“How is, um…” I took in a breath and then asked, “Ginger involved with that? Is it the drugs?”
“Nope,” Hawk replied.
Oh shit.
“Did she let them peddle her flesh?”
“No babe,” his arm gave me a squeeze, “she was the inside man on the theft of three custom cars and a custom bike, a shitload of gear and the contents of a safe.”
“The inside man?” I asked.
Hawk paused to study me then his fingers sifted through my hair and I realized he did this for the same reasons Cam took in breath. He did it to prepare me.
“Her chosen profession, Sweet Pea. She’s got one thing goin’ for her and that is that no one takes her seriously. She was smart enough to listen and learn in a lot of places. She sold information, she provided distraction for a price and, also for a price, she provided access. She wasn’t smart enough not to keep her shit quiet, not to be invisible and not to f**k over the wrong people. She wasn’t choosy, she’s equal opportunity. She f**ked everyone and now she’s f**ked.”
“How many people has she f**ked over?” I asked.
“Too many,” Hawk answered.
“And their danger zone levels?”
“Off the charts,” Hawk replied. “Kane and Chaos are the least of her troubles and, Gwen, they may have cleaned up but that doesn’t mean they play by the rules. They caught her; they’d deal with her their own way. They would not hand her over to the cops. They’d find a way to take back what she owed them and they’d be creative about it.”
My body gave a tremble as my hand clenched against his thermal and when it did, his hand left my hair and he slid his knuckles down my jaw.
“Yeah, baby, it is not lookin’ good for Ginger,” he whispered.
“Will you find her for me?” I blurted and then I tensed. I couldn’t ask that, I couldn’t ask Hawk and his boys to wade in –
“Already tryin’, Sweet Pea.” I stared and he talked. “Not for her, for you, your Dad and your stepmom.”
Uh… wow.
“I… I don’t know what… you are?” I stammered.
“Gwen, I carried you through fire. That shit’s gotta stop.”
“Right,” I whispered, my belly squishy, my heart swelling, my throat tingling, my eyes looking into his.
His eyes smiled. “You can pay me back, you make dinner.”
“Making dinner would be payback?”
“Nope, not all of it, but it’ll carve a bit off what you owe me.”
I felt my lips tip up as my head tipped to the side. “Does that mean I have to steam vegetables?”
“Is that a problem for you?”
“No, but the only things you have in your fridge are fruit, cottage cheese and vegetables. Your Mom used all the eggs and bacon and I had lunchmeat for lunch so that leaves veggies for dinner. I’m not sure my system will accept nothing but veggies for dinner. It might react and my guess would be that reaction would be violent.”
He grinned at me then remarked, “There are stores in Denver. Some of them even carry groceries.”
“Now who’s the smartass?” I mumbled.
“All right, babe, get your shoes and get your ass to the Camaro. We’re goin’ to the grocery store.”
“And still bossy,” I went on mumbling.