“Like I said, she and I were closing, the last of the patrons had left, and a man came in looking for her. She was in your office, but I didn’t tell him. She must have heard him asking for her,” Joe said.
Hank rubbed his temples. His mind was racing. “Tell me what he wanted.”
“He said his name is Brad Campbell and it took some coaxing, but he finally told me that he’s her father’s attorney and had some paperwork for her. The man said it took him some time to find her.”
“Did you tell him anything?” Hank asked, looking through the open window where he guessed Helena had climbed through to escape.
“Nothing. I took his number and told him I’d give it to her. He said he would be staying in town until tomorrow and he really needed to speak to her before he left. I tried to catch her before she left but she was in a hurry. Did you check at the cabin?”
“That’s where I was when you called.” He started for the door. “Close up, Joe. I’ll talk to you later.”
Hank almost took the front door off the hinges on his way to his truck.
Reaching for his phone from the console, he tapped in a familiar number and Willow answered on the second ring. It sounded like she had been sleeping. “Willow, I’m sorry if I woke you.”
“It’s okay, Hank. What’s wrong?”
“I need some help. Call the team and tell them I need their help. I need them to meet me at the Landing in thirty minutes. Then call Sheriff Conley and tell him I’m calling in a favor. I need hm and his deputies to be looking out for Helena and Freya.”
“Are they okay?”
“I don’t know, but we don’t have time to waste.”
“I’m on it now. We’ll all be there waiting for you in thirty minutes.”
He clicked off and squealed tires as he slammed on the gas out of the parking lot and made his way to the only place the attorney could be staying in Cooper’s Hawk. Five minutes later he strolled into the B&B and spoke to the owner who didn’t hesitate in giving Hank a room number.
A grumpy-looking man opened the door, blinking as he seemed to blink the fuzziness of sleep from his eyes. “I don’t know who you are, but this better be good,” he grumbled. He was a bit intimidating with a scowling expression, balding head and almost as tall as the ceiling, but Hank wasn’t worried. He’d almost chewed a hole in the side of his cheek on the way there.
“I’m Hank Hawke, owner of Pelican Hawke Bar and Grill. I heard you came by to see an employee of mine.” Hank wasn’t sure how much to reveal but he was certain by the time he left the room he’d know what in the hell the attorney had to speak to Helena about.
“Listen, why don’t we have this conversation first thing in the morning. It’s late and I’m tired.” He started to close the door, but hank blocked it with his boot.
“That can’t happen.”
The man frowned. “I’d threaten to call the Sheriff but I’m guessing that wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference in a small town like this. Damn.” He swung open the door and stepped over to turn on the lamp. The room flooded with light and Hank saw that the man’s suitcase sat on the chair. “Here, take this.” The man handed Hank a business card.
“You’re Campbell?” Hank stuck the card in his back pocket.
“That’s me. Just so we’re clear, I’m obligated under client privilege not to give you any personal information.”
Hank swiped off his hat and dropped it on the desk then leaned on the edge, crossing his arms over is chest. “Let’s get something straight. The second you entered Cooper’s Hawke most of those rules no longer apply. If you come snooping around, you’re going to have to answer some questions.”
The man dropped onto the bed and pulled at the collar of his blue silk pajamas. “Maybe if you could call Helena and have her come here; we can settle this quickly.”
Hank held his cards close. “Helena sent me.”
The man burst into laughter. “Yeah, sure she did.” He stood and stepped over, taking a bottle of whiskey from his suitcase. “Care for some?” He poured a small paper cup half full.
“No. I’ll pass.”
Brad skimmed his gaze to Hank’s wounded hand then back up. “Which branch?”
“Army. Explosive Ordinance Specialist.”
“Small world. I served in the Rangers for twenty years until I was injured. Those days seem like only yesterday.” Brad lifted his shirt and pointed to the dark circular gunshot would scar on his stomach. “Damn near bled to death on enemy soil. I swore if I made it through, I’d go to law school like I should have when I graduated high school.” He emptied his cup. “You sure about the drink?”
“Very sure.”
“Okay.” He poured himself another then recapped the bottle and dropped it back in the zipper pocket of the suitcase. This time he took the cup with him over to the bed where he sat down, his large body dipping the popping springs. “Look, I know the story with Helena, at least as much as Remington wanted to tell me. I respect the fact that she has a man that wants to protect her, but I’m bound by client confidentiality.”
Hank scratched his temple. “Helena’s not just an employee. She’s the woman I plan to marry.”
Brad gave a casual indifferent shrug. “Figured as much. That’s none of my business.”
“But it is my business why you’re here. You said her father told you some of the details then you know Helena is protecting herself and her daughter.”
He blew out a breath. “Her dad hired me a month ago. I don’t know if she’s told you—”
“He’s in prison,” Hank said.
Brad nodded. “Yeah, and he’s going to be there for a while. Feds took most of his assets, but they didn’t touch her mother’s. I’m here to settle that account.”
“How will she know that you’re not here for a man by the name of Craven?” Hank felt the clock ticking. He needed to get information and find Helena.
With a tight chuckle, Brad shook his head. “I guess you don’t know really, but I can tell you prisoners who are up for murder charges aren’t worried about finding their missing brides.”
“He’s in prison?”
“Fresh off the press.” He placed his cup on the nightstand and got up, going back to his suitcase and retrieving an envelope from the pocket. “Apparently, Helena needs proof that she’s safe. Give her this.”
“What is it?” Hank looked down at the business size envelope skeptically.
“A letter from her dad. It’ll explain some but eventually she’ll need to speak to me. Now, do you think I could get back to my beauty sleep?”
Realizing that he’d gotten about a much information as Brad was willing to share, Hank pushed off the desk and started for the door, but before closing it he told the man, “The diner serves a great breakfast. You won’t be disappointed.”
“Thanks for the suggestion.”
Hank closed the door and took the stairs as fast as his feet would carry him.
On his drive to the Landing he felt the weight of what was happening. Helena apparently had seen the man at Pelican and got scared and took off. He’d called Mindy and she said that Freya was picked up right after Helena had left.
Parking sideways at the Landing, he stormed inside.
“They’re all waiting for you in the conference room, Hank.” Willow told him from where she sat at the receptionist desk.
“Thanks for calling them in.”
“Can I get you coffee?”
“I’m fine.”
He found the S&R unit surrounding the long table. They stopped chattering when they saw him. Creed stepped forward. “What’s going on, Hank?”
“It’s Helena.”
“Is she okay? Is she in some trouble?” Boone asked.
“I’ll explain, but I’m afraid I can’t tell you everything. But I need your help in finding her.”
Twenty-Five
“I want to go home,” a sobbing Freya said into Helena’s chest where they sat at a corner booth in a twenty-four
-hour diner almost sixty miles away from Cooper’s Hawk.
Helena soothed her daughter. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know you loved it in Cooper’s Hawk.”
“I can’t leave. I have to go back. Tomorrow is show and tell. I have to show everyone a picture of Hank and tell them I’ll have a step-dad.”
“Freya, look at me. Please, look at me.” She finally lifted her face, and her eyes were red rimmed, and her cheeks were moist. Helena used a napkin to blot her tears up. “You know I’d never take you from a place you love unless I knew I had to. Try and eat the rest of your mac and cheese.”
“It’s not George’s. I only like his. I just want to go to sleep.” She slipped from the seat they were sharing, slid under the table and laid down on the seat on the other side.
Helena didn’t argue. Maybe some rest would help while Helena could sit in the warm restaurant and try to come up with a plan. She took a sip of her coffee then brought out the short stack of cash she’d managed to save while in Cooper’s Hawk. She counted it. Three-twenty. It wasn’t a lot but at least it was something.
“Can I top you off, sweetheart?” The waitress asked.
“Sure.” Helena held up her cup so the waitress could pour it full. “Thank you.’
“How’s the kid? She didn’t like the mac and cheese much, did she?” The woman’s hair was pulled up into a messy top knot and her make up was caking in her wrinkled skin around her eyes and mouth. Her long, chandelier earrings bobbed and glittered in the overhead light.
“It’s not the food. She’s just upset.” Helena returned the cash.
“Some sleep will do her some good. You traveling?” the waitress asked when she returned from putting the coffee pot back.
“Sort of.” Helena was tired. She knew she needed to set a plan in order and start the process but after Freya’s breakdown and Helena’s own sadness, she didn’t have the energy to pull out the worn and crumbled map inside her purse and decide where they’d go next.
“Care if I sit down a while for my break?”
“Sure.”
She pulled out the chair at the table over and took a seat. “I’m in for a long night.”
And so am I.
“I remember when my daughter was about her age. She’s twenty-five now and has a baby. I haven’t met her yet. I’m still holding out hope she’ll let me be a part of their lives.” She rubbed out her frown. “I’m sorry. Look at me, spilling all my beans to a stranger. I guess you just have that friendly face, or maybe it was the girl crying.”
“Do you mind if I ask what happened?” Helena needed a break for a moment for her own problems.
“Nancy was a bit older than your girl there when I divorced her father. I wanted to take her with me, but I didn’t have my footing, but you know, a child never forgets. You seem like a good mommy, making sure you two stay together. Did you divorce recently?”
“Oh, I’m not divorced.”
“Sorry. I guess I just assumed. That’s what I get for eavesdropping.”
“It’s okay. I’m afraid she’s upset with me right now because we have to move.” She picked up the fork and speared a piece of apple from the pie.
“I’m sure you’ve made the best decision for her. If that’s the case, then she’ll understand. A good home isn’t the house but where the heart is.”
The bell dinged above the door.
Helena darted her gaze in that direction, feeling relieved when the waitress called out to the man, “Hey, Stanley. I’ll put on fresh coffee.”
Alone with her thoughts, Helena ate her pie, feeling an overwhelming sadness.
Hearing the waitress giggle, Helena looked over to watch the woman flirt with the trucker.
A smile lifted Helena’s mouth.
She already missed Hank.
She loved him. It was true. Somewhere along the way she’d opened her heart to him.
Helena’s gaze naturally fell upon Freya. Her throat clogged and tears flowed which she quickly swiped away. This wasn’t the life for her daughter. No child should be living like this, on the run, uncertain of where they belonged.
Why had she been so quick to flee?
Because not only was she scared of Craven, but she feared losing her happiness. She was scared she would lose Hank like she had Greyson. She couldn’t bare to have anything happen to Hank.
Paying the bill and leaving a tip, Helena grabbed her purse and pulling it over her shoulder. Freya was heavy in Helena’s arms. The girl squirmed but then melted against Helena.
In the car, she made sure her daughter was snuggled in.
The quiet was as loud as a marching band.
Looking down at her phone in the console, she had ten unread messages and calls. She knew it was Hank, but she couldn’t read the texts or listen to the voice messages. Her heart was breaking and if she heard his voice, she couldn’t make the right decision for her and Freya.
Twenty-Six
Hank had walked into Pelican just as the sun was coming up. He, and the S&R team, had been out for the last few hours searching for Helena and Freya. Boone had spoken to a waitress at some diner an hour away who recognized Helena and Freya but said they’d left hours ago.
He realized he couldn’t chase Helena down. If he wanted to find her, he would, but she had to decide what she wanted. She hadn’t answered any of his calls or messages. He needed to respect her decision because in the end he couldn’t push her further away. So, he’d called the team, and stopped the search.
The bar was quiet in the early morning hours and he made his way up the stairs and stopped at the landing when he saw that his door to the apartment was open. He always kept it shut when he wasn’t there.
Stepping through the doorway, he searched through the shadows, his gaze stopping on the two figures laying on his bed. His gut twisted. He went over and sat down, staring at Helena who was peacefully sleeping. Caressing his fingers across her cheek, her eyes fluttered open and one corner of her mouth lifted.
“How long have you been here?” he asked.
She pushed up from the cocoon of the blankets and placed her feet on the floor. She cupped his cheek with her palm. “For an hour. My intention was to leave but I didn’t get far. I realized that there are towns and then there are homes, and Cooper’s Hawk is our home. With you is our home. I’m sorry that I left without saying anything, but I was scared. It’s become a habit to run.”
He dragged her into his arms and held her tightly. “I was looking for you and then I realized you couldn’t be chased. I was so worried.” He pulled back. “Come downstairs so we can talk and Freya can sleep.”
They made their way down to the bar and into his office. He moved a stack of folders off the couch and they sat down together.
“There was a man who was looking for me. He came here yesterday—”
“Brad Campbell,” he said.
“Joe told you?”
“Yes. I went to speak to Brad.”
Fear crossed her expression. “Hank, please tell me he isn’t in Cooper’s Hawk.”
He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Your dad hired him.”
She blinked. “Dad hired him. I don’t understand.”
“There’s a lot to explain so bear with me.” Hank told her what he knew then handed her the envelope. “Do you want to read this alone?”
EPILOGUE
“How did it go?” Hank asked when Helena came out of the B&B where she’d spoken with Brad Campbell.
“Thank you for coming with me. It wasn’t what I expected.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders “Where else would I be?”
“Hank, can we have a seat to talk?”
They sat down at the picnic table under a large oak tree.
“When I met Freya’s father, I needed someone who cared for me. You could call it a forbidden love. He worked for my father’s security team. There were strict rules that none of his men were to speak to me, but Greyson and I ignored those rules. I fell for his c
harm and for the first time I felt loved and wanted. But I also knew if my father found out about our relationship, I’d never see him again. All through my pregnancy I kept our affair hidden but then one of the other security team caught wind of our relationship and told Father.” She took a breath of bravery. She’d never spoken to anyone about what happened. “He sent Greyson away, but he came back for me and I left with him. I was ready to leave everything behind for our relationship. I saw a chance at a new life. But then…: she clasped her hands together, feeling like the words wouldn’t come.
“It’s okay, sweetheart.” He covered her hands with his.
“He was killed. When I found out I lost consciousness and woke up in the hospital where Freya had been delivered with an emergency C-section. For the first few weeks of Freya’s life I couldn’t look at her, hold her, cuddle her because I was so traumatized. It wasn’t that I didn’t love her or want her, but I couldn’t see anything beyond the loss of Greyson. My father had showed up, seeming concerned about us, promising if I brought Freya home everything would be okay. At that time I didn’t have the mental energy to question his motives, or his honesty. I just needed peace.”
“I’m sorry, Helena. I’m sure that was difficult to go back.”
“One day I woke up and some of the heaviness had disappeared and I knew what I needed to do. I snuck down the hallway to the nursery and Freya wasn’t there like she was supposed to be. I panicked and looked all over for her. When I couldn’t find her, I went to my father’s office and screamed at him, demanded that he tell me where my baby was. Finally, he told me he didn’t think I could care for her and that she was the bastard daughter of a traitor. I pleaded and begged him to bring her back. I agreed I’d do anything. Finally, he conceded, but not easily and not without a price. I had to promise that I wouldn’t speak Greyson’s name and I’d never go against my father again. I agreed and took up a position at his company. All in all, I was happy with Freya. She was all I needed.” She swallowed the ache in her throat. “Then last year I was introduced to Craven over dinner. I didn’t think anything about it because we always had my father’s business associates over. Yet, this was different, and I didn’t have any clue until he continued to visit, even when I was alone. I had no interest in him and I told my father that I wasn’t, but he didn’t care. I had made him a promise and I feared he’d try and take Freya away again.”
Cowboy Hank (Cooper's Hawke Landing Book 3) Page 19