I looked up into Hawk’s face.

“Gwen,” he said, “get back in the house.”

“Ginger,” I whispered worriedly, rounded him, started to fly and stopped dead.

Ginger was down on her ass, back to the house under the guest bedroom window. Her knees up, her head bowed.

I ran to her, yanked up the panel to my nightgown and dropped to my knees beside her.

“Honey, look at me,” I whispered but she didn’t raise her head and she was breathing funny. “Ginger, honey, please,” I begged, reaching out to take her chin gently and lift her face to me.

I saw it and sucked in breath. It was worse close up. A lot worse.

Hawk crouched low at her other side, took her chin from my hand into his own and carefully pulled her head his way. He had his phone at his other ear and he spoke as he scanned my sister’s face.

“I need a pick up at Freeman’s for Gwen and guards to stay with her at the warehouse until I get there. We were right, Ginger was going to her and she’s here. Call Doc, he needs to head out, she’s a f**kin’ mess. Safe house. Then call Lawson, he’s up.” He stopped talking a moment then said, “Out.”

He flipped his phone shut and shoved it into his cargoes.

“You havin’ trouble breathin’?” he asked Ginger.

“Ribs,” Ginger replied.

“Fuck,” Hawk muttered. “Can you handle me carrying you into the house?”

Ginger ignored him. “No cops.”

“Your plays aren’t workin’, Ginger, you’re gonna try mine.”

“No cops,” she repeated and I reached out and grabbed her hand, holding on tight.

“You love your sister?” Hawk asked suddenly and Ginger pulled her chin away from his hand, then she whimpered. “I asked you a question,” he pushed.

“She’s my sister,” Ginger answered and the tears hit my eyes, no warning this time, they just hit them and spilled over.

And they did this because this meant yes.

I moved closer and held her hand harder.

“Then trust me to do right by you,” Hawk replied, knowing what she meant.

“You can’t fix this,” Ginger told him.

“I sure as f**k can try,” Hawk returned and looked at me. “Let her go, I need to get her up.”

I let her go and Hawk leaned in and lifted Ginger in his arms. This didn’t cause whimpers, it caused moans. I raced ahead of him, swiping at my face, opened the front door and left it open while I moved around the room turning on lights. Hawk came in and laid Ginger down on the couch while I moved down the hall. Leo was already out of his bedroom and I rushed to him.

“I’m so sorry, she found me, Ginger’s here,” I told him quietly.

“Fuck,” he muttered and Cam came out, her eyes alert.

“Ginger’s here,” I told her.

“Fuck,” she muttered.

I raced away and Leo and Cam followed me. Ginger was on the couch, Hawk was nowhere.

This alarmed me but I moved straight to Ginger and got down on my knees by the couch. I took her hand again and she turned her head away.

“We’ll get you sorted, honey, promise,” I whispered.

“Don’t call Mom and Dad, Gwen,” she told the back of the couch.

“Right now, I’m about you, Ginger.”

She turned to face me. “Don’t call Mom and Dad.”

“I won’t,” I promised.

“Promise it and mean it and not like you meant it when I told you I snuck out and met Darren Petri and then you heard he had the clap so you told on me. Promise it and mean it.”

Jeez. Darren Petri was ages ago.

“Ginger, you kept sleeping with him and he had the clap,” I reminded her.

“He was cute,” she reminded me.

She was right. He was. Still, he had the freaking clap and she told me they didn’t use protection. What was I supposed to do?

Suddenly Hawk was crouched at my side. “Gwen, reunion later if you’re lucky. Go get your shit,” he ordered and then held a dishtowel with ice to Ginger’s swollen face.

I watched her eyes close when the towel gingerly hit her skin and I could tell that felt good.

“I’m staying with Ginger.”

“Go get your shit,” Hawk repeated and I looked at him.

“Baby, I need to stay with my sister,” I whispered.

“No, Gwen, you need to trust her to my care and go get your shit,” he stated and scarily went on. “My boys’ll be here in five to take you to my place and I’m takin’ care of her. I followed her here and others followed me. She needs to be gone so your friends’ll be safe and you need to be gone. Get me?”

Oh shit. I got him.

“You’ll keep her safe?” I asked.

Hawk just looked at me.

He’d keep her safe.

I didn’t know where he and I were with our relationship but still, I lifted my hand, curled my fingers around his neck and leaned in to touch my mouth to his as my show of gratitude.

“Fuck me, I’m gonna be sick,” Ginger groaned and my mouth left Hawk’s, my hand went away from his neck and I twisted to Ginger.

“Do you need a bowl?” I asked, squeezing her hand which I still held.

“No, Gwen, f**k, at you.” Her one unswollen eye not covered in an iced up dishtowel slid to Hawk. “She’s always been gushy. It’s sick. Even somethin’ stupid, like watchin’ TV, she’d curl up to me. Fuck.”

Hawk had no response.

“I thought you liked cuddling,” I stated.

“Yeah, when I was five,” Ginger replied, I sucked in breath and prepared to retort.

“Gwen,” Hawk spoke in a warning low voice and I looked at him.

“Right,” I whispered, turned back to Ginger and pulled her hand to my mouth. “Whatever happens next, honey, and whatever we left behind, I love you and I always have. You can believe me or not. I don’t care. I need to say it and tell you I mean it. It’s your choice whether you believe it.”

Then I kissed her knuckles, let her go and raced through Cam and Leo to the guest room.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Is Everything All Right?

My guards were Fang and a man named Suarez.

Suarez was a mini-commando in the sense that he was younger than the rest and not in the sense he was less scary than the rest. His body was such that they could use it in anatomy class to teach musculature, such was the definition.

When we made it to the warehouse, Fang took his position outside, Suarez took me inside then positioned himself at the door.