by Joanna Wayne
Alonsa started to shake. Hawk pulled her into his arms. “I know this is frightening, but don’t jump to conclusions, Alonsa. I’ll call Cutter and see what he can learn from local sources. He has a good friend—someone called Goose—who’s a detective with HPD. He should be able to give us specifics.”
He led her to the chair next to the window with its spray of freezing rain tattooed across the pane. Cutter’s cell phone was the best way to reach him, even if he was at the ranch. Hawk punched in the number.
While the call went through, he opened the minibar and pulled out a bottle of wine. The top was a screw-off. He opened it, poured half the contents into a glass and handed it to Alonsa.
She shook her head. “No thanks.”
“It’s medicinal.” He set it on the table beside her as Cutter answered.
Hawk didn’t bother with a customary greeting. “Did you catch the news tonight?”
“The child’s body they found in Houston?”
“So you heard.”
“Actually Linney heard it on the news a half hour ago. She called me and I contacted Goose Milburn immediately. He just got back to me with the little they’ve been able to put together. I was about to call you.”
“Where do we stand?”
“The body hasn’t been identified as yet, but Lucy Salatoya has already been mentioned by reporters as a possibility. She was fodder for the local news media for months after her disappearance, so the connection was inevitable.
“The location where they found the body is within a few miles of the zoo. The rough estimate of the age of victim matches. So does the ballpark time since the body was buried.”
“Damn.” Hawk ran the scenario through his troubled mind. Not good. “But nothing concrete as yet?”
“No,” Cutter assured him. “Houston has a population of millions. There could be any number of stories behind the grave. Anything can happen in a major metropolis these days.”
Or in a small town for that matter. None of that would offer Alonsa the least bit of reassurance.
“Has Alonsa heard?” Cutter asked.
“Yeah. A few minutes ago.”
“How’s she taking it?”
“About as you’d expect.”
“I didn’t even consider the news going national so soon, or I’d have given you a heads-up even before I contacted Goose. Are you with her now?”
“I am.” And would be until they got some kind of definitive word. There was no way he’d leave her alone with this hanging over her.
“Weird timing,” Cutter said. “I mean just when you decide to take up the case, something like this explodes all over the news.”
“Call me the second you hear something,” Hawk said, ready to get off the phone and turn his attention back to Alonsa.
“I will. And you can call Goose yourself if you like. I filled him in on your connection with the case.”
“Thanks.”
Once he’d written down the number, he muttered a quick goodbye and broke the connection. The wine he’d poured for Alonsa was untouched and she was biting a well-manicured nail. She looked up to him for encouragement that he couldn’t give.
He walked over and sat on the arm of her chair. “There’s still no identification of the body.”
“They have Lucy’s picture on file. Can’t they at least see if it looks like her?”
“Give them time.” He slipped an arm around her shoulders. The answer to her question would be obvious once she thought about it, but he didn’t want to bring up how the body would have decayed over two years in a shallow grave.
“Was that Cutter you were talking to?”
“It was. Linney heard the news and alerted him. He’s talked to his buddy with the Houston Police Department and they’ve promised to keep him in the loop.”
“I want to know everything he told you.”
Hawk filled her in, giving it to her straight.
“I want to talk to the HPD,” she said when he finished. “They worked with me on the original abduction. They should be willing to talk to me now.”
He nodded. “I’ll get Goose on the line for you.”
Goose didn’t answer. She made the next call herself, finally connecting with a desk sergeant. Hawk knew from her grim expression that there was no change in the news.
When she broke the connection, she stood and stared out the window at the bank of neighboring skyscrapers. Their lights had turned on, casting rectangular halos of illumination through the mist.
He hated moments like this, never knew what he should do or if he should do anything at all. Most of his male military buddies tended to pull away when they were worried, shrink into themselves and escape to thoughts that lay buried in the recesses of their brains.
That had worked well for Hawk. He’d perfected the emotional denial method years before he reached manhood.
Alonsa likely needed more. He stepped behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. Her muscles were tight. Her fear was palpable, like a suffocating force that sucked the oxygen from the room. He felt it as poignantly as if it were his own.
“He couldn’t tell me anything,” she said, “except what we already know.”
She turned away from the window, walked back to the bedside table and pulled their reservations from her handbag. “I’m going to call and see if we can get a flight out tonight.”
And then what? he wondered. Would she insist on going into Houston and seeing what had to be the frightful remains of the body that she had no real evidence was her daughter? He could think of little worse.
“It will be difficult to get to the airport in this weather.”
“I don’t care how difficult it is. I just want to go home. I need to be there.”
“Then let me make the call for you.”
She nodded and sat on the side of the bed while he made the call. He did try, but there were no direct flights back to Houston that night and the only indirect route that could get them there before morning was fully booked. Like it or not, she was stuck in New York until morning.
She took the explanation better than he’d expected. No tears or outrage, just continued anxiety that seemed to shake her to her core. It was going to be a long night. Sitting and waiting and staring at the rain would be agony for both of them.
“You’ll need to eat something,” he said. “Do you want to go out or would you rather order something from room service?”
“I couldn’t eat. Just order for yourself.”
He skimmed the room service menu. He wasn’t hungry either, and that might be a first for him. But this was a different kind of edginess than he was used to. Nothing about tonight was within his control.
Still, they needed food. He ordered ham sandwiches, bowls of chicken tortilla soup, a bottle of better cabernet than was offered in the in-room bar and a selection of fruits and cheeses. Perhaps if it was there, Alonsa would munch on something.
She slipped out of her shoes and pulled her stockinged feet to the bed, pushing the pillows against the headboard and leaning against them.
“It’s always like this,” she said. “I convince myself that Lucy is alive. I’m her mother. I should know if she weren’t. I should feel it deep inside me. But then they find a body and my heart feels as if it’s being ripped from my chest.”
“So this isn’t the first time for this?”
“No. It’s happened twice before. The first time was only a few months after Lucy had disappeared. A young girl’s body was discovered in a Texas border town. Apparently the victim fit Lucy’s description. One of the reporters who’d covered the original abduction called and wanted a statement from me.”
“Hard to believe anyone could be that insensitive.”
“She probably figured if she didn’t get to me, someone else would.”
“You’re much too forgiving.”
“Carrying a grudge takes too much energy.”
Yet carrying a grudge was what some criminals did best. Craig had made a po
int of telling him that today. Their grudges would be against Todd Salatoya, but Alonsa would pay if they exacted revenge.
Craig didn’t believe the kidnapping was payback, but Craig was human and humans made mistakes.
Alonsa’s cell phone jangled. She grabbed it, then stared at it without answering. “It’s Craig. I’m sure he’s heard and wants to offer me a fake reassurance.”
“Do you want me to take the call for you?”
“No. Just let it ring. I’ll call him back later.”
There was a tapping at the door and Hawk opened it for the food delivery. The guy rolled in the cart laden with food, silverware and a vase with three pink roses. The waiter smiled affably, no doubt believing that they were having a romantic rendezvous.
Hawk tipped the guy. Before he was out the door, Hawk’s cell phone rang. Probably Craig trying to reach Alonsa through him since she hadn’t answered. He yanked the phone from his pocket.
The caller ID said out of area. “Hawk Taylor,” he said, taking the call.
“Goose Milburn here. I’m a buddy of Cutter’s. He said you’re with Alonsa Salatoya in New York tonight.”
“I am.”
“I have news.”
Hawk’s chest tightened. Alonsa stood and pushed close to him. He mouthed the word Goose and pulled her into the circle of his arm.
“Good news,” Goose said, “at least for Alonsa. The body they found today is not her daughter.”
Relief swept through him in waves. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. The girl was an—”
“Wait,” Hawk said. “Alonsa should hear this for herself.” He pushed the phone into her hands. “Great news,” he whispered.
He held her close as her eyes brimmed with tears of thanksgiving and her words became whispered mutterings. She’d been given a respite.
But for how long? And would he be the one responsible one day for delivering the dreaded news from which there would never be a respite?
No matter. He’d made a commitment. He’d accepted the mission. Giving up was not an option.
ALONSA’S MUSCLES condensed to liquid, her breath to vapor. She’d been held together by fear and dread and when they’d evaporated, she simply folded in on herself.
Goose’s words drifted in the semi-fog of her mind, only half registering—all except the beautiful truth that the body was not Lucy.
Then just as quickly, her energy spiked and her mood lifted until she felt she were floating on the very air that had suffocated her moments before.
“Thank you.” She tried to think of the man’s name on the other end of the line. She couldn’t, but it didn’t matter. “Thank you so much.”
“No problem.”
“Have you identified the victim?”
He filled her in with the basics. When he finished she thanked him again.
“Okay, you have a good evening. Make Hawk take you out for a drink.”
“Just breathing is enough right now.”
“I understand. You take care, and if there’s ever anything I can do to help, let me know.”
“Believe me, I will. You’re a lifesaver.”
“Always glad to deliver news like this.”
Tears were streaming down her face as she broke the connection and turned back to Hawk. He pulled a tissue from the box at her elbow and wiped the excess water from her cheeks and the corners of her eyes.
Her vision was blurred by the salty dampness but it was as if she were seeing Hawk for the very first time. All the charm from the other night was still there. The thick, dark hair, the classic nose, piercing eyes the color of chocolate creams. And muscles. What muscles! He was the poster boy of rugged virility with a hunk factor that topped the charts.
And none of that began to describe the appeal of this stranger who’d walked into her life and handed her back the will to fight to find Lucy all over again.
He was the man who’d find Lucy. The certainty of that hit her with mesmerizing force. That’s why she’d gone to the party at Linney’s that she hadn’t planned to attend. That’s why Brandon had fallen and hit his head. This was meant to be.
She slipped into Hawk’s arms again and he held her close. The realization of how well she fit barely grazed her mind as the newfound optimism bubbled inside her like a flute of expensive champagne.
When she pulled away, she spied the food, or at least the part that was uncovered. Huge hunks of brown bread. A mix of exotic cheeses. Luscious berries peeking from beneath a mound of Chantilly cream. Suddenly she was famished. She chose a square of white creamy cheese and popped it into her mouth.
Hawk propped his backside against the desk and smiled at her. “What a difference a phone call can make.”
“That one sure did. And even better, the little girl whose body they found hadn’t been murdered, at least not if their facts are right.”
“What are the facts?”
“I’ll fill you in while we eat.”
He removed the metal warming lids with a flourish and dragged the striped club chair up to the cart, standing behind it and holding it in place until she settled into it.
“Who knew that navy SEALs had such manners?”
“Only when in plush hotel rooms. In the heat of battle we’re total slobs. Come to think of it, I’m not sure I’ve ever been in a hotel room quite this plush. An old haunt of yours?”
“No. I paid for it with points. It emptied my cache.”
Hawk lifted the bottle of wine and filled both their glasses. This time she took a sip. “Nice,” she said.
“Luck of the draw. I’m generally a beer man.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She spooned a bit of the soup into her mouth and savored the spicy warmth as it slid down her throat. Minutes ago she’d been drowning in dreaded possibilities. Now the relief was so rich, she felt as if she were in New York on vacation. And for hotel food, this wasn’t half-bad.
She related the details from her conversation with Goose. They believed the body to be that of a young girl who’d died in the house five years ago from complications due to the flu. Neighbors recalled that the family living in the back apartment of the house had said the five-year-old had been taken back to Mexico for burial.
The HPD had tracked down a member of the family and he’d admitted that they’d buried her in the backyard because they had no money for a funeral. They’d been afraid to ask for financial assistance because at the time they were in the country illegally. Now they were citizens and living in Livingston, Texas. The child’s remains would finally be buried properly.
“Too bad they didn’t find that out before the shark reporters got wind of it,” Hawk said.
“But I have this really good feeling about things now,” Alonsa admitted. “You’re going to find Lucy, Hawk. I have this incredible premonition that you will.”
“It’s not incredible,” Hawk assured her. “I fully intend to find out who abducted her and why. That’s all I can promise.”
From most men even that kind of promise would have seemed arrogant. Coming from Hawk, it seemed natural and reassuring. He didn’t just talk the talk, he’d walked the walk for years in Special Ops. He had reason to be sure of himself, and that was good enough for Alonsa.
By the time they’d finished eating, the sleet had changed to snow. The delicate flakes drifted in the wind and had begun to mound on the window ledge. Snow was another thing she’d missed about living in New York.
Not that she liked the muddy slush it left behind when it melted or the black smudged mounds that stayed for days on the sides of the street. But when the snow was falling, Manhattan transformed into a mystical fairyland.
Lucy had been only two when she’d taken her for her first sledding adventure in Central Park. Alonsa had bundled her up in a blue snowsuit and a pair of psychedelic boots that made her look like a twirling ball as they’d flown down the hill together.
Lucy’s high-pitched laughter echoed through her mind now. She shifted and curled aro
und the sound, growing antsy now that her hunger was abated.
“Let’s go for a walk,” she said. “We’ll save the fruit and cheese until we come back and have it with the rest of the wine.”
“A capital idea.” Hawk finished the remainder of his sandwich in a less than dainty bite. She put the cheese and fruit on the bedside table and hurried to get into her black wool coat and her red hat, scarf and gloves. She didn’t remember Craig’s call until they were walking out the door. She’d get back to him later.
Odd how quickly she’d shifted her reliance from him to Hawk Taylor. Hawk opened the door and they stepped into the hall together. His hand rested on the small of her back. His shoulder brushed hers.
A vibrating spark hopped along her nerve endings. She took a deep breath in hopes of extinguishing the titillating awareness. This was only a walk in the snow.
A LOOSE BOARD SQUEAKED beneath the woman’s bare feet as she padded away from the back door and toward the flowering shrubs that bordered the deck of her new home, the night’s excitement still coursing her veins.
The mystery hadn’t lasted nearly long enough, but the reporter had brought up the fact that the daughter of Todd and Alonsa Salatoya had gone missing near that same spot two years ago.
Surely Alonsa had heard. She would have been devastated at the morbid discovery of the small child’s grave.
That thought stuck in the woman’s mind and she smiled as she pulled her sweater tight over her breasts before taking one last look at the stars and going back inside the dark, quiet house.
Chapter Six
Hawk jerked awake with the first bang of trash cans on the street ten floors below him. The dinginess of a cloudy dawn peeked through the window, outlining the zigzagged mound of snow on the ledge.
An uneasy sort of need crackled inside him. He hadn’t been that fond of snow before last night. Now he’d never watch flakes fall from the sky without thinking of Alonsa.
He’d had plenty of other women in his life, though he wasn’t nearly the ladies’ man the other frogmen made him out to be. Women just seemed to like him and he appreciated the finer qualities of the opposite sex.