Page 36 of Out of Reach
Once they got to their apartment and unpacked, Hawk called in a pizza order.
“Wow, I’m impressed you remembered,” Jude said when he opened the box forty minutes later and saw that Hawk had remembered he preferred pineapple and mushroom as toppings.
Hawk shrugged. “I’m sure you remember what I like on my pizza.”
“Whatdon’tyou like on your pizza?” Jude said, mouth full.
Hawk reached out to wipe a string of cheese from the corner of Jude’s lips with his thumb, then licked it off before continuing to eat his slice. “What?” he asked when he looked up to find Jude staring at him. “Do I have sauce on my face or something?”
Jude looked away. “No. It’s nothing.” Sliding off the stool, he asked, “You want a Coke?”
“Sure.”
“So, uh, when do you think you’ll be heading back?” Jude asked, coming back from the refrigerator and sliding a can toward Hawk.
“I guess they’ll want me back as soon as possible. I’m going to call Jase after I finish eating. But don’t worry—I’m sure Slade will be fine with you staying here for a few months while you get on your feet.”
Jude’s expression turned solemn. “Dex told me you think Sam’s into human trafficking.”
“It’s Slade’s opinion that Prescott traffics young people off the streets through his escort business.”
Jude looked sick. He put down the slice of pizza he’d been eating and slowly finished chewing.
“Possibly LGBTQ teens who have been kicked out by their families,” Hawk continued, grateful for the opportunity to drive home what a cruel man Jude’s ex could be. “There have been several instances across the country in the past few years where college students have disappeared, and Slade thinks there might be a link there.”
“Sam’s escort business is supposed to be a no-sex dating service,” Jude said.
“That’s how it’s advertised, but Slade’s found out it’s really hooking people up with their preferred fetishes.”
Jude looked stunned. It annoyed Hawk how much he’d believed in that asshole.
“You said you suspected Prescott was up to no good,” Hawk reminded him.
“Like distributing drugs or laundering money. I didn’t think he was kidnapping people and whoring them out,” Jude said hoarsely.
“Do you think it’s true?” Jude asked.
Hawk tried to think unbiasedly. “The biggest point against it is the fact that he never involved you in it,” he said. “Here he had a beautiful man that could have brought him a lot of money, but he never forced you into the trade. That doesn’t make sense.”
“He has feelings for me,” Jude said, standing up to clear the mess from their lunch.
“Possibly,” Hawk admitted.
“You don’t think Sam could just love me for me. He had to have wanted me for a different reason,” Jude accused.
Surprised, Hawk said, “I didn’t say that. Of course I think he could love you.”
“But not enough to resist selling me for sex,” Jude said, shoving the trash into the bin. “Because that’s all I’m good for—a nice fuck!”
“Jude, where the hell is this coming from?”
But Jude was already striding into the bedroom, leaving Hawk to wonder how that conversation had gone south so damn fast.
Finishing his drink, he stewed about it. Jude so obviously thought Hawk didn’t see him as someone to fall in love with. Hawk wasn’t so dumb that he couldn’t see that was likely because he had never properly expressed his love to Jude when they’d been together.
Because I didn’t know how I felt until he left.
“Hawk!” Jude called from the bedroom, the alarm in his voice sending Hawk running.