Chapter 10
10
Inside this place built to protect from bombs, Hawk stared down at Remi. In the shadows he couldn’t see the shifting colors of her eyes, but the pure determination and fire that defined her flickered there and stirred something inside him. His heart pounded. He was getting too close too fast. He’d met her this morning. Known her for all of twelve hours, but the events of the day made it feel much longer than that.
Still, Hawk needed to take a step back—physically and metaphorically—but, oh, it was difficult. He wanted to wrap her in that blanket again. Cocoon her in his arms. A woman he barely knew.
But somehow ... he did know her. She was a kindred spirit, running from demons. Knowing that time was running out before she had to face them. Her story could be his story.
Hawk forced himself to step back. Again. He sucked in a breath.
“I’m the guy who’s going to help you get your memories back.” Seriously?
What was he doing making that promise when he had no idea if he could keep it? He shouldn’t have said it, but the hope flickering in her eyes bound him to this mission and he had better come through. Still, he hadn’t actually promised as much as tried to reassure her that he would somehow help her finally connect the neurotransmitters in her brain to find what was lost—and he had no idea how to make that happen or truly help her, other than by protecting her.
Whether either of them liked it or not, he’d been thrown into her chaos.
Was it possible the man who had attacked her hadn’t really wanted to kill her? Was he using a tactic he believed would trigger the memories again? Was he the same person to deliver the puzzle pieces? Hawk was only assuming that her attacker had anything to do with those missing days. With so little to go on, he couldn’t know, and she could still be holding back information from him.
They put on their coats and prepared to face the cold, dark, stormy night. He wished they were back in the blanket together—as awkward as that seemed—with him putting his arm around her to keep them warm, but they were not there yet.
Not there yet? As if they were traveling down that relationship road. The idea startled him. While he one day hoped to forge a future with the right person, he was a man on a mission and had only come here to clear his head after the catastrophe that cost him his job and Jake’s life, and his adversary was still out there at large. Now, of course, he had two missions, but neither of those included actually getting close and personal with Remi.
So he absolutely couldn’t let himself go there with her. He needed to focus on keeping her safe and finding answers.
The door clanked and buckled with the wind gusts.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here.” He started forward.
“I know the property and the woods,” she said. “I’ll lead us back. We’ll hike east and find the trail. Once we’re on the path, we can move quickly.” She donned her gloves. “But what about the guy who attacked us?”
“Let’s hope he’s taken shelter from the storm, but we’ll remain on guard.”
He needed to expect the unexpected. Whoever was out there, he planned to take down and get answers. He grabbed his gun. He left his gloves off since they weren’t fingerless and he needed to stay ready to defend against their attacker, and this time he wouldn’t bother engaging him physically if he came at either of them with a knife. Hawk had been caught off guard before, and he wouldn’t let that happen again. Maybe the assailant was thinking the same thing and would bring a gun to the fight, but Hawk really hoped he wouldn’t be waiting for them in the woods.
He opened the door to let the wind fully blast them.
“Wait!” Remi put all her strength into shoving the door shut again and then she moved deeper into the bunker.
“What’s wrong?”
“I thought I heard something.”
“Over the storm?”
“Yes. Coming from...” She pointed into the dark tunnel that led deeper into the bunker.
He waited and listened. Remi was right. The ruckus sounded like someone was banging on a pipe. Or chains clanking. He couldn’t decide which, but the sound was eerie. “Maybe it’s just the wind.”
“Maybe.” She kept going deeper, shining her flickering light around.
She wasn’t going to give it up.
He didn’t have much power left in his flashlight either. “Maybe that’s all the more reason we should get out of here.” Frustration boiled up inside. This could be a mistake. He waved her forward and together they moved deeper into the labyrinth of the bunker.
This was the worst idea, but the banging persisted. Another sound met his ears. The muffled sound of someone crying out for help. A chill crawled up his spine.
Pulse racing, he accelerated his pace, Remi by his side.
God, please let this not be a trap.
They turned right and then left, down a set of stairs. His breaths quickened as he grew more claustrophobic. Finally, he stopped in his tracks.
His light beam landed on a woman bound and chained to the wall. His heart jumped to his throat. What in the world?
Next to him, Remi gasped, then yelped before rushing forward.
“Jo! Oh my goodness.” Remi dropped to her knees next to the chained woman.
Adrenaline surging, Hawk shined the flashlight around to make sure Jo’s abductor wasn’t waiting in the shadows to nab both Hawk and Remi and chain them to the wall like animals. This was pure unadulterated evil, and Hawk remained wary of their surroundings.
Jo gasped, then sobbed. “What took you so long?”
The woman’s anguish cut right through Hawk’s gut. He moved to the wall to figure out how to free her so they could all get out of here with their lives.
“I mean ... we didn’t know you were missing.” Remi’s voice shook, her tone loud and anxious. “How long have you been here?”
“Since early this morning.” Her voice cracked. “Now get me out of this prison.”
Hawk examined the heavy chains looped through a hook sealed into the concrete. “The only way I can get you out without tools is to shoot the chain. Cover your face, eyes, and ears. I don’t want any shards to hurt you.”
“Wait.” Remi unzipped his duffel, tugged the blanket out, then covered Jo. “This will help protect you.”
“Ready?”
“Just do it!” Jo shouted.
He fired once, twice, and then the restraints fell loose. He quickly unraveled the chain from the wall and then pulled it through the link on the cuff on her ankle. “You’ll have to wear that until we get the right tools to remove it.”
“I don’t care. I’m free now.” She whimpered.
Stiff from being chained to a wall, Jo rose slowly as she climbed to her feet. Hawk and Remi assisted her. At least she had her own blanket on the floor and a bottle of water, but her lips were blue. She could be suffering from hypothermia. Fierce anger burned in his chest. She had only started calling for help when they were about to leave. Had she been asleep and then suddenly woken up? Whatever had happened, he was relieved she got their attention, otherwise she could have died in here alone. Or worse—at the hand of her abductor.
“Who did this?” Remi asked.
“Can we just get out of here before he comes back?” Jo asked. “He was supposed to come back tonight.”
Remi shared a look with Hawk, who nodded. Was the man who’d chained Jo to the bunker wall the same man who had attacked Remi twice, and then Hawk tonight? The chances that two different villains were committing such heinous crimes in this remote place were minuscule.
“Can you walk?” Remi asked.
“What? You didn’t drive here?”
“It’s a long story,” Hawk said.
“How did you find me, then?”
“We weren’t even looking for you.” Remi pursed her lips as if trying to bite back the fury. “He was using your phone to text everyone that you were okay. I’m sorry. I ... I feel so bad about this. I kept wondering about you, and I looked for you in town. I even went to your tiny house. But I got a response, a text from you that you were okay. And then ... well, things have been kind of crazy today. I’ll tell you all about it later. Let’s get back to the lodge.”
“Are you ready?” Hawk asked. “We need all our energy to fight the storm and watch out for the jerk who did this to you. We’ll sort it out once you’re safe.”
Another small sob escaped, and Jo nearly collapsed. Hawk held her up. They stumbled their way through the labyrinth, back up the stairs. Hawk wasn’t sure how they were going to make it through the woods once their flashlights went out because the batteries wouldn’t last much longer.
Remi had talked about Scripture tonight, and he suspected she was a believer. She sounded like she loved Jesus, whereas Hawk had let himself believe that God was done with him.
He hadn’t prayed in a very long time, but if he was ever going to start again, tonight was the night.
Please don’t be done with me, God. Please, light our path. Show us the way.
Finally, they made it to the exit, where the storm bucked against the door, warning them of what was to come.