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“Thank God you did that.”
The thought that his mother had been the one responsible for saving his life wasn’t lost on him. He’d take that out and dwell on it later.
“Would it be a problem if we checked out the scene for you?” Mathison asked.
Xavier was territorial by nature, and this was an Option Zero operation. Having operatives from another organization investigating felt weird to him. Recognizing his hesitancy, Cole added, “We won’t touch anything. We’ll just take photos. Get a feel for how it went down. It might help.”
The sooner someone assessed the scene, the better the chances of getting anything useful.
He gave the men a grateful smile. “Much appreciated.”
Once he gave them the location, they were gone.
Olivia took a breath and said, “Now, tell me what you’re keeping from me.”
“Liv…I don’t?—”
“No, Xavier. I know you’re trying to protect me, but the more I know, the better prepared I’ll be.”
Knowing she was right, he said, “He lost a lot of blood, Liv. More than I’ve ever seen anyone lose.”
“Where did the bullet hit him?”
“Neck.”
She closed her eyes, and a tear rolled down her face.
She was hanging on by a thread, and all Xavier could do was squeeze her hand and reassure her with words. “He’s a tough SOB, Liv. Toughest I know.”
“I know he is. And he’s stubborn. So very stubborn.”
Xavier swallowed hard and added, “He said your name…just before he lost consciousness.”
Though more tears filled her eyes, the beautiful smile she gave him made him glad he’d told her.
They sat in silence, holding vigil and barely breathing as Hawke fought for his life.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The waiting room that had once been empty was now filled with more people than it could comfortably hold. The OZ team had arrived. After introductions to Olivia’s teammates were made, Ash herded the OZ team into a corner.
A few minutes earlier, a nurse had come by and announced that Hawke was still in surgery and was holding his own. Knowing he was still alive and fighting gave everyone a moment of ease.
Now, Ash wanted answers, and Xavier was ready to focus on finding the bastard who’d tried to kill them.
“Tell us everything,” Ash said.
“We were at the restaurant. Since we’d pinpointed that the shooter had worked in the kitchen, we wanted to get more specifics. We were just about to end the last interview when the guy mentioned that a woman had been there earlier, asking the same questions. Described Jazz to a T.”
“Jazz?” Gideon’s brow furrowed, and he sent a look at both Xavier and Ash. “I thought she took some time off.”
“Yeah,” Xavier growled. “So did I.”
“Okay, let’s get back to Jazz in a minute,” Ash said. “What happened next?”
“We walked out the door, headed to our vehicle. We’d parked in the alley behind the restaurant. I was about three yards from the car when I heard the shot. Bullet hit the brick wall in front of me.”
“So the shooter missed you?” Eve asked. “Seems odd for a professional hit.”