SEALs of Honor: Hawk Read online

  “What about you? What are you going to do now that you’re back? Is your father opening the store again?”

  She frowned, still uncomfortable with the concept of being back and having a future. “I think he’s going to reopen but on a smaller scale.”

  “No guns.” The two brothers nodded sagely. “I imagine he’s done selling those,” Peter said.

  Paul added, “Not done owning them though.”

  “No, Dad isn’t ever going to get rid of his personal collection.”

  “I did see him at the shop cleaning up. Maybe in an end result this has been good for him. He can heal now and get back on his own two feet.”

  “Maybe,” she said. “Or maybe he’s going to sell up and move to downtown LA.”

  At the men’s horrified looks she chuckled.

  “In that kind of mood, are you? Well, let’s add a side trip here so you can see the new entrance. Maybe an extra hour of work will take some of that punch out of you.”

  He led the way to the left. She followed, her early joviality wearing thin by the time they arrived. Her energy was flagging quickly. Damn. As a check to doing rescue work again, she’d seriously failed. There was no point in going out to help people if she was going to need rescuing herself. She’d known that but had hoped to find herself in better condition than this.

  “It’s not much further,” Peter in front of her called out.

  “Good. I’m getting tired,” she admitted.

  “We’ll rest here,” Peter said behind her. “And if it’s that bad, I’ll go back, grab my truck and pick you up. That’s another big advantage of this new entrance. We were quite excited when we saw it,” he added in a con-versational tone. “We don’t want the caves to be too easy, but there’s no doubt that easy is a help at times.”

  They approached a small short tunnel that was more of a cave in that it left a bit of room to navigate through. Still she could tell it was an old cave by the undisturbed dusting on the ground. It was trickier going but short. It suddenly opened up into a big opening that she swore was bigger then the entrance they’d come in through originally. Interesting.

  It always amazed her how there could be such big pockets of nothing in these mountains. It always seemed safe inside but she had to wonder.

  A yawn caught her by surprise.

  Paul motioned to the far side where there appeared to be just ore wall. She walked closer and realized the cave curved slightly and the entrance was full of greenery blocking the sunlight from entering.

  She peered out then carefully picked her way through to stand under the bright light. “You said a truck came through here?”

  “Yeah, these branches,” he pointed to the stripped side of the some larger branches, “were damaged in the process.”

  “Amazing.” She picked her way through the dense underbrush following the tracks and came to a small clearing. “It’s hardly a road.”

  “And that’s good. Roads mean traffic. We really don’t want people to have too much access.”

  “Right.”

  The three of them wandered in the sunlight looking for where the access to the main roads were, following the truck tracks a little way.

  “There it is.” Paul pointed down at the hill below them. “It’s just off Hairpin Bend.”

  She studied the nasty corner and realized he was right. And that wasn’t a bad location. The main road was a few hundred meters off which meant she could have help to this corner of the caving system at least a half hour faster than the other entrance. Realizing people could be stuck anywhere in between meant this new entrance could save lives.

  “This is a fantastic find,” she said.

  “Yeah, figured.”

  She pulled off her hat and turned her face to the sunlight.

  “You’re looking a little piqued,” Paul said, worry in his voice.

  “I’m okay. A little tired but seeing this,” she waved at the easily accessible entrance, “has given me more energy.”

  “Still, we’re going to go back, grab both vehicles and come here. See how hard it is to find the entrance from the other side. That’s the trick. It’s one thing to be on the inside wondering where everyone is but another if you’re driving the truck, which I often am, trying to find the new entrance.”

  She sat down on a fallen log and realized he was right. She was too tired. One brother could go or both. It would be faster if both left to pick up their truck and car. Save a return trip to pick up the other set of wheels. “Okay, so you’re heading back inside and I’m napping here.” She smiled up at the two men. “Sounds good to me.” It really did. She unbuckled her rope harness and stretched out on the log. “See you in what, thirty minutes?”

  “We’re that long just getting back to the main entrance if not half that again so make it an hour.”

  Peter hesitated. “You okay to be here all alone?”

  “I’m fine.” She waved them off. “Go.”

  “Okay back soon. And keep your phone on you. We’ll text you as we get to the vehicles.”

  She nodded but was already closing her eyes, her body sore and weak. Damn. Who knew a couple of hours of cave exploration could wipe her out so quickly. She’d be weeks getting her strength back at this rate.

  So not helpful.

  With the heat of the sun beating down on her, she was forced to open her jacket and keep her water close by. She closed her eyes and took a deep sigh of contentment, letting her body relax into the tree beneath her back.

  Until a hard voice spoke from behind her.

  “So there you are. You’ve led me a merry chase, haven’t you?”

  *

  Hawk didn’t know if Mason had been kidding when he said the other men were on their way to see Eva and Mia, but he wouldn’t put it past them. Dane had been particularly interested. Too damn bad for him. He wasn’t going to give Mia any warning. He didn’t want to give her a chance to say no. He wouldn’t handle that well.

  They hadn’t said anything between them. And he’d left without an explanation of his impending departure, nor had he contacted her since they got back, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t something between them.

  There’d always had been something there.

  But she’d been through a major trauma and needed to heal. And he didn’t want her to see him only as a hero. Nor as a SEAL. He was just a man.

  Eva would keep an eye out for her, but that wasn’t the same thing as Mia being aware enough to look after herself the way she should. She’d need several more weeks to heal. Not volunteering for anything and everything.

  By the time he’d driven for an hour, he’d worked himself into frustration. He figured she was probably overdoing everything again. And wouldn’t stop unless someone was there to curtail her activities.

  She never did have any sense.

  But she had raw guts in spades.

  Now he had to get there before his damn men. If they got in ahead of him, they’d never let him live it down. And neither would she. Especially, if she didn’t realize he was on the way.

  He slammed his foot down on the gas pedal and ripped past the slower traffic. He should be there in just over an hour.

  Hopefully in time to stop her from getting in trouble again.

  Chapter 26

  Her nerves shot off the scale, her heart pounded against her ribs and her body was suddenly wearing a film of fear. Dear God. When was this shit going to be over?

  “Sit up.”

  She slowly sat up, her water bottle in her hand, and turned to face the stranger. She studied his features. “I don’t even know you.”

  “No, you don’t. I prefer it that way. I’m a professional and part of that is cleaning up loose ends.”

  “What do you want from me?”

  “Nothing now. Except to extract a little vengeance. They found my bombs. I couldn’t do what I promised to do because of you, so now I’ll be executed for failing.”

  “They?” she asked cautiously.

&n
bsp; “It doesn’t matter who they are,” he snapped. “In fact nothing matters anymore. You put a stop to my mission. In the eyes of the world, I’m a failure.”

  “I had nothing to do with it,” she cried. “I don’t know what mission you’re talking about.”

  “Don’t be stupid.” He snarled. “Your friends might have stopped me from destroying the bridge, but they can’t stop what I’m going to do next.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t understand what any of this has to do with me.”

  “If you hadn’t been involved then the damn SEALs wouldn’t have been involved.”

  He knew about Hawk? How could that be? She stared at the man who made no sense, but the fanatical look in his eyes said he thought he did. “I had nothing to do with the SEALs stopping you. I was kidnapped, then escaped.” She shook her head. How damn stupid. At least the two Bangor brothers were gone. They’d be spared bullets this time around. She’d likely end up wearing all of them.

  “Your men were the weak link,” she snapped with more force than she planned. “I just dove into the water and was picked up by the military helicopter.”

  “And told them everything.”

  She stared at him. “Well of course I did. But it’s not my fault the men you hired were shit.”

  He waved his gun at her. “It doesn’t matter. I knew you were trouble right from the beginning.”

  “Then why didn’t you shoot me?”

  “The idiot Tom wanted to find out what you’d learned and said about him. He was afraid you’d blown his game here.”

  “And instead you blew a hole in him.”

  “Sure I did and all the other men I worked with. That’s the way I work. I hire then terminate.” He shrugged as if to say that was completely normal behavior for a boss. “It’s really the only way. You can’t trust anyone you know.”

  She stared at him. “That’s not true. You can trust a lot of people in this world.”

  He snickered. “Then you’re a fool. But a dead one.”

  He lifted the gun and fired.

  She’d already moved. Bolting in a zigzag motion, she made the safety of the cave. There she had one ad-vantage. She knew the area – somewhat.

  “You can’t hide in here,” he yelled at her.

  She wanted to yell back at him but couldn’t let him know where she was. Hiding around the corner, she considered her options. Try to sneak outside again when he came inside or try to return through the cave system to the other entrance.

  “See, I can sit here and wait all day. Especially for your friends to come back.”

  She could feel her face bleaching in shock. The brothers wouldn’t know what they were walking into. He’d shoot them instantly. They hadn’t done anything. Neither had she, but apparently she was the one loose thread he’d take pleasure in putting down.

  Great.

  A scrape sounded too damn close. She flattened against the wall. Depending on the angle, he wouldn’t be able to see her unless he came further in. She gripped the hard hat in her hand. As a weapon it wasn’t much.

  “There’s no point in hiding. You’re just going to prolong the agony,” he called out. “I can wait all day for you.”

  She closed her eyes and opened her mouth, her breathing shallow, thin.

  Now what was she going to do? She tried to estimate the time since the brothers had left. She’d napped for a while there. But not likely more than ten minutes, maybe twenty at the most. If there was any help coming it wouldn’t be for a half an hour and that was a huge time frame to stay alive. She’d have to escape on her own again.

  She’d rather be lost in the caves and need rescue than take a bullet to the head. This man was going to make sure she was dead.

  His footsteps receded as he walked back to the entrance way. “That’s okay. I’ll wait for your friends to show up and kill them first. Then come after you.”

  She closed her eyes. She didn’t want the brothers to die. She pulled out her cell phone and shut off the sound. She checked for a signal. None.

  Of course she’d need to be closer to the entrance to get a message out. She peered around the corner to see him standing and staring out at the world, his back to her. Too bad she didn’t have a gun herself right now, she’d take him out where he stood. Her mind raced, she tried to think. If she ran back to the original entrance, the brothers would likely be here by then, alone and vulnerable to attack. If she stayed here, they’d arrive with no warning and be killed anyway. She needed to get a message out. Were any of the other caves in this system closer to the outside world? No. That was why they were here.

  She leaned her head back, angry tears forming at the corner of her eyes. She had to find a way.

  She’d warned her father and Eva that she was heading down to the caves with the brothers so if she was late they’d know where to find her. But she wasn’t late yet. In fact, she wouldn’t be late for a while. And being with Peter and Paul, no one would worry for quite a while. She might have to try and sneak out.

  What other choice was there?

  *

  Hawk drove into the town limits and called his sister.

  “Hawk? Where are you?”

  “I’m just entering town,” he snapped. “Why?”

  There was an odd pause and she said gently, “Because we didn’t think you’d be coming back any time soon.”

  He didn’t have to ask who the “we” was. “Where is she?”

  “She went caving this morning.”

  “She what?” he roared. “She’s sick. Needs to heal, not crawl in the dirt.” Damn that woman. He’d been driving like a crazy man for hours trying to beat his friends. He hadn’t seen them yet, but ever since he’d started out at a hell bent pace he couldn’t seem to stop the worry that she wouldn’t be there when he arrived.

  “She wanted to see if she was back to normal strength,” his sister said calmly. “It’s not like it was easy on her to come home. She kept seeing boogeymen everywhere. She’s trying to deal.”

  “I know.” He didn’t offer an apology. Acknowledgement was the closest he was going to get. “I didn’t mean to snap.” He glanced at the signs coming up. “Any idea which caving system she’s at?”

  It was a dim thought in the back of his mind that maybe he could catch her at the caves. Give her a ride home. After he tore a strip off her for being out there in the first place.

  “The brothers are mapping Grossman Caves. So she’ll be there somewhere.” His sister added in a careful voice, “I don’t think she’s expecting to see you.”

  He snorted. “Of course not.”

  And he hung up. His instinct was correct. The signs up ahead were for the caves. Tires squealing, he made the sharp turn and raced up the dirt track. From the look of the road it was a popular place. She better have gone with a decent group. If she got too tired, someone needed to be capable of looking after her.

  Grinding his teeth, he plowed the Jeep over the rough roads.

  Chapter 27

  “I can wait all day, I don’t have any plans,” the gunman said. “Only I won’t have to because pretty damn fast, you’re going to have company.”

  She closed her eyes, sweat running down her back. This was so damn stupid. She’d done nothing and here she was in trouble again.

  Hawk would have her hide if he knew. Hopefully he’d never find out.

  She could hear distant sounds of an approaching vehicle and frowned. It was revving too high for the brothers. Shit, please let it not be another group of innocent tourists. She didn’t want to be responsible for more deaths.

  “Do you hear what I hear?” He laughed, but it was a harsh sound of impatience. As if he wasn’t happy about company coming either. “Get out here now or more people are going to die.”

  The back of the cavern beckoned. By her count, it couldn’t be the brothers as they wouldn’t have had time to get this far yet. But her options still hadn’t changed. She could run and hide in the cave and hope he left with time – with
out killing anyone, or she could go out there and take a bullet. Like that was happening.

  The vehicle approached. She heard a sound she recognized. Her heart leapt in hope. Was that a Jeep? She’d been around trucks and Jeeps all her life. Hawk drove one, but there was no reason to consider this was his Jeep.

  Was the asshole still there? She snuck back and peered around the corner of the cave. The killer had retreated to the cave in front of her, his back to her again. It pissed her off to have him consider her so small a threat. Glancing around the rough ground, she searched for rocks to use as a distraction – or weapon. But considering how lousy a baseball player she’d been, she figured she might be better able to warn the newcomers away before he could get a shot off. Then she’d bolt back into the cavern and track her way back to the other entrance. Chances were good she’d be able to outrun him in here. She knew where to go.

  The vehicle roared up to the front of the cave and came to a halt just on the other side of the bushes. She couldn’t see the driver. Apparently the killer could. He lined up his handgun to take a shot.

  She swung her arm and fired off the first rock.

  Hitting his hand.

  The gun fired.

  Birds flew from the trees and both she and the killer froze in shock.

  He unfroze first and the gun spun and lined up with her in its sights.

  She gasped, tucked back out of sight and grabbed more rocks. The edge of the wall she was hiding behind was rough with a staggered edge. As quietly as she could, she climbed upward, her pockets full of rocks. If he came around the corner, he’d be looking for someone shorter than him, and she might manage to get a couple of good kicks in.

  The Jeep hadn’t fired up again. She hoped the shot hadn’t found a target after all.

  Something scraped the wall just feet for from where she crouched.

  “Bitch,” he said in a low lethal voice. “Think that was funny, do you?”

  The gun slipped around the corner first, followed by his head as he tried to look on the other side of the corner. Her first kick slammed into his jaw, the second sent the gun flying.