Chapter 16 #2
“I’m not trying to hover—”
“Yeah you are.” Nash smiled. “But that’s not a bad thing, Phoenix. You’re working to show Jessie she can count on you to be there. I don’t envy you, man. Trying to navigate it all.”
He nodded, his hand coming up to rub along his eyebrows. “I actually wanted to ask you—”
His phone vibrated wildly against his thigh. “Shit. Sorry. One sec.” Hawk pulled the phone from his pocket and looked at the caller ID.
Baby Mama.
“It’s Jessie.”
Nash nodded as Hawk pressed the green button to accept her call.
“Hey, mama. I’m almost ready to head out the door. Everything okay?”
“Someone was in my room,” she whispered, the anxiety in her voice instantly raising the hair on the back of his neck. “I-I don’t know where my mom is. She should be here, but my dad is out on the ranch somewhere and I think I’m alone at the house. And my room is trashed.”
“You’re there alone right now?” Fuck.
“I’m standing in the doorway. Someone rifled through everything. My s-stuff is everywhere,” her voice hitched, and he hated that she was so upset. But he needed her to get somewhere safe until he could figure out what the hell was going on. That was his top priority.
“Jessie, go to another room and lock the door. Another bedroom. A bathroom. I’m on my way. Don’t open the fucking door until I get there.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do, Hawk.”
“Baby. Go, now. Whoever did that could still be in the house.”
Hawk needed her to snap out of the shock just long enough to make it somewhere safe. She gasped, and the next second, her scream tore through the phone. He was out the fucking office door.
“Jess?! Jessie!! Fuck!” He stopped, turning to look at Nash, who’d followed him down the hallway.
“Go. I’ll call for a deputy to head out there. And I’ve got things covered here. Fucking text me when you know what’s going on.”
Hawk didn’t answer. He just gave a nod and ran. Ran like his life depended on it. Because it did. If something happened to Jessie, if something happened to the baby…
Ten minutes later, six white gift bags with blue and pink ribbons were being tossed haphazardly around the back seat of his truck as he took a curve at a speed that was likely to get him pulled over. He’d forgotten all about them.
‘The perfect way to tell my family.’
Jessie had worked so hard on them over the last few nights, but Hawk would fix them later. Nothing was stopping him until he got to Jessie. That fucking scream was going to haunt him for the rest of his life.
Hawk swallowed down the panic. What was the first thing he told any special ops guys who trained at The Trident? Emotions would get them killed. Jessie was going to be okay. She had to be.
Fuck! Hawk slammed his hand down on the steering wheel as his foot pressed harder on the gas. If he hadn’t been thrilled that Jessie was staying most nights at the ranch instead of his apartment with him before, he was fucking irate after hearing the fear dripping in her voice.
He should have been with her.
Christ, he was never leaving her on her own again.
His hands gripped the steering wheel as his heart clenched in his chest. Pressing the gas pedal down to the floor, he whipped down the drive to the ranch, registering two men walking from the barn towards the house as he pulled up in front of it.
“Hawk?” Colt ran in front of him. “What the hell are you doing driving up here like that?”
“Jessie. Someone was in the house. Destroyed her room…”
He heard the panic in his own voice, and he knew her brothers would too. Hawk let Colt and Beau run after him. All he cared about was getting to her. If something happened to her or the baby, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself.
“Jessie?” Hawk yelled the second he stepped inside the house. She didn’t respond. Spinning around, he found Colt standing right behind him. “Where the fuck is her room?”
“Upstairs. Follow—”
Hawk didn’t let him finish. He was already running the steps two at a time. Turning down the hallway, his ears picked up on an all-too familiar sound.
She was getting sick.
He pushed into her room. Fuck, she hadn’t been exaggerating.
He didn’t stop to take inventory, but he’d be surprised if a single thing in that room had been left untouched.
It didn’t matter in the long run. There were only two things that were irreplaceable to him, and they were both on the other side of the bathroom door.
“Jess, I’m coming in.”
His eyes found her immediately, crouched down with her elbows resting on the toilet seat while her head rested in her hands.
She groaned, her eyelids fluttering but still staying shut.
“Nah, Pretty Girl, that won’t do. I need you to open your eyes. I need you to tell me to quit being such a pushy worrywart.”
His heartbeat pounded in his ears as he rubbed his thumb over her cheek, sweeping her disheveled hair back over her forehead with his other hand.
“Jessie, please,” he begged. It was taking all his strength not to scoop her up and run out of the house with her to find help. She fucking needed help.
“I’m fine.” Her eyes slowly opened, her pupils wide, but focusing on him as she came around.
Thank you, God.
“What happened?”
“He was still in the bathroom. Must have heard me talking on the phone and decided to make a run for it. I threw my phone at him. A very satisfying thunk was heard as he climbed out the window, but I think my phone is probably broken. ”
“I’ll get you a new one if it is,” Hawk scoffed. “God, I was worried when you screamed. Took at least a decade off my life, Pretty Girl. You should have run to hide.”
“I couldn’t move. My body froze. Throwing the phone was the last thing I could do to slow him down and try to get any defining details about him.” She groaned, her head dropping into her hands. “God. Everything’s spinning.”
“Okay, try not to move. We’ll get you sorted out.”
“The ba—”
“Your brothers are here, Jessie.” He hated cutting her off, but knew she’d be so upset to not have the chance to tell everyone the way she wanted.
“It’s the smell of him… I’m going to be sick again,” she whispered as sweat dotted her brow.
Hawk scooped her hair up and rubbed her back as another spasm rocked through her.
“Fuck.” Colt already had his phone out. “I’m calling 9-1-1, Jess.”
“They need to know, sweetheart.” Hawk ran his hand over her back. “Did anything happen to Bumblebee?”
“What the fuck is Bumblebee?” Beau asked, his eyes going wide as he watched Jessie get sick again.
“Our baby,” Hawk said, not missing the way Beau’s eyes went wide and Colt went stiff as a board.
“Fucking hell,” Beau groaned before turning back into her room.
Colt stepped back after a minute, phone still pressed to his ear. “Jessie, the operator wants to know if you need an ambulance.”
“Of course she does—”
“Don’t you dare,” she groaned, holding her hand out at Hawk.
He got the message, and handed her the box of tissues that rested on the back of the toilet.
She cleaned her face before leaning into his chest. “It’s just the smell of the guy who was in here.
I’m good now. Have them send out a deputy.
I don’t want to forget any details about what happened.
” Jessie moved so her face was buried in Hawk’s shirt, taking a deep breath.
Yup, that settled it. He was going to wrap her up in his arms and never let go.
“You okay now?” Hawk whispered as he tucked her head under his chin.
“Yeah. You smell so good. It’s helping. Even the baby agrees.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s wiggling around in there. The bubbles are back.”
He shifted her weight across his lap and she sat back against his chest, knowing what he was looking for. Hawk’s hand landed on her belly, and Jessie placed her hand on top, guiding his low towards her left hip where she must have felt the baby. His fingers pressed gently against her skin.
“Do you feel it?” she whispered.
Fuck. He wished he did.