"Gwen, where are you?"
"I just left Hawk's place."
"Ohhh…"
"Don't get the wrong idea. The city told Hawk yesterday to mow his lawn or get fined. He couldn't do it, so I went over this morning to show him how."
Driving out of Palm Community, Gwen was on the phone with Mary, who she had plans to meet for shopping that afternoon.
Mary chuckled. "Our neighborhood hires people for that. Palm Street's so upscale—don't they?"
"They do, but he wouldn't."
"Why?"
"He said, 'Save where you can, spend where you must.'"
Mary blinked in surprise. But then she thought about Hawk's school days—three sets of clothes, yelling instead of using a phone, walking everywhere—and decided that actually sounded perfectly like him.
But Hawk's frugality wasn't the real topic.
Mary brought it back on track. "So when are you coming? Should I grab us a table at Mrs. Noyer's bakery?"
"Yes, please. I'll be there in half an hour."
Gwen loved hot cocoa.
And Mrs. Noyer's bakery made the best in the whole city—or at least, Gwen thought so.
She hung up, thoughts full of that hot cocoa, and pressed the gas.
Behind her, a plain Toyota sped up too.
"She notice us?"
"No way. It's too soon, and this road's straight."
"Then why'd she speed up?"
"Doesn't matter. Stick to the plan. Once she hits the bridge and crosses into Queens, we box her in."
"Remember—the boss wants her alive. A million for her alive, half a mil if dead. Don't screw it up."
"Got it!"
"Got it!"
But those last voices came from the radio in the front seat.
They weren't one car. They were three.
Sure enough—
As Gwen's Corolla neared the Manhattan Bridge, two more Toyotas slid in from the sides.
By the time she reached the bridge, the three had formed a triangle around her.
Once off the bridge and into Queens, the car to her left swerved—"accidentally" clipping her.
Gwen gasped, braked.
That Toyota stopped too. The others sped ahead.
A middle-aged woman got out, looking apologetic.
Gwen stepped out, sighed at the dent.
The woman quickly claimed full responsibility, urging Gwen to pull over to the side while she called her insurance.
Distracted, Gwen agreed.
They stopped on a side street.
But as Gwen reached to turn off the engine—screech!
Another Toyota blocked her from behind.
Her stomach dropped.
Robbery—or kidnapping?
She slammed the locks shut, reached for her phone—
Bang!
Another car slammed in from behind.
The masked men inside stumbled out, four of them in cartoon masks, guns drawn.
But then—
Crunch.
A sleek black Audi A8 plowed into the Toyota's rear.
Its driver's door swung open. Hawk stepped out, clad in a tight black T-shirt.
The masked men froze, then cursed and pulled their triggers.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Four bullets hit Hawk—face, chest, arm.
Clink, clink.
They flattened and fell to the ground.
Hawk glanced down at them—then vanished.
In a blink, he stood before one of the gunmen. His hands seized the man's head, twisting sharply.
Crack.
The skull snapped.
Another gunman turned—
"Ah—"
Crack!
He dropped too.
The others didn't last any longer.
In three breaths, all four lay broken on the pavement.
Gwen stared, stunned.
The Toyota ahead roared, tires spinning smoke—
But it didn't move.
Hawk's hand gripped its trunk like it was nothing, fingers punched into the metal.
"Shit!"
"Go, go, go!"
The woman driver panicked, slamming the pedal.
Hawk raised a brow—then let go.
The Toyota shot forward like a rocket—
Smash!
It slammed into a wall, airbags exploding, the woman instantly knocked unconscious.
Hawk strolled to Gwen's window, tapped.
She stared at him blankly, still clutching her phone.
"Gwen? You there? I got your hot cocoa ready," Mary's voice chirped from the line.
But Gwen just gawked, images replaying in her mind—Hawk shrugging off bullets, snapping necks, holding a car still with one hand.
Hawk leaned down, smiling, and plucked the phone from her.
"Mary."
"…Hawk?"
"Gwen's busy. Pack her cocoa to go."
"What—"
He hung up, eyes twinkling as he looked at Gwen. "So, cocoa? Didn't you say you don't even like it?"
She blinked. "Hawk?"
"Mm."
He teased, "The police captain's daughter getting sloppy? Or just too distracted by cocoa?"
Her face flushed. She hurried out of the car.
"There's still one more car," she blurted.
"What?"
"There were three Toyotas. We've only seen two."
He smiled. "They ran."
She stiffened. "But—"
"Don't worry," Hawk said softly. "They can't escape."
Before she could ask what he meant, sirens wailed in the distance.
Closer.
Closer.
"WEE-OOH, WEE-OOH, WEE-OOH!"
"Bang, bang!"
"Freeze! Hands up! Now!"
"…"
(End of Chapter)
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