Feather Bound

Bonus Chapter

After all, when everything happened last year, the Commission had just told him better luck next time, like her life hadn't mattered, like her blood wasn't on his hands. He was offered no professional help, nobody had even offered to let him talk to someone about everything. They told him to move on, to get over it, and act like the hero he was trained to be. They couldn't have the hot, handsome, happy-go-lucky hero sulking around like Endeavor, after all. That just wasn't his brand.

It was fucking disgusting.

But he did it. What other choice did he have?

For an entire year, he pretended like the incident was nothing. For most people, it was—the Commission had done their best to sweep it under the rug. It had been middle-of-the-paper news, something that most people hadn't even glanced at in the next day's edition. He pushed forward, smiling and laughing at events, posing for pictures, and signing autographs like nothing had fucking happened.

But it had.

Despite playing it cool on the outside, he had driven himself insane with it in his free time. He had googled her family, looked up their records—everything and anything he could find out. He needed the full story, wanted to understand.

Her mother was a school teacher, and her father had been a mechanic. He was a fucking drunk and very violent, with several former arrests and calls about domestic disputes in his file. Her mother was secretly trying to get them out, finally packing everything up and filing for custody. He had been served papers that morning, and when he finally found them, he'd snatched her before her mother could stop him. The rest was history.

He kept a copy of that paper in the bottom drawer of his desk. He looked at it every day before patrol, reminding himself that he couldn't afford to fuck up like that ever again. Nobody knew he had it, though he had a feeling that Haruki suspected. She'd come dangerously close to finding it on a few occasions now that she was back from her extended maternity leave.

Groaning, he pushed himself off the ground, flushing the toilet before starting the shower. He needed to get moving if he was going to get everything done. It took less than thirty minutes for him to shower and get himself dressed for the day. He piled the majority of his feathers onto the bed before swiftly pulling on a dark hoodie to cover what was left. He wanted to be as discreet as possible; he wasn't planning on playing the role of Hawks today. He didn't want anybody to know it was him. He reached for his phone, scrolling through the contacts before finding Haruki's number and quickly pressing the call button.

"What's up?" she asked when she answered, and he took a breath before letting out a soft sigh.

"Were you able to get money moved around like I asked?" he inquired, skipping straight to the point. He needed to get moving before the storm got any worse.

"Yeah. The account is good to go. It was set up and approved by the Commission as a charity foundation. They were thrilled by the idea, but they don't have a clue what it's for. It's got well over thirty million in it, and whatever you pull out today can be written off as a donation," she said before pausing, "But, Hawks, are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?"

"Thank you, Haruki," he replied before hanging up the phone. She was going to be pissed, but he would deal with it later. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about anything. Pulling up his hood and putting on a face mask, he left his apartment, walking down the stairs and stepping out into the cold downpour.

He didn't bother with an umbrella, the rain quickly soaking through his clothes as he made the twenty-minute walk through downtown. He entered the bank, letting out a relieved sigh when it was mostly empty. Grabbing a withdrawal slip, he quickly filled it out with the correct information before sighing at the amount. It wasn't nearly enough to make up for what they'd lost, but this check would come every year, ensuring she would never have to worry about money again.