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Because I wouldn’t always be around to watch out for him.
Hawke was sitting on the steps leading up to the house when we arrived. Seth finally realized we were home and got out on his own, but he seemed stiff and uncomfortable as he made his way to the door.
“You okay?” Hawke asked, his voice surprisingly gentle as his eyes met Seth’s.
Seth nodded. I could hear Bullet barking inside excitedly and it was on the tip of my tongue to ask Hawke why the dog was inside when Seth said, “I’m just going to let him out.”
Hawke carefully grabbed Seth by the arm before he could reach for the door. “Just a second, Seth.”
“What?” Seth asked. “What is it?”
Hawke’s eyes shifted to mine and I went on alert. I could tell he had something he needed to say. “It’s okay. You can tell us both.”
Seth seemed confused and he took a few steps back so he was standing next to me. We watched as Hawke rose. As he stood, he grabbed a plastic baggie that had been sitting on the step next to him. “I found these down by the gate a little while ago.”
Hawke handed me the bag and I sucked in a breath when I saw what it was.
“Is that…hamburger meat?” Seth asked.
Hawke merely nodded, though his eyes remained on me. I used my fingers to maneuver the baggie to separate one of the chunks of meat. I barely held back a string of curses at the sight of the green pellets that greeted me.
“What…what is that?” Seth asked as he leaned over to get a better look.
“It’s rat poison,” Hawke responded.
Seth snapped his head up. “What?”
I handed the bag back to Hawke. “It was meant for Bullet, Seth.”
Seth seemed confused for a moment and then he shook his head. He automatically started towards the door but Hawke stepped in his path and grabbed him by the shoulders. “He’s fine, Seth. He was with me the whole time. He never ate any of it.”
Seth managed a shaky nod and Hawke released him. “Why?” he asked. “Why would someone do that?” Seth looked at me. “I don’t have any neighbors so his barking couldn’t have bothered anyone. And he never leaves the property…”
Hawke saved me from having to answer and I was supremely grateful because I struggled with having to tell Seth the truth.
“Whoever it was wanted Bullet out of the way so it would be easier to get to you.”
It took a minute for Seth to comprehend Hawke’s words and he sank down onto the steps. “Oh God,” he whispered. I moved to sit down next to him. His breathing was sketchy but he hadn’t escalated into a full blow panic attack yet. “You were right,” Seth murmured as he looked at me.
“No one touches you, remember?” I said firmly. Seth studied me for a moment and I knew he was remembering my words from the day before when Abernathy had gone after him. He finally nodded and then stood and headed for the door.
“I should go get dinner started,” he said numbly.
“Keep Bullet inside,” Hawke said. “I want to check the grounds again. You should probably keep him on a leash for the next few days when you take him outside.”
Seth managed a nod and then he was pushing into the house.
“Fuck,” I snarled as soon as the door closed.
“It was close, Ronan. Bullet saw the meat before I did…if he wasn’t as obedient as he is, he would have eaten all of it before I could have stopped him. I wouldn’t have even known what it was.”
I scrubbed my hands over my face in a vain effort to get control of myself.
“Any idea who’s behind this?” Hawke asked.
I shook my head. “There are a couple guys it could be. His piece-of-shit therapist, but I’m not sure he has the balls to pull this off. He had a run-in with this union president asshole yesterday. Only the guy didn’t have a problem with Seth until the news about the possible sale of the company leaked a few days ago…And I don’t believe for a second that the mugging or Bullet getting shot was a coincidence.”
“I think we should bring some more guys in. The property is too big to maintain a completely secure perimeter with just one person.”
I nodded. “I want you to come with us to New York the day after tomorrow. I don’t think the threat will follow him there, but I want someone else watching his back besides me.”
“No problem.”
“Thanks,” I muttered as I went up the steps. I had my hand on the door when I turned to face Hawke. “Daisy has a case. The guy’s only about an hour away-”
“I’ll take care of it,” Hawke said instantly. “Just go be with him.”
Relief flooded my system, but I wasn’t sure if it was because Hawke was giving me an out to ending another life or if it was because he knew I needed to be with Seth tonight. I nodded and turned my back to him. “Thank you,” I said softly as I opened the door. I didn’t wait to see if Hawke said anything back.
