“She was a mad woman,” Hawk said as he finished explaining Jessica’s story, “she wanted to see the baby.”

 

Alexa’s eyes grew wide. A fear rose in her gut as she listened to the rest.

 

“I asked her questions, but she seemed so shady,” he said. “I wasn’t about to let her see Damian. She didn’t like me saying no, so she tried to use the one thing that probably usually works for her.” He looked disgusted.

 

“But his mother is dead, you said.”

 

“That’s what Hugh told me.”

 

“You don’t know for sure?”

 

He shook his head slowly. “I guess I don’t. The thing is, I didn’t see her much. Once or twice and she looked a lot different in the beginning, Hugh said. It might have been her, I don’t know. Hugh isn’t usually the type to say someone is dead if they aren’t, or do that whole ‘dead to me’ crap. I don’t buy that part at all. But I don’t know. Having a baby makes you do strange things. It changes you.”

 

He grew quiet for a moment, thinking.

 

“I get that. But can’t you look it up or something?” She tried to recall what information she had on Hugh’s ex. The name Jessica registered, but she couldn’t remember anything else. She hadn’t been around by the time Hugh died, so she wasn’t part of the investigation.

 

“I’m not even sure what her last name is. They didn’t have a good relationship.”

 

“Hmm. There might be something in the system. Some way they were connected, and some way we could get info on her. What are you going to do?”

 

 “I’m not doing anything without a court order. He’s legally mine. The courts would have known if his mother was alive, wouldn’t they? They’d have his birth certificate or something, right?”

 

“You don’t have a copy?”

 

He pulled his lip into his mouth. “I don’t. I guess I need to get one.”

 

“If you’re his legal guardian, then yes, you need to have that. And yes, they would have tried to locate the biological parents first.”

 

“So, she has to be lying. It’s just not like Hugh to make up a story about her being dead. To lie and say he wasn’t going to the funeral and all that. He would have told me the truth. Even if he was lying about her death, he would have told me the truth.”

 

Alexa nodded. “Then let’s assume that woman wasn’t his mother. Who could she be, and what was she after?”

 

“I guess the baby. She’s connected to Hugh’s murder somehow and trying to get back at me. Maybe she’s with the guy who broke in and wrote on the mirror.”

 

“I’m worried about all this. I don’t like it at all.”

 

“Me either, the only things I know for certain are that I need to keep Damian away from her,” he winked, “and that I like you.”

 

He leaned forward and kissed her passionately. It was enough to make her heart race, and she had to remind herself she was holding the baby so she didn’t reach up and run her fingers through his hair.

 

“I like you, too,” she breathed when the kiss ended.

 

Her feelings for Hawk were growing. No denying that, especially after the sudden jealousy she felt seeing Damian’s so-called mother enter his house and kiss him. She was certain of Hawk’s loyalty, and of his innocence. At least as far as Hugh was concerned. That’s not the only charge on his record – there’s still the matter of his father, she thought.

 

Both of them were living a lie.

 

When the true of came out about who she was, would Hawk be able to handle it? How could she tell him that Hugh had been her informant? Or that she knew Rucker was a big time drug lord, that he’d been a top suspect, and that Hugh had been helping her find dirt on him? If he knew that, he might blame her for his death, and the idea he might never forgive her tore a her.

 

The way Hawk was looking at her, like he meant every word when he told her how important she was to him, made her quiver inside. She couldn’t hold onto this guilt of lying to him anymore. She hugged Damian close and took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to start.

 

His phone rang and he pulled his eyebrows together. “I’m sorry, I have to take this.”

 

He walked across the room and into the kitchen. Alexa talked to Damian and stood him up on her legs. She looked at his little face and a pang of pain shot through her. What if she lost him and Hawk forever? The longer she waited, the worse it would be. She had to tell him now, and that was it.

 

“Can’t it wait? I have kind of a situation here.” Hawk’s voice lilted in from the other room, charged with anger. “Don’t make that threat to me. After all I’ve done for this MC?”

 

He was getting loud now. He sounded upset.

 

“Hawk,” she mouthed silently.

 

“No, fine. Well, he’s a baby, what do you want me to do? I don’t have an old lady to help me out!” A pause. “Yeah, fine. I’ll be there.” He came back into the room. “I’m sorry to have to do this and right now, but the Kings need me to do something. I tried to put it off, but it can’t wait. Are you able to watch him a little while?”

 

“Sure. I think we’ll go back over to your place, though. I didn’t get to clean up much.”

 

“Of course. And I don’t know how long it will be anyway. Could go late.”

 

“Okay, no problem.”

 

“Thank you.” He leaned down to kiss her and Damian, then walked out the door. His bike started a few minutes later and he drove off.

 

“Well,” she said to Damian, “I guess I’m off the hook for now.”