Chapter Three

Hawk

“I just got off the plane. Now where am I supposed to go? I’ve only ever been here at night, except for that one time when I was ten!” Hawk yelled into his phone. He had called Blake as soon as he arrived in Vegas, irritated that there was no cab driver there to greet him.

“If you had read through the file you would have the address for your apartment!” Blake snapped.

“I skimmed it, and I didn’t see anywhere where it said anything about where I am supposed to be staying. Most people have drivers waiting when they send a guy to a site he hasn’t been to before!” Hawk shot back.

“Most people don’t run off the budget that we have, Hawk. Do I need to remind you once again that I really need you to do your part here? We don’t all get the luxury treatment every time we choose to grace a city with our presence.” Blake took a condescending tone as he spoke, and Hawk clenched his fist. He knew his brother couldn’t see him, but it still made him feel better.

“I forgot, that’s just you,” he remarked.

Blake ignored the comment. “I found it in the system. I’ll text you the address now. Get yourself a cab and head to the apartment. I doubt anyone is going to be there on a Sunday anyway.” Hawk heard his phone notify him that he had received the text, and he hung up the phone. He didn’t have anything else he wanted to say to his brother, and there certainly weren’t any friendly goodbyes to be exchanged between the two.

He read the text and swore under his breath. He vaguely remembered the last time he had been in Vegas for a reason besides spending the night—and way too much money—on the Strip. He and Cole had come with their father on a business trip once when Hawk was just a boy. When he had returned to Sin City years later, he’d thought it looked remarkably different at night, and hadn’t had a clue of where to go or where anything was.

He walked over to the luggage and found his, ignoring the dirty looks and comments that were directed toward him from the other passengers.

Yeah? I don’t want to be standing here anymore than any of you do! I don’t know why we don’t have a company jet anyway. I shouldn’t have to ride with any of your sorry bastards in the first place.

Hawk shook his head, though he kept his comments to himself. He was a playboy, not a gentleman, but he had enough sense not to let his mouth run in the middle of the airport, especially with all the mothers dragging their kids around.

The last thing he needed was to make headlines for pissing off some woman with a bratty little kid—and he knew the fastest way he could do that would be to spout what was really on his mind.

Once outside, Hawk dove into the first cab he found open. He figured it was probably en route to pick up someone else, but he didn’t care. The past few hours he had spent on that commercial airliner had been torture, and he wasn’t going to spend any more time wandering around the terminal than he had to. Whoever it was could call for a new cab as far as he was concerned, and that would be the end of that.

“Where to?” the cab driver asked. Hawk yanked out his phone and read the address in a rather flat tone, and the cab took off. His phone chimed and he saw his oldest brother had texted him once again, but he merely rolled his eyes and put it back in his pocket.

You don’t help me when I need you to, then after I get it figured out, you decide to come to my rescue? Sounds about right, he thought. He turned his attention out the window and shook his head. Vegas was a completely different city during the daytime, and he felt rather lost. He would rather have been in New York, but this would do—especially since he was virtually alone. Sure, he had to check in and give his brothers updates about the project, but that would be easy.

“And we’re here!” the cab driver suddenly announced, and Hawk looked out the window. He had assumed they would put him a little further away from downtown, but it would do.

“Thanks,” he said, handing the cab driver a wad of cash. The man looked surprised, glancing back up at him to make sure he was certain he wanted to pay him so well, but Hawk was already on his way out the door. He didn’t want to sit and discuss the tip with the driver; he had things to do.

“Hawk Parker, from Parker Industries. I’ve got a place for a few days.” Hawk found the woman behind the counter attractive, but for once he had more to do than flirt with her. She looked on her computer for a moment, though it was evident she, too, found him attractive.

“Oh, yes, here we are—you’re upstairs in the penthouse.” She handed him a key, and Hawk headed toward the elevator, happy that his brother had managed to do one thing right. He hit the button for the top floor and crossed his arms over his chest as the elevator moved.

“Not bad. Looks like Blake can do something right after all,” Hawk muttered as he walked into his penthouse. As much as he hated to, he did have to admit that it was better than his real penthouse. Everything was even more updated than his appliances at home, and the TV was several inches bigger.

The place was top of the line and luxury, with the bonus of a fully stocked fridge and bar, Hawk discovered with pleasure. He was about to pour himself a drink and settle in when a knock at the door caught his attention.

“Who the hell?” he muttered as he walked over to the door and threw it open, ready to tear the head off whatever maid was standing outside. To his surprise, there were two men outside his door.

“Hawk Parker! Gordon Jones—CEO of Steele Construction. This here is my foreman, Jack Perry. How do you like it this place” Jones was tall, bald, and stout, with arms that looked beefier than they did muscular, as though he spent more time behind a desk than on a construction site.

While Jones strolled right into the penthouse and made himself comfortable, as though he lived there himself, his wirier, leaner, associate, Perry, hovered with Hawk by the door. If Jones looked like a bulldog, Perry had the appearance of a moody terrier, Hawk reflected, stepping back and allowing the other man in. Might as well. Jones didn’t look like he was going anywhere anytime soon.

Perry looked like he might literally start sniffing around the place. Hawk grimaced and finally got his head together.

“Gentleman, it’s good to meet you. I like it a lot, though actually, I just got here.” Hawk spoke in a rather cold tone, hoping to indicate that they should leave. Gordon didn’t seem at all discouraged and poured himself a whiskey.

“Excellent. We were thrilled when we heard you were going to be down here overseeing some of the work. Do you have a lot of experience in the construction industry?” He turned and looked over his shoulder at Hawk, who was watching Jack continue to wander about the place.

“Uh, no. I don’t do a lot of field work, to be honest, but lately I’ve been taking over more for my brothers. Cole was supposed to be down here, but we changed plans last second.” Hawk didn’t like the two men, and really wanted them to go, but knowing that he had to handle this professionally, he figured it would be best to answer their questions and wait it out.

“Yes, I know. Cole called me last night and let me know that you were going to be here rather than him. The great Hawk Parker.” He put a lot of emphasis on Hawk’s name, and Hawk gave him a sidelong look. Gordon didn’t give him the chance to reply, however, before he once again spoke up.

“How long are you going to be here? Surely there is more to Vegas to attract you than some hotel. Gambling? Drinks? Women? Any combination of the three?” He laughed then motioned to Jack. “We’ve decided we’re going to give you the proper Las Vegas welcome. Grab your jacket and let’s get going!”

Gordon drained his glass of whiskey and headed for the door with Jack close at his heels. Hawk instinctively reached for his jacket, but in an instant, Lisa’s face flashed before his eyes and he remembered his promise. It was only six in the evening. If he were to go out now, odds were he wouldn’t be back until the early hours of the morning—and there would be no way he would then drag himself to the job site to oversee anything.

Not to mention that being out in Vegas with these two men could land him on the cover of another tabloid. They seemed professional enough, but it was difficult for him to know who to fully trust, considering the delicate situation of the company. If he said or did the wrong thing, he would certainly be the center of another scandal—the last thing the company needed.

“You know what? I think I’m going to stay in tonight,” he said, and both men exchanged a look.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Hawk Parker of Parker Industries doesn’t want to go out and have some fun? It’s Las Vegas, man! What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!” Jack laughed as he jabbed his friend in the ribs, and Gordon agreed. Hawk, on the other hand, remained resolute.

“I know, and if I was here for any other reason, I would be happy to go out and have a few drinks. But this is business, and I’m going to stick to that.” He gave both men the straightest face he could muster, and once again they exchanged a glance. He wished he could read what they were thinking, but at the same time, he didn’t care. If they left, he would be happy.

“We won’t tell,” Gordon said with a mischievous smile. Hawk cringed. He knew it was public knowledge that Blake was the de facto head of the company, but he didn’t like the thought that he could get in trouble if his brother found out about anything he did. Hawk was on the verge of caving in when once again he thought of Lisa standing in front of him in her slate pencil skirt.

Lisa was on his very short list of people whose opinions he cared about. For her sake, rather than his brothers’, he didn’t want to bring more embarrassment on the company. And he knew that if he went out, that would be exactly what he would risk doing. Hawk shook his head and tossed his jacket into the closet.

“Another time, guys,” he said.

“All right, but you really don’t know what you’re missing out on,” Gordon said with a wink. Hawk knew they expected him to grab his jacket and chase after them, but he didn’t. The door closed, and he could hear their conversation fading as they walked back up the hall toward the elevator. Hawk sat on the couch for a minute and stared at the ceiling, surprised with himself for turning down such an opportunity.

After a few minutes he rose and walked over to the bar. After giving Gordon’s glass a quick rinse in the sink, he poured himself a glass of dark whiskey and dropped a couple of ice cubes inside. Then he wandered back to the couch and sat down with a sigh, once again looking up at the ceiling.

“It’s just a few more months, and I’ll be done with this shit,” he muttered to himself. If his brothers could stick it out for a year, he could, too. He wouldn’t be happy about it, but he’d do it.

He was a Parker, after all.