He saw himself wading in and finding a way to guide her out of her father’s life, no matter what fucked-up reason she was still in it, so he could help her find a road to healing.

And he saw himself finding ways to make her laugh and finding others to give her a life that, the next time she pulled a mold from set concrete, seeing what she wrought might bring joy, not cut you to the quick.

That’s what he saw.

And if once, just once, she gave him a shot to kiss her like he meant it, she might see it too.

“Me either, I barely see her with Axl,” Auggie stated, taking Axl from his thoughts. “She needs an accountant or something. Boring and no drama.”

“And I’m drama?” Axl asked.

“Brother, her father’s a top-of-the-heap dick, when I thought yours was. But Don Yates beats out even Sylas Pantera, something that was impossible, until Hattie. So she still deals with Yates’s ass, but this goes the way you want it to, she’s gotta meet your dad, and if you think Sylas won’t bring the drama, you need to wake up. Because I believe in you and I saw Hattie dance that dance. So you’re gonna win that battle, eventually. But with those two in the mix, that’s not even close to winning the war.”

“Way to be a ray of sunshine, Aug,” Boone clipped.

“We’re all thinking it,” Auggie clipped back.

Yeah.

Axl could definitely say that Hattie meeting his dad had crossed his mind more than once.

First, she was a stripper, or had been, Sylas Pantera would look down on that, and it depended on his mood how, or more accurately, when he shared that with her.

Second, Sylas Pantera could find a mood where he felt even a stripper he looked down on was too good for his boy, and he’d find the time to share that too.

Axl sighed.

Then he suggested, “Maybe we should get some work done?”

It would seem they’d have no choice, because the men barely made their various gestures of agreement before the door opened and Hawk walked in.

None of them moved when they saw the look on his face.

He stopped at the bottom level of workstations and shared what he had to share from there.

“Got a call from Mamá.”

“Mamá” would be Mamá Nana. A woman who traded in information. She did it successfully. It did not make her rich, because she was Robin Hood to her community. It did make her respected, in a variety of ways, and not just that she was Robin Hood to her community.

She was an ally of Hawk’s.

And of Cisco’s.

“She wants a meet. Tomorrow,” Hawk went on.

“I thought Boone was Cisco’s handler,” Auggie noted.

“This meet won’t be with Cisco, though Mamá wants him there,” Hawk shared. “It’s gonna be with Lynn Crowley.”

All five of the men immediately went wired.