Savage Desires (1st in Savage Series)

Chapter Twenty-One

Hawke awoke before dawn the next morning and slipped silently out of the bed without waking Lily. He pulled on his clothes and strapped on his knives before walking out of the bedroom. His footsteps did not make a sound as he went into Jacks room and stood over the boys bed.

He clamped his hand over Jacks' mouth and Jacks eyes flew open and in the blink of an eye the barrel of his revolver was pressed into Hawke's temple. Hawke nodded approvingly and Jack rolled his eyes and sat his gun back down on the bed when he recognized him. Hawke removed his hand and Jack sat up quickly.

"What was that all about?" Jack demanded. Hawke narrowed his eyes.

"Quiet." he said. "We don't want to wake the ladies." Jack looked out the window and saw that it was still dark.

"What are you doing?" he whispered much more quietly.

"I am going to go kill Nathan. He is arriving today and I am going to be waiting at his home. I am taking Wolf with me and you are to stay here at the cabin and look out for the woman." Jack just nodded. He had known since the day he had arrived that this day was coming. There were some things that a man just could not forgive another man for and he reckoned that Nathan had crossed that line with Hawke.

"You can count on me, Hawke." he replied. Hawke nodded.

"I know I can." Without another word Hawke turned and left the room. Jack never heard a single sound to signal that Hawke had left the cabin but when he rose from his bed and looked out the window he could see the man slipping silently into the woods with Wolf right beside him.

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The smell of dead livestock hung heavy in the air around the cabin and Wolf looked around warily. Hawke walked into the cabin and Wolf stopped in the doorway and whined.

"Wolf, come." Hawke said sternly and Wolf only hesitated a second longer before walking into the cabin. Hawke walked to the kitchen table where Nathan's coffee still sat cold and forgotten in its stained ceramic cup. Hawke felt his blood boil anew as fresh anger surged through his veins at the sight of the dried black stain on the wooden floor beside the table.

An image of Lily covered in blood and half dead while she lay curled up in the bed the day Nathan had left flashed through his mind and he clenched his fists. He sat down at the table and prepared himself for the long wait.

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It was around noon when the stage finally pulled into Great Valley Nathan stepped down onto the boardwalk and stretched out his legs. He thought momentarily about going to the café in town for some lunch but it had been one long month since he had felt Lily's soft body beneath his own and he was eager to get home and have her in their bed.

He was about to walk down to the livery, where he had left his horse stabled while he had been gone when a voice called out behind him.

"Nathan." Nathan turned and saw the stage office owner Percy Jenkins motioning for him. Nathan forced a smile onto his face and walked over.

"What do you need Percy? I'm eager to get home to my wife." Percy nodded.

"I was wanting to talk to you about your wife." Nathan felt his defenses raise.

"What about her?" he asked. Percy motioned for Nathan to follow him inside and he did.

"I hate to have to be the one to tell you this but your wife is not at home" Percy said while fighting to hide his satisfied smirk. He had finally found a way to put that stupid savage Hawke in his place.

"Where is she?" Nathan demanded. He felt a moment of panic and wondered if maybe he had beaten her too hard the last time and had killed her.

"You asked for it to happen really." Percy said shuffling some papers on his desk. "I mean leaving that lawless savage to look out for her."