Hawk's Haven (9 page)

Thinking back, she’d played right into Hawk's hands. He’d displayed the perfect mix of reluctance and disinterest to make her think she’d wrangled the story from him. She could kill him, but death would be too good for the snake. She amended her thoughts. Calling him a snake was an insult to reptiles.

"Gillian, are you all right?"

"Fine," she said, feeling angrier by the second. "I have to go. I'll see you at the center."

Martha brushed away a wisp of hair from Gillian's face. "I'll talk to them."

"Don't, please. I'll handle it.” Thoughts of revenge brought a smile to her lips.

"That's the spirit."

Gillian waved goodbye and headed back to the house. Forms of ancient torture crossed her mind but none inflicted enough pain. The stretcher rack came close, but it wasn't available for rent or purchase. Hawk's cruelty made her father seem like a boy scout by comparison.

As she entered the front door she found the enemy emerging from the bathroom. His wet hair was combed back and the sunlight emphasized the sharp contours of his face. Beads of water rolled down the wide expanse of his bare chest, soaking the edge of the jeans he struggled to fasten.

"Good morning," he said, in a husky voice. "How do you feel?"

She smiled. "I've never felt better."

"I'm glad. I was worried about you.”  He stepped closer and she restrained the compelling urge to kick him in the groin.

She summoned all the acting skills she'd learned in freshman drama, and stroked her finger down the center of his chest. "I wanted to thank you for last night. I don't know what I would have done without you."

He laced his fingers through her. "About last night..."

"Don't be modest Hawk.” She leaned in closer and brushed against him. His body reacted to the closeness. Good!  She was getting him hot, but it wasn't close to the fire of anger she felt. "You saved my life. And then, instead of taking advantage like many men would, you behave
d
like a perfect gentleman."

Hawk emitted a deep groan. "That's not exactly true."

"Yes it is. Why some day, they're going to be telling stories about you.” She shuddered and injected a hint of dread as she added, “When I think of the things that might have happened if you hadn't found me..."

"Gillian...” He cupped his hands over her shoulders and held her against his chest. His comfort came too late. He’d already plunged the knife in her back the night before. "There's something I have to tell you."

"Me, first.” She stepped back and met his apologetic gaze. "You should be proud of yourself. Think of the extraordinary courage it takes for two adult men to humiliate a woman half their size for the sheer pleasure of it."

As the anger of her words hit him he reached out for her arm. She smacked his fingers away as if he was an annoying mosquito.

"I tried to tell you," he said.

"When?" she yelled. She wrapped her arms around her body to control the trembling rage. "When I was shaking so hard I made myself sick? Or was it when I threw myself at you because the thought of being alone scared the hell out of me."

"I didn't take advantage of the situation.” As if that made up for what he'd done!

"Why? Wasn't that the whole point? I imagine it must be a big turn on to sleep with a woman who's so confused she doesn't know what she's doing."

"Will you listen?"

"No, I won't listen.” She turned and bolted out the door.

* * * *

Hawk stared after her for a full minute before he could react. Her anger he deserved. He hadn't meant for the joke to end the way it had.

Knowing that he owed her an explanation, he sprinted out the front door and leaped off the top step. Dust flew around as he ran down the driveway and along the road that led to the center. Gillian had a good head start and he finally caught her arm just before she could disappear into the longhouse.

She spun around and swatted his hand away. Fury burned in her blue eyes; wild, uncontained fury. "Don't you understand English? Leave me alone."

"You can't walk out in the middle of an argument.” Now that was a pallid word to describe the exchange they'd had.

She bowed her head and peeked out from under her lashes at the crowd of curious onlookers. Martha and Amanda covered their mouths as their giggles floated on the breeze. Gillian pushed back a handful of tousled hair and let out a frustrated sigh. "Couldn't you have put a shirt on?"

"You're blushing."

"I am not," she hissed. "If you want to run around like a half-naked savage, why should I care?"

He grinned. "Why do you?"

"I don't!"

A few more women stopped to watch the amusing morning exchange. If only he was guilty of what most of the women were thinking!  "Can we finish this back at the house?"

"No."

"All right, if it will make you feel better with witnesses, go ahead."

She inhaled deeply. "Get out of my way."

"You have an audience. Do your worst, Princess.”

Her jaw tightened. "Don't call me Princess."

He knew he was baiting her. Hopefully, if she exploded, she would release some of her anger and he could talk with her. "Make me stop. I dare you to try... Princess."

Gillian turned her body. Before he saw it coming, she caught him around the waist and sent him flying over her hip into the dirt. His shock was only exceeded by his embarrassment as a round of applause and cheers broke out in the crowd.

"Just for the record, Chief-Full-of-Bull, that wasn't my worst.” Head held high, she stormed away.

Hawk was left to deal with the jibes and taunts of the women. "PMS," he offered as an explanation for Gillian's behavior.  He rose and dusted the dirt from his jeans.

Martha laughed. "If she was suffering
from
PMS you wouldn't have been able to get up. Did I forget to mention that Gillian has a black belt in judo?"

He cast a nasty glare. "Yeah. It must have slipped your mind."

"She told me what you and Ike did and I must say, she didn't do enough damage as far as I'm concerned."

He knew he’d gone too far the night before. When she’d curled up in his arms and begged him to stay with her, he couldn't find the words to tell her that he’d caused the terror she was feeling. He meant to confess today but she was awake and out before he got the chance.

"It wasn't supposed to turn out this way. We used to do it all the time."

"When you were sixteen and the girls were here because they expected to see the ghost of some old chief.” Martha's disapproving scowl reminded him of his own mother's guilt inflicting stare. "Community Service is not supposed to be cruel and unusual punishment. If she doesn't return on Monday, I wouldn't blame her."

"She has no choice," he said.

"She has a choice, Tommy. Let's hope she doesn't exercise it. Or is that what you were hoping? That she would go running back to her father so that you could prove you were right about her."

"I didn't think that..."

"You're right, you didn't think. She's already hurting more than any of us know. The last thing she needs is to be sent back to the source of that pain."

Hawk felt the heavy burden of guilt crushing him.  He’d gotten that same impression last night. "I'll apologize."

"I doubt that will do it. I expected more from you."

"Why? Why does everyone expect more from me?” Caught between two cultures, he never quite lived up to the expectations of either. Outside the reservation they expected the savage Indian. Here they wanted the cultured liaison to the white man's world.

"I know that you've accomplished a lot these last few years,” Martha said. "But is your memory so short that you've forgotten what it does to the spirit to be humiliated by the people whose respect you're trying to earn?"

Martha had delivered her shot with deadly accuracy. He’d fought hard to overcome the prejudices of the white man's world. A battle he’d thought at time
s
he'd never win.

At least I assume responsibility for my actions. Gillian's words came back to haunt him. Life hadn't dealt her a winning hand with Aaron for a father but she accepted the consequences of her own actions without blaming it on the cards.

"Let go of the past, Tommy. You're only hurting yourself," Martha warned.

If that were true he wouldn't feel like a first class heel. He hurt someone else, someone whose only crime was seeking a haven from her pain. "What time does she finish today?"

"She's leaving straight after class. I'm giving her a ride to the bus."

"I'll drive her."

Martha shook her head. "No. You allow her the dignity of making you suffer all weekend. She deserves that much."

Chapter
Eight

Hawk stepped out of the elevator on the third floor. A quick glance at his watch told him he still had ten minutes before his first appointment. He knew he was cutting the time close but he couldn't leave without making sure Gillian had returned this morning. Although the one hundred and eighty degree turn she’d taken when she saw him was not the reception he’d hoped for, she’d come back.

He would have spoken to her if Martha hadn't interfered. As it was, Martha had made him and Ike work on the septic system at the longhouse all weekend. After the crock of bull they'd given Gillian, she thought it was
a
deserving punishment.

Cecilia was waiting at the office door, with a cup of coffee held out to him. Not a good sign, he silently acknowledged, since Cecilia had made it clear on her first day that she was not a maid to be fetching coffee for some lord of the manor. He took a sip of the strong brew and wait
ed
for the bad news.

"Judge Hughes is in your office."

Hawk choked on the coffee.  Had Gillian told him what happened? It seemed unlikely since she’d returned today. Another thought crossed his mind. Aaron was here for information, just as Gillian had predicted. What was he supposed to say? Your daughter's doing great, which is a miracle considering what I put her though.

"How long has he been waiting?"

Cecilia glanced at the desk clock. "Ten minutes, but it feels like an hour," she whispered. "The man has the patience of a two year old, and the temperament to match."

"What the hell is keeping..." Aaron pulled open the inner door and stopped mid-sentence when he saw Hawk. "It's about time."

"Judge Hughes. Good morning."

"Morning? It's almost lunch time," Aaron grumbled. "I've been waiting for close to an hour."

Hawk held back a laugh at Cecilia's told-you-so frown. He followed Aaron into the office and closed the door. "Coffee, Sir?"

"I never drink the stuff. It makes me irritable."

More than you already are, Hawk wanted to ask? He sat behind the desk, and gestured for Aaron to follow suit. "I didn't realize you'd be stopping by today," he said.

"I was in the neighborhood."

Knowing that his office was nowhere in the neighborhood of Butler Square or the White Sands Country Club, Hawk guessed that Aaron wanted to finish his business and be out of this neighborhood as soon as possible. "What can I do for you, Sir?"

The judge twisted a solid mass of gold on his right ring finger, as he glanced around the office. "I just wanted to let you know I'm having lunch with the governor tomorrow and I plan to discuss the casino proposition."

That had about as much of a ring of truth as the story of Tokonda. A simple phone call between their secretaries would have conveyed that message. Since the propositions were a matter of public record, it was hardly a confidential subject.

Still, it didn't pay to antagonize the man over something trivial so Hawk smiled and said, “The council appreciates your help, Sir."

"And do they appreciate their new teacher?"

Hawk stifled a laugh. Ten seconds. A new world record for the least amount of time spent beating around the bush. "They're very impressed with your daughter."

Aaron nodded as if he expected nothing less. "And Gillian? How is she settling in?"

"Has she mentioned anything?" Hawk asked carefully.

Raising his shoulders in an indifferent shrug, Aaron said, “She's still angry with me."

"She didn't speak to you at all, the entire weekend?"

"She left a message with my service on Saturday to let me know she was fine, but she wouldn't talk to me," Aaron answered. "I guess she stayed at the reservation."

"No she didn't. She left on Friday,” Hawk said before he could stop himself. Where had she gone? He knew she didn't have enough money to spend another night at the Stafford, let alone the weekend.

A patch of red stained Aaron's puffed up cheeks. "What do you mean, she left? You were supposed to keep her there."

Hawk fought to keep his temper in check. He wasn't Gillian's bodyguard, nor was he her jailor. "I told you I couldn't force her to stay on weekends."