by Laura Scott
Hayes threw back his head and laughed. Jillian felt her cheeks flush with fury. What was so funny?
“Barton has already been silenced and I’ve given orders for his men not to go anywhere near the cabin motel where you so rudely took out my main contact, Colin Yonkers.” All hint of humor abruptly vacated his voice. “Enough. It’s time for you to get back inside the vehicle.”
Jillian inwardly reeled at his words. Barton had been silenced? The men hadn’t gone to the cabin motel? Where were the Callahans?
She felt Hawk and Ryker go tense on either side of her and knew they were about to make some sort of drastic last-minute move.
Only this time, there was no easy way to get away. Not if there were men hiding in the woods around them.
“Okay, we’re getting into the vehicle.” Once again she blurted out her thoughts without taking the time to think it through.
“Jilly,” Hawk warned in a low voice.
But then the shrill wail of sirens split the air. Jillian couldn’t help taking a quick glance down the highway in the direction they’d been headed.
Twin red and blue flashing lights were fast approaching. She stood frozen, wondering if help was on the way or if the secretary of defense had somehow gotten the cops on his side, as well?
EIGHTEEN
About time, Hawk thought. The wailing sirens indicated the local authorities were on the way. He’d been counting on the fact that the ER doctor had called the police to report his gunshot wound, and likely his recent escape. And here they were, just in the nick of time.
The spotlight went dark, and it took a long moment for his eyes to adjust to the instant darkness. He heard the scrape of footsteps on asphalt.
“We can’t let him get away!” Hawk glanced toward Ryker, but the former special ops soldier didn’t move.
“We don’t know how many men he has with him.” Ryker gently brushed past Jillian. “Stay with your family. I’ll talk to the cops.”
The sound of a car engine rumbling to life made Hawk want to rush after Hayes to stop him. But he wasn’t armed. And Ryker was right. They knew for sure Hayes wasn’t alone, having more than enough mercenaries at his disposal.
But then there was another SUV coming from the opposite direction from the local deputies. Hawk tensed, fearing the worst.
The oncoming SUV rammed directly into Hayes’s vehicle. Two men instantly came out of the car, followed by a K-9.
The Callahans.
“Put your hands where I can see them!” Mike shouted. Even from where they stood, Hawk could hear Duchess growling.
“You don’t know who you’re messing with, son!” Hawk could hear the undertone of fear in Hayes’s voice. “I’m the Secretary of Defense for the United States of America!”
“You’re also a lying, gun-selling criminal,” Mike retorted. “Keep your hands where I can see them, and your buddy in the driver’s seat, too, or I’ll shoot first and ask questions later.”
“You’ll pay for this!” Desperation leached from Hayes. “You can’t arrest me! Who do you think you are?”
While Mike held his gun pointed at Hayes, Matt opened the passenger-side door and roughly yanked Hayes out. Duchess continued to growl, encouraging Hayes to comply. Matt turned him face first toward the SUV and slapped cuffs around his wrists.
The driver didn’t put up a fight, either, but stood stoic and silent as Matt cuffed him, as well.
Two sheriff’s department vehicles pulled to a stop near the group of SUVs. Four armed deputies emerged, holding their guns at the ready.
“Which one of you is Milwaukee County Deputy Mike Callahan?”
“Over here,” Mike called, without turning from the two men he still held in the crosshairs of his weapon. “We have two men in custody here, but be on alert, as there could be more.”
“He’s right. Someone fired at our car, hitting the gas tank,” Ryker added. “Had to be from a rifle. If there’s no such weapon in the car with them, then someone in the woods has it.”
Hawk knew that if there were any mercenaries from the Blake-Moore group still hiding in the woods, they’d be long gone. Mercs were always ready to cut and run in order to save their own skin. It burned to know they wouldn’t all be brought to justice.
Although if he had his way, the Blake-Moore group would never be hired by anyone within the US government, ever again.
“Release me this instant!” Hayes shouted. “I’m the secretary of defense! I’m the one who was trying to arrest these men for treason!”
“Save it,” one of the deputies replied. “We already heard from the FBI. Special Agent in Charge Dennis Ludwig informed us that they recently caught a man who attempted to kill Senator Barton. Seems he worked for you, Hayes, and spilled his guts to save himself. The Feds contacted us and requested we return to the cabin motel.”
Hawk’s mind spun at the recent turn of events. It was surreal that events at the highest level of the government had spilled over into small-town Wisconsin.
Because of him.
“I have a photo that shows Colin Yonkers selling weapons to the insurgents in Afghanistan,” he offered. “Unfortunately, Yonkers is dead, but he worked for the Blake-Moore mercenary group. I think you’ll find Hayes hired them to do his dirty work, including shooting me.” He put a hand up to rub his injured shoulder.
“I have the photo and your laptop computer. I’ve heard parts of the story, but we’ll need you to come with us so we can hear it all from the beginning.” The deputy who’d called to Mike gestured with his hand. “We’ll transport Hayes and his driver to jail, too. The Feds are coming in to pick them up.”
“No!” Hayes let out a strangled cry and made a move as if to run. Duchess clamped her jaw around his ankle, preventing him from going anywhere.
“Idiot,” Ryker muttered.
“What about us?” Jillian asked, speaking for the first time since her impulsive comments about Barton.
Hawk wanted nothing more than to tell her she could go home, but her house was a mess and he still didn’t feel good about having her out of his sight. “You’ll come with us,” he assured her. “Hopefully it won’t take too long.”
“All right,” she agreed with a weary sigh.
He was wrong. Upon entering the sheriff’s department headquarters, they were taken to separate rooms. Ryker in one, Hawk in another, and Jillian and Lizzy in a third.
Hawk did his best to start the story at the beginning, but Deputy Greg Ashton, the one who apparently knew Mike, kept interrupting.
When his stomach rumbled with hunger, Deputy Ashton brought him something from the vending machine, but Hawk insisted that he provide food and water to Jillian and Lizzy.
“They’re being well taken care of,” Ashton assured him, plunking a bag of chips and a bottle of water in front of him. “So you and Tillman shot two of Senator Barton’s men, but he covered for you?”
“Yes.” Hawk picked up the story, and after another hour, finally finished with how their SUV had been fired upon outside the hospital by Hayes and his men. “I’m telling you, the Blake-Moore group is involved in this up to their beady little eyeballs.”
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking the same thing.” Ashton looked down at the pages of scribbled notes on the yellow legal pad in front of him. “Anything else?”
“I don’t think so.” He’d covered everything, starting with the plane crash that had killed his teammates, and Jillian’s phone call to Fort Bragg, which had resulted in the break-in at Jillian’s house and Brookland Elementary. He hadn’t left out a single detail and hoped he wouldn’t be held as an accessory to murder as a result of Yonkers’s death.
“Okay, stay here for a minute. I need to talk to my team.” Deputy Ashton rose to his feet.
“We only shot at Yonkers because he threatened to kill Jillian,” Hawk said in a low voice. “It was hi
m or her. She and Lizzy are the true innocents in all of this.”
Ashton stopped at the door. “I believe you, but I need to make sure Tillman’s story matches yours. If it does, then I think we’ll be okay.”
After Ashton disappeared from the room, Hawk slumped in his seat, exhaustion weighing him down. He desperately wanted to see Jillian and Lizzy, to make sure they were both okay.
Thinking of the harm he’d brought to them filled him with shame and self-loathing. He never, ever should have mailed those photos to her. He’d dragged his wife and daughter into harm’s way, not just once, but over and over again.
Would things have been different if he’d taken the stupid ambulance to Milwaukee? Probably.
He didn’t deserve to have a wife and child in his life. Now that the Feds were involved, Hayes was in custody and the Blake-Moore group was under scrutiny, he felt certain the danger was over. For real, this time.
Maybe he’d give Jillian and Lizzy his house to use temporarily, until hers was repaired. He’d need to return to the hospital sooner than later, anyway. He’d pay for the damage to her home, then move on, giving her the freedom and safety she deserved.
* * *
Jillian had refused to allow Lizzy to eat a bunch of junk food from the vending machines, so one of the helpful deputies who had a child of his own had run out to get chicken fingers from a local fast-food restaurant. It wasn’t great, but slightly better than chips and cookies.
Lizzy was better now that they were inside, surrounded by men wearing uniforms and badges, but she was clearly getting bored.
“Where’s Daddy?” she asked for the third time.
“He’ll be here soon.” Jillian knew her smile was brittle. She was tired of waiting for the deputies to finish with Ryker and Hawk. Especially since she knew Hawk needed to get back to the hospital.
The Callahan brothers had been there for a while but had left when the FBI agents arrived. She assumed they were walking the agents through the various crime scenes.
“I wanna go home,” Lizzy whined.
“I know, sweetie. Me, too.” Jillian caught sight of Deputy Ashton coming out of the room where she knew Hawk was seated. Her questioning session hadn’t taken nearly as long, and she was becoming concerned with the amount of time they’d spent with Hawk and Ryker.
Especially Hawk.
“Mrs. Jacobson?”
She didn’t bother to correct the deputy. At this point, she felt like she was Mrs. Jacobson more so than Mrs. Wade. Her life with James was a long time ago,
She was with Hawk now.
“Yes?” She summoned a smile. “Are we free to go?”
“You are. I’ve validated that Ryker’s story mirrors your husband’s.”
Of course it did. Hawk and Ryker joined her in the office and she looked at her husband with concern. “Hawk? Are you okay?” Jillian shifted Lizzy in her arms, bone-weary from carrying the little girl.
“Fine.” He didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Let’s get out of here.”
She was having trouble gauging his mood. “I’m taking you straight to Trinity Medical Center.”
To her surprise, he didn’t argue. “Ryker, we need a set of wheels.”
She blinked, having completely forgotten about the hole in the gas tank.
“Mike Callahan is letting us borrow his vehicle, and he already put Lizzy’s car seat inside,” Ryker said.
Jillian walked between the men out into the cold December air. “How will Mike and Matt get home?”
“One of the deputies offered them a lift. Besides, they’re still talking to the Feds.” Ryker opened the door for her and she gratefully set Lizzy inside.
No one spoke during the long trip to Milwaukee. Jillian sensed Hawk was upset about something, but he insisted he was fine.
At the hospital, Hawk dug a key out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Ryker will take you to my place. Yours needs a bit of repair work.”
“I’m not leaving,” she protested, although Lizzy’s eyelids were drooping with exhaustion.
“You are. Lizzy needs to rest.” Hawk didn’t reach out to touch her or even hug her. “Take care, Jillian.”
His words held a note of finality that made her frown. But Hawk was already making his way inside the brightly lit emergency department. She knew he was safe there, but leaving him felt as if she were cutting off her own arm.
She didn’t like it, not one bit. If not for Lizzy, she’d stay with him all night.
“Come on,” Ryker said. “I’ll take you home.”
Home was where Hawk was, but she nodded. Lizzy needed a good night’s sleep. But first thing in the morning, she’d be back. And no matter what Hawk said, she wasn’t going to leave again.
Not until he was able to come home with her, hopefully in time for Christmas.
* * *
Hawk felt much better by the following morning, thanks to more fluids and antibiotics. The hospital staff wasn’t happy with him, so he tried to be a model patient.
The surgeon, Dr. Cramer, came in early to poke and prod his injured shoulder. “Could be worse. Can’t do much until the infection is cleared out.”
“So I can get out of here?”
“What, big plans for Christmas?” Dr. Cramer asked.
Hawk belatedly realized today was Christmas Eve. So much had happened over the past five days that he’d lost track of time.
“Something like that.” He shifted in the uncomfortable hospital bed. “It’s crazy to just sit here for IV antibiotics.”
“They saved your life,” Dr. Cramer pointed out. “Sorry, but it’s not just the antibiotics, but regular dressing changes.”
“Come on, it wasn’t that bad,” Hawk protested.
“Frankly, I expected worse.” Cramer logged into the computer and peered thoughtfully at the screen. “You stay until noon to get another dose of antibiotics and you can return home for two days. I’ll expect you back on the day after Christmas.”
That wasn’t exactly part of his plan, but Hawk wasn’t about to argue. “Thanks.”
“You can thank me by doing regular dressing changes and taking your antibiotics as ordered.” Cramer logged off the computer and left the room.
Hawk dozed a bit but woke up when he heard Lizzy’s voice. “Daddy? Are you all better now?”
Daddy? Hawk opened his eyes to find his beautiful daughter standing beside his bed, looking fresh from a bath and wearing clean clothes. She still had the ragged teddy bear that she’d managed to hold on to from the night he’d pulled her out from beneath her bed. “I’m fine, Lizzy.” His gaze lifted to meet Jillian’s. She also looked better for having had a good night’s sleep, a shower and clean clothes. Her beauty was enough to make his heart squeeze painfully in his chest.
“I heard you’re going to be given a few days off for good behavior,” Jillian joked.
He nodded and pushed himself upright. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
She lifted a brow. “Why? You had to know we’d come visit.”
He wasn’t sure how to respond. He looked past her at the door leading to the hallway. “Is Ryker with you?”
“He dropped us off,” Jillian informed him. “He was up early, working on putting my house back in order.”
A flash of jealousy hit hard. If anyone should be helping, it should be him. The destruction of her property was his fault, not Ryker’s. “I’ll help as soon as we leave.”
Jillian rolled her eyes. “Keep saying stuff like that and they won’t let you go. You’re supposed to be recuperating, not working.”
“Here. I think you need teddy more than me.” Lizzy shoved her favorite stuffed animal in the crook of his arm. The simple gesture made his eyes sting with tears.
“That’s nice of you to share teddy with Daddy,” Jillian said with a smile.
“She doesn’t have to,” he started to say, but Jillian silenced him with a stern look.
“Sharing is a nice trait for children to learn, the earlier the better.”
Lizzy found the buttons on the electric bed and made the head begin to rise.
“No, Lizzy,” Jillian gently scolded. “Behave or Daddy won’t be able to come home with us.”
Daddy? Home with them? He tried to think of something to say. “Jilly, there’s no reason to rush into anything. We have plenty of time to sort things out.”
“What’s to sort out?” She pulled the Belle doll out of the purse on her shoulder and offered it to Lizzy. “Why don’t you play for a bit, okay?”
“Okay.” Lizzy took the doll and went over to the recliner chair in the corner of the room.
“It’s her favorite,” Jillian offered with a smile. “Because it was a gift from you.”
Hawk cleared his throat. “She knows I’m her father?”
“Yes. I blurted it out when you got so sick.” Jillian sat on the edge of Hawk’s bed. “I was afraid we were going to lose you.”
Her words were a balm against his wounded soul. Dredging up every ounce of strength he possessed, he did his best to give her an out. “There’s no need to change anything between us, Jillian. The danger is over. You can go back to your place and I’ll go to mine.”
Her brow furrowed. “Is that your way of telling me you don’t care about me, about us, anymore?”
“No!” He couldn’t lie, not about this. “You don’t understand. I’m trying to set you free. You didn’t ask to be mixed up with someone like me.”
“Yes, I did,” Jillian corrected softly. She placed her hand on the center of his chest, the warmth radiating through his flimsy hospital gown. The modest diamond engagement ring he’d given her five years ago glittered on the third finger of her left hand. “I married you, Hawk. For better or worse. In sickness and in health. Forsaking all others, for as long as we both shall live.”
The way she recited their wedding vows while wearing his ring humbled him. And instantly his resolve broke into tiny bits and scattered with the wind.