After their near-kiss, Hawk went to the bathroom and made a decision. He’d come home early, so she should be able to stay a while. He went out to the living room, where she was sitting on the couch.

 

“Hey, can you stay? I need to head over to my MC headquarters for a while.”

 

“Sure. I planned on being here for a few more hours anyway.”

 

“Perfect. See ya.” He grabbed his keys and headed out to the garage without looking back.

 

He hopped on his bike, letting the motor roar to life between his legs before he pressed on the gas and took off. The wind in his hair felt good. This was what he needed. To escape for a while, to get out onto the open road, feel the air, breathe in something besides baby food, dirty diapers, or car smells for a while.

 

He pulled up to the Kings’ headquarters with excitement flooding over him. He always felt like he was coming home when he showed up here. They were the closest thing to family he had besides Damian.

 

“Hawk!” shouts came from across the large, open room as he walked in the door. Several members greeted him with a slap on the shoulder or back.

 

“Where you been, man?” Blade asked. “Stuck in baby land?”

 

“Something like that. Working,” Hawk said.

 

“We’re just about to break,” Dugout said. “Get over here and grab a cue, man.”

 

Hawk gratefully picked up a pool cue and played a few games with the guys. He drank a few beers and bullshitted, but after a few hours he needed to refocus.

 

“Where the old ladies at?” he asked Dugout.

 

He nodded toward the kitchen and dining room. This was where they usually all hung out. Sometimes kids were in there, running around. When it wasn’t meal time, it was a play zone and women’s club. They did all sorts of girly things in there like painting their nails, doing one another’s makeup. Stuff the men had no interest in or clue about.

 

Hawk pushed through the door and the women looked at him. Several waved or called out a greeting.

 

“Hey ladies, I need your help.” He perched a foot on one of the table’s benches. “I need a new babysitter.”

 

“What happened to Natalie?” Jessica, Blade’s wife asked.

 

“Ahh, well, she wanted a little more than just my business, you know what I mean?”

 

She winked back. “Don’t blame her.”

 

“You need someone for nights or days?” Sandra asked. She was Dugouts’s old lady and had helped Hawk out on more than one occasion when he had a question or needed a woman’s opinion.

 

“Both. I need full-time, someone flexible enough to take most of the day, but part of the evening when I need it. Some overnights.”

 

Sandra blew out a whistle. “Good luck finding that. What you need is a wife, not a babysitter.”

 

“But you’re all taken,” he said.

 

“Honey, you want to be hooked up?” Jessica asked. “I know a real nice girl.”

 

“Who?” Sandra asked. “Not that skank Melanie.”

 

“God, no. Her name is Samantha and she’s real cute. Works over at the courthouse. Real convenient for someone like you, when you need something.”

 

“Thanks, but I really just need someone to watch Damian. Starting immediately,” Hawk said. “No time for romance.” Besides, he needed to figure out this whole Alexa thing anyway. If his feelings for her turned into something he wanted a clear conscience.

 

“Sorry,” Jessica said. “You know that we’re either home or here all day. And when Blade decides it’s time to go, we go.”

 

“Same here,” Sandra said, bouncing her youngest baby on her knee. “If you drop him off here, I’m sure one of us could keep an eye on him.”

 

That worked on occasion in a pinch, but not as a long term solution. He needed someone reliable and steady, not just whoever happened to be around, if anyone was around. And in the middle of the night, the place was usually empty, aside from the occasional King.

 

Hawk looked to the other ladies, who each gave him a regretful look as they told him they didn’t know anyone.

 

“Try that Craigslist online,” Sandra said. “I know people find stuff on there all the time.”

 

“Yeah, maybe. Thanks, ladies.” Hawk walked back into the main room.

 

He played a round of cards until his phone rang. He pulled it out, thinking at first it might be Alexa needing him but it was Jared.

 

“You working, man?” Jared asked. “I got a job I need your expertise on.”

 

“When?”

 

“Now. I’m at this job that’s packed in tight. I can’t move the other cars, but I thought maybe together we could figure something out.”

 

In other words, Jared wanted him to break into one of the other cars to move it out of the way so he could get whatever car he was trying to pick up. Sometimes people thought they were slick and parked their soon-to-be-repo-ed cars in a tight place to limit tow truck access. Sometimes Hawk was able to drive them out, but a few times he and Jared had come up with alternative methods. Most times he could get into a car, move it, let Jared take out his job, and then put the first car back and relock it without anyone ever knowing he’d touched it.

 

Hawk looked at his phone. It was getting into the evening. Past the time that Alexa probably planned to stay. “Let me make one call. I’ll text you.”

 

He dialed Alexa’s number. “Hey, I just got a call for a job. Can you stay another hour or so?”

 

“Sure, that’s fine.”

 

“Thanks.” He hung up and texted Jared to send him the address.