“Sorry.”
“Everything okay?”
Sienna placed the milk in the refrigerator.
“Someone collapsed at the gas station.”
Mrs. Palmer turned.
“What?”
“A biker.”
“You helped?”
“Just called the ambulance.”
But that wasn't entirely true.
She had stayed.
And for some reason, that felt different.
Later, after changing out of her wet clothes and checking on Maya, Sienna opened her wallet.
The Crown & Wings card sat between Maya's library card and an expired grocery coupon.
She turned it over.
Written in black ink were two words:
Hawk — personal
Below them was another phone number.
Sienna stared at it.
The clock read 1:04 a.m.
She should have gone to sleep.
Instead, she dialed.
The phone rang once.
Twice.
Then someone answered.
“Where is he?”
Sienna pulled the phone away from her ear.
“What?”
“Hawk. Who is this?”
“This is Sienna. I helped him tonight.”
Silence.
Then the man's voice changed.
“What hospital?”
“I don't know. The ambulance took him.”
Another pause.
“Where did this happen?”
Sienna explained.
The man listened without interrupting.
Finally, he said, “Don't go anywhere tomorrow.”
Sienna frowned.
“What?”
“Just trust me.”
The call ended.
Sienna stared at the phone.
She had just trusted a stranger who answered a mysterious number in the middle of the night.
For the first time, she wondered if the clerk had been right.
Maybe the card was trouble.
Maybe Hawk was trouble.
Maybe she had brought something dangerous into her life simply because she couldn't walk away from a man lying in the rain.
Sienna locked the door twice before going to bed.
But sleep didn't come easily.
The Men Who Came Looking
At 8:17 the following morning, someone knocked on Sienna's apartment door.
Three times.
Slowly.
Mrs. Palmer was in the hallway when Sienna looked through the peephole.
Then Sienna froze.
Three motorcycles stood outside the building.
Three men in leather vests stood beneath them.
Mrs. Palmer whispered, “Should I call the police?”
Sienna swallowed.
“Maybe.”
The knock came again.
Sienna opened the door only a few inches.
The largest man looked at her.
He had a shaved head, a scar across one cheek, and the same crown-and-wings symbol on his vest.
“You Sienna Miller?”
Her heart pounded.
“Yes.”
He looked past her.
Then back at her.
“Hawk says hello.”
Sienna didn't know what to say.
Another man stepped forward.
“He's alive.”
The breath she hadn't realized she was holding escaped.
“Is he okay?”
The first man studied her.
“You care?”
Sienna frowned.
“Of course I care.”
Something in his expression changed.
He nodded.
“He had a heart attack.”
Sienna gripped the edge of the door.
“Is he going to be all right?”
“They caught it early.”
She closed her eyes.
Relief washed through her.
The second man spoke.
“Hawk wants to see you when he gets out.”
Sienna looked at the three bikers.
“No.”
They stared at her.
She almost smiled at their surprise.
“No?”
“I have a job. I have a daughter. I don't have time to visit strange men in hospitals.”
The scarred man stared at her.
Then, unexpectedly, he laughed.
For several seconds, the other two said nothing.
Then one of them laughed too.
The first man extended his hand.
“Name's Marcus.”
Sienna shook it.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Hawk doesn't have many people who say no to him.”
“Maybe he should.”
Marcus grinned.
“I'm beginning to understand why he likes you.”
“I don't think Hawk knows me.”
Marcus's smile disappeared.
“He knows enough.”
Before leaving, he handed her a small envelope.
Sienna didn't take it.
“What is this?”
“A gift.”
“No.”
Marcus sighed.
“Look, this is going to be easier if you take it.”
“I didn't help him for money.”
“We know.”
“Then why are you giving it to me?”
Marcus looked toward Maya's bedroom.