help.”

Hawk nodded.

Liz and Emma appeared at his side, Liz’s arm around Emma.

“You all right, ma’am?” the officer asked.