Page 35 of Leading Conviction

Naomi’s smile widened before she addressed everyone else. “I’ll leave y’all to your meeting. See you later. Come on, Thea.”

She hoisted her daughter higher on her hip and left the war room to a chorus of “goodbyes” and “see you laters” from Hawk’s team.

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

When all the excitement left the room, silence floated in the air like a storm cloud.

Wes was the first to speak. “So… Vlad?”

The question brought reality crashing back down. She thought about telling Tommy to go follow Naomi and Thea. As a teacher, there were parts of this story she wouldn’t dream of telling a child. But as a mother, she’d been through hell and back with her son. Even though she sugarcoated quite a few things, she’dalwaystold him the truth. Today would be no different.

“He said he worked for my… um… the General and… he had a video. A live stream actually. Back on the house.”

She nodded meaningfully toward Tommy, hoping the team would fill in the blanks that someone was surveilling him while she was out of town. Tommy definitely didn’t need to know that not only was there a camera trained on him and his babysitter through the window, but a gun, too. She was banking on the team getting the picture so she wouldn’t have to spell it out in front of him.

“And what did you see when you watched the video?” Wes’s measured question made her wince.

“Their, um,target… in the crosshairs,” she answered, referring to the fact Tommy was squarely pictured in the gun scope’s camera video image.

Hawk stiffened beside her, his only overt emotion a twitch of his fingers on her thigh. His eyes heated with a rage she’d never seen. A few of the men shifted at the uncomfortable reality, while others muttered curses, despite Tommy being in the room.

“So the General threatened you?” Hawk clarified. “Why?”

The fact that Hawk didn’t say “your father” was a blessing. As truthful as she’d been, she’d never outright told Tommy it was his own grandfather they were running from.

“Control,” she answered with a sigh. “With him, it’s always been about control. I just wish I’d realized it before that night.”

Wes leaned forward in his seat. His forehead scrunched in thought before he spoke, “Did Vlad say anything to you?”

Hannah nodded. “It was cryptic and confusing at first, but it helped me put a few things together. He said, ‘The General will cut all loose ends, even if they are close to him. Forget anything Eagle told you and do not be a rat.’”

“Eagle?” Hawk asked, his brows furrowed in the center. “What did he tell you?”

Hannah shrugged and shook her head. “Thomas didn’t tell me anything.”

“Nothing? What do you mean, nothing?” That protective fire she knew burned within him at all times glinted in his eyes as he turned his body toward her. “Did you guys talk about anything MF7-related whenever he asked about Tommy?”

Hannah shifted to hide her discomfort. “After you guys left… I never talked to him again.”

“He—you and Tommy—” Hawk cleared his throat. “He left you both?”

“I had no way of getting in touch with him and he never contacted me again after…” Hannah gulped at the admission before continuing. “I only found out he was…goneafter I got that letter on my doorstep.”

“Shit. I’m so sorry, Han—” Hawk stopped, his voice breaking before he subtly tilted his chin at an obviously bewildered Tommy. “So they never got to meet?”

“No.” She cleared her throat. “I’m not even sure he knew about him.”

A spark of understanding lit in Hawk’s charcoal eyes. He closed them slowly and hung his head. When he finally lifted them again to meet her gaze, the certainty in his voice made her chest ache.

“He knew, Han,” Hawk insisted. “We didn’t know. But somehow, he did.”

“He did?” she asked.

Before Hawk could continue, Phoenix interrupted. “He knew alright. Vlad said Eagle had two attachments that made him—”

“Phoenix,” Hawk snarled as he whirled on his teammate. Callie elbowed him in the ribs.

“Ow, Jesus H. Christ, brown eyes. What’d ya have to do that for? All I was say—”