by Dale Mayer
“Was involved.” Hard cold clipped, Hawk wasn’t going to allow for any misconceptions here. “He was shot with a single bullet to the head.”
Gordon nodded. “I know. And…I’m sorry, but now that I know what I know, I’m not surprised.”
“Tell me.” Hawk stood and waited. What he heard was a bigger development on the bit Mia had shared. “So Gerry came back expressly to set this scenario up? To collect the stash and when the cops found it, he told his cohorts about your stockpile?”
“I think so. The men who kicked the shit out of me had a good laugh at me being set up. Then again they had a good laugh at killing my brother too.”
“Any idea what their plans are?” Gordon asked.
“Golden Gate Bridge. Water attack of some kind.” Gordon leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes. “Is Mia okay?”
“Yeah, she’s here in the hospital but she’s going to be fine.”
“The army was in to see me,” Gordon said. “I told them everything.”
“And the sheriff, did he show up?”
The snort said it all. “I haven’t seen him but apparently he was here. Didn’t bother talking to me though.”
“Maybe you weren’t awake yet?”
“I was awake. I heard the fuss in the hallway. He was doing the minimum he had to before walking away. More than happy to dump this in someone else’s hands. Might be the Feds taking it over too as these guys came from three states for this and will be heading to California for the attack.”
“Makes sense,” said Hawk in neutral tones. “Who found the cache?”
“Local man – ex-military,” Gordon said. “When his boys found it, him being who he is and all…he called in his buddies and that was that. Now it will likely be a joint operation.”
“Minus the sheriff.”
They both smiled at that. Hawk checked his watch. He was late. He’d hoped to see Mia but he was out of time.
Chapter 10
“I’m fine. I just want to go home,” Mia told the doctor earnestly. “I promise I’ll rest.”
“And how are you going to get there?” he said, writing something on the tablet. “You shouldn’t drive.”
Mia frowned, wishing her head would clear. “I don’t have my own wheels here anyway.”
“If you take a cab or get picked up, then fine.”
She brightened. “Thank you.”
The doctor walked out of the room, leaving her to put her jacket and shoes back on. She’d have some paperwork to do before she was finally released, but she was looking forward to getting home. But first, she had to see her father.
She walked into her father’s room as Hawk rushed out. She brightened. He hadn’t left without saying good-bye. Her instinctive thought. After all, she had nothing to offer him. Especially him. And especially being her. She wasn’t close to being a bombshell, and she’d heard about the SEAL life. From many sources. Enough to know it was the truth.
She’d had boyfriends, but she hadn’t had a long string of them. She preferred quality over quantity. And understood Hawk could have both in as many forms as possible.
She could never compete.
And he was…well, he was just so much.
She was such an idiot. Now if only she could get through this gracefully.
She sighed and gave him a small wave good-bye. “Thanks again for the rescue,” she said in a shamefaced voice as he came to a stop beside her. “Normally I’m the one doing the rescuing.”
“Sometimes even the toughest of us need a little help.” He patted her on the shoulder. “You stay here and heal. I’ve got to run.” He walked away backwards with a final caution, “Please stay out of trouble.”
And he was gone.
Damn it.
“Are you going to come back?” she called out. Then winced. Talk about subtle. Not. Where was that wish for a graceful good-bye, head high, classy finish? Snort.
He turned enough to see her but didn’t stop moving. “Not for awhile.”
Her face fell. Her heart sagged and her body just plain hurt.
She turned away and saw her father awake. Bursting into tears, she raced to give him a big hug.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said through her sobs.
“I’m so very glad you and Hawk were both there to help.”
“You mean Hawk. He rescued both of us,” she admitted.
“Good. Glad he did.” Her father reached up and rubbed his temple. “My head is pounding. It’s going to be days before I feel up to opening the store.”
“Are you still going to?” she asked quietly.
He raised an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Well, your brother was shot in the store, it was ransacked, the guns were stolen and your cache at home was also stolen.”
He shrugged. “It was all insured.”
She nodded but inside it bothered her. “I’m not sure I like the idea of you selling guns anymore.”
“You never did.” He pursed his lips and studied her. “Nervous now? That’s not like you.”
“Watching those men…” She shuddered. “It did make me think.”
He shook his head. “It’s not the guns. It’s the people–”
“People who use them.” She groaned. “Yeah, I know.”
“Lucky you, you’re free to leave,” he said. “What are you going to do now?”
“As you’re fine and safe here, I’m going home. I got a pass from the doctor as long as I rest.” She stood up and reached over to hug him. “Love you, Dad.”
“Love you too, Mia.” He smiled up at her. “This will be a bad memory soon.”
“I hope so.”
With a small wave, she turned and walked out. Her energy was flagging. She needed to grab a cab. Outside she realized it was late. How was it she hadn’t understood that? Just staring out at the dark night she realized she probably should have stayed for the night. But that was fear talking.
Better to go home and face it. Now, should she go to her place or to her father’s house? No, she wasn’t going back there for a while. She needed time so she wouldn’t see her father’s body lying crumpled on the ground every time she was there.
Outside the hospital, she stood at the front doors and stared across the parking lot. There were cabs waiting on the front curb. She walked over to one, but it drove away as she approached.
A truck drove between her and the next taxi. She tried to walk around it but a man hopped out. She shifted out of his way.
The man called out to her. “Excuse me.”
She spun and looked at him, “Yes.”
“I think this is for you.” He held out a package.
She frowned. “From who?”
“A guy in a black Jeep.”
Her face lit up. Hawk. “Oh,” she said hopefully and reached out to take it. “Thank you so much for delivering–”
She never saw the blow, never felt the air cut off from her lungs. Nor did the pain hit her awareness quickly. Instead it was like a slow motion movie as she watched her body fall into his waiting arms. She knew something was wrong but couldn’t seem to connect the weird grip on her neck with the numbness of her legs.
His voice, concerned and helpful, called to her. “Oh dear. Are you all right? Here, let me help you up.”
She was boosted into the back seat of the truck where she toppled forward into the foot well. Her head hit the seat cushion and bounced off to slide to the floor. She lay there, her eyes open, her brain aware, her mind no longer functioning.
The truck engine turned over.
“Is she okay?”
“Yeah, for now. We’ll have to find out who she’s talked to and take care of them as well. But for the moment, the issue is contained.”
“Can’t leave any loose ends.”
“A couple of days are all we need. Less if things go as planned.”
“Should just dump her in the river. Be done with it.”
“Have to figure out what
she knows first. Who she’s told. Can’t leave that to chance. After that, we’ll shut her up permanently.”
“Should have done it before she could talk. Damn Stan.”
“Yeah, he’s always been one for taking a little bit of a bonus for himself. But we needed the extra manpower, and he was someone we’d used before.”
“Now we’ll need a couple of new men when we hit the docks.”
“There’s lots of casual labor around there. People who don’t ask too many question.”
“Good.”
Mia lay in the back, the words rolling through her brain. She wanted to retain them but they flitted in and out. Making sense then not making any sense. Between the rest of the events of the day her brain wanted to shut down.
“Settle in, we’ve got a decent ride ahead of us,” the stranger called back to her. “You won’t be leaving this truck until we hit our destination.”
Her eyes drifted closed. Please not.
All she’d wanted to do was go home and rest. Instead she was in trouble. And she had no way of calling for help.
*
Hawk woke from his power nap after ten minutes. Perfect. With Shadow driving, they were still making good time and he was revving up ready to go.
“Glad to hear Gordon’s doing well,” Shadow said as he drove Hawk’s Jeep down the highway behind Swede’s truck. “He took a pretty good knock to his head.”
“I am too.” Hawk pulled out his phone and checked his messages. “Shit. There are several missed calls from him.” He quickly called Gordon. “Hey, sorry I missed your calls. Is everything okay?”
“No. There’s no sign of Mia. She left just after you to go home as the doctor gave her the okay, but she’s not answering her phone and I’ve had a friend check both my house and hers and there’s no sign of her. I’m calling her phone constantly but there’s no response.”
“What? Why did she leave?” He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Maybe she went to my sister’s place.”
“No, Eva’s looking for her. The last anyone can place her is here in front of the hospital. A cabbie thought she was coming toward him for a ride but a truck stopped and a guy got out. He said she appeared to be smiling and talking to him so he ignored her. When he looked up again, the truck and Mia were gone.”
Gordon’s voice dropped. “Damn it Hawk. What’s the chance those guys decided they couldn’t afford any loose strings?”
“But there are loose strings. You’re alive. I’m alive. She’s only one of many. Maybe he’s a friend of hers.” Hawk’s heart raced as his mind reached for more reasonable explanations and came up empty. “Shit.”
“I know. Where are you?”
“On the hunt.”
“Make sure you’re looking for my little girl at the same time. She’s quite likely to be the catch at the end of the day.”
Hawk glared at his phone. He’d turned the volume down low when they’d been trying to get away from the killer, and he’d forgotten to turn it back up again. He couldn’t believe he missed the calls.
Would it have helped to have known earlier? Maybe not, but at the same time he couldn’t not consider it. He’d been there at the hospital with her. Why hadn’t she said she was heading home? He’d told her to stay and heal. She could have said something then. Then again he’d also told her to stay out of trouble. Why the hell hadn’t he taken the time to drive her home?
Because he was after the terrorists and she was supposed to be safe. But he should have made sure she was safe. Not assumed she was because she was in the hospital.
And he was too damn attracted to her. It threw off his thinking. She was something. But he wasn’t what Gordon would want for his little girl. Truly, Hawk couldn’t blame him for thinking that.
Hawk had hardly led the type of life anyone would want for their daughter. So he had to stay away. She didn’t appear to be interested in him more than her best friend’s brother, but then again he hadn’t given her any opening. She was strong and enduring and he loved that. It was qualities he’d seen in his team but never looked for in a woman. Then his relationships were the opposite of that. On purpose. He wasn’t ready to settle down. She was the girl next door type. Settling down kind of girl. Mia reminded him of Tesla.
Whoa, not quite. Tesla was Mason’s girl. She had the same grit Mia had. He remembered the way Mia had taken them into the cave and shown them what she’d found. She’d been instrumental in giving them a starting point. Now look what had happened to her – again.
He’d found her and rescued her twice, but a third time. Damn. He couldn’t let those assholes hurt her. He dialed Swede and quickly gave him the update.
“Did he give a description of the truck?”
“An oversized black Ford.”
“Hmmm. As in lifted?”
“No confirmation on that,” Hawk said. “I’ll call him back and see if we can’t get a few more details.” He hung up on his buddy and called Gordon back. “Do you know if there was one man in the truck or two. Was it a lifted rig or a big rig? Did it have a canopy or anything else to identify it?”
“No idea, but I know the cabbie. I’ll call you back.”
Hawk sat in the Jeep and waited. His mind caught on the little things Mia had done for her father. Dashing in to save him instead of taking off. Refusing to leave without him from the storehouse. Making sure Hawk was okay with carrying the extra weight. Everything she’d done had been with someone else in mind. Even at the hospital she’d wanted to leave. Said she wasn’t hurt and the bed was needed for real patients. She’d been doing similar things since he’d met her.
Admirable. Made her unforgettable.
Gordon called back. “Super cab, raised, no canopy and four by. There was an off light in the left headlight. As if they lost a light and had to use whatever they could find.”
“Good to know. License plate?”
“Mudded over. In fact a lot of it was pretty muddy.”
“And they didn’t do anything that made him question them?”
“No, just called out to her.”
“Are we presuming she’d have to have known the drivers?”
“Or they had some ruse to get her attention without making her leery,” Gordon said in worried tones. “She was really tired and not thinking straight.”
“Damn. Okay. I’ll let you know if we find anything.” He ended the call and stared out the windshield blankly. His mind searched for answers.
“Nothing?” Shadow asked.
“A little bit. But we need to run the truck.”
“Good luck. Trucks dominate the roads, and I swear black has got to be the most popular color.”
“Maybe, but the highway patrol needs to be on the lookout.”
“So, who are you calling? The sheriff?”
“Mason.”
Chapter 11
The truck never stopped. The rolling of the wheels lulled her into sleep and out of sleep and back under again. She had to go to the bathroom but she kept telling her body to forget it, that kind of relief wasn’t going to happen any time soon. They’d have to stop for gas at some point unless they had a big tank in the back. From her viewpoint, she couldn’t tell.
From the front came an odd rustle then sounds of food being eaten. Thankfully she wasn’t offered anything. The way the wheels churned through the miles, in combination with her position, she’d have upchucked anything she tried to put down. Although a drink of water would be lovely.
But not going to happen.
She lay quiet. Hawk, if you can hear me, please tell Dad I love him.
She didn’t know why she was talking to Hawk, then again why not, considering it was all fantasy. She could have just as easily been calling to her father. But instead she’d chosen Hawk. Why?
Because she wanted to see him again. Wanted to be held by him again. This time with affection. He confused her. Made her feel things she’d forgotten were things she’d always hoped to have. It wasn’t the white picke
t fence dream she wanted so much as wanting that special person to be there for her. Knowing she was part of a special twosome in a world of twosomes. She wanted to wake up to the same person morning after morning and know he’d be there on the next morning too.
Foolish maybe, considering his job, but she’d rather have years with him than decades without him. And this was just stupid. Hawk didn’t even know she existed. Then again not many men did.
Not a good time to reflect on her life. A good life but not one of excitement or even half interesting events.
What a waste. Sure she’d been doing more training for her Search and Rescue work, but that was nothing to what she could do. No, she’d stayed small town so she wouldn’t be pushed out of her comfort zone. How was that working out for her now? She could do so much more in her field, but she’d resisted leaving Canford because it was safe.
Lord she was a fool. Hawk was a man of the world. He wasn’t going to want anything to do with her. She was a mouse. And he was a predator in a good way. She’d do well to run.
Except she’d love to be pounced on. The analogy made her smile. He was so much more than she was used to. She’d love to think she was up to the challenge. She’d also love to be flippant and in control right now. It would get beaten out of her soon enough.
At that her tears started.
She tried to make them stop, but her body refused to follow orders. Instead every part of her screamed from being in the same damn position for too long. The stress and pain and panic had caught up with her although she wasn’t willing to blame it on the drugs, but they’d had an effect on her too. She was a mess. She hated it.
She tried to shift her position, only she couldn’t move. Why couldn’t she move yet?
She hadn’t felt anything for a long time, but now for some reason her body just wouldn’t stop feeling. She wished it would go back to numb. It was weird but more comfortable than the screaming pain of now.
She lifted a hand and realized in shock that it moved! Not enough and not in control but whatever he’d done was wearing off.