Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
Fight now and panic later. ~ The Lady Elks Secret Archives.
Dawn rested against the passenger door inside Hawk’s truck, her vision hazy, her body lax. “That was a great dance.” In fact, it was a freakin’ dream come true. Hawk Rain, dancing freely with her, not hiding even one of his complex emotions. “Are you and my brothers okay?”
Hawk kept his gaze on the crisp snow slapping down on the truck’s window. “Yes. I think. If you and I go south, there’s gonna be a problem, but you already knew that. We both did.”
Dawn blinked, the feeling of very nice, spiked punch warming her blood. “Why would we go south?” Besides the guy being a bossy, arrogant, overbearing hottie? She’d lived her whole life surrounded by testosterone, and she’d learned how to make her own way through that, and overprotective males. “No pressure here. Let’s see where we go.”
Hawk’s phone buzzed, and he glanced down. “Mrs. Hudson needs a ride home—apparently her designated driver is drunk.” He swore under his breath and turned the car around.
“I think Mrs. Poppins was her driver,” Dawn said, trying not to yawn.
“That sounds about right,” Hawk muttered, quickly driving back to the Elks Lodge, where both ladies stood in the outside alcove.
Hawk jumped out of the truck and opened the back door for them. “Ladies? Come get warm.”
The ladies struggled through the storm, finally climbing into the backseat of the Ford with twin sighs of relief.
Hawk leaned in. “I’ll go make sure nobody else needs a ride home.” He shut the door and plowed through the snow to the front door.
Dawn blasted the heat. “What happened?”
“We started doing shots of tequila,” Mrs. Hudson said, wiping snow off her upturned nose. “Bernie is out of practice.”
For goodness sake. Dawn turned around, trying not to be impressed by Mrs. Hudson’s calm voice. “How many shots?”
“Eh. Five or six,” Mrs. Hudson said smoothly.
“It felt like ten.” Mrs. Poppins shook out tight white curls, and then hiccupped. “I thought Henry Bullton would be headed this way because he was supposed to pick up Patty, and I just figured I’d tag along.”
Mrs. Hudson nodded. “He went home with a bellyache, and I told him I’d find a ride, so not to come back.”
“I didn’t know that fact when I started downing shots,” Mrs. Poppins slurred.
Dawn wondered if she could match Mrs. Hudson drink for drink. Probably not. “Where’s Mr. Poppins tonight?”
“Hunting camp up north,” Mrs. Poppins said with a grin. “Your daddy didn’t go because he wanted to catch sight of you and Hawk together and figured the dance would be the place to do it.”
Heat infused Dawn’s cheeks. “Seriously?”
“Yep.” Mrs. Poppins affirmed. “That’s why Quinn got the night off, too. Didn’t you feel the eyes?”
“Being watched by my brothers and dad isn’t new for me,” Dawn drawled.
Mrs. Hudson snorted. “Good point.”
Dawn smiled. “Did you have a nice time? I saw you dancing with Henry Bullton before he went home. The man can move.”
Mrs. Hudson nodded. “Yes. Henry is a very good dancer, but he’s so forward, you know? We’ve only dated a year, and he wants to go to the next level and get all serious.”
Dawn coughed. Change the subject. Change the subject. Change — “What level is that?” Yeah, she had to ask.
Mrs. Hudson glared through bottle-thick glasses. “You know very well what level I’m talking about, Dawn Freeze. You already reached that level with Hawk, and more than once, if I make my guess. That boy is never gonna marry you if you keep giving it away.”
Dawn’s mouth dropped open.
Mrs. Poppins threw an elbow into Mrs. Hudson’s ribs. “Knock it off, Patty. Sex is different these days, and Hawk would be a fool not to marry Dawnie.”
Marriage? Dawn swallowed. “We’re dating. Just starting to date.” Just because they were getting naked didn’t mean they automatically would get married. Geez. Yeah, she’d always seen Hawk in her future, but she had choices.
Mrs. Hudson twisted her skinny body to face her friend. “Dawn Freeze and Hawk Rain? Are you kidding me? There’s no testing the water, no just dating . They know that, as do their families. They’re all or nothing.”
Dawn slowly turned back around. The words had a ring of truth, and she shivered. Think. She needed time to think.
The driver’s side door was yanked open, and Hawk jumped inside. His green gaze sought her out. “Everybody else is covered. You okay?”
“Fine,” she croaked. Man. She just needed a little time to, well, mull.
“Good.” Hawk glanced into the backseat. “I’ll get you home safely, I promise.” He slipped the gearshift into drive. “Seat belts. Everyone.”
A myriad of clicks echoed through the truck, and Dawn threw a glance toward Hawk, who hadn’t secured his belt. Come to think of it, he never did. Since he kept a gun at his back, maybe the seat belt put too much pressure on his torso. “Hawk? No belt?”
“Nope.” He took a sharp bend and then glanced down at his phone. “Anybody you ladies need me to call?”
“Nah,” came from the backseat.
A couple of minutes later, Hawk’s phone buzzed. “Yeah,” he answered.
His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “How bad?” Then, “Keep me in the loop.” He clicked off.
Dawn’s heart beat faster. “What happened?”
Hawk cut her a glance before turning back to the storm, which was rapidly gaining force. “Reese is in the hospital in Billings. ”
Dawn’s lungs seized. “Oh no.” She glanced over her shoulder to see two wide-eyed elderly women deadly silent for once. “What happened to Reese? Was it Meyer?”
“I couldn’t get details, but it wasn’t Meyer, because we’ve tracked him to the west but don’t have a location. It could’ve been his partners, but I don’t know at this point. Reese has enemies from his time with the DEA, so it could be anybody…or he could’ve been poisoned by a lover. That happens, you know.” Despite the joke, Hawk’s face lost any semblance of gentleness, and his foot pressed on the gas. “Mrs. Hudson and Mrs. Poppins? You’ll be home shortly.”
“Danger? Enemies of the DEA?” Mrs. Hudson struggled with her humungous purse and drew out a well-polished Smith & Wesson. “No need to worry, Hawk.”
Only in Montana. Dawn swallowed. “Um.”
Hawk glanced in his rearview mirror and sighed. “Dawn? I’ll take you to Colton’s.”
Dawn stiffened. “Where are you going?”
“Hospital. To talk to Reese,” Hawk said.
Dawn nodded. “Me, too.” She liked Reese, and she hated that he was hurt. “I want to see him.”
Hawk didn’t answer. That didn’t seem good. They drove in silence through the fields and started winding up the mountain toward the more residential area. Trees lined the right side of the street, and a cliff overlooked the frozen and stunning Mineral Lake to the left.
Lights flickered around the mountain up ahead.
They reached a longer stretch of road, and Hawk leaned over to turn the heat up. Icy snow pinged against the front window.
The lights from an oncoming car cut through the haze, and Dawn held a hand before her eyes. “That moron has his brights on.”
Hawk grunted in response.
“People just can’t drive anymore,” Mrs. Hudson grumbled from the backseat.
Dawn shielded her eyes. The oncoming car hit a series of potholes, and the glaring lights danced up and down. “Geez. Who is it?”
“Can’t tell yet,” Hawk said, his hands relaxed on the steering wheel. “Probably forgot about his brights.”
“Flash him,” Mrs. Poppins piped up.
Hawk shook his head. “No need to blind the guy.”
“ I’m going blind,” Mrs. Hudson returned.
Dawn bit back a smile. “We’ll pass by him soon enough.” No sooner were the words out of her mouth than the car, which looked like a newer Buick, swerved sharply across the road.
Hawk slowed.
Dawn gasped, her hand slapping against her door. “What in the world?”
The driver regained control and jerked back to his own lane.
“Just slid in the ice,” Hawk returned, his gaze alert out the window. “He’s back in control.”
“Maybe he’s drunk,” Mrs. Poppins said, leaning toward the front seat.
“Maybe,” Hawk said. “Or it’s just icy out here, and he slid. He seems to be okay now.”
Except for the bright lights, which still blared toward their truck. Annoyance buzzed through Dawn. “Those lights are dangerous.”
“Humph,” Hawk said .
Men. Didn’t communicate worth crap. Dawn turned to glare at him.
Mrs. Hudson grabbed Dawn’s headrest. “What kind of car is that?”
“Maybe a Buick?” Dawn asked, squinting to see better just as the car came closer. “I think it might be Henry Bullton.”
“I told that fool to stay home,” Mrs. Hudson muttered.
Suddenly, the Buick swerved again, cutting right in front of the truck.
“Hold on,” Hawk muttered, yanking the wheel. The truck slid across the ice, tail swerving, as he gripped the steering wheel to regain control.
Panic flushed through Dawn, and she clutched the door handle.
Mrs. Hudson yelped and fell back into her seat.
Hawk regained control and breathed out. “We’re okay?—”
The Buick slammed around and nailed them in the passenger side, propelling the truck back into a wild spin.
Mrs. Poppins screamed.
Dawn jerked against her seat and flopped back, her lungs compressing. The truck spun around toward the edge.
Hawk kept in control, but the truck continued to spin, headed over the edge. “Hold on,” he yelled, throwing an arm out and across Dawn’s chest.
The impact threw her back and cut off her air.
Ice cracked as the truck edged over the side.
No, no, no. Dawn bit back a scream and wrapped her hand around Hawk’s arm. Trees and rocks littered the way down to the lake, and there was no way they wouldn’t hit one. She held her breath as they teetered over the edge and fell.
Mrs. Poppins let out a high-pitched cry.
Snow and rocks spit up, and Hawk released Dawn to grip the wheel with both hands, trying to keep them straight.
The truck fishtailed, swerved, and jumped.
Hawk jerked the wheel, turning the truck just in time for his door to impact the trunk of a smaller Ponderosa Pine. The vehicle bucked, flew, and then settled with a pop of tires.
Glass shattered.
Blood sprayed.
Mrs. Poppins screamed.
Glass smashed in from the passenger side, and the crunch of metal echoed through the night. Snow billowed down from the tree and flopped across the window. Airbags deployed with a loud hiss.
Dawn’s heart beat so quickly she could barely breathe. Silence surrounded them. She fumbled for her seat belt.
“Be still,” Mrs. Poppins whispered, glancing out the still intact back passenger window.
Cold and wind bustled inside the truck. Dawn slowly turned. The tree, a lone one, was the only thing keeping them from falling down the rest of the cliff. Her mouth gaped, and she turned toward Hawk.
Hawk slumped against the steering wheel and rapidly deflating airbag, not moving.
Shock stole Dawn’s breath, and she tried to gasp in air, her hand on the dash. Her body launched into motion before her brain caught up, she tore free of her seat belt, and lunged for Hawk.
“Hawk, Hawk,” she mumbled, his name tumbling from her lips, her hands frantically patting him. “Hawk?” Blood. Over the steering wheel and even across the front window. “ Hawk?” she screamed.
He groaned.
She pulled him back, and his hat tumbled into his lap.
Silence echoed through the storm. Dawn felt for the pulse in his neck. Steady. She leaned into him, trying to see through the darkness. Blood dripped from his forehead, and his eyes remained closed. Wind and snow blew in from the broken driver’s side window.
“We need to get out,” Mrs. Poppins whispered. “Carefully.”
She was right. Dawn took several deep breaths. Twigs and pine needles rained down, and the tree trunk cracked. “Okay. Ladies, unbuckle your belts, and slowly open Mrs. Hudson’s door. You’ll have to jump down.” The truck lay against the tree at a slight angle.
“No problem,” Mrs. Hudson said, shoving open her door with a loud grunt.
Dawn kept her hand on Hawk’s pulse, which remained steady, as the elderly women scrambled from the truck. When they were safely outside, she breathed in relief. “Now just be careful climbing up the hill,” she ordered.
Her door jerked open, and two pairs of faded, worried eyes gazed down. “We’re not leaving you,” Mrs. Poppins said.
Hawk still didn’t move. Thank goodness the truck wasn’t completely on its side, or she’d never get him out.
She reached up and accepted Mrs. Poppins hand. “Okay. I’ll grab him and pull.” She gingerly tried to tug Hawk away from the steering wheel and to her side. The guy weighed a ton. Wrapping her hands around his arm, she pulled him across the seat, grunting with the effort. It took a three of them, using all their strength, to move his bulk.
The tree cracked loudly, and the truck pitched.
She froze. “Gently.” Scooting her butt out and waiting until her feet were planted in the snow, she threw herself back, using gravity to pull Hawk the rest of the way out.
The tree splintered in two.
Dawn held tight to Hawk and fell backward, landing on her back in the snow with the cowboy sprawling on top of her.
The truck rolled over the remaining stump and plowed end over end down the hundred-yard cliff. It hit a bunch of boulders at the bottom, and the boom echoed up the mountainside.
Dawn shivered and shrugged out from under Hawk, panting in the frigid air. That was way too close.
Mrs. Poppins dragged a phone from her massive purse and started dialing. “I’ll get help.”
Hawk groaned.
Dawn, still sitting on the ground, pushed hair from his face. “Hawk?”
He lifted his head, and blood flowed down his temple. “Is everyone okay?”
“Why don’t you wear a stupid seat belt?” she exploded.
He shoved to his hands and knees before sitting back. “So I can reach a gun if I need to jump out and fight.”
“That’s just stupid,” Dawn muttered, standing up and swaying from the absolute relief that he was alive. “You don’t need guns or fights here.”
He wiped blood off his head, turning to look down the embankment. “A seat belt wouldn’t have helped.” Shoving to his feet, he staggered for a moment before focusing on the two elderly ladies. “Everyone okay?”
Mrs. Hudson and Mrs. Poppins huddled against a rock outcropping, snow blasting onto their white hair. They were pale but appeared unharmed. Mrs. Hudson nodded.
“I called 911,” Mrs. Poppins said. “Quinn’s on the way.”
As if on cue, sirens trilled in the distance, and soon swirling lights came into view.
Within minutes, Quinn Lodge leaned over the road above and caused snow to cascade in a sheet down the hill. “Dawn?”
“We’re fine but might need a little help climbing up,” she yelled.
Silence reigned for a moment. “Okay. An ambulance is on the way, and I’ll climb down in a second,” Quinn said.
Hawk shook his head and winced. “I don’t think we need an ambulance.”
“Good. But Henry Bullton is up here in a car, and it looks like he had a heart attack,” Quinn yelled back. “Phillips is performing CPR now.”
Mrs. Hudson gasped and turned. “Henry!” She started to scramble up the snowy ground.
Dawn launched into motion and slid an arm around the woman. “Slow down. It’ll be okay.” She hoped it would be okay. The embankment was icy and rocky, but they made decent progress, with Hawk assisting Mrs. Poppins. Quinn met them halfway and made sure nobody fell.
The ambulance arrived slowly and came to a stop. The four of them reached the road just as the paramedics began to load Henry. Mrs. Hudson shuffled alongside the gurney, her little form barely visible in the strengthening storm. She clutched Henry’s hand.
The elderly man was pale and unconscious but breathing on his own, thanks to the EMTs, one of whom Dawn recognized from high school. After they’d loaded Henry, Quinn picked up Mrs. Hudson and placed her inside the ambulance before turning back to them. “The EMT said that it looks like Henry had a minor heart attack and should be fine. You okay, Hawk?”
“Yes,” Hawk said, wiping blood off his cheek. The red flicked down to mingle with the white snow.
“No,” Dawn countered. “He was knocked out and probably has a concussion.” She shivered in the cold as the adrenaline surge ebbed in her body.
Quinn glanced at all three of them. “In my truck, now. You’re all going to the hospital.”
Hawk shook his head. “I’m fine. Your sister saved my ass.”
“Doggone it,” Mrs. Poppins cursed and wiped snow off her face. “Rule number four.”
Hawk turned toward her. “Huh?”
The elderly woman sighed. “No matter. Somebody take me to the hospital so I can sit with Patty.”
“Of course,” Dawn said, grasping Hawk’s arm. “To the hospital.”
“No. I’m fine,” Hawk said. “We can drop off Mrs. Poppins, and then let’s get out of the storm and dry off. Tomorrow morning, I need to go to the hospital to see Reese, so if my head still hurts, I’ll see a doctor then.”
“I’m going to the hospital to see Reese, too,” Dawn muttered .
Hawk huffed just as his phone buzzed. He lifted it to his ear, listening, and didn’t make a sound. “Thanks for the intel,” he finally said, and hung up.
Quinn lifted an eyebrow as his deputy loaded up and jumped in the squad car. “Intel?”
Hawk smiled, the sight a little garish with the blood still dripping down his face. “A different case, Quinn. Nothing related to here.”
“Right.” Quinn pointed to his truck, his jaw visibly hardening. “Now. All of you.”
Dawn glanced at Hawk. What had he just learned?