In Hawke's Eyes by Tressie Lockwood

could all be a lie. She had never been attacked before or run into any trouble. In fact over the years, the only harassment had come from her husband’s family in the form of Melanie, and now Michael. The police arrested him, and she could get a restraining order on the man. They should be able to go back to their regular lives without issue.
    Stephanie dug her cell phone out and turned it on. Hawke had advised her not to use it so she wouldn’t be tracked. She waited for it to power up and then noticed the number of voicemails and text messages from her neighbor, Patsy, the woman who sometimes watched Meechi when Stephanie went out.
    Stephanie checked the first message. “Hey, Steph, honey, are you still out of town with your new boyfriend? I hope it’s going great. You deserve it. Just checking in. Call me.” She skipped to the next message. “Hey, Steph, I thought I heard a noise at your place. I’m calling the cops. I’ll keep you updated.” The next message set Stephanie’s teeth on edge, and the fear came back with a vengeance. “They trashed your place, Stephanie. Don’t come home. The police seem to think they were looking for clues to where you are. You should call the NYPD. Oh goodness, please be okay. Call me, honey. Let me know you’re all right.”
    A knock sounded at the door, and she jumped.
    “Stephanie, please, let me in.”
    She stared at the door, her fingers wrapped around her phone, squeezing so tight they ached, but she couldn’t make herself relax. Meechi stood up, and Stephanie directed her gaze to her daughter but said nothing.
    “Want me to get it, Mom?”
    “Yes… No… I…” She put a hand to her head. A migraine pounded there, making it hard to think. The doorknob rattled, and she let out a small squeak when it turned and the door opened. Hawke stood there. He must have gotten a key from Toron.
    He walked over to her and knelt down to take the cell phone from her hands. After powering it off, he set it aside. “Sienna, can you take Meechi downstairs for a little while?”
    “Sure.”
    Stephanie hadn’t realized the woman stood in the doorway.
    “No!” She clenched her hands in her lap. “I want her where I can see her, and I don’t… Frankly, I don’t trust anybody.”
    “I understand,” Sienna said, but Stephanie heard the hurt feelings in her tone.
    Hawke touched her leg, and she jerked away. He didn’t try again. “Do you want to talk about this in front of her?”
    “Well, she can stay in here, and we can talk in the hall.” She stood up, head held high and back stiff to march out the door. “Meechi, wait in this room. I’m just going to be outside the door.”
    “Okay, Mom.” Even her daughter sounded like she was at the point of tolerating Stephanie’s crazy. I’m not the nutty one here. I don’t think. I hope not.
    They walked out into the hall, and Stephanie shut the door behind her. She stood against it, folding her arms over her chest. She didn’t want to tell him but figured it was the best move, especially since she had no idea what her next step should be. “Someone broke into my apartment.”
    Her voice cracked on the last word, and she put a hand to her mouth. Moisture gathered in her eyes, but she blinked it away. Hawke came closer, and she tried warding him off, but he forced her into his arms. Stephanie clutched at his shirtfront, drawing in deep breaths.
    “My neighbor said the police believe they were looking for clues to where we went. I don’t know if we left any or not. Why are they doing this to us? Everything was fine until that idiot ran his mouth. What am I going to do? I’ve been racking my brain, but all it does is hurt more. I can’t even go to my eye appointments.”
    “Stephanie, easy, baby.” The tenderness went a long way to soothing her frayed nerves. He raised her chin. “First, I’m sorry for how I spoke to you earlier.”
    “I understand why you did it.” She closed her eyes and rested her head on his