Model Soldier (21 page)

“Yeah, whatever.” Emily’s mind was already on Hawk. “I have to email him. But I haven’t heard from him in two weeks. What if he’s mad at me? It’s been so long, he wrote to me and I just ignored him. If only I could see him. If he was back in Germany maybe I could fly there, but Afghanistan…”

Emily had forgotten Mel was even there until he spoke again. “Didn’t you know, love? He’s here.”

“What do you mean he’s here? Is that some sort of slang again?”

“No. I mean he’s here in the States. Emergency leave. His told me his sister was in the hospital for emergency surgery and there were complications. He got sent home to be with her since she’s his only living relative.”

Emily frowned. “How do you know this?”

“He flew home through Bagram. I saw him there when he was waiting for a flight out.”

Emily glanced around frantically. “I need to get on my computer. I have to look up his sister and get an address or a phone number. I have to find out where she lives. Shit, what if she’s married and has a different last name? I’ll never find her.” Even if she wasn’t, how many Hawkins were there in the United States?

Emily’s head was spinning. “Wait. I know. Katie. I’ll call Katie. Maybe she can use her military connections. But she just had the baby and it’s still early. I don’t want to wake her up.”

Mel held up a hand. “Why don’t you let me see what I can do?”

Shaking and desperate by now, Emily nodded, willing to try anything.

Mel whipped out a cell phone that looked nearly as big and complicated as her laptop and punched a few buttons. He rose and walked closer to the door to speak and, curious, Emily had to fight the urge to follow him and listen in.

When a few minutes later she saw him take out a small notepad and pen, she nearly jumped from her seat.

Finally, Mel came back to her desk wearing a grin and holding a piece of paper out for her.

“Is that…?

“His sister’s address and phone number.”

“How did you get it?”

“Connections, love.”

Finally, Emily got up the nerve and grabbed the paper he held out for her.

“Pennsylvania?” she read.

Hawk was in Pennsylvania. So close. Only one state away. “But what if he’s not still there?”

Mel shrugged. “I saw him a little under two weeks ago. They wouldn’t send him back so soon. Not counting travel time, which can take days each way, they give the blokes at least two weeks at home for emergency leave.”

Emily’s hopes surged. “But wait. What if his sister died? I can’t bust into her home looking for him while he’s grieving. Can I? Then again, maybe he needs me now, if she did…”

“Emmie. Dial the bloody number or I’ll do it for you.”

Glancing at Mel, she predicted he would do exactly that. She took out her cell phone and dialed the number with shaking hands.

“Hello,” a female voice answered the phone.

“Um, yeah, hi. I hate to bother you. I was actually looking for David Hawkins. I was told he might be there.”

“Can I ask who’s calling?”

“Um, it’s Emily Price. I work with him, not in the Army, but he did a job for my company…”

“Of course, Emily. He mentioned you, and I have to say, it’s a pleasure to meet you, even if it is only on the phone. You are the first woman in thirty years that I’ve ever seen throw my brother off balance. He would never admit that to me, but it was obvious. The man is a goner over you.”

Emily swallowed hard. “Me? Are you sure?”

She heard a laugh through the phone. “Yeah, pretty sure. But I’m sorry to tell you, David’s gone already.”

Her heart fell. “He is?”

“Yeah. I’ve got a girlfriend staying with me to help while I recover from the surgery and he has to get back in a few days.”

“Oh, um. Okay. Thanks. And I hope you feel better.”

“Emily, wait. He doesn’t own a cell phone but he checks in with me a few times a day with his calling card. Give me your number and I’ll pass it along to him.”

But what if he was too mad at her to call? Emily had to take a shot. “Okay. Here’s my work number and I’ll give you my home, too.”

Not having a cell phone never bothered Hawk while he was in Afghanistan, or even in Germany. But while in New York City trying to find Emily and having to check in with his sister often, it really sucked.

He had pretty much memorized his phone card number and was very familiar with every disgusting pay phone in the city. And now, leaning against the tiny metal shelf, pen and scrap of paper in hand, Hawk made his third phone call in the last hour. First had been to call his captain to ask him to contact Hank Miller and put Hawk in touch with Dalton.

Then the call back to his captain to get the info he’d obtained from Miller and now the call to Dalton, who had the damn nerve to question Hawk’s intentions toward Emily like he was her damn father.

Hawk took a deep breath to steady his temper. “Look, Dalton. I’ve still got more than half of my time left to serve in Afghanistan. I’m here in the States for another two days and then I’m gone again. But I can honestly say I’ll be back here as soon as Uncle Sam lets me. If Emily still wants me, that is. Actually, fuck that, even if she doesn’t, I won’t leave her alone until I change her mind.”

Dalton remained silent so Hawk continued.

“But first I need to know where to find her. I wouldn’t mind knowing how big a battle this is going to be, either. I mean, maybe she’s seeing someone else.” Shit, that could be why she hadn’t responded to any of this emails.

Hawk was about to give up on Dalton and try to find a computer to email her on when he finally broke the silence. “I don’t think I am spilling any secrets if I tell you this. She attended my wedding alone. She was invited with a date but she chose not to bring one. That was a few months ago but…”

Hawk would take anything he could get, even old information. His hopes raised, he was totally sincere when he said, “Thanks, Dalton.”

“You’re welcome. But I have to tell you one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Emily is like my sister. You hurt her and I’m going to have to do something about it.”

Hawk laughed, figuring that if they really wanted to, Pretty Boy and the Zetas could probably do all sorts of things to him and get away with it quite easily. Luckily, they seemed like a peaceable group, when not dealing with insurgents, that was.

“I hear you, Dalton. I would never willingly hurt her.” Although, somehow, someway, he’d managed to do something that had upset her and he fully intended on finding out what and fixing it.

“I believe you, and that’s the only reason I’m giving you her work address. I just hope to god my post-partum wife is okay with this or I’ll be paying the price, I’m sure.”

Dalton was intimidated by his wife?

It was strange to hear one of Zeta’s supermen talk about a wife and kids when all along Hawk had assumed they were more like robot soldiers than men. He wasn’t sure if he was comforted or disturbed by the fact they were only human.

Dalton relayed the address and that was that. Nothing else stood in Hawk’s way.

Hawk wasn’t all that familiar with Manhattan, but luckily, the streets were numbered and he had no problem finding the cross street Dalton had said Emily’s office building was located near. One quick question of a passing man in a suit and Hawk knew which direction Madison Avenue was and soon he stood in front of Emily’s workplace.

A quick elevator trip upstairs and he was walking through the door. And there stood Emily, holding an obviously newborn baby.

Holy shit.

The first thought that assaulted Hawk, that nearly took him down to his knees, was that he’d gotten Emily pregnant that first time they’d had sex. The second thought was that a baby was one piece of information Dalton could have let him know about in advance.

But wait? Had it been that long since they’d been together back in Germany? Surely it wasn’t nine months.

It must have been obvious by the look on his face that he was counting backwards because when the shock of seeing him standing in the door finally left Emily’s face, she said shyly, “Don’t worry, Hawk. Germany wasn’t nine months ago. You can relax. This is Katie and BB’s baby.”

She laughed sadly as she watched him breath a visible sigh of relief.

He itched to tell her that if and when he did have kids, he couldn’t imagine having them with anyone else besides her. Instead, he said, “Pretty little thing. She looks like her father.”

Emily smiled. “
He
looks like his father. It’s a boy.”

Hawk raised one eyebrow and mumbled, “That figures.”

Even Dalton’s kid was pretty.

Emily walked to some sort of stroller thing and gently laid the baby down, covering him with a pale blue blanket and jingling some plastic colored toys that hung in front of his face. When she returned to Hawk, she looked uncomfortable.

“So, I uh, guess your sister told you I called.”

“My sister?” He shook his head. “I haven’t spoken to my sister yet today.”

“Then how did you know where I work?”

“I tracked down Dalton and asked where to find you. I figured he owed me one.”

Before she could respond to that, two men and a redheaded female came out of a back room.

The woman arched one eyebrow in surprise when she saw him and then recovered and said, “Staff Sergeant Hawkins. A pleasure to finally meet you.” She stepped forward and extended her hand. “Katie Dalton.”

“My boss,” Emily added.

And Dalton’s wife. Well, well. Hawk didn’t realize Pretty Boy had it in him to choose an intelligent sexy businesswoman for a wife. He had pictured him more with some model-type bimbo.

“Hawk! Our Army man. Of course, I didn’t recognize you in civilian clothing,” the larger of the two men exclaimed, coming toward him.

“These are the owners of the agency. James Howard and Morris Dean,” Emily informed him.

Introductions made, Hawk’s hand was shook by both men as the thinner of the two, Morris Dean, asked, “What brings you to our neck of the woods? Or more accurately, the concrete jungle of New York?”

No use lying about it. “I came to see Emily, actually.”

Dalton’s wife looked very interested at that fact. “Em. Why don’t you take the rest of the day to show our new star around the city?”

“Good idea! In fact, take him down to Times Square and stand him in front of that billboard with his ad on it. That should raise some public interest, don’t you think?” James Howard asked his partner.

The other man bobbed his head in agreement. “Definitely. Great idea, Jim. A shame he’s not in uniform, but I’m sure the tourists will recognize him. Do you need the company limo, Emily?”

Emily looked shocked by the offer. “Um. No, thanks, I think we’ll be fine walking. It’s a nice day. I’ll just grab my coat.”

When they finally got out of the office and were alone in uncomfortable silence, for lack of what else to say, Hawk joked, “I actually might have enjoyed the limo.”

Sex in a limousine had always been a fantasy of his. But then again, that was probably putting the cart before the horse. Although Emily was acting civilly, they still had things to work out, such as why she hadn’t contacted him in months and why she’d been in touch with his sister now.

She blushed. “I’m sorry. I can call the office and have the car sent.”

“No. It’s fine. Is there someplace we can go for some privacy, though?”

He watched her throat work as she swallowed. “Um, my apartment isn’t too far. Besides that, privacy is pretty hard to find here in Manhattan.”

Her apartment. Damn, he wanted her so badly he could barely stand it. “Okay. Let’s go to your place then…if you don’t mind.”

Hawk held his breath until she said, “No. It’s fine. It’s even clean. I, um, woke up early and cleaned it before work.”

Afraid he would somehow say something to screw up the welcome but tentative truce between them, Hawk remained pretty much silent on the trip to her apartment save for some awkward small talk.

Until they got inside the door, then they both began speaking at the same time.

“Hawk. I am so sorry that I…” Emily began.

“Emily, I don’t know what the hell I did to upset you but I’m sorry…” Hawk spoke over her until he realized she was apologizing to him. “Wait. What are you sorry about?”

She took a deep breath and glanced into the living room. “Can we sit?”

They could stand on their heads for all he cared, as long as she was finally ready to discuss the two of them. Hawk just wanted to clear the air, the sooner the better. He’d been through too many days and nights of agony already.

Finally seated but not touching on the couch, Emily began awkwardly, “I made an assumption, an incorrect assumption it turns out. I should have confronted you about it right away. Instead, I acted like a child, refusing to email you, wasting all that time.”

“I don’t understand, what assumption?”

“I saw you coming out of Kerri London’s tent the morning of the bombing at Bagram. I assumed you’d…”