Chapter 34
34
Careful? She thought she had to tell him to be careful? What did it take to truly trust another person? Did Remi even completely trust Hawk? Humans made mistakes. Big mistakes. Hawk had once trusted Cole, and now look at his brother. He shoved away the distracting thoughts. This was no time to think about everything that had gone wrong and everything that could go wrong, though Hawk was doing his best.
For fifteen miles, in and out of traffic, he watched the mirrors.
Hawk had expected they would be followed, and he wasn’t disappointed. John had said he trusted Hawk to protect her, but he would have a backup plan too, unless this was someone else following them. Someone had hired Cole, after all. Someone else besides John Marshall and the US government wanted what was in Remi’s head.
“Is someone following us?” Remi asked.
“Yes.”
“Well, can we lose them? I’m hungry and tired and I’d like to sleep in my own bed tonight.”
“You aren’t letting this lodge thing go, are you?”
“No. And after all, your friend John told me to relax and try to remember the details, and I need to be there in case there’s more to remember.”
“You said that.”
“And I thought we agreed that’s where we’re going.”
Actually, he’d never agreed to anything. “To see what’s in that box, no doubt. Maybe it’s puzzle pieces. Maybe it’s something else. Have you ever thought of that?”
“What, like a bomb? No. Aren’t you curious?”
“You’ve remembered most of what happened. You said so yourself. You also said whatever image the puzzle pieces create doesn’t matter anymore.”
“I don’t need you to remind me of what I said.”
“So, why is the box supposedly containing more of the puzzle suddenly important?”
Remi huffed, her agitation growing. “Because Jo found it in the garbage.”
He shrugged, unconvinced. “Someone thought it was junk mail.”
“Possibly.”
Hawk tried to lose his tail, but they were staying on him, four cars back. Seattleites loved their full-size SUVs or else this tail would have been a cliché straight from the movies—a big, black Suburban. The vehicle closed the distance, and Hawk shifted in his seat.
He called John, who picked up quickly. “Hawk. I didn’t think I’d hear from you so soon.”
“We have a tail. Is that you?”
“No.”
“Because you put a tracker on the vehicle so you didn’t need to tail us?”
“What? No.”
“I’ll call you back.” He ended the call.
Then maneuvered around an eighteen-wheeler and a wolf pack of cars before speeding up.
She reached for the grab handle above the door as he weaved through traffic on the slick highway. “What’s the point of any of this if we don’t make it out alive?”
“You don’t like my driving?”
“I’m not a fan, no.”
“You want me to lose them or not? Because this isn’t a protective detail, compliments of John.”
Remi said nothing, and Hawk focused on the road. The traffic behind him looked snarled and had come to a complete stop. Good. He accelerated and left the freeway, driving until he made it to Gordo’s warehouse, leaving the followers stuck in the gridlock. He steered toward the gate and then stopped. The gate was closed, so he got out to open it, but it was locked up tight. Hawk pursed his lips. What was going on? He got back into the vehicle and called Gordo but got no answer. Not good. Not good at all. Gordo practically lived here. Hawk had texted they were coming.
Even if he hadn’t, Gordo wouldn’t have locked the gates in the middle of the day.
“Why is the gate locked?” Remi asked.
“I’m not sure. Wait here.” He jumped out and then opened up the back and searched the small toolbox inside the storage compartment. He found heavy-duty pliers he could use for cutting the chains. Remi watched him from inside the cab of the truck.
Cole was supposedly in custody.
John had assured them the danger had passed.
But he was wrong. Dead wrong. And Hawk had a feeling things were about to get even more interesting. After cutting the chain loose and opening the gate, Hawk got back into the vehicle and steered them into the parking lot. He closed the gate again but didn’t lock it. Hawk figured Gordo had some security cameras and alarms, and maybe somewhere they were going off, but it was nothing Hawk could hear, and his unease inched up. Regardless, he needed his helicopter back.
“Just stay here, okay?” He parked and got out to look at the helicopter a few yards away. Had his bird been tampered with? Because right now, it kind of felt like someone didn’t want him flying out of here. His cell buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out to read a text from Gordo.
Get out of there now! Come to the old Transnational building in the industrial section of Port of Seattle. I’ve got you a ride.
Hawk hurried back to the vehicle and got inside. He trusted Gordo and didn’t need to question him. But why hadn’t the guy texted sooner? Hawk backed up and steered toward the gate.
Two men rushed around the corner of the building and aimed their handguns at Hawk’s vehicle. He flew through the gate without stopping to open it again, knocking it from the hinges and scratching Gordo’s vehicle, but it couldn’t be helped. Bullets pinged off the back end.
Remi hunkered down in the seat. “ What is happening?”
“It’s obvious they wanted us grounded.”
“Who are they ?” she asked.
“And that’s the kazillion-dollar question.” Hawk floored it, accelerating to get away from Gordo’s warehouse. He had no intention of getting back on the freeway where he’d left behind the black SUV in gridlocked traffic, and the guys from Gordo’s warehouse hadn’t pursued them that he could tell. He could easily make it to the port area via the backstreets.
“They? You mean Charles Whitman? Or your brother?” she asked. “There’s no way for us to know who else is involved.”
“The country of Zarovia, for all we know, or the terrorist group who wanted the Tempest from Whitman.” Hawk added to her list. Had she thought of that? Because if she hadn’t, she should.
“I feel so much better now—sarcasm intended,” she said.
“You wanted me to make you feel better?”
“I don’t know why I said that. So, what are we going to do now? We could just drive to the lodge, which honestly is what I thought we were going to do.”
“We could. But Gordo told me to meet him. He said he had a ride for us.”
Hawk hated that they had to drive slow on the backstreets and stop for the red lights and stop signs. He was eager to meet Gordo and see the ride and get in the air and out of Seattle.
“You mentioned you’re hungry,” he said. “You want McDonald’s or Wendy’s?”
“I love McDonald’s fries.”
“McDonald’s it is.”
As they sat in the line at the drive-through, Hawk second-guessed his decision to stop. But they both needed sustenance to keep their energy up, and who knew where this day was heading.
“Thank you, Hawk.”
“For what?”
“For being thoughtful. You remembered that I said I was hungry, and you stopped. I know you didn’t want to stop because we’re in the middle of escaping bad guys yet again.”
“Stopping might not have been the best idea, but I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t think it was safe at the moment.”
“I’m still going to enjoy the fries. I mean heroes have to eat too. Whatever happened before in your job, you’re a hero. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.”
He didn’t care if anyone thought he was a hero. He wasn’t seeking that title, but the words coming from Remi meant the world to him. He wished he could somehow tell her, show her.
After getting their food, he hit the road again and ate with one hand. It didn’t take him long to devour a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and large fries. Finally, he entered the Port of Seattle and crept along the street until he found the older industrial section. And there it was, the abandoned Transnational building. Hawk steered into the parking lot, apprehension building in his chest.
What would he find? More gunmen waiting to meet them? Had Gordo really sent him the message?
Hawk parked and stepped out of the vehicle to look around. His friend rushed forward from the stairwell. Relieved, Hawk grabbed Gordo up in a bear hug. Remi strolled around the vehicle and stood back, watching.
Hawk released Gordo and motioned Remi to come closer.
“Man, what happened?” Hawk asked.
“A couple of gunmen were out there looking at your bird. I grabbed my pistol and went out to question them and get them off my property. They opened fire, and I took cover. I called the police. The men were gone by the time the police got there.”
“Well, they were there just now.”
“I know. I got the video feed. I would have warned you sooner, except I didn’t see your text until I got here. I decided to get out of there. Figured this was about whatever business you’re wrapped up in. Man, it’s always something with you.” He grinned, though the gravity of the situation remained behind his eyes.
“Thanks for having my back,” Hawk said. “Oh, and I’m sorry about your vehicle.” Hawk angled toward the back end.
Gordo looked at the bullet holes, his frown deepening. “This can be fixed. I’m just glad you weren’t hurt.”
“Yeah, me too. But the damage here makes it hard for me to bring this up. You mentioned you have another ride for me.”
Gordo chuckled. “Yeah, I can understand that. But desperate times, right? It’s on the roof. A Bell 206B-3 helicopter.”
A Jet Ranger. Hawk was more than familiar. This Bell was what he’d flown for King County. He gave a low whistle. “How did you get your hands on that?”
“It had some issues. Let’s just say a guy owed me and I got it for a steal. Been working my magic.”
Hawk wasn’t sure about this. “You sure you want me in the cockpit?” Because the last time he’d been in this bird, he’d crashed.
“I’m sure.”
“I don’t know.”
“I’ve got your bird back at the warehouse for collateral.”
“It’s not an even trade.”
“Who said anything about trading. Just bring it back to me in one piece. I trust you. You got me out of a lot of messes, so I’m here for you.”
His words touched Hawk to the core. He couldn’t repay him if anything happened to this bird. He squeezed Gordo’s shoulder. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. Just get out of here. You can go anywhere you want.”
He could think of a few hundred places he’d like to go, but then he glanced at Remi. She blinked at him, then looked away. Yeah. She’d wanted to travel the world, so she told him, but now she was gunning for the lodge. She might not have told him everything because right now, that didn’t seem like the best place to go. But she was at the center. The main reason he should keep her safe and maybe ignore her demands, and on the other side of that same scale, he needed to listen to her needs, her direction, her intuition that had kept her safe and alive before Hawk even showed up.
What her brain had hidden away was at the heart of this mission.