Page 23 of Heat Force
His eyes narrowed like he didn’t quite believe her. “Yeah, but you never told me what you were running from.”
She stiffened, gripping her mug tighter. “I’m not running,” she muttered.
“Come on.” He leaned back, his tone casual, his gaze unrelenting. “I looked you up, Alexandra Prescott.”
“Don’t call me that,” she snapped, her voice sharper than she intended.
“Why not? It’s your name, isn’t it?” He watched her, his expression unreadable.
“Anything but that.”
His eyes glimmered. “Your dad’s Senator Charles Prescott, isn’t he? Why not tell me?”
“Because it doesn’t matter,” she said quickly, her voice tight. “Out here, nobody knows what a senator is—or cares. And I don’t want anyone making assumptions about me because of him.”
“Like assuming you’re a spoiled rich girl?” he asked bluntly, though his tone lacked judgment.
“Exactly,” she bit out.
“Even though,” he continued, his voice softening, “that kind of power and influence could give you a bigger platform to do good?”
“What this place needs isn’t power,” she shot back, her frustration bubbling over. “It’s compassion. People who care more abouthelpingthan about control.” She gestured to the clearing, her voice cracking. “Power is what brings war, Hawk. It’s what caused all this.”
For a moment, he was silent, his gaze dropping to the mug in his hands. Then he nodded slowly. “Touche,” he muttered. “I guess we’re coming at this from two different angles. I’m trying to use my power for good, and you’re trying to leave yours behind. But we’re both after the same thing.”
Her shoulders relaxed slightly, his admission softening the tension between them. “Maybe,” she murmured.
He tilted his head, studying her. “So… leaving your fiancé at the altar. Was that part of leaving it all behind?”
She stared at him, stunned. “How do you?—”
“It was in the papers,” he said simply, his lips curving into a faint smile. “Soon as I Googled your name, there it was.”
“Crap,” she muttered under her breath, rubbing her temples.
He laughed softly. “You sure know how to make an impact, I’ll give you that much.”
“It wasn’t like that,” she said, scowling. “I told Charles the night before I wasn’t going through with it. He just didn’t believe me.”
“So you left,” Hawk said, his voice quieter now.
She nodded, her throat tightening. “I packed a bag, snuck out, and never looked back.”
“That can’t have been easy.”
“It wasn’t.”
He shook his head. “What did your family have to say? Your fiancée?”
“The fallout was intense,” she admitted. “My parents were frantic. My bridesmaids were panicking. Charles was already at the church. Eventually, they had to tell him I wasn’t coming.”
“How’d you know all this?” he asked.
“My mother writes to me. She never missed an opportunity to tell me what a disgrace I am, and how I embarrassed the entire family.”
Hawk gave a low whistle. “I can see why you don’t want to go home.”
“It’s not just that, I love it out here. The climate, the jungle, the people. It’s all so different, so exotic, and even though it probably won’t last, I want to make the most of every moment.”