Chapter Five

Hawk

Hawk adjusted his tie in the mirror, annoyed that he had to actually put on a suit and tie for this meeting. He was going to a job site, so naturally the best thing to wear would be his usual jeans and jacket look—but Blake was adamant that he was going to dress the part, and as a representative for the investors, that meant this was going to be a suit and tie affair.

As soon as he was dressed, Hawk headed downstairs to meet the cab. He technically had all day to take care of this, but he wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible, given that there were plenty of other things he would rather be doing with his day. His to-do list was relatively short, considering what he was in town for, but he still would rather hide in his penthouse suite or go out on his own terms than be dealing with the business of the company.

The cab pulled up in front of the job site and Hawk looked it over. He was surprised none of the contractors were on site—just laborers. He didn’t care if any of them could answer any of his questions or not; he was there to see Gordon, and if Gordon wasn’t there, he was at his office. Hawk kicked himself for not getting the man’s cell number and vowed to do so as soon as he saw him again.

He jumped slightly in his seat when his own cell began to ring, and Hawk hoped for a fleeting moment that it would be Gordon—or he would even have been happy to settle for Jack Perry at that moment, if he had to. Instead it was his brother.

“What?” he asked as he put his phone to his ear.

“Blake needs an update on how things are going. So, how are things going?” Cole’s voice came through the phone, and Hawk smiled in spite of himself. He knew his brother would be expecting him to have questions or to report that he hadn’t been able to accomplish his assigned task for some reason, but he had quite the opposite news.

“I’m on my way to meet with the contractors right now—just left the job site, actually.” Hawk said with a triumphant tone to his voice.

There was a brief pause, and Cole replied, “I’m not sure I believe you, but I won’t make you send me any picture proof. Have you had any contact with the contractors yet?” Hawk felt a twinge of anger in his chest, but he chose to ignore his brother’s jab.

“Actually, yes, right after I landed I met with the CEO of Steel Construction and his foreman. Of course, since it was late on a Sunday afternoon I wasn’t surprised that the others weren’t able to meet with me, but as you can see I’ve gotten right down to it. Thanks for checking.” He couldn’t help but add the last snarky part.

“Good. I half expected to be waking you up from some hungover state, to be completely honest. Do things look like they’re going well at the job site?”

Once again, Hawk had to bite his tongue to keep from lashing back at the remark. Cole was no stranger to parties himself, and Hawk didn’t appreciate the insinuation that he was the only one to ever wake up hungover when he had other responsibilities he should have been tending to.

“It looks like the skeleton of a hotel, if I had to describe it,” Hawk replied rather dryly. He didn’t care what his brother thought of him—he was doing his part like they were begging him to do, and that was good enough for him.

“I guess that’s as good a report as any,” Cole said with an unimpressed tone to his voice. He was about to continue, but Hawk interrupted him.

“You know, I would love to continue with this conversation, but I’m afraid I’ve got other important things to be doing with my day, so I’m going to have to let you go.” Hawk did his best to be as condescending as possible. His brothers had the act down pat; he, however, was still learning.

He didn’t wait for his brother to respond, but instead just hung up the phone, feeling pleased with himself for being a jerk. When his phone rang almost immediately, he was ready to answer it and fight, but he hesitated when he saw the name flashing on the screen.

Dan Wellington. Kathryn’s father. The memory of Kathryn sent a twinge through him that he quickly banished to the back of his mind, as he had all thoughts of her. Though Hawk didn’t have much to do with Dan anymore, he still had his name in his phone, and, it would appear, so did Dan. Part of him wanted to know what he wanted, and another part of him was tempted just to send the call to voicemail. At the last second, he picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hawk?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s Dan Wellington. I need a favor.”

Surprise, surprise, Hawk thought.

“As it turns out, I’m not in town right now. I’m in Vegas taking care of some business for the company. Can’t you get Cole or Blake to do it?” Hawk didn’t need to know what the favor was, he already knew it wasn’t anything he would want to do, and it would be better if he could get it pawned off on one of his siblings.

“That’s why you are just the man for me. Listen, my daughter is going to be staying in Vegas for a few days, and I was wondering if you would keep an eye on her. I know she’s all grown up, but she’s always going to be my little girl, and I don’t like the idea of her wandering around the Strip by herself.” He was trying to pass it off as nonchalant, but Hawk could detect the anger in his voice. He could only imagine what must have happened, but he decided to play dumb anyway.

“What the hell is she doing in Vegas? Didn’t she just go on vacation?” He knew the question would hit home, and it did.

“The fuck if I know or care. She quit caring about what I say a long time ago, and right now, I need to know that she is going to be all right. Of course, I would like to think that you would do this just for the sake of being a gentleman, but if you need compensation, you know I would be more than willing to pay.”

Hawk hesitated. He could always use some extra cash, especially since his brothers were being stingy with the company funds. On the other hand, he didn’t want to get involved with Kathryn. Not again. He knew they had run their course, and he didn’t want to reignite anything that was going to lead to more problems between the two of them.

And yet—the thought of Kathryn being in town was exciting, and Hawk couldn’t ignore that fact.

“Hawk! I need you to pay attention to me!” Dan’s voice came through the phone, and Hawk smiled as he shook his head. Dan was more like his daughter than he wanted to admit. Or perhaps it was the other way around. Either way, Hawk had an idea.

“All right, I’ll keep an eye on her. But I’m telling you right now, I am not going to get involved with her in any way. I’ll take care of things if they get out of hand, but she is a grown woman, and she can make her own decisions. I’m not going to make any advances, and I am not going to step in if she decides to go home with some guy she picks up at a bar.” Hawk could sense by the way Dan was breathing on the other end of the line that he wasn’t happy with how the conversation was going, but he didn’t care.

He wasn’t going to be a babysitter, especially for some woman he had had a fling with back in college. She could do as she pleased, just as he could. And the last thing he was going to do was get involved with her at her dad’s request.

“Is that good enough for you?” he prompted. Once again, it was evident that it wasn’t, but at the same time, there was nothing he could do. Kathryn was in Vegas, and Dan was in New York. He had to take what he could get.

“That’s fine. Make sure she stays safe,” Dan said before he hung up.

“Will do,” Hawk replied. He sat silently for a few minutes, thinking about how the conversation had gone. It was news to him that Kathryn was in town, and he couldn’t help but wonder what she was doing there. It was a bit of a coincidence that she was there the same time he was, but then, most of life was full of coincidences. As the cab pulled in front of the office, he pushed the thought out of his mind.

“Do you have an appointment?” the secretary asked, and Hawk sighed, not even in the mood to flirt though she was small, cute, and something of a looker with her wide eyes, full lips, and nicely proportioned body. Even her glasses sort of worked for her.

“No, not an official one, though I can tell you that each of the contractors here would be more than happy to see me. I am Hawk Parker from Parker Industries, and I am sure you know we are one of the largest investors in this hotel. I’m here to see how things are coming along, and would like to have a glance at the accounts too, if possible.” Hawk bit his lower lip. He hated this part of business, and he could see by the look on her face that she had no intention of being cooperative.

“I can page you through and let them know you’re here, but I can’t guarantee they are going to make any time to see you,” she said as she gave him another look over the rim of her glasses. Hawk forced a smile and patted the notebook in his hand.

“I can assure you that they will be more than happy to accommodate me,” he said, but she just shrugged. Hawk looked away to keep himself from saying something he would regret. At that moment, the door to the office opened and five men came walking out.

“Hawk Parker! Gentlemen! I told you he was in town!” Gordon smiled as he held out his hand, and Hawk shook it.

“I’m glad I caught you. I was hoping to get a chance to look over the accounts,” Hawk said, getting right to the point. Gordon laughed as he pointed at him, shaking his finger and looking at the other gentleman who were present.

“You see? I told you he is a businessman! Always wanting to get right down to the point! Well, let me tell you, Mr. Parker, we are going to be more than happy to show you all the accounts. But first, lunch!” He put his hand on Hawk’s back, turning him toward the door. Hawk stood his ground, not allowing himself to be led.

“I understand this should just take a few minutes,” Hawk said as he glanced toward the office. Gordon laughed once more. Hawk was beginning to notice that it was something the man did when he was feeling frustrated with the situation. The other men glanced at each other and back to Gordon and Hawk again, waiting to see what was going to happen next.

“You’re right, it’s not going to take long. But you’re going to soon realize, if you don’t take a break, you won’t get a break. I’ll tell you what! Are you hungry? Why don’t you come along with us? We were going to go to one of our favorite joints, and I think you would really enjoy yourself.” He slapped Hawk on the back, and though Hawk tried to decline, Gordon wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“I thought you were the reckless Parker brother? Seems to me that you are pretty well whipped,” Gordon said with another laugh. Hawk clenched his fists at his side. He wanted to punch the man, but knew that would be a huge mistake.

“Whipped? No, I just am here for a reason, and I intend to see my business through,” he said.

“Well, that business can wait until after lunch.” Gordon replied. Hawk sighed. He could see he was getting nowhere with this man, and knew the only way he was going to get what he wanted would be to do what Gordon wanted. He finally gave in, and the group headed out the door.