Chapter 12
12
Outside, he stood in the frosty, inclement weather and moved around until he got a signal.
Even the satellite phone gave him trouble. The thick trees and heavy clouds hampered the signal. Hawk called the emergency services number and was put on hold, which wasn’t unexpected. He’d put on his coat and prepared to stay until he talked to someone.
He secured the phone under his hood as rain poured over the edges.
Ah, this is the life.
He thought back to another windy, rainy day in the Cascades when he’d chased down a fugitive terrorist—in the Bell 206B-3 helicopter for King County—along with Deputy Jake Scott. He hadn’t felt that alive since leaving what he’d long thought was his calling as a Night Stalker.
Flying through the rain, chasing a criminal, he’d thought he was doing the right thing, stopping a terrorist from fulfilling his destructive plan. Hawk had his own flaws—like not following orders when they were wrong. He knew all about working for the county as a deputy, the ins and outs, the politics, following some orders and disregarding others. Not everyone in the head role was suited to make good decisions.
Sometimes a person could believe he was making all the right choices for the right reasons, only to learn that he had made a fatal mistake.
Hawk had been dead wrong.
But Jake had been dead.
And so had the terrorist.
The price had been too high, and the ends had not justified the means.
He’d gone to John, not for the first time, to rant and rave, and his old friend had simply commiserated with him. Then given him a good kick in the rear. Told him he needed to get his head on straight. He needed a good dose of nature. Fresh air would do him good, John had said.
Hawk could still see the expression on his face when he’d added, “I know just the place. You’ll find answers there, trust me.”
And just like that, Hawk had gotten in his Ford and driven around the Olympic Peninsula loop until he got to the Hidden Bay region, and then he stopped in Forestview. Cedar Trails Lodge had been all booked up—which made sense because this was their busy season and reservations were made well ahead of time—so he thought he could just stay in town. He passed a house for rent and leased it on a monthly basis right off the bat. That was a week ago. No year lease for him until he knew he wanted to stay. The owner was willing to accept his terms because he hadn’t been able to rent the place out.
It was a win-win.
Hawk had thought about what more he could do with his life, since he had failed as a county air deputy for the only helicopter law enforcement aviation unit in the state. So maybe he could start up a helicopter tour business using his project bird. Genius.
He’d contacted Cedar Trails Lodge and tried to talk to the manager about offering the tour package to her guests, but he never reached her. Still, he’d left a message. She’d never called him back. But he’d gotten a call that a vacancy had opened up, and he took it.
And here he was, suffering out in the storm series of the decade, coupled with king tide season, as if he hadn’t already endured enough tonight. But really, he hadn’t suffered at all compared to Remi, or especially Jo. The thought of her chained to a wall ignited a rage he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
He growled and kicked the puddles. He wanted to lift his fist and rage at the storm, but he wouldn’t waste the energy. No, he needed to save his strength for that someone special who remained in the shadows of Cedar Trails Lodge and was after Remi.
He remained aware of his surroundings. Hawk hoped and ... he prayed ... the man had gone back to his hidey-hole. He’d stayed in a cabin, so that meant they could get some information, but that information would surely prove to be false. To be an alias. But possibly they could get DNA and find him in a military database, despite the attacker being a professional who would avoid leaving fingerprints or evidence behind. Criminals made mistakes.
Hawk was both surprised and relieved when he reached dispatch, though his call could drop before he relayed important information. Hawk did his best to concisely explain their emergency. He reported the attacker and Jo’s abduction and that he believed the phone lines had been cut.
“Please hurry!”
As he suspected, emergency calls had been made all over the county, and the sheriff’s department was out answering each emergency as fast as possible. The female dispatcher told him a deputy would come to the lodge, but it would be a while. To stay on the line while he waited.
What? “I’m standing out in the storm to get a signal, and I’m exposed to the elements and the attacker. I’m going inside now. Send someone as soon as you can. We need an ambulance too.”
“Sir, we’re calling in resources from other counties.”
“In other words, your response time is slow.” They might do better to take Jo in to the nearest hospital themselves, and that would get Remi out of this dangerous environment too.
He palmed his gun and stared at the lodge. It was barely discernible in the darkness. He wasn’t the one in danger. The attacker was after Remi. Still, Jo had been put in danger because of proximity. Anyone at the lodge could face that same danger. Hawk might have been fired from the King County Sheriff’s Department, but he could still defend and protect. He went back inside and found Remi still sitting next to Jo, trying to reassure and comfort her. She glanced up at him, expectantly.
“They’ll send someone as soon as they can.” He saw the disappointment in Jo’s eyes.
Remi looked deflated but not surprised. He paced the small space. Not like he could return to his cabin and think in peace and quiet.
Jo mentioned the attacker had used a syringe and drugged her. Why hadn’t he killed her and thrown her out to the ocean to be lost forever? Maybe the man was a hired assassin and had some weird moral code only to kill for pay. As for his penchant for knives, that particular weapon could be hidden, and he could more easily blend in. He wouldn’t be noticeable. Hawk believed it was important to know why the guy had used a knife instead of a gun so he could be prepared. Maybe there was something in the psychology of it, his personal signature in his kills, that could give them clues about who this man was. But he could think about that much later. The details could be vital.
And for that matter, how did they even know it was a man? The assailant could be a well-trained, muscular female for all he knew. He needed to stop making assumptions and figure out how to keep Remi safe.
“Hawk.” Jo’s voice pulled his thoughts back to the room.
He stopped pacing and leaned against the desk to listen.
“Take her and get out of here.” Jo gestured at Remi, but he had no doubt who she meant.
“She told you everything?” he asked Jo.
“She told me about the amnesia and the puzzle pieces, if that’s what you mean.”
“As much as I know, which isn’t much. But I’m not leaving the lodge. I’m not leaving you,” Remi protested. “Hawk called the sheriff. They’ll be here sooner or later.”
Later, probably.
And maybe then Remi would tell them about her lost memories. Without more details, it was hard to tell whom to trust. Still, the sheriff’s department needed to understand what they were potentially up against, and now Hawk realized it was best to encourage her to share her story with the local authorities. She’d run to hide and was trying to do the right thing—but it was hard to distinguish exactly what that was. Even when a person did the right thing, everything could still go completely wrong.
Remi shouldn’t carry this burden alone, and maybe she’d unloaded on Hawk, but he could admit when he wasn’t enough.