Retribution (The Protectors 3)

“Tate, I’m sorry, Hawke shouldn’t have threatened you.”

I wasn’t sure if I managed to respond in any kind of way because I was still reeling from what Hawke had said. Not only had Buck and Denny murdered Hawke’s wife, they’d stolen the life of his unborn son too. I felt my stomach rolling and I briefly wondered if I would have to ask Ronan where the nearest bathroom was.

“I know Hawke, Tate. It was an empty threat. He never would have gone through with it. But if it makes you feel better, I can make the DNA test and results go away,” Ronan said.

I had no idea how the man could manage something like that and I realized it didn’t really matter. Like with Hawke, I was completely out of my element. “No, he and I…we have a deal. I need to keep up my end.”

“What kind of deal?” Ronan asked.

But instead of answering Ronan, I shook my head and kept my mouth shut, though I had no idea why. I didn’t owe Hawke anything.

“He offered you something, didn’t he?”

“I should get back to Matty,” I whispered, but Ronan gently grabbed my arm before I could get away from him.

“You and Matty are safe now, Tate. Money, protection, support…you have all those things here.”

I looked up at him at that. “Why? You don’t know me.”

Ronan released my arm. “Seth and I both know you. We were you.”

I didn’t know what to make of the cryptic statement and truth be told, I was still too caught up in everything that had happened in the last few days - hell, within the last few hours - to actually want to try and understand it. “I should get that release form done,” I said quietly.

“Sure, my laptop’s in the kitchen.” I followed Ronan out of the hallway, but my thoughts were still on Hawke and I wondered what the hell I was supposed to do next.

* * *

My limbs felt heavy and sluggish as the barista handed me my coffee. The small coffee stand near the entrance of the hospital had been a blessing in disguise because I couldn’t stomach the sludge they served in the cafeteria. I was on my second visit of the day, my first being when I’d left the hospital to go back to the hotel to shower and change and try to grab a few hours of sleep.

It had only been ten days since Matty had been admitted, but it felt like a lifetime. The day after arriving at Seth and Ronan’s house, I’d taken Matty to the children’s hospital in Seattle. I’d expected to make the journey by myself and had been trying to get up the nerve to ask Ronan and Seth if they had a car I could borrow, when Seth had knocked on the bedroom door of the room Matty and I were sharing and had asked if he and Ronan could come with me. I’d barely managed to hold it together at that point because I hadn’t been at all prepared to try to deal with understanding all the information the doctors would be throwing at me to explain the treatment plan for the next six months.

Ronan had driven us to the hospital and he’d kept Matty entertained on the ferry to the mainland while I’d had a chance to talk to Seth. I hadn’t seen Hawke since the day before when he’d stormed out of the gym. On the one hand, I’d been relieved because I wasn’t sure when Hawke was going to insist that I keep up my end of the deal. On the other hand, I’d missed the distant, brooding man, though I had no idea why.

The visit with Matty’s new oncologist had gone well and Ronan had stayed with me to ask the questions I hadn’t thought of while Seth kept Matty busy by playing with him in the waiting area. The doctor hadn’t tried to gloss over the seriousness of Matty’s illness, but he’d been very optimistic that Matty would respond to treatment, especially since we’d caught the disease so early. After the appointment, Ronan and Seth had suggested we go down to the waterfront for lunch. Matty had had a chance to play the various arcade games that were housed in the same building as the restaurant and then we’d explored the aquarium. The fun had continued once we’d returned to the house on Whidbey Island and by the time we’d sat down to a dinner of hamburgers and hot dogs on the patio, Matty had barely been able to keep his eyes open. I’d put him to bed shortly after that and had used the quiet time to explain to Matty that he was sick and would need to spend some time in the hospital. I wasn’t sure how much Matty had really understood, but it hadn’t mattered because just before he’d drifted off to sleep, he’d murmured something about superheroes always getting better even when they got hurt.