And Hawk had thought he was past that bitterness…right up until Gabe gave him shit about Kit.

Gabe still looked worried. “But—”

“No, bro. I overreacted.” Hawk held out his hand in the sarge’s way of indicating: fight over, move on.

Gabe studied him for a minute, nodded, and they shook hands.

Hawk started to stand.

“One more thing.”

Jesus fuck.

Gabe rubbed his chin, examined the blood on his fingers. “You got me a good one, asshole,” he said mildly. “About Kit…”

Hawk considered punching him again. A lot harder.

“I think there’s a”—Gabe grimaced—“Audrey’d call it a miscommunication.” He paused as if trying to be diplomatic.

Not one of Gabe’s skills. Hawk’s either. “Spit it out, for fuck’s sake.”

“She thinks you left because she made a pass at you, and you were disgusted. That you see her as dirty. As used goods.”

The words hung in the air, not making any sense. Hawk tried to pick them apart, phrase by phrase. Made a pass at him? He’d thought that at first, and that’s why he pulled her closer, only she’d…

Abandoning that memory, he went on to the next phrase. Kit thought Hawk had been disgusted? What could he possibly be disgusted about?

Next phrase. See her as dirty. As… “Used goods. What the hell?”

“Ahhh.” Gabe glanced at Hawk’s fists and held up a staying hand. “Law enforcement—we get training on dealing with sexual assault. In our screwed-up society, a woman who’s been raped often blames herself. Feels dirty. Used.”

Dirty. Used. Because some fucking bastard attacked her? She thought Hawk saw her that way?

He rose. “We done?”

“Yeah.” Gabe palpated his ribs, and a corner of his mouth tilted up. “You hit harder than you used to. I’m going to curse you when I get out of bed in the morning.”

“Same.” Hawk headed down the stairs, hesitated, turned. “Thanks. For the intel.”

Without it, he’d never know about this…miscommunication. Bullshit word. This was a total goatfuck.

Realizing he was still bloody, he headed to his own house.

Shower first, then he and Kit would have a chat. And there’d be no fucking miscommunication.

In the bathroom in Mako’s upstairs apartment, Kit sat beside Aric as he splashed and played in the tub.

Determinedly, she pushed Hawk out of her thoughts to focus on the here and now.

It wasn’t easy, especially since, when she’d been in the kitchen doing dishes, her son had disappeared to check on Hawk again. Aric had returned just as she’d realized he wasn’t in the living room where she’d left him.

He knew he wasn’t supposed to leave the house without her. But she couldn’t scold him very hard; not today when his hero had returned.