Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
He didn’t know where she would go, so he ended up at the salon where Darlene and Trixie still were. The other women had left for the day.
He stepped inside and saw the worry on Darlene’s face, and Trixie went completely white.
“I didn’t say anything, I swear.”
“It was Lindsey,” Darlene said. “She was determined to … talk about it.”
“Where is she?” Hawk asked.
“I don’t know. She won’t answer her cell phone, and I have no other way of contacting her.”
Hawk grabbed one of the chairs and tossed it across the room. It hit the opposite wall, smashing the mirror that was there. Trixie screamed and Darlene, with tears in her eyes, screamed at him.
“Are you fucking insane?” She moved in front of him, and he glared at her. “I get it. You’re angry, but what do you think was going to happen? Do you think Nikki was not going to find out? She’s not a club woman. She doesn’t know the way this works. She doesn’t know that the men fuck the women and unless they’re an old lady, sharing is pretty much the deal. You did this, Hawk.”
Trixie whimpered.
“Tell her,” Hawk said, staring into Darlene’s eyes, and he didn’t break contact once.
“Hawk and I never had sex,” Trixie said.
Darlene frowned and looked toward Trixie. “What?”
“He paid me to pretend we did. I’ve never had sex with him.” She shrugged.
“Now, do you have any idea where Nikki would go?” he asked.
Darlene sighed. “No, I don’t have a clue. I figured you of all people should know. I don’t.”
He stepped away from Darlene and looked at the mess he just caused. “I’ll pay for the repairs.”
“I figured.”
There was silence while Hawk tried to think. There was only one place she might be, but he had his doubts.
“She ever mention her mom to you?” Hawk asked.
“Only to tell me what she used to say and some of the stuff she used to do. That woman was not a good mother. Do you think she would have gone back there? For real?”
“It’s my only shot right now.” He moved his way to the door.
“What are you going to tell her?” Darlene asked.
“The truth.”
“And still hope to keep her a secret?”
He turned back to Darlene. “Be careful. You may have this, but I can take it all away.”
Darlene nodded. “Sure, I was just helping you, but I guess I overstepped. I’m not your friend.”
He knew he was going to have to fix this with Darlene, but for now he had something more important to fix.
Leaving the shop, he made his way toward his bike and pulled out his cell phone where a copy of the file he had drawn up on Nikki was. He had another in paper back at his office, which he printed out.
He’d not paid any attention to her mother, as she didn’t live with her.
Finding the address, he got it and knew he had to deal with this. Nikki deserved to know the truth.
Revving his bike, he brought his baby to life, and in that moment he couldn’t help but think about the way Nikki held onto him as she loved riding his bike with him. It had been a dream to ride with her, and soon he was going to do again.
Hawk was not used to this lack of control.
****
“Do you feel better, honey?” her mother asked.
Nikki stepped into the doorway of the kitchen. Her mother, Ethel, was at the kitchen counter with an odd smile on her face, stirring a spoon in a mug. It was so odd to think of her as Ethel. She didn’t think of her mother’s name. In her mind, it was just Mother, or “that woman.” She hated being called Mom, or at least she used to.
“Yeah, I’m feeling better.”
The moment she stepped inside, she’d been shocked. The house was clean, like spotlessly clean. There was no mold, no damp patches, no urine up the walls from the men. No men at all. The walls were painted a lovely white. There were a few pieces of artwork on the walls. She didn’t recognize any of them, but they made the house feel more like a home. It was lovely.
“You’re sure?” Ethel asked.
Before she talked with her mom, she’d offered to let her shower and had even shown her the old bedroom. Her mother was just full of surprises today.
Her bedroom was completely tidy. Not a speck of dust in sight, but it also had a lick of paint and looked exactly like it did when she was still here. Only, brighter from the paint job. It also smelled a lot better, as the whole house didn’t have that underlying sense of decay. The house had looked completely different.
“Yeah.” She stepped into the kitchen, and again, it was like something she had never seen before.