Page 26

Hawk, with Remy and Charlotte close behind, bolted back to the security room and checked the cameras. He scanned all of the monitors, watching for any movement.

“There!” Charlotte pointed at the monitor showing the front gate. “I … I’m pretty sure I saw movement in the background.”

He grabbed the controller, maneuvered the joystick, and stopped. Hawk zoomed in and saw a van parked across from the gate. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see the license plate, but who the hell else would be all the way out here? There wasn’t another house around for miles.

The idiots had parked close to the tree line, just to the side of his long private road, thinking the van wouldn’t be seen.

Speaking of dipshits, a cluster of glowing, green heat signatures appeared from behind the van.

Charlotte moved up next to him and leaned close to the monitor.

“Is that them?” She pointed at the green figures on the screen.

“Yep.”

“I don’t see anything from the other cameras.” Her eyes shifted side to side, checking all of the monitors.

“Looks like they’re all approaching from the same entry point.” Hawk’s attention remained on the heat signatures. They started moving away from the van and toward the gate. One of them examined the security box and must have decided it wasn’t important.

“It looks like there’s four of them.” Charlotte glanced over her shoulder at him, then back to the monitors.

Remy looked back and forth between them, alert and ready for whatever might happen.

His dog wasn’t a trained personal protection dog, but he was extremely protective of Hawk, and if the way he remained close to Charlotte was any clue, she now fell under his umbrella of concern as well.

“Yeah, there’s only four.” He could easily handle all of them.

The men walked shoulder to shoulder and approached the gate, making no effort at stealth. They were either overly confident or supremely stupid.

Hawk’s gut told him it was a blend of both.

They grabbed the gate and shook it, tried to move it aside, to no avail. One of the men pointed around the area.

“What in the world are they doing?” Charlotte’s brows scrunched together.

“Trying to find a way around the gate.” Good luck with that.

“Is there?” She kept her eyes on the monitor. “A way around the gate, I mean.”

“A wall runs along the entire front line of the property, and it has steel spikes on top.” These guys didn’t seem the type who would walk the entire length through thorny vines looking for a way over. Their only other option was to scale the gate.

“Charlotte.” He turned from the monitors, laid a hand on each of her soft cheeks, and tilted her face up to him. “I have to go.”

Her throat moved up and down on a swallow, and she nodded her head. “I’ll lock myself in.”

God, he loved this woman. She’d been thrown into a new and terrifying experience yet was still trying to be strong for him.

Wait a minute. Was it really love he felt for Charlotte?

Now was not the time for wondering about his feelings. He’d think about them later, when there weren’t people trying to kill them

“Don’t hesitate to use that.” He dipped his chin toward the 9mm on her hip. “And remember, don’t—”

“I know, don’t open the door for anyone except you or one of your teammates. Don’t worry. I’ve got this.” Her expressive eyes connected with his. “Hawk, I … be careful.”

“I will.” Hawk pulled her against him, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her. Knowing it would be way too easy to get lost in her, he reluctantly ended the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers. “I’ll be right back.”

“And I’ll be here, waiting for you.” She kissed him, stepped back, and lifted her proud chin. “Go get them, Hawk.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He gave her a casual salute and squatted down in front of Remy. “Take care of her, okay, buddy?”

Remy whined and dragged his tongue across Hawk’s face.

“Gee, thanks.” Hawk stood, wiped his hand over his face, then gave Charlotte a last long look before he left the room.

He wasn’t three feet down the hall when he heard the distinctive ca-thunk of the deadbolt engaging behind him.

Hawk hurried into the kitchen, grabbed his earpiece, and made sure it was tucked securely into his ear.

“Cole, can you hear me?” The team should already have their earpieces in.

“Affirmative.” His boss’s deep voice was as clear as if he were standing next to him. “Any sign of Kimball?”

“Yes,” he said. “Four men are currently attempting to climb over my front gate.”

“I thought that thing was electrified,” Cole said.

“I turned it off.” Hawk’s plan was for Kimball to survive tonight. “I have a few things I’d like to ask him.”

He didn’t give two shits what happened to the three other dipshits.

“Cole, Kimball is mine,” he said.

“Understood.” His boss knew firsthand what it felt like to have a woman you cared about being targeted.

Hawk verified the number of arrows in the quiver and looped the strap over his head so it hung comfortably across his back. He closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and summoned the ancient drumbeats and whispers of his ancestors preparing for a hunt.

Tonight, he was the one hunting. Only this time, his prey was the two-legged variety.

Hawk grabbed his duffle bag, activated the house alarm, and let himself out the front door. The moon was no more than a sliver, so he tugged his NVGs from the bag, slipped them onto his head, and flipped down the scopes. He powered them on, and the world was plunged into varying shades of bright green and gray.

In the distance, he heard the distinctive womp womp womp of the long rotor blades cutting through the night sky.

There was no time to wait. There was about three-fourths of a mile between the house and the front gate, and he wanted to get to Kimball and his men before they got to the house. He jumped off the porch and set off into the woods at a run.

Hawk had the advantage—he’d explored, hunted, and tracked on pretty much every inch of this property. He knew it well.

Heart rate steady, his breathing controlled, he ducked around bushes and vaulted over downed trees blocking his path. Time was of the essence, so the crunch of foliage beneath his feet couldn’t be helped.

He was careful to leave plenty of distance between himself and the bear den in the hollowed-out white oak tree off to his right. He just hoped Carl was exploring the opposite side of the property tonight. First, because Hawk already had enough to deal with, and second, because he didn’t want those assholes taking shots at him.

Carl was the name Hawk had given the big black bear who lived in the den. He’d encountered him several times, and since neither of them was going anywhere, he figured he might as well give the big guy a name.

He respected the fact this land belonged to Carl long before he arrived. And the bear seemed to understand the weird two-legged creature who’d invaded his turf meant him no harm.

This time of year, when the weather was warm and the days were long, Carl liked to roam around. He would forage for wild berries and nuts, catch fish in the stream that bisected the property, and he especially enjoyed taking a nap—sometimes beneath Hawk’s porch.

Hawk slowed to a stop when flashes of the lights around the gate filtered through the rustling leaves and bushes. He was close enough he could hear loud whispering from the men on the other side.

“Fuck, just get your ass up there.” He assumed that was Kimball, since he was barking the orders. “We don’t have all fucking night.”

“I’m tryin’, Vinny, but this jackass won’t hold still,” another man said.

Hawk moved closer and lifted his NVGs away from his face. Thanks to the accent lighting around the gate, he could see well enough without them.

After a lot of grunting and groaning, two hands appeared at the top of the gate right before a head popped up.

“Push!” he hissed, and his feet scrambled against the other side until he managed to push himself up and over the top.

“ Oomph.” He landed on his feet, his knees buckled, and he face-planted on the gravel drive. “Son of a bitch.” He pushed up to his knees and wiped his fingers across his nose. “My fuckin’ nose is bleeding.” As he stood, his pistol tumbled from his coat pocket and scraped across the rocks. “Shit.” He bent to pick it up, tucked it into his waistband, and brushed his hands off on the side of his pants. “I’m over.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Kimball muttered. “Hold still, dammit.”

Hawk recognized the next face that popped up as that of Vincent Kimball, the hapless leader of this band of knuckle-draggers.

Guy number one reached up, as if to help him down, then must’ve realized what a stupid idea that was, so he dropped his hands back to his sides.

“Get outta the way, dumbass.” The guy stepped aside. Kimball wrestled his fat ass over the top and hopped down. His knees buckled, too, and he landed on his ass.

“God dammit.” He heaved himself up off the ground, hiked up his waistband, and brushed the pebbles off his backside. “Hurry up,” he whispered harshly toward the gate.

Hawk shook his head.

The third man made it to the top of the gate, straddled it, and reached down to help the final guy up.

This should be good.

It was like watching the damn Three Stooges and their halfwit friend. If the situation wasn’t so serious, it would be comical.

It took several minutes, but the last two guys—one of them a good six inches taller than the others—finally made it over. They all stood with their hands on their hips, breathing heavily as they checked out the area.

“What the fuck, Vinny?” the tall guy grumbled as he tugged on his lapels and straightened his jacket. “You didn’t tell us the guy lived in a fuckin’ jungle.”

Where the hell did Kimball find these dipshits?

Not one of them had any tactical skills, and two of them appeared to be wearing suit pants with dress shoes. Kimball had a revolver in a holster on his left hip. The other three appeared to be carrying semiautomatic handguns. No rifles, no shotguns, just a single weapon each.

Did these morons really think they were just going to walk up to his house and take Charlotte from him?

A familiar black helo approached, flew low overhead, and kept going. All four men ducked slightly and watched it disappear beyond the trees.

Hawk’s teammates had arrived, and these four idiots had no idea the kind of hell that was about to rain down on them.

“Holy shit, that thing was low.” This from the first guy with the bloody nose.

“Jesus, you’d think you never saw a helicopter before.” Kimball started walking up the road. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

The others followed him. Their eyes were huge, and their heads swiveled side to side, trying to see into the woods around them.

Taking them out right now would be easy, but where was the fun in that? Instead, Hawk remained in position—silent and unseen—until they passed by him.

He tapped his earpiece twice to initiate hands-free communication.

“Four men, heading east on the access road toward the house,” he whispered.

“We spotted five heat signatures as we flew over,” Cole responded. “Four by the gate and one in the trees I assume was you.”

“Affirmative. These guys are only carrying handguns.” He told them about their foray over the gate. “And they’re coming in with the finesse of a herd of buffalo.”

“No training?” Cole asked.

“None.” Actually, they were idiots. “If you guys come in from your side and fan out, we can easily box them in.”

Taking them alive was preferrable, but if one of them even flinched in a way they didn’t like, they wouldn’t hesitate to take them out.

“Roger that.” Cole’s voice was choppy, like he was running. “Lucas is staying with the chopper and will be watching the house.” It was reassuring to know his teammate was so close to Charlotte. “Eddie, Viking, and I are on the move, ETA five minutes.”

Hawk stood and headed through the woods, maintaining a course parallel to the four men, who were talking and making no effort to hide their approach.

“What’s the deal with this boyfriend?” one of them asked.

“Don’t know anything about him,” Kimball said. “Helene never saw him before today. She just said he’s a big muscly guy.”

“Probably a gym rat.” The tall guy’s tone was dismissive.

“That Helene, she’s got a hell of a rack.” Nosebleed guy sniffled, wiped his hand under his nose, then onto his pants.

“Shut the fuck up.” Kimball shoved him.

“You fuckin’ her yet, Vin?” the third man over the gate chimed in.

Kimball punched him in the gut. The guy doubled over and coughed.

“What”—he gasped for air—“the hell?”

“You don’t talk about her like that.” Kimball pointed at his face, then turned and pointed at the other men. “None of you mooks talk about her. Ever! You got that?”

They held up their hands and spoke at the same time.

“Yeah, okay.”

“We got it, Vin.”

“Shit, I didn’t know it was like that.” The guy he punched straightened, his hand on his midsection.

“Well, it is like that.” He seemed to calm himself, then put his hand on the shoulder of the guy he just punched. “Sorry ’bout that, man, but you can’t talk about my girl that way.”

“Check in.” Cole’s whispered voice interrupted their little spat.

“Hawk, I’m about ten meters in front of you,” Eddie said.

Hawk lowered his NVGs and slowly surveyed the area. He picked up his teammate’s heat signature, held up his hand, and gave him a thumbs-up to signal he’d spotted him. Eddie did the same.

“I’ve found a perch about halfway up Carl’s tree, and I can see all four men,” Viking said. “Don’t worry, Carl isn’t home.”

His teammates and their significant others had all been out to his place multiple times and knew about Carl. Some had even seen him.

“What’s the plan, Hawk?” Cole was letting him take the lead because this was personal.

A branch snapped to his left. He spun, and a massive bright green image was standing on all fours about fifteen feet away. He raised his NVGs, and he and Carl stared at each other for a good solid minute as some sort of unspoken understanding passed between them.

The bear started to turn away, and Hawk let out a silent breath. Then Carl stopped and turned back at the sound of strange voices in the distance.

“Where the hell are we going?” the tall guy whined.

Carl rose up on his back legs for a better look. He lifted his brown nose into the air, and it twitched back and forth.

Uh-oh.

“Shut the fuck up, Toby.” Kimball finally called the tall dude by his name. “Don’t be such a little bitch.”

Black bears weren’t known to be maneaters, but they were definitely territorial. And, in Carl’s opinion, these guys had just invaded his territory.

“Um, is that Carl next to you?” Eddie whispered.

“Affirmative.” Hawk kept his voice low, barely audible, hoping the bear would lose interest in all of this strange activity and just leave.

Unfortunately, he did not.

Carl dropped back down to all fours started lumbering toward the men. Branches and twigs snapped with each heavy step of a paw, and Hawk was sure the men would hear him.

“Shit.” He lowered his NVGs into place, raised his hand to Eddie, and pointed two fingers toward the men. “Viking, be ready.”

He did not want these guys shooting at Carl.

Hawk was still about five yards from the gravel road when the big bear picked up speed and started crashing through the brush like a four-legged bulldozer.

“Did you hear that?” Kimball pulled out his pistol, swung toward the sound, and frantically searched the darkness.

“Can you see anything?” Bloody nose guy peeked out from behind the tall guy.

Carl cleared the edge of the woods and rose to stand on his back legs. He tilted his head, opened his mouth, and let loose a long, deep roar that resonated up from his chest. His lips fluttered, exposing the sharp canines that could rip through human flesh with ease.

That’s when all hell broke loose.

“It’s a fuckin’ bear!” Toby shouted. His eyes were huge, and he raised his gun, ready to shoot.

In one fluid motion, Hawk reached over his shoulder, slid an arrow from the quiver and loaded it. He lifted his bow, drew the bowstring back to his right cheek, and released it.

The carbon flew straight and silent through the air, and the man screamed and dropped the pistol when the arrow sliced clean through his forearm.

“Ahhhh!” He grabbed his arm and fell to the ground, screaming and writhing around in pain. “I’ve been hit! I’ve been hit!”

“What the fuck!” Nosebleed guy held out his gun, his hand shaking as he looked down at his injured colleague and back toward Carl.

All of the noise and commotion was too much for the solitary bear, so he turned and headed back into the woods.

Kimball, the third guy, and Nosebleed pointed their guns toward the trees, their arms shifting wildly back and forth. Wondering where the arrow had come from.

“Looking for me?” Hawk stepped out of the darkness, his bow up and loaded and ready to fire.

The unnamed third guy swung his gun toward Hawk.

Thwip. Hawk heard the distinctive sound of Viking’s rifle in his ear a nanosecond before the man dropped to the ground.

“We’re surrounded, Vinny!” Nosebleed guy was in an absolute panic, his head swiveling wildly back and forth, up into the trees, looking for the unseen gunman.

“You’re smarter than you look.” Hawk stalked toward them, his bow raised, loaded, and ready to launch another arrow. “Toss your weapons over there and lay face-down on the ground.” He tilted his head toward a spot away from them.

Nosebleed couldn’t ditch his pistol fast enough, then he dropped to the ground on his belly and locked his hands behind his head. He’d obviously done that before.

Kimball, on the other hand, appeared to be considering his choices.

That’s when Eddie joined the party.

Kimball swept his gun toward him, and thwip , dust kicked up an inch from his shoe.

“Wow, you’re lucky.” Eddie smiled. “You actually got a warning shot.”

“I’m not going to ask you again.” The cams on Hawk’s bow turned as he slowly drew back the bowstring and sited him in. “Put the gun down.”

“He’s kinda pissed at you right now, so you should probably listen to him.” Eddie had his rifle up, ready to fire.

Cole strolled down the gravel road, his Glock raised and pointed right at Kimball.

The asshole gave him a quick sideways glance and did a double-take.

“You came after someone he cares about.” Surrounded by darkness, Cole’s large form was especially intimidating. “I suggest you do what he says.”

“Jesus, Vinny, you can’t win this.” Nosebleed looked up from the ground. “The guy’s a fuckin’ giant.”

Kimball’s face dripped with sweat, and his huge belly lifted and fell with each heavy breath. His feet shuffled side to side on the gravel and kicked up dust as he tried to keep an eye on all three of them.

“Yeah, Vinny, you really should listen to Nosebleed over there.” Hawk’s hands were steady, his heart rate nice and slow.

Killing the guy would be so easy and immensely satisfying, but they needed him alive.

Vincent Kimball swore under his breath and, finally grasping the severity of his situation, tossed his gun away. It scraped over the gravel and came to a stop at Cole’s feet.

“Wise choice.” Hawk slowly lowered the bow, removed the arrow, and reached over his shoulder to slide it back into the quiver. He grabbed some zip ties from his vest and moved over to the men on the ground.

Eddie covered him and Cole.

The zip of the plastic ties being tightened around their wrists was barely audible over their heavy breathing. Viking had taken out one guy, and Toby, the guy with the mangled arm, had passed out. Hawk secured him anyway. He would live, but he’d never have use of that arm again.

Cole gathered up their weapons while Hawk patted them all down. He found a pocketknife, two combs, a few lighters, and three packs of cigarettes.

“These things will kill ya.” He held the cigarettes up in front of them, then tossed them aside and confiscated all of their wallets and cell phones.

He palmed Kimball’s bald head like a basketball, jerked it up, and held his phone up to his face. The home screen opened right up.

“ Tsk tsk tsk , Vincent.” Hawk tapped the screen to scroll through the recent calls. “Using face recognition to secure your phone is a pretty bush-league move.”

“Fuck you. Ahhh!” Kimball cried out in pain.

Hawk may or may not have ground his face into the gravel before releasing him.

“We have some questions for you.” Cole strolled over and stopped with his boots next to Kimball’s head. “And it’s in your best interests to cooperate.”

“Who the fuck are you guys, anyway?” Kimball craned his neck back to look up at them.

Hawk squatted down next to him. “We’re the people who go after scumbags who hurt kids.”

Charlotte heard a soft whine and glanced down at Remy where he was curled up in his bed. He lifted his head, looked up at her with concern in his eyes, and gave another soft whine.

“I know, baby.” She sat down next to him, stretched her legs out and leaned back against the wall where she could still watch the monitors and comfort Remy at the same time. “I’m worried about him, too.”

She set her phone in her lap and let her head drop back against the wall with a soft thunk . She stroked her hand from the top of Remy’s head and down his back, reassuring him—and herself—that everything would be fine, that they had nothing to worry about.

Remy set his chin on her thigh and huffed out a long breath.

She rested her hand on his head and stared up at the monitors, sometimes forgetting to blink until her eyes burned. Her neck was starting to get sore from holding her chin up so long, but Remy was finally asleep, and she didn’t want to disturb him by standing up.

Time seemed to stand still, as if all of the world’s clocks stopped ticking simultaneously.

She’d watched the fiasco of four men trying to get over the gate. It had taken some effort, but they’d finally managed. Unfortunately, they’d walked away and out of range of the camera.

Charlotte heard the sound of a helicopter approaching, and a minute later, a sleek black helicopter appeared on one of the monitors. It kicked up dirt and grass as it set down in front of the building, then its long blades began to slow.

Both front doors swung open, and Lucas and Cole hopped out. Another door on the side rolled open, and Eddie and Viking jumped out. They were all decked out like Hawk was, but they were carrying rifles instead of a bow. Viking had a rifle slung over his back, but it was different—longer and scarier-looking than the others.

Lucas took up a position next to the helicopter, dropped to one knee, and pointed his rifle in the general direction of where Kimball and his men were.

Her burner phone rang on her lap.

“Ack!” Her hand flew to her heart, and she snatched it up. “Hello?”

“It’s Cole.” He got right to it. “Lucas will remain with the helo and watch the house from there. The rest of us will head out to back up Hawk.”

Thank goodness.

“Have you talked to him? Is he okay?” She tried not to sound worried but wasn’t sure she pulled it off.

“He’s fine.” His voice softened. “Charlotte, you’re new to all of this, and I know it’s scary. Maybe it will help to know Hawk is one of the most capable, deadly humans I’ve ever met. And that was before these men came after you.”

“Thank you, Cole.” Her shoulders relaxed. Only then did she realize how tense she was.

“We’ll check in when we can.” Cole ended the call.

Being involved with Hawk would require a great deal of trust and resilience. But her feelings for him were stronger than anything that might come between them.

Charlotte wasn’t sure how much time passed when the burner phone buzzed on her lap again and she started awake. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but the stress of the past few months was beginning to catch up with her.

She snatched it up, sat forward, and tapped the screen. “Hello?”

“Hey, Sweets,” Hawk said.

“Hawk!” She pushed up from the floor, and Remy jumped to his feet at hearing Hawk’s name. She shook out her legs. “Are you okay?” He sounded okay. “Did you guys get them?” God, she hoped they got them.

“I’m okay, and yes, we got them.” Hawk continued, “We’re waiting for some folks from the sheriff’s department and the coroner’s office to get here.”

“Coroner’s office?” From his calm tone, she assumed his teammates were all okay. “For whom?”

“Viking took down one of Kimball’s men.” Very matter-of-fact and to the point. “We’ve got a few things to wrap up here, then I’ll come home and tell you everything. Okay?”

“As long as I know you’re okay, then I’m okay.” Movement from one of the monitors captured her attention. She did a double-take and stepped closer for a better look.

Oh shit!

“Um, Hawk, should I be concerned that there is a bear in your backyard?” And it looked pretty dang big.

“Nah, that’s just Carl.” He chuckled. “I’ll tell you about him, too.”

“Oookay.” She watched the bear until he vanished into the woods behind the house.

Why was she not even a little bit surprised that Hawk had a bear for a neighbor?

“I’ll be home soon,” he said.

Home.

“I’ll be here.” She hoped she could always be there for him when he came home. To be his safe harbor, his refuge from the brutality and ugliness that came with the work he’d dedicated his life to doing. That they’d both dedicated their lives to.

Because she loved him. Simple as that.

“See you soon, Sweets.” He ended the call.

Some people might assume her feelings were merely a result of the emotionally charged situation she found herself in. But she’d been drawn to him before any of this craziness started.

But Charlotte was still hesitant to say those three words to him. Because she wasn’t sure what she would do if Hawk didn’t feel the same way.