He felt Smithie come up beside him.
“You’regonnalet me call Mitchand Slim?”Hawk asked.
“Yup,” Smithie answered.
“And you’regonnalet justice takeits course?”
“Yup.”
“Then, after it does, if it doesn’t swing Lottie’s way,you’regonnabring someone in to neutralize thiswhackjob,” Hawk guessed.
“Yup.”
Hawk stared at the empty street.
“My girlsgottabe safe, Hawk,”Smithie explained.
“I didn’t say a word.”
“Allgirls should be safe.”
He turned to the man at his side.“I got a daughter,Smithie, and I got a wife.Even if I didn’t, you’re still preaching to thechoir.”
“You won’t know,” Smithie assured him.
“I’d give you some names, you asked.But if you want tocompartmentalize, this is your thing, she’s yours to protect, it isn’t mycall.”
Smithie studied him before he noted, “Your man, he had nosay, you just wanted him to think he did.”
“He was here speaking for her.The only thing I feel badabout is that Mo was right, she should have a voice in this.And in the end,she didn’t.”
“That’s what men like us are for, Delgado,” Smithie pointedout.“Someone’sgottamake the tough decisions.Thisguy,” he tossed up a hand to indicate the house they were in, “he’s touched.Somethin’ wrong with him.But that’s not my problem.What’sin that basement is anyone’s worst nightmare.That’smy problem.Andthat cannot stand.”
Hawk nodded.
He could maybe argue, but he wouldn’t know why, since heagreed.
“I’ll lock the door when you go,” he said.
Smithie didn’t hang around.
Hawk locked the door when he left.
He dealt with the situation first through Jorge, then hecalled Slim.
Mitch was a straight arrow.
Slim had been DEA.He got shades of gray.He’d take care ofit.
Then Hawk went home and was met with the sounds ofpandemonium coming from the kitchen.This pandemonium being his wife gettingbreakfast for their three kids.
It wasn’t just the kids, though both his boys were ahandful.
Gwen was an even bigger handful, thankfully, and she got offon the chaos of family.
His youngest, Vivi, hit him in the legs before he even madethe kitchen.
Hawk looked down and put a hand to her head.
