Chapter fifty-two
Hawk
Present
Thetiresontherented Escalade hummed, carrying us north along the highway from Duluth to Grand Rapids. Everywhere I looked, the view was the same: trees and fields, farms and lakes. I hadn’t seen a building over two stories tall since we’d boarded the plane in L.A. over five hours ago.
Turned out, when people talked about middle America, they really meant the middle of nowhere.
“You sure we’re going the right way?” I asked for what was probably the third time in the last forty-five minutes. “I don’t see anything that would resemble an actual town anywhere.”
“When was the last time you found yourself in anything that would qualify as atown?” Charlie asked with derision. “Your buses and your private planes carried you from one metropolitan center to another for two decades. You’ve become out of touch with what a small town actually is, man. Just sit back and let me drive.”
“Oh, and I suppose you are the expert on what small-town life is like, hey?”
“I visit my sister in Sandpoint, Idaho, every year. It’s just about the same size as Wren’s town. So, yeah, of the two of us, I’d say I’m the expert on small-town life.”
I huffed and crossed my arms, my foot tapping to the low music that was playing on the vehicle’s crackling radio. I hadn’t bothered to connect my phone to the Bluetooth system when we started the drive, but the farther we got from what counted as civilization, the worse the sound quality was. Finally, having had enough, I reached over and turned it off with an aggressive push and another dramatic sigh.
“It’s alright to be nervous,” Charlie said casually. Sometimes, I hated the fact that he knew me so well. “Hell,I’mnervous, and I have no skin in this game.”
“You absolutely do, though,” I countered. “Because if this all goes to hell, and my life blows up because of it, your job will get exponentially more difficult.”
“That’s true,” he agreed, nodding. “But your life has blown up before, Hawk, for a lot less significant reasons. This time, whatever happens, we’ll handle it. You know that, right?” He looked at me, his face serious, before he turned back to the road. “Me and Alex and Gavin. We will always have your back, Hawk. In everything.”
“Yeah,” was all I could say.
We continued in silence, crossing over a small bridge where the highway now ran parallel to a set of train tracks and passing a tractor dealership, of all things. Once we passed the boat dealership the surrounding area began to show more signs of life.
“Finally, something I recognize,” I laughed, pointing at a Taco Bell out my window. “I’m starving.”
“Let’s get to the rental house first. I want to check the place out before we let you out in public. Security here will be a bit of a mess, so your best bet is to be as inconspicuous as possible.” Charlie glanced over at me again, taking in my ripped jeans and black t-shirt paired with my Harley Davidson motorcycle boots. “You could at least try to fit in with the locals.”
“Oh, yeah, because that’s whatyou’redoing,” I grumbled, gesturing to his crisp dress pants and button-down shirt. “You look like you could totally be driving one of those tractors, there, Chuck.”
“Don’t call me Chuck,” he snapped at me.
“And what do you mean, rental house? You didn’t tell me we were staying in a rental house.”
“You see any five-star hotels around here?” he replied, one hand sweeping across the windshield. “You won’t find a Hilton in these parts, you spoiled brat. At least with a house, I can control the entrances and exits. No cleaning staff to worry about. No one snooping through your things. We have enough going on with this trip, we don’t need to add tip offs to the press on top of everything.”
“Fine,” I relented, turning my attention to the town flashing by. “But I get the biggest bedroom.”
“Of course, your highness,” he teased, and then punched me in the arm.
“Asshole.”
We continued through town, driving in stop and go traffic along what I suspected was main street, passing some bigger buildings and shopping centers before Charlie finally turned us off into a tidy residential neighborhood. The streets were all lined with big shade trees, the small homes situated in the middle of big lots leaving lots of space for lawns and gardens.
It looked nothing like what I had known growing up, nothing like I knew now, either. I found myself thinking about what a childhood in a town like this would be like for Wren, and then again for Cooper. I could see kids playing in the yards, riding their bikes and bouncing basketballs in their driveways. There would be no crackheads on corners, no drive-bys or gangs wandering around, causing trouble.
It was idyllic, peaceful and simple, and in that moment, I was really glad that they’d both had the opportunity. I wondered how differently my own life might have turned out if I’d grown up in a place like this.
I pondered that question while Charlie continued to drive, eventually pulling up to a small pale-yellow house with a large front porch. It was nearly indistinguishable from the neighbors, just another small-town house on a small-town street.
“Stay in the car,” Charlie said sternly once he’d turned off the engine. “I’ll meet the owner and check the place out, then come back for you.”
“I’m sure it’s fine,” I said, turning my head to glance up and down the street; there wasn’t a single other living person in sight. “I think I can outrun the mob.”
