“Thanks for coming in so early on a Monday.” With the undivided attention of his entire team, Hawk stood at the front of the room, nerves sizzling through his veins.
Tan sat to his right, with his handy-dandy legal pad open.
“This isn’t exactly a note-taking announcement,” he said, with a grin and a nod.
Tan underlined the date at the top of his paper twice then set the pen down on the table.
“I’ll be implementing a few changes in the next month.” He started, glancing over at Stacy who encouraged him with a smile. “The business has grown in the last few years. Our contract for the Feldman kidnapping a year ago put our name at the top of people’s lists. The contract with Syntel was another coup, solidifying our success with security detail as well as security systems for those larger companies—”
“Get Buffett on the phone, then we’ll talk.”
Hawk laughed with the others at the voice from the back of the room, Bobby.
“Until now we’ve kept a lower profile, worked smaller cases. We’re expanding. The change will bring some pains, as most growth does.” He turned to Tancredo. “I’ve already spoken with Tan. He’ll be leading our personal security division, staying here in Raleigh for the most part. As well as taking on and managing who works the bodyguard jobs, he’ll be running and teaching classes at the gym. John, I want you to help out there when you’re not on any assignment or working with the FBI. We’ll maintain regular gym hours as we always have.”
Stacy’s phone rang, and she slipped into the hallway. He could see her through the glass that separated the room from the rest of the office space.
“The truth is—” This was it. The truth, revealed. “I’ve been having a problem with my vision. I’m going in for surgery in three weeks.”
“What?”
Every man in the room sat up straighter, came to attention.
“I knew something was up when you left Belize. Damn.”
Hawk rubbed a hand over his smile. “Thank you, Jamie. You have a flight to Belize coming up very soon, don’t you?”
“Just try to get rid of me. I do what I want, when I want.” It was true. Jamie was more a silent partner than one of his employees. He’d been there for him the longest, and Hawk knew, without a doubt, he’d be here when the time came to go under the knife.
“The doctor is going to remove some scar tissue surrounding my optic nerve. Hopefully, my vision will improve, and I’ll be back in the game one hundred percent. Worst case, I lose it completely.”
Hawk listened to the silence for a moment, let the shock of that sink in.
“Things are going to be different. I may not get any sight back. The business could flop, and we could be out on our tails before the end of the year. I won’t hold it against you if you decide you need to find new employment. As a matter of fact, I have several contacts. Just say the word, and you’ve got a letter from me.”
He saw his men glance at each other, could see the wheels turning.
Craig, with his hooded eyes and crossed arms, hadn’t been with them long. Hawk didn’t doubt his loyalty even if he’d kept to himself. Never quite investing in the relationships that were bound to crop up in close working quarters.
It hadn’t been a problem, yet.
Eventually, Craig would need to show his true colors or the guys wouldn’t learn to trust him completely. Without trust, the entire system would break down.
“Anyone ready to call it quits?”
Silence met his inquiry.
“Good.” Hawk breathed an internal sigh of relief before moving on to other matters. “I’ll be looking for a new office manager.”
“What? No,” Jamie stood so fast, his chair almost upended. His connection to Hawk’s wife was like the bond between brother and sister. “She is the glue here.”
“She is not leaving us. Instead, she’ll be working in the teams”
John stared at him. “You mean to tell me Stacy—”
“Will be using the skills she has always trained for.” Hawk held his teammate’s gaze. “She went through a lot in Belize. We both did and we both agreed that she could do more, be more for the teams than a den mother.”
“Sir—” John looked to argue.
Stacy took that moment to re-enter the room. Jamie strode towards her and wrapped his big, beefy arms around her. She lifted a brow in Hawk’s direction and patted Jamie on the back. “What did I miss?”
“He found out you were returning to active duty.”
“Well, it’s been long enough of sitting back. I’ll still be at headquarters, for the most part. I’ll go out as needed.”
It would take some getting used to, and not just for him, either. The guys had looked on Stacy as a friend—and some of the younger guys, as a mother figure—for a long time.
“I don’t like it, Stacy,” John maintained. “It’s dangerous. We can’t be watching out for you, when we should be watching out for the bad guys.”
Hawk knew all the arguments against having her on the team. He’d been having his own personal war going on in his head. Not that he was going to admit it to Stacy.
“I’ll take Stacy at my six, any day,” Jamie spoke up, his deep voice quiet and calm.
Surprise broke on her face, and she turned to him. “Thank you.” She blew out a breath. “My job will always be to have your back. My job will always be to complete the mission. And, despite the male strengths in this business, I believe we’ll be stronger to have some female influence in the field. I intend to do some recruiting of my own in the next few months.”
John sat up straighter and half raised his hand before dropping it into his lap.
Hawk made a note of that for later as he stood. “Let’s table the discussion for now. Stacy and I are both excited and nervous about this and again, if there are any concerns, please feel free to come and chat with me.”
Stacy turned to him, a new light in her eyes as she waved her phone in his direction. “Just got a call from Germany. Going to take it and then run to the store. Kids coming home. Time to fill the coffers, right?”
Hawk’s heart clenched a little. Only a few days since they returned, his impulse to keep her as close as possible hadn’t quite returned to the normal range.
She was safe. His family was safe.
He forced himself to smile, forced himself to let her go. “I’ll see you later.”
The look she gave him let him know she wasn’t fooled. And she was almost out the door when he called her name, and she turned, lifting her brows in question.
Be careful, he wanted to say. “Love you.”
The tenderness of her smile said it all. She knew him, knew he would worry for a while before his world righted.
***
Stacy sat in the conference room and made the return call to Germany.
“You ready for the flight tomorrow?” she asked Moira, who was her planner, her little organized entity of the three of her children, even as an eight-year-old.
“Of course,” I have everything packed and my carry on is ready to go as well. “Willy is still messing around, and all because he doesn’t really want to leave. I mean, mom. They are going to make us late, and then we’ll miss our flight.”
“Have you ever missed a flight yet?”
“No.” Moira’s pouty response made Stacy grin as she sat back into the swivel chair. “But there’s a first for everything.”
“Well, let’s worry about that if it happens, okay?” Stacy was anxious to see her kids. After the ordeal in Belize, it was like her world would be slightly off balance until they were all together again. She was pretty sure Hawk was feeling the same way. “Can’t wait to see you.”
“How’s Dad?”
“He’s doing well. Missing you, of course.”
“Tell him I miss him, too.”
She could tell by the tone, her daughter was on the verge of distracted. “Let me talk to Grandma.”
“Okay. See you tomorrow, Mom.” Moira took a breath and Stacy cringed, knowing the yell to come next. “Grandma!”
Stacy rolled her eyes and waited.
“Mercy, that child has a set of lungs, girl.”
“Hi, Mom.”
They spoke on the specifics of the coming travel. Old pros now, Stacy let the worry slide away as her mom spoke. She could always count on her mom. “So, anyway, the only thing I wanted to mention was that the airline called, something about a new form that needed filling out for minors. I’ll be driving them to the airport so I can sign those papers before they head out.”
“Oh, okay. I wonder what that’s all about.” Stacy took out a pencil. “Do you have a number? A name? So I can double check it?”
Her mom rattled off the phone number and the name, and Stacy jotted it down. “Thanks.”
“No problem. All right. I better go. Last night here. Your dad’s got the fireworks ready to go, as usual.”
Stacy laughed. “Perfect. A little American send off. I’m sure the neighbors will be so happy.”
Her mom snorted a laugh. “Henry and Gerti are used to it now. They still complain, I think that’s by rote.”
“Tell the kids I love them.”
“They know it.”
“Good.” Stacy’s hand shook as she dropped the phone to the table. “Shit.” She didn’t know where this bad feeling was coming from. The chat with her kids, with her mom, had definitely set something off inside her.
She frowned, looking at the piece of paper, and with a sigh, she dialed the number.
“Lufthansa customer service,” the heavily accented voice answered, easing the first of Stacy’s worry.
“Yes, hello. I’m calling about a flight my children are on tomorrow morning, coming through New York and to Raleigh. The name is Hawkins.”
The clicking and clacking started. “Yes, ma’am. Three children leaving at five am.”
“Yes. My mother called me and told me there was paperwork we’d missed.”
“I’m so sorry. This is true.” The woman’s t-h sounded like a soft d. “Last week, a new regulation came down. A formality, of course. Very important for if something happens to the children.”
“Okay. And my mother can fill it out at the airport tomorrow?”
“Yes. Indeed. No problem with this hassle. I promise.”
Stacy absently crossed off the numbers on the paper. “Great. Thank you.”
If there were less bad, less terrorism, maybe stuff like this wouldn’t be necessary. As it was, more and more stipulations were being added for security every year.
It meant she and Hawk had a job.
Good yet sad. She’d prefer to not have a job at all then to be so good at fighting bad guys that they were high in demand.
“Hey, want to hit the store together?” Hawk stuck his head in the doorway, catching her just as she stood.
“Sure. Everything set with the guys?”
“Yup. By the way, John’s got an idea for a new sniper on the team.”
She lifted her purse and hung it over her shoulder. “I was really sorry to lose Isaac.”
Hawk held the door for her when they got to the lobby. “Well, this one will make you happy. She’s a woman.”
Stacy lifted a brow. “I’m not a sexist. Man, woman, or whatever…as long as they can do the job and work with the team.”
He laughed, and pulled her into his side. He reached around her at the truck to open the door. Instead of opening the door, he leaned into her. “He’s doing some digging now. Apparently, she went off grid two and a half years ago.”
“Hmm, a mystery?” Enjoying the weight of him pressed against her, she nipped at his nipple through his shirt before looking back up. There was a spark in those eyes.
“Not so much. Just a story of an operation gone bad.” Hawk ran his fingers through her bangs then lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. “We’ve had a few of those, you know?”
“Yeah. I remember.”
“Been a while since we worked together.”
“I haven’t forgotten.”
“No,” he agreed. “Neither have I. I do like knowing you’re safe. It’s been easy to let you be mom. I was happy that way.”
“Will you be happy with me by your side?”
He kissed her, which wasn’t exactly an answer, but the touch of his lips sort of made that incomplete feeling disappear. They were long term, no matter how they moved forward at this point. They’d put Cortez behind them.
Today was their time.
“Let’s skip the store,” she suggested, breathlessly.
He looked at her, raised a brow, as if he knew what she was thinking. Shameless, she grinned and pulled at his shirt. “Kids will be home first thing in the morning.”
Self-conscious, he looked around before he shook his head with a smile. “We can stop at the store on the way home.”
“Always practical. That’s my man.” And for a brief moment, she saw uncertainty in his eyes. “Which I wouldn’t change for the world.” She added. “Which will make us happy tomorrow at eight, when we have kids running us ragged and begging for food. She kissed him soundly. Let’s hurry the hell up, okay? Because I’d really like to get you inside of me.”
He finally got the door open and let her in on the driver’s side.
Then he circled the vehicle to the passenger side.
And her heart ached a little, knowing that things were going to change.
If the surgery didn’t work or if it made his sight worse, she really would have to be his eyes.
***
He sat listening to his own painful ragged breathing. The burns along his right side were raw and angry with infection. The side of his face, a blistered ugly mess, would never again be able to seduce a woman. So ugly now, his own mother wouldn’t recognize him, Miguel Cortez glanced into the rearview mirror and saw the German SUV pull out onto the road.
As if nature knew of the import, the quiet was all encompassing, not even the morning birds chirped the coming arrival of the sun.
Then the vehicle carrying the Hawkins’ family drove by, and Miguel slowly pulled back onto the road. He’d lived too long not to see betrayal when it looked him in the eye. He’d seen it in his angry son’s face. And Hawk would have to pay for that as well.
Within a half an hour, the road turned urban. Still early, the highway was mostly empty. They hit the outskirts of Frankfurt where industry met the road. Factories billowed smoke and the smells of burning fuel reminded him that this place wasn’t so different from his own home.
The more he travelled, the more it was true. One place was very much like the next and all humanity was the same—soulless, greedy—like himself, like Hawkins. Who had stolen his life.
Miguel stepped on the gas as soon as the two lane road turned to four, and he passed the SUV. His speed was crucial, as were the airbags.
He slammed on the brakes. As expected, the old lady behind him turned her wheel to try and avoid him, her effort useless. Losing control, she rammed into his car. Miguel’s heart pounded, an unexpected gleeful feeling rushed through his veins as he slowed to a stop and watched the SUV roll to its side and come to a stop.
He’d waited a long time for this day.
And he got out of his car and pulled the gun from the small of his back.
Not a sound could be heard.
The screech of two cars doing that dreaded and possibly deadly crash was just a memory. Not a witness on the road. He leaned over and checked the rear bumper of his car. “Not too bad,” he muttered and then took the short walk to the disabled vehicle.
No one moved.
He had to climb up from the front and stand on the side panel, and when he opened the door, he heard a soft moan from one of the victims. He bent over and opened the back door, using his body to prop it as he reached in for the little girl. Moira.
“Up you go,” he said in a friendly voice. Wouldn’t want to scare the poor dear, although that was about impossible now that he’d been fried in the explosion. The giggle was pure drugs. The pain meds he’d stolen just before leaving Belize. “Come on. Be careful there.”
“Wait,” another voice spoke from inside the car, and Hawk’s oldest was struggling with his seatbelt, hands fumbling as blood ran down his face. “Don’t.”
The boy’s voice was ripe with panic. He didn’t like Miguel taking his sister. Too, too bad.
“I’m just here to help.”
The wild look in the young man’s eyes didn’t subside, and when he finally broke free, he wiggled between the seats to stand on his own door.
“Oh, so brave,” Miguel said. “A commendable trait.”
“No.” The kid was getting stronger with each passing moment, so Miguel hopped down off the car with the little girl in his arms and let the door slam shut. The soft thud of it hitting the kid made him smile. The girl was bigger than he’d thought. Not the little he expected. She struggled—no doubt thanks to the young John’s efforts to get her back. He turned and put three bullets into the windshield. Moira screamed and fought, quite heroically. He imagined his own daughter would have been as brave if she’d lived.
Of course, he would have protected his daughter better than Hawkins was managing right now. Miguel couldn’t have Moira garnering any attention in the next hour either, so he slammed her to the ground and whacked her, a solid hit to the temple. “There. That’s better.”
The world was silent around him again. He picked her up and laid her down in the backseat. He pulled the plastic box out from under the seat, flipped open the lid and removed the small syringe. He stuck the girl at the top of her leg, slowly depressing the plunger. That would keep her quiet for a while. Then he got back in front behind the steering wheel.
“Thirty minutes to take off,” he whispered to no one. And no one answered. He was going to do this one on his own, and he was going to do it right.
He was going to get his due.
And Hawk was finally going to pay.