Chapter 36
36
This day had started ridiculously early and had held promise and hope. Now they were once again racing for their lives against an unknown foe.
Inside this bird, Hawk could almost imagine he was back working at the county as a deputy, and that was a bad thing. All he could see was that crash. Now wasn’t the time to berate himself again, so he pushed those dangerous thoughts out of the way to forge a new path.
He relied on the instrument panel as he navigated around the heaviest wind and rain.
“You really love flying, don’t you?” Remi asked.
“Let’s just say it’s a love-hate relationship.”
He could say that about his brother too. When this was over and Remi was out of dangerous waters, then he would pay Cole a visit in whatever facility housed him. Maybe with Cole in prison, Hawk would have the chance to talk to him, brother to brother, and try to reach through and crack the wall around his heart. Hawk hoped that Cole wasn’t completely gone. He wasn’t truly a stone-cold killer. At the end of the day, where a person’s heart leaned—toward God or away—was what mattered. Right now, it looked like Cole had tipped far away from God and had turned away from doing what was true, good, and right, and that crushed Hawk.
He hadn’t seen that drastic change coming in Cole.
And that ate him up inside. But he did see something else—they were being followed. Again. Only this time, in the air.
He couldn’t lose this jerk, not in this weather. He wouldn’t risk Remi’s life. Chances were that with the direction Hawk was flying, his destination was already known. In this weather he couldn’t risk disabling tracking. He wouldn’t risk crashing into another helicopter if someone else dared to fly in this, and apparently someone had.
He ground his molars. It didn’t matter if they’d driven or flown, danger was closing in. It was time to face the threat head-on. If he didn’t know that Cole was in custody, he would suspect his brother was in that bird following. He was the most relentless, stubborn, and capable person Hawk had ever met.
Except for maybe Remi, and the thought could make him smile in the middle of this disaster.
Sheets of rain came at them sideways in the gusting winds. The storm was building. He’d hoped to land at the lodge before the brunt of this last of the series of storms—a true monster and the harshest one yet, so meteorologists warned them.
He might be the only living soul who felt more confident in the air in this weather than he did on the road. Sometimes he regretted his decision to leave the Night Stalkers. SOAR was the perfect drug for thrill seekers who wanted to make a difference in this world.
That was okay because he had a new mission—a double mission. Protect Remi. Face Cole.
But one thing at a time.
“How long before we land?”
“A few more minutes.” Adrenaline pumped through him as he focused all his attention on the path ahead.
The other bird was closing in without concern for keeping a safe distance. Just like Andre Aslam, the terrorist in the pursuit that had ended two lives and Hawk’s career. What was going on? Did the pilot want to bring him down or just stay on him, fearing he might lose him?
Hawk owed Gordo for his help, and the last thing he wanted was to damage this bird. Maybe he should have refused, but he was desperate to get Remi out of there. And do what? Take her back to the place where this had started?
Hawk used the radio frequency for air-to-air communication and expressed his displeasure with the pilot.
Cole responded in a threatening tone. “I’ll see you soon.”
Hawk’s blood turned to ice.
“It’s your brother?” Remi’s voice shook with incredulity. “So, your longtime friend and mentor who saved your life lied to us, and Cole isn’t incarcerated at all?”
The man had assured them that Cole was out of the equation. “He could have escaped.”
Remi said nothing more. She had to be terrified. Furious.
He was all that and more. “Listen, Remi. We can go anywhere right now. Just say the word. I can take you somewhere and make sure that he never finds you.”
“You mean hide.”
“Until this is over, yes.”
“It’s not going to be over if I hide. Don’t you get it? We have to face him today.”
Yeah, unfortunately. He got it. But he didn’t like where this scenario was taking them. He didn’t have a good feeling about this. “You could die. Have you ever thought of that?”
“Every day.”
“Do me a favor and contact John. Use my SAT phone. His direct line is in there. Let him know that we’re being tailed. Ask him if his security detail is already in place at the lodge. I might need some help sooner than expected.”
Hawk increased speed and pushed the helicopter to its limits in this storm. Maybe the bird behind him couldn’t keep up.
Remi made the call. “It’s not going through.”
“Keep trying.”
“If I don’t get him,” she said, “I’ll leave a message.”
“You can text him too, and then try again.”
“Done texting. I’ll try calling again. But I don’t think I can take any more of this. I mean your flying is brilliant, but I need to put my feet on the ground. Oh, hey, you got a message from Gordo. He says he’s good. Police came and scared the men off.”
“That’s a relief.” He didn’t know what he’d do without his friend. “I think I lost our tail. I’m not landing at my house this time but closer to the lodge.”
“As long as you land, I don’t care where it is.”
“I’ve already scouted out a few additional spots.” He’d done that early on when he was thinking about the tour business.
“So, how far is this from the lodge? How do we get there? I’m guessing you don’t have a vehicle waiting, and I know you said you didn’t want to be stuck in the rainforest during the storm again.”
“I said that, yeah. It’s not far, but we might have to fight the storm in the woods.”
“Oh, I got something. I’m leaving a voicemail.” She left a few details. “The call dropped before I finished.”
“I’m sure it was enough.” Chances were that he and Remi would be at the lodge before John’s security people. They probably drove.
“Why do I feel like we’re just going in circles,” she said. “That we aren’t getting anywhere?”
“Do you mean that metaphorically or literally?”
She laughed. Actually laughed. In the middle of this horrible flight.
Remi Grant might be the woman of his dreams, and he had never let himself envision a happily-ever-after future. But if he was going to dream—Remi was the one.
“I mean literally.”
“Good, because I assure you, we aren’t flying in circles.” Not quite.
The wind buffeted the helicopter more than he liked, but he focused and maneuvered and worked with this beautiful bird. Man, he wished he could afford one for himself. “Metaphorically speaking, we’re definitely getting somewhere. We know much more than we did the last time we fought the storm in these same woods.”
“Where’d you say we were landing?”
“You know the old military camp near the bunkers? There’s the remnant of a helicopter pad there. Think about the best way to the lodge from there. You’re in charge of that.”
“Do you have permission to land there?”
Do I need permission? “I don’t think anyone is going to care right now.” He certainly didn’t. He just needed to land somewhere. “This bird is big, and I need some extra space.”
“There’s not a direct path from the camp to the lodge. Not by a long shot.”
“Then use the SAT phone and call someone to meet us and pick us up.”
“Good idea. I think the last of the storms is moving in. It sure feels like the roughest ride yet. Are you sure we’re not going to blow away?”
“The wind is picking up.” He wouldn’t mention that it was quickly becoming too much for him to fly. “We’re landing just in time.” He glanced at her, though maybe he shouldn’t have. He had trouble enough concentrating on flying after he’d kissed her—but he hadn’t been able to resist that look, her ever-changing eyes filled with longing.
He landed and powered down the rotors. Then took a deep breath. Remi watched him, and he looked at her. He had so much to say, and yet he had no idea what to say. He’d come to care deeply for her in a short period of time, and for the first time in years, he’d met someone that drew his attention—partially because she was involved in his personal drama and so he was naturally drawn to her. Couldn’t look away or ignore that she stirred up his insides. And he was at the end of his search for Cole. So maybe now he would give himself permission to pursue a real life. A relationship. Still, he ran the risk that Remi might want nothing to do with him because he would always remind her of what she’d gone through. His brother was an assassin, after all.
And they weren’t out of danger yet.
“Jo should be here soon.”
He wasn’t looking forward to facing the storm again, especially since he knew things were about to ramp up. That other helicopter brought a menace that was his brother and would land somewhere near and fast. He had to get Remi out of here.
He had to prepare to face evil head-on.