Chapter 20

TWENTY

M y fingers dance across the keyboard, weaving through firewalls and encrypted data like a ghost in the machine. Beside me, Hawk leans in, his breath hot on my neck. His proximity sends shivers down me, a delicious mix of desire and danger I've become addicted to.

"Anything?" he asks, his voice low and tense. The barely contained violence in his tone makes my heart race.

I shake my head, frustration building. "Not yet. Your father's financials are clean – well, as clean as an addict's can be. But your uncle..." I trail off, my eyes narrowing as a new window pops up on my screen.

"What is it?" Hawk's hand tightens on my shoulder, his grip possessive and bruising. I revel in the pain knowing it'll leave marks. His marks.

A slow, predatory smile spreads across my face. "Got him. Your uncle's phone just pinged at The Black Swan."

Hawk's eyebrows shoot up. "The bar Kazanov and Regina frequented?"

I nod, excitement coursing through me. "It's him, Hawk. Your uncle's the one behind this. And..." I pause, digging deeper into the data, breaking through layers of security that would take most hackers days to crack. "He's looking to hire more people. To kill you."

Hawk's eyes darken dangerously, a cold fury settling over his features. The look sends a thrill through me – I love seeing him like this, raw and lethal. "Then we need to move fast," he growls.

My fingers are already dancing across the keyboard again. "I'm on it. Setting up a meeting now, posing as the hitmen he's looking for." I create an entire digital footprint for our fake assassins in minutes, complete with dark web reviews and a history of successful hits.

As I work, I feel Hawk's gaze on me, intense and hungry. "You're incredible," he murmurs, leaning in to bite my neck, hard enough to leave bruises and teeth marks. I gasp, pleasure and pain intertwining.

"Save it for after we take down your uncle," I tease even as I lean into his touch craving more.

Within minutes, the trap is set. Hawk makes a few calls, assembling his team with ruthless efficiency. As we prepare to leave, he pulls me into his arms, his grip almost painfully tight.

"Stay close to me," he growls, his eyes boring into mine with an intensity that would frighten most people. To me, it feels like coming home. "I can't lose you. You're mine, Devin. The only thing in this world that matters."

I meet his gaze unflinchingly, matching his possessiveness with my own. "And you're mine, Hawk. Until the end."

He nods, then kisses me fiercely, all teeth and tongue and barely restrained violence. It leaves me breathless and wanting more.

The drive to the meeting site is tense, the air thick with anticipation. Hawk is disguised, nearly unrecognizable, but I can still see the coiled energy in his posture, the predator ready to strike. It's intoxicating.

As we pull up to the abandoned Rivers property, I scan the area, my mind processing a thousand details at once. "Your people are in position," I murmur, noting the subtle signs of surveillance. "I've looped the security cameras and set up a signal jammer. We're ghosts here."

Hawk nods, his eyes never leaving the entrance. "He must be desperate," he says, his voice cold. "Coming out in the open like this."

"He lost both Regina and Kazanov," I remind him, a hint of pride in my voice. We did that, together. "We've backed him into a corner. And cornered animals are the most dangerous."

We exit the car, Hawk's hand finding the small of my back as we approach the building. The touch grounds me, focuses my racing thoughts. In moments like these, I'm hyperaware of how perfectly we fit together – two broken, dangerous pieces forming a deadly whole.

Inside, the air is stale, dust motes dancing in the weak sunlight filtering through grimy windows. And there, in the center of the room, stands Hawk's uncle.

He looks older than when I saw him at the gala, lines of stress etched deep into his face. His eyes dart nervously between us as we approach.

"You're the ones who can... handle my problem?" he asks, his voice wavering slightly.

Hawk nods, his voice disguised. "For the right price. You mentioned specifics?"

The uncle's posture relaxes slightly. "Yes, yes. It needs to look like an accident. My nephew, Hawk Rivers – he can't suspect foul play. Perhaps a car crash or..."

He doesn't get to finish. In one fluid motion, Hawk strips off his disguise, revealing himself. The uncle's face drains of color.

"H-Hawk?" he stammers. "What is this?"

"This," Hawk snarls, advancing on him, "is what happens when you try to take what's mine."

The first punch lands with a sickening crunch, and I watch with dark satisfaction as Hawk unleashes his fury. His movements are precise, calculated, each blow designed to inflict maximum pain without knocking his uncle unconscious. It's a cold, methodical brutality.

"Did you really think you could take what's mine?" Hawk growls, his voice terrifyingly calm as he continues his assault. "Did you think I wouldn't find out? That I wouldn't destroy everything you love in return?"

Movement in my peripheral vision catches my attention. My heart races as I process the new threat, my mind working overtime to analyze and react.

A figure emerges from the shadows, and my blood runs cold as I recognize Hawk's cousin, Thomas. The glint of metal in his hand has me moving before I can think.

"Hawk!" I scream as two shots ring out.

Time seems to slow. I see the surprise on Thomas's face as I throw myself in front of Hawk. I don't feel the impact at first. There's just a sense of wrongness, of heat spreading across my abdomen. I hear more gunshots, see Thomas and Hawk's uncle crumple to the ground.

And then Hawk is there, his face a mask of shock and rage unlike anything I've ever seen. "Devin? Devin, no, no, no..."

I try to speak, to tell him I'm okay, but my mouth won't cooperate. Darkness creeps in at the edges of my vision. The last thing I'm aware of is Hawk's arms around me, his voice calling my name as consciousness slips away.

I don't care if I die, I think hazily. As long as he lives. As long as Hawk is safe. He's mine, and I protect what's mine – even if it costs me everything.

Then, nothing.

The world fades to black, and for a moment, I feel myself floating in a void. But then, like a computer rebooting, my senses slowly come back online. I hear frantic voices, feel the pressure of hands on my wound. My eyes flutter open, and I see Hawk's face, twisted with a mix of fury and fear I've never seen.

"Don't you dare leave me," he growls, his voice thick with emotion. "Do you hear me, Devin? You're mine, and I order you to stay at my side. I'll follow you into hell if I have to."

I want to respond, to reassure him, to tell him that I'd burn the world down to stay with him. But the darkness is pulling me under again. As I slip back into unconsciousness, one thought echoes in my mind: I've never seen Hawk lose control like this. And it's all because of me.