by Bree Younger
“And once you find her. Then what?”
Claire answered, her voice firm and hard, “Then we go in and get my baby sister away from those bastards who have her.”
Hawk smiled. “Exactly.”
“Won’t that be dangerous?” Gia wanted to know. “Both for you and for her?”
“We’ll do everything we can to minimize any risk. I’m going to bring several of my men in, and Quinn’s offered some of his guys as well. We’ll come up with an extraction plan that will put everyone in the least amount of danger.”
He saw that Claire was looking worried. She said, “I didn’t think about the fact that this might put Cassidy in danger. Or you. Or anyone else. Maybe we should think of something else, Hawk. Maybe he would be willing to sell her to us. We could pretend we wanted to buy a bloodslave.”
Hawk shook his head. “Claire, trust me on this. This is what I do. My men are well trained. We won’t let you or Cass get hurt. I swear it.”
He held her gaze as she seemed to search his eyes for the truth of what he was saying. Finally she nodded. “Okay, Hawk. We’ll do it your way.”
He smiled. “Good. Now, while we’re waiting for Kirby to get back to me, I need to talk to some of my people. Is there somewhere I can go to be out of your way while I do that?”
Gia pursed her lips. “Why don’t you just stay in here while Claire and I head to the kitchen. I could use a cup of coffee myself.”
Claire stood. “Yes. That sounds like a plan.” She turned to Hawk. “Let me know as soon as you hear anything. Okay?”
“Sure. Gia, is it okay if I use your computer? I have mine out in the SUV if it’s a problem.” Hawk stepped over to the desk.
Gia shrugged. “Go right ahead. Just sign in as a guest.”
“Thanks.” He waited until the two women had left the room and closed the door before he took out his cell phone and began making calls. It didn’t take him very long to contact Cade and instruct him to round up as many of his men as were available to head toward Memphis in the next twenty-four hours. He told him to come loaded with maximum firepower and all the usual equipment needed for a raid on a secure building. Once Cade had agreed to take care of everything, he advised him that he’d call back in an hour or so to check and see what he’d managed to accomplish.
Next he called Quinn to explain to him what was going on.
Quinn was worried. “Are you sure this is the best plan, Hawk? There are so many things that could go wrong.”
“I’ll tell you like I told Claire, this is what I do. In my opinion, our best chance of getting Cassidy out of there safe is to go in and snatch her before anyone suspects we’re there. If we try to negotiate, it will just give them time to bolster their defenses.”
“You’re right. You’re right. I don’t know why I’m trying to tell you how to do your job. But what’s this I hear about somebody looking for Claire?”
“I guess Nic told you, huh?”
“Of course.”
“We’re not really sure, but my best guess is that either Simone has found out about her and has sent some goons to get her or the morons who turned her have decided to cover their tracks.”
“That’s not good.”
“No, but at least we’re prepared. They won’t catch us off guard.”
“All right. Do you need any of my people to help with this raid?”
“I’m not sure. I need to find out how many of my own men I can pull in. Can I get back to you?”
“Absolutely. Or if you can’t get me, call Nic. I’ll instruct her to cooperate with you in any way.”
“Thanks, Quinn. I appreciate it.”
“Don’t thank me. You’re doing me the favor, remember?”
“Ah…I’m not exactly sure I’d agree with that statement, Quinn.”
“Why not?” There was a brief pause. “Oh, hell. Don’t tell me you’re involved with her?”
“Okay. I won’t tell you.”
Quinn laughed. “I don’t believe it. The distant and remote Hawk, brought low by a pair of blue eyes.”
“Huh. How’d you know her eyes were blue?” He couldn’t stop the question, and he knew what it probably revealed to his friend.
“I saw her, Hawk. Remember?”
“Shit.”
“Just how serious are you about this woman, Hawk?”
Hawk just sat there, the silence on the line growing until Quinn growled. “Fuck. You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”
“What?” Hawk felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hadn’t thought through his feelings for Claire yet and was not ready to delve deeply into what was going on between them. “No. Of course not.”
“Right.” Hawk could hear the skepticism in Quinn’s voice, but he decided he should just keep his mouth shut.
“Look, Quinn, I’ve got to go.”
“All right, man. You be careful. With everything. You hear?”
“I got you. Later.”
“Bye.”
Hawk hung up the phone and stood there thinking for a minute. Then he shook off his conversation and moved over to sit in front of the computer. He pulled up his e-mail account and saw one from Kirby. “Attagirl.” He opened the message. It was a fairly long list. Apparently the neighborhood was larger than he’d thought. He clicked print and waited for the pages to print out. Then he exited out of his email account and stood to take the list in to where Claire and Gia were waiting.
He found them sitting at the kitchen table, talking quietly and sipping their coffee. Claire looked up as soon as he entered, her eyes focusing directly on the papers he held in his hand.
“Is that the list?”
He nodded and sat down, spreading the papers across the table in front of them. “Looks like a couple hundred names. Why don’t we each take a page and mark any that look close to Hunnerson?”
The women agreed. Gia got them each a pen, and the room was quiet as they each studied the names. When the last paper had been marked, Hawk sat back.
“Okay. Let’s see what we’ve got. On my pages I have a Marvin Henderson, James and Shannon Henrickson, and O.C. Halbertson. What do you have, Gia?”
“All I have is a Carlton Ryan Harrison, Jr.”
“And you, Claire?” Hawk looked at her and could see the suppressed excitement on her face.
“Hunter Garrison and Wyman Douglas Hudson.”
“Good. Let me check these names against the known vampires in the area, and then we’ll see where to go from there.”
He went back into the office and sat back down at Gia’s computer. He quickly went to the website he needed and started his search. It didn’t take long.
A short time later, he rejoined the women. In his hands he held two pictures.
He met Claire’s anxious gaze. “I think we’ve got him, sweetheart.”
Chapter Ten
Claire took the piece of paper Hawk held out toward her and looked down into the face of the man who had her sister. She tried to remember how Tatiana had described the man. The salt-and-pepper-colored hair was blatantly obvious in the black-and-white photo, but it was difficult to tell whether his eyes were green or blue or how tall he was since the photo was only waist up. It was the hand resting on the staircase banister that drew her eye. The one with the missing pinky finger on his right hand.
She looked up at Hawk. “Who is he?”
“Meet Mr. Hunter Garrison, owner and CEO of Garrison Enterprises. Our Mr. Garrison is a very wealthy individual who has his fingers in a lot of pies, mostly publishing and computer tech. Apparently, he’s been jockeying for a position on the Council of Nine for the past few years. He’s also been part of some very questionable business deals and has earned the enmity of some incredibly influential people, which is why no one is really taking him too seriously as a possible candidate.”
Hawk held out another picture for Claire to look at. “This is the lovely home that Mr. Garrison owns in the Brentwood Hills subdivision.” His mouth held a hard
edge. “This is where your sister is right now.”
As Claire looked at the photograph of the elegant mansion behind the high gates, she felt as if Cassidy were almost within her grasp. She reached out a trembling hand and lightly touched the printout. Which room was Cassidy’s? Was she being held prisoner in some elegant room and treated like a prized possession? Or was she down below in some cold and dingy basement, brought out to tease and torment before being savagely fed upon?
She raised her eyes to meet Hawk’s. “How do we get her out?” If anyone could do it, Hawk could. She trusted him implicitly. She stood up and turned to him. “What do we need to do next, Hawk?”
He grasped her shoulders. “The first thing we do is stay patient. We’ve got to plan carefully so that we don’t make any careless mistakes. I’ve got my men on alert and ready to move out. I need to talk to them, see who all is available and where everyone is currently located. Then I’ll find us some place to stay in the area to use as a base. When we get there, that’s when we’ll do the majority of our planning. It won’t do us any good to try to jump ahead. There are steps to follow on any operation like this, and we’re going to follow them exactly. Okay?”
“Okay.” She understood what Hawk was saying. If it were up to her, she’d probably be in the car and on her way to Memphis right that second. But that would accomplish nothing but getting her killed and probably Cassidy as well. Thank goodness Hawk was with her. He knew how to handle things, and she was going to rely on his judgment and experience.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Gia’s voice came from somewhere behind her.
Claire swung around and reached out a hand toward the woman who had done so much for her. Gia took her hand in a tight grip and both women looked at Hawk. “Me, too. I don’t want to just sit here and twiddle my thumbs while everyone else is doing whatever they can to get my sister free. I want to do something. Anything.”
“I’m glad you ladies want to help. As it happens, I have just the job for both of you. We’re going to need as much intel as we can get on Garrison and his property. Gia, get on your computer and find out whatever you can about the man himself. We need known associates, financial status, habits. See if you can find out if there’s any place he goes on a regular schedule, like a gym or a night out with his boys. He’s a high-profile man, so there should be plenty out there.”
“I’ll get right on it.” Gia left the room.
“What about me?” Claire lifted her chin. “What can I do?”
“Get your laptop out of the car. You’re going to look into anything you can find out about the property in Brentwood Hills. Dimensions, layout, fences. See if you can find a blueprint of the house. Any kind of alarm system he has. Security. Dogs. Whatever you can find out about that place will help us figure out the best way in and where he might be keeping Cassidy. Okay?”
She was relieved that he wasn’t just giving her busywork to keep her occupied. “I’ll find out everything I can, Hawk.”
“I know you will, sweetheart. Why don’t you set up in the study with Gia? You two might be able to help one another out in your searches. There’s bound to be some crossover.”
“Good idea.”
Hawk gave her a quick hug before she left the room. At the doorway, she glanced back, but he was already on the phone.
She joined Gia in her study after she’d run out to retrieve her own laptop from the SUV. She sat down on the sofa and booted up her computer. For a long time neither woman spoke. The only sound in the room was the clicking of computer keys and the occasional noise from the nearby printer.
Claire eagerly searched for the information Hawk had requested, shamelessly hacking her way into protected databases as fast as she could. She saved all her data on her hard drive, deciding to print the whole lot at once when Gia was finished with hers. She was surprised at the amount of information she was able to find. Garrison’s home had actually been featured in an issue of Memphis magazine. There were photographs of several of the rooms along with some of the grounds as well.
As she began saving the information, she found her mind wandering again to the odd comment Gia had made about Hawk and alcohol. She turned the information over in her mind, debating what Gia could possibly have meant. Casting a glance at the witch, she wondered if it was a good idea to ask her about it. Finally she decided she had nothing to lose.
“Gia?”
“Hmmm?” Gia seemed absorbed in whatever information she had on the screen.
“That thing you said earlier, about Hawk not drinking wine or beer. What was that about?”
Gia looked over at her, a shadow of guilt on her face. “I shouldn’t have said that. Please, just forget it.”
“Does Hawk have a drinking problem?” Claire refused to let Gia off the hook, so she continued to prod.
“Look, Claire, I like you a lot, but Hawk and I go way back. I owe him so much. He helped me out when I was having some serious problems. It’s just not my place to talk about Hawk’s personal business, even to you. I know you care about him, and I can see how much he cares for you. But if you want to know anything about his personal life, you’re going to have to ask him directly.”
Claire had to respect the witch for her loyalty to her friend, but she was frustrated that Gia wouldn’t just tell her the truth. “What if he doesn’t want to tell me?”
Gia just smiled. “I really don’t think that’s going to be the case. Hawk’s never looked at a woman the way he looks at you. I have a feeling he’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
Claire considered that as she went back to collecting the information Hawk had asked for. She supposed it had been a bit underhanded, trying to go behind Hawk’s back to find out more about him. She’d just have to bite the bullet and ask the man himself.
An hour later she closed out her web browser and looked up to see that Gia had finished her search as well. The witch had moved to the printer and was pulling out a large stack of papers and putting them into a file folder. She looked over her shoulder as Claire walked over to join her.
“You ready?”
Claire nodded.
“Just hook up your laptop there.” Gia pointed a finger, and Claire saw the dangling cord she needed. It took only a moment to get her laptop connected to the printer. Then she hit the button that would print all the information she’d been able to gather together.
With a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, Claire retrieved her own stack of papers and put them into another folder that Gia had ready. The two women smiled at each other.
“I think we make a good team, Claire.”
Claire grinned. “I think you’re right, Gia.”
* * * *
“All right. The house in Memphis sounds perfect for our base, Kirby. Go ahead and book it for two weeks. We shouldn’t need it that long, but let’s be on the safe side.” Hawk looked over the notes he’d been making. “And I talked to Nic Girard. Quinn is sending a couple of his men to help out. They’re already in Starkville, so it won’t take them long to get to Memphis. They can go ahead and start getting things set up there. Call them and let them know the address and where to pick up the keys. You can get their number from Nic.”
“Got it, Hawk. The boys will leave here at dusk tomorrow night. Brady’s just left Vicksburg, so he won’t be too far behind you.”
“Excellent. We’ll be leaving here soon. I’d like to get some miles covered. We’ll probably stop for the day around Grenada.”
“Okay. I can book you a room in Grenada and get you that information.”
“Sounds good.” He heard a noise at the door and looked up as Claire and Gia walked into the room. “Look, I’ve gotta go. Text me the hotel info on my cell.”
“All right. Good luck, Hawk.”
“Thanks, Kirby. Talk to you soon.” He hung up the cell and slid it back into his pocket. Then he looked up at the two women. “Ladies. Did you get all the info?”
Claire nodded and held out two
file folders. “This one has the information you asked for on Garrison, and this one is the house and grounds.”
He took them. “Good. Claire, I’m afraid we’re going to have to get moving soon. We’ve got a lot of miles to cover before dawn. I don’t want to be caught without any shelter when the sun rises.”
Gia looked disappointed. “I was hoping you two might want to spend the day.”
“Thanks, Gia, I appreciate the offer, but there’s still several hours of traveling time. I want to get us as close to Memphis as I can. We don’t have any time to waste.”
She sighed in resignation. “Of course. I guess I wasn’t thinking. I know how urgent it is that you find Cassidy as quickly as possible.”
Hawk was glad that she understood. “You’ve been a huge help, Gia.”
He saw Claire loop an arm around the witch’s waist and give her a quick hug. “You really have. I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t been able to locate Cassidy.”
Gia hugged her back, and Hawk was pleased at the obvious affection the two women demonstrated. He knew that Claire didn’t have many friends, but he was hoping that would change once Cassidy was found and things returned to normal. Well, as normal as it ever got for vampires, anyway.
“Claire, go grab your computer and then we’ll get on the road.”
She nodded and, after giving Gia another quick squeeze, left the room.
Gia walked over to him and slid an arm around his waist. “I like her, Hawk.”
Hawk smiled. “Me, too.”
“Yeah, no kidding. Look, she was asking about that thing I said when you two arrived. You know, the wine and beer crack. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking, or I would have kept my mouth shut.”
Hawk had known that he was going to have to talk to Claire about his alcoholism if he planned to have any kind of long-term relationship with her. He’d wanted to postpone it until after they had found Cassidy, but it looked like he was going to have to go ahead and tell her the whole story. It wasn’t something he was proud of, and he didn’t enjoy reliving that part of his past, but she deserved to know who it was she was getting involved with.