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“Do whatever the fuck you want to do. Just obey the rules.”
Hawk stepped closer to Archer. “You’ve been watching me like a hawk, no pun intended, for the last six weeks,” he snarled. “What gives? This isn’t about the wedding. What do you really want?”
Archer glanced around the gym. It was empty except for the two of them. “Not here. Not now. But you’re right. I need your help. I have a job for you. One that will useallyour skills. One that will allow you to keep Remington safe and still enjoy life. One that will make you lots of money. Are you in?”
“Do I have a choice?”
Archer smiled. “Not really.”
“Then I guess I’m in.”
Archer nodded. “Get married,” he demanded. “Sooner than later.” He pivoted and marched out of the gym.
Hands hanging limp at his sides, Hawk stared at the heavy bag. He knew Archer had run interference for him about getting married. It wasn’t hard to notice the grumblings. Several members had dropped by his room to inquire about his health and his impeding nuptials. He used the society’s gym because it was state of the art and because no one else was ever there. Also, because he didn’t want to have to explain to the rest of the world that he’d gotten shot. It felt like a failure somehow. If he’d only been faster, he could’ve…what? He didn’t have a gun. No other weapon. It was stupid, but there it was. He was having problems dealing with getting shot. In all his time with his SEAL team, he’d never been injured. Who would have guessed that civilian life was more dangerous than special ops? He felt like he’d failed Remy and that was the last thing he ever wanted to do.
Which led to his other major problem. He did not want to marry Remy because she was being forced to. It wasn’t fair to her to be saddled with him. He’d picked Archer’s brain many times over the last six weeks, and there was just no way out for her. Hawk knew he could go on the run, and he had a fifty-fifty chance of surviving, but the repercussions on Remy would be extreme. He did not want to bring her any grief. He was in love with her. Pain was the last thing he wanted for her.
He hit the shower and got dressed. It was past time to talk to her. He’d managed to keep their conversations to short chats over the last six weeks. He made sure other people were around, offering no opportunity for her to talk to him about them getting married. It galled him that she’d been forced into it. He wanted her to marry him because she loved him, not because she was forced into it.
He picked up his cell and dialed her number. “Remy,” he said when she answered. “We need to talk. Can you meet me at my place in about an hour?”
“Sure.” Her voice was guarded.
He didn’t blame her one bit. “Great. See you then.”
He arrived home thirty minutes later and took another shower. He pulled on fresh jeans and a blue button-down shirt. He was just pouring himself a drink when the doorman buzzed him. “Send her up.”
Remy knocked on the door a few minutes later. Hawk took a deep breath and opened it. His heart gave a lurch as it always did when he saw her.
“Come in,” he said. She entered, and he took her coat. “I was just about to pour myself a drink. Would you like one?”
She nodded. “Bourbon would be good.” She walked over to the window and looked out at the Hudson. It was still light out. “This is the first time I’ve actually seen your view, I think. We left in a rush that morning. I never noticed. It’s gorgeous.”
“Yeah. It’s my favorite thing about the apartment. Or one of them, at least.” He handed her a tumbler and sat down on the sofa.
She came over and sat down in the opposite corner. “I read in the paper that they found Mr. Chan floating in the East River. They thought it was suicide. Apparently he was depressed, or so they said. Do you think that was true?”
Hawk shook his head. “I think whoever he was afraid of caught up to him.” He paused. “I think there’s a lot going on in the society and it’s going to be a bit difficult to go back to life as we knew it.” That was a lie. He hated lying.Fuck.“I’m trying to pull my punches and not frighten you, but I don’t want to lie to you. There’s some serious shit going down. I totally get why your grandfather didn’t tell you a thing about Lock and Key. But now you have no choice. Hell, you never had a choice.
“The thing is, Archer has said you will need protection.” He got up, moved over, and sat down on the coffee table directly in front of her and held her gaze. “I promise you I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. I haven’t been able to do it these last weeks, but I got the all-clear from my doctor this morning. From here, moving forward, I will make it my goal to keep you as safe as I can.”
“Hawk, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure Archer can provide someone. I don’t want to impose on you anymore than necessary.”
“Impose? What the hell are you talking about?”
Remy rubbed her face with her hand. “I forced you into an untenable situation. I ruined your life. You are now stuck with me forever. I don’t want you to feel like you have to take care of me on top of that. I couldn’t ask that of you. I can’t ask anything else of you after what I did.”
“You saved my life.” Was she serious? “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. Remy—"
“Hawk, we don’t know for sure if that’s true. I did the selfish thing and asked Archer to help you becauseIcouldn’t stand it if you died because of me. The pain of seeing you lying there in a pool of your own blood. I just couldn’t take the chance that they couldn’t save you, so I gave in to Archer, and now you’re tied to me for life. I’m so sorry.”
Hawk sat there, almost too stunned to form a sentence. “Do you… You really think this is your doing? That I am angry at you for saving my life?”
She put her drink on the table next to him. “But what kind of life is it? Tied forever and a day to a woman you don’t love? I’ve ruined your life.”
The wrongness of her words ricocheted around his brain and his heart. “Remy, you’re wrong.”
She stood up and brushed past him. She walked over to the door. “If you’ll just give me my coat, I’ll go. Today is Friday, so we can go down to City Hall and get the marriage license next week. We’ll just have to figure something out. Some way to live with this that sticks within the rules.” She leaned back against the door.
