Chapter 26
26
“Come on, John, hang in there.” The man had survived so many missions overseas, he couldn’t die now. Hawk refused to let him and pressed his hand against the gunshot wound. At the same time he tried to save John’s life, he struggled to believe his ears. To comprehend Remi’s claims. She glanced between him and John with wide, accusing eyes. He could deal with that later.
John was going to die if he didn’t get medical attention. That was Hawk’s priority. “We need to call 911!”
Remi held her phone up. She had already tried. “The signal isn’t going through.”
“Couldn’t ... call...” John struggled. “He ... disabled...”
Someone had disabled cell signals and electronics? “Remi, can you help me?”
Without hesitation, she dropped to her knees by his side and pressed her hands against the wound.
“I’ll run out to the boat and use the radio to call for help,” he said. “I’ll see if I can find a medical kit with something we can use to stop the bleeding.”
He hated leaving his mentor, his friend, in what could be the man’s last moments, but John needed help, which included Life Flight off this island. It wasn’t ideal for a helicopter to land, but they could hoist him up.
He started to get up, but John grabbed his wrist, proving he still retained much of his strength, which surprised Hawk.
“Careful. He ... Cole...”
This had to have happened moments before they arrived or else John would already be dead.
“Is he still here?”
John said nothing but closed his eyes. He was fading fast. “Remi, stay sharp. Keep your gun ready. John is one of the good guys. There’s an explanation for everything. We need him alive so we can learn more.”
He cringed at his attempt to persuade her, as though she would deliberately facilitate his death, but Remi was only human and could have doubts about saving a man who she believed might intend her harm. Still, she appeared to be completely focused on helping John, and Hawk shouldn’t doubt her.
“I’ve got this.” She nodded to Hawk.
He left John in Remi’s hands and rushed through the house, gun ready in case he faced the enemy. His brother. How had Cole beat them here? Or had Hawk misread the situation at his condo? Regardless, he hadn’t wanted to leave John or Remi in case Cole made an appearance. Hawk’s options were limited.
Carefully, he stepped out the door and then eyed the surrounding grass—no bushes for someone to hide in, but beyond the small yard, trees filled his view. He bounded down the porch steps, watched his six as he covered ground, especially moving through the trees. Once out of the trees where someone could have hidden and ambushed him, he was exposed. Every egress had vulnerabilities.
Protect me, Lord!
Hawk raced to the boat and hopped on. He got on the radio and called for emergency assistance. Then he searched the boat for a medical kit. Found one, but it didn’t include gunshot wound powder. He exited the boat and headed back to the house while taking in his surroundings. Gray skies. Rain. Wind. No other boats were about. And no Cole.
Then again, Hawk would only see Cole if and when he wanted to be seen. Myriad emotions—anger, agitation, apprehension, and a familiar fear that all would go south—twisted in his gut as he ran back to the house. Once he entered, he prepared to face anyone and anything as he made his way back to Remi and his former commanding officer.
Voices echoed down the hall. Raspy mumbling, along with Remi’s upset tone. When Hawk finally entered the office, Remi was no longer pressing her hands against the wound.
“I found the Celox and gauze. He told me where to find his medical supplies.” Her big blue eyes held his gaze. “It was a risk, but I didn’t think he would survive otherwise.”
He still might not make it.
“What did he say to you?”
She frowned, unshed tears in her eyes. “Later, okay? So, what now?”
He understood, but there could be more questions to ask.
“You can go wash your hands.” And wipe your eyes. He knew she wanted to swipe the tears away but would only get blood on her face.
“Okay, but then what are we doing?”
“We’re waiting for the police and emergency services. The bathroom’s just across the hall. Get cleaned up.”
He went with her just in case Cole had decided to make an appearance and ambush them.
She stood just inside the bathroom door and made to close it. “I’m good, Hawk. Go talk to him.”
He had a line of sight to the restroom and so returned to John’s side. He was pale, but they’d slowed the bleeding for now. Nothing here to start an IV or fluids, so they’d just have to wait.
Hawk couldn’t lose this man. He’d been a pillar in his life.
Lord, please save him. Hawk found himself crying out to God more than he had in far too long, and maybe that’s what despair did. It brought a man to his knees before God.
John coughed, and Hawk gripped his hand. “You with me, John? Stay with me.”
The man twisted his head around and looked at Hawk. His eyes weren’t glazed over but clear. His grip strong. That’s why John had been his CO, his friend, and mentor. His guide. He was as strong as they came. Still, seeing him like this gutted Hawk.
Hawk didn’t want to press him too much, stress him out, but if possible and John was willing, Hawk needed answers in case this was his only chance to get them. “You sent me to Cedar Trails Lodge.”
John nodded. Coughed again. At least now he wasn’t hacking up blood. He shouldn’t talk, he should just rest, but so much was on the line and Hawk suspected that John knew that better than Hawk.
“I told you that I still had connections in the intelligence community,” John said. “But I didn’t tell you everything. The company I work for—Conclave Assets—is an import and export business, but it’s just a front for an intelligence firm.”
So, John was more than just connected to that community. He was in it. But how deep? “A private firm? Or government agency?”
“Private.”
“What kind of private intelligence?”
“Contract with government agencies. Cover everything including international and counterintelligence.”
The government didn’t have enough spies, so it had to contract out for them? Hawk nodded, absorbing John’s words. And he wanted to know much more. When would emergency services arrive? This man had to survive.
“I was tasked to find out if she remembered anything in the hospital, and then when she didn’t, I followed her. I’ve known she was at Cedar Trails Lodge from the beginning. I arranged for Dr. Holcomb to send her there and to inform me, but someone else was listening. When Cole came up on the radar...” John paused to catch his breath. He closed his eyes and Hawk feared the man had said his last words, at least for the time being.
Remi returned to the room but kept her distance, giving Hawk and John a moment.
“I suspected he was a threat to Remi, and you’d been searching for him.”
“You orchestrated her being at the lodge to keep her safe and sent me to interrupt Cole’s plans. Why not tell me what I was walking into?”
“Security clearance.”
Remi had somehow ended up involved in a special operation that was classified. What had she forgotten? “What’s so important for her to remember?”
“Tied to Charles Whitman.”
“Who is he?”
“He’s dangerous. An arms dealer and a threat to national security.”
Hawk didn’t understand any of this.
“Then why aren’t the feds involved? Why didn’t you tell me so I could be prepared?”
John closed his eyes.
The man was probably done talking, and he shouldn’t have been sharing information with Hawk, but given the circumstances and the fact that he might be dying, John was ready to give up at least some of the intel.
John grimaced in pain. “Operation Blackout.”
The operation had a name. “What is it? What can I do to help?” Where was that helicopter? Emergency services? Where were the harbor police? How long did it take to get to one stinking, small island?
John opened his eyes again. “Classified intel. You need to be gone before the police get here.”
“You can’t have us talking. You shouldn’t have told us.” Hawk shook his head.
“Doesn’t matter if I told you or not.”
“I’m not leaving you,” he said. “Your Conclave Assets can just clean up the mess.” And leaving the scene of a crime would make Remi and Hawk look bad.
When John didn’t respond, Hawk felt his pulse and found it thready. He’d been hoping that it would remain strong.
“Come on, John, don’t die on me!”
“I’m afraid that is a foregone conclusion,” another voice spoke up.
Hawk pivoted, but Cole had made his move while Remi and Hawk were distracted by John’s words.
Cole stood with his weapon thrust into Remi’s side. “She’s coming with me. You shouldn’t have gotten involved, Hawk.”
Fear for Remi strangled Hawk. Her gaze held his. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was a thousand times over. No one else was going to die on his watch.
“Cole,” he said. “Please stop this. Whatever you’ve gotten into, we can fix this!”
If he was taking her now instead of killing her, then Cole needed her alive, and he needed her memories. If Hawk made a move for her now, would Cole shoot Remi? Or his own brother? He wanted to signal her to make a move and he would take Cole out, but Remi subtly shook her head. She knew, like Hawk knew, that he simply couldn’t take that risk.
Hawk didn’t recognize the man before him. Those angry, dark eyes didn’t belong to the brother he’d grown up with. Cole aimed his gun at Hawk and fired.