Page 37 of Cryptic Curse (Bellamy Brothers #7)

HAWK

D aniela calls me again.

“Hey,” I say into the phone. “Are you a free woman?”

“Oh, my God, Hawk.” Her voice is breathless.

My heart starts pounding. “What’s the matter? Where are you?”

“I’m still at the courthouse.” She chokes back a sob. “I got another gift. A teddy bear, and Hawk…”

“What? What happened, honey?”

“Inside it. There’s… I think it’s a grenade.”

My blood runs cold. “Is it live?”

“I don’t know. How would I know that?”

“Okay, Daniela, listen to me very carefully,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady despite the panic bubbling inside me. “You need to put it down gently, move away from it, and call the police. Do you understand?”

“Yes… Yes, okay,” she replies.

I can hear her shuffling movements over the line, the fear in her breaths.

“And Daniela?” I add hurriedly before she hangs up.

“Yes?”

“I’m on my way.”

The drive to the courthouse is a blur of traffic lights and honking horns. I cut off a lot of angry drivers as I weave in and out of the lanes, trying to get downtown as quickly as physically possible. Thank God no cops are out today.

My mind is filled with visions of Daniela alone and terrified, clutching a potential bomb in a teddy bear. Whoever is behind this is escalating their threats, and I vow silently to make them pay.

When I pull up outside the courthouse an hour later, police cars have already surrounded the area. The faint sound of sirens echoes in my ears as I sprint toward the entrance.

A uniformed officer stops me at the barricade. “Sir, you can’t go in there.”

“Daniela Agudelo. Is she okay? She’s the one who found the…the teddy bear,” I gasp out between heaving breaths.

His eyes soften slightly as he gives a curt nod. “She’s okay, sir. Bomb squad’s just arrived to secure the device. She’s with Detective Mills.”

A wave of relief washes over me at the news that Daniela is unharmed, but it battles with the rising tide of anger. Somebody wants to hurt Daniela, and every instinct in me screams to protect her.

I watch as men in heavy protective suits approach the teddy bear lying innocently on the steps of the courthouse. The rest of the world seems to fade into insignificance as I focus on that stuffed animal—a symbol of childhood turned into a weapon.

The door opens, and Daniela is ushered out by a tall man. Her face is pale, her eyes wide with fear, but she looks unharmed.

“Daniela!” I run toward her.

She turns at my voice, her face lighting up as she spots me.

“Hawk!” she cries, rushing into my arms.

I enfold her in a tight embrace, relief washing over me like a tidal wave.

“Are you okay?” I ask, pulling back to look into her eyes.

She nods. “I’m okay. Just shaken up.”

Detective Mills clears his throat and holds out his hand. “I’m Detective Mills. And you are…?”

I take his hand. “Hawk Bellamy. I’m a…friend of Daniela’s.”

“Bellamy? Of Bellamy Ranch?” Mills asks.

I shrug. “The one and only.”

“I see.” He turns back to Daniela. “I’d like to speak with you more about the incidents that have been happening. The squad has cleared the courthouse. We can do it inside.”

I glance at Daniela, and she gives me a small nod. We follow Detective Mills back into the courthouse and into a small office.

“Can you describe the man who gave you the bear?” he asks Daniela.

“I thought he was a clerk.” She closes her eyes. “He was wearing a navy suit and a blue tie.”

“We can have you look through the employees’ files and see if you recognize him.”

Daniela nods.

I grab her hand and squeeze it.

“The grenade would never have gotten through the X-ray machines and other security,” Mills says. “We’ve already looked through the security cams, and no one walked in with a teddy bear. It must have been planted outside and then given to you.”

“But why?” Daniela whispers, her voice barely audible. “What did I ever do to deserve this?”

“We’ll figure that out,” Detective Mills says, his expression grave. “We’ve seen an increase in such acts of violence recently, and they seem random at first glance, but there’s usually a motive hidden somewhere.”

Daniela nods. “Let me look at the people who work here.”

Mills nods and then gestures to a security guard.

The security guard pulls up a database on his computer.

“Here you go,” Mills says.

Daniela scrolls through the photos. “He’s not here,” she says.

“Good news for us,” the guard says. “Our people are clean. Bad news for you, Detective.”

“Yeah.” Mills nods. “But we’ll get to the bottom of this, Ms. Agudelo.”

“Can I go now?” Daniela asks.

“Yes. We’ll be in touch if we have any other questions or have any new information for you. Do you have a safe place to sleep tonight?”

“She does,” I say. “She’ll stay with me.”