Shadow Hawk Read online

  Callen shook her head, eyes fierce. “Oh, no. Hell, no. Don’t you dare say good-bye to me like you’re not coming back.”

  Logan didn’t smile, or try to reassure her. “Callen—”

  “You know what? Forget this bullshit.” And she climbed into the backseat. “I’m in as much danger if I stay behind. I gave Gaines my name when I thought he was your boss, and by now they’ve probably noticed you disappeared just before I left the hospital.”

  Hawk looked at Abby. “This is crazy.”

  Callen lifted a small tape recorder. “Not crazy. I can help. Hey, I might get something useful for you all to use later, right?”

  “Absolutely crazy,” Hawk repeated.

  “There’s no doubt of that.” Abby gestured to the wheel. “You driving, or am I?”

  “Shit.” But he opened the backseat for her, and then got behind the wheel.

  The plan was in motion now, and nothing could stop it. Abby met Hawk’s gaze in the mirror and realized one thing she’d forgotten to do, one thing that was going to haunt her if things went bad.

  She’d forgotten to tell him she loved him.

  GAINES’S RANCH WAS HIGH IN the hills, in rough terrain, and extremely remote. Hawk didn’t take the turn into its long dirt driveway. Instead, he took them on a four-wheel tour through the woods, entering onto the property from the back.

  At the edge of a clearing, he stopped the vehicle. Down a ravine, about a half mile ahead, sat the ranch house, completely isolated. It was surrounded on two sides by running streams, and a third side by a rocky, sheer cliff.

  Terrific.

  “We’re going to have to hike in,” he told Logan.

  They all looked at Logan’s cast.

  “No problem,” Logan said confidently, and lifted his cane. “I’m feeling no pain.”

  Hawk doubted that but he knew he couldn’t keep Logan from going—he’d follow him anyway. Abby was another story. He got out of the car and stopped her from doing the same. Leaning in, he put his hands on her face just to touch her, waiting until she slayed him with those eyes. “Someone needs to stay behind and protect Callen. I’ll leave you the rifle. If we don’t come back, get behind the wheel and drive the hell out of here.”

  “Hawk—”

  “Go directly to Regional. Plant yourself there to protect yourself from Gaines’s revenge, tell Tibbs I kidnapped you against your will, if necessary—”

  “I am not going to put that nail in your coffin—”

  “Abby, listen to me. If I don’t come back, you won’t need the nails. Show him your cuts, your bruises, the rifle, okay? Go back to Selena’s and get my cuffs. The truck. With all the evidence they’ll believe you.”

  Her eyes filled. “If you don’t get out of that ranch house, I’ll kill you myself.”

  He smiled, though he knew his eyes were shiny, too. “That’s a deal.” Hawk smoothed back her hair, and kissed her once because he couldn’t resist, letting their lips cling for a beat. “See you on the other side, Ab.” He wanted to drop to his knees, take her hand and ask her to love him forever. Yeah, he really wanted to do that. But he had to survive the next hour before he asked her for her heart and soul, that seemed only fair. So he turned, and with Logan, walked away.

  But he left his heart with her.

  FIFTEEN SWEATY MINUTES LATER, Hawk and Logan came to one of the streams.

  “Oh, boy.” Logan weaved unsteadily.

  Hawk reached out to grab him. “You okay?”

  “Ask him.”

  Hawk followed Logan’s gaze to a big-ass moose, who stood twenty-five yards away, watching them balefully. Between his huge palmated antlers, his elongated snout wriggled as he took in their scent.

  “Just keep moving,” Hawk said. “I’ve got your back.”

  “Why do I have to go first?”

  “Because you’re the injured one. The one most likely to get eaten. Jesus. Just go!”

  The moose wriggled his nose again but was too lazy to chase them. It took another fifteen minutes to get down to Gaines’s house. Gaines’s deserted ranch house.

  “Think the bastard already took off?” Not looking so hot, Logan sank to the porch swing.

  “No.” But it was so still as to be eerie. “He’s here, somewhere.”

  Any minute, Tibbs and company were going to burst in with a blaze of glory, and damn it, having Gaines here would be ever so helpful. Hawk stepped into the yard and turned in a slow circle. “He’s probably watching us.”

  “If that was true, we’d already be dead.”

  “Then he’s watching something else.” Narrowing his gaze, he turned again, stopping short at the sight of a surveillance camera mounted in the tree off the right side of the porch. A matching camera was on the left. And he’d bet every last cent he had, there were many, many more. Shit. He whipped back to Logan. “Abby and Callen.”

  “What?”

  “This place is surrounded by cameras. He’s been onto us since we first arrived. He’s probably already at the car.”

  Logan swore and got to his feet, huffing and puffing. “Jesus. I’m worthless. The drugs are wearing off. Just go.”

  Hawk came back to him and shoved a shoulder into one of Logan’s armpits, working as a human crutch. “Like I’m going to leave you behind now, after all these years that I’ve been carting your sorry ass around.”

  “Shut up and run.”

  It felt like it took them an eternity, but in twelve minutes they were back at the top of the hill, where they separated to circle around. Hawk came in from the east and hugged up to a tree. Damn it, he couldn’t see. He’d have to climb the tree, which led him twenty feet straight up into hell before he had a good, dizzying, oh-holy-shit view.

  God, he hated heights. But he hated what he saw even more. In front of the SUV, Callen was crumpled on the ground, eyes closed.

  And Gaines. The bastard was leaning back against the car as if he had all the time in the world, Abby held tight to him, a gun to her temple.

  “Might as well come out and join the party,” Gaines called out.

  Bullshit. Hawk aimed his gun directly between Gaines’s eyes, which unfortunately put him damn close to between Abby’s as well. “Let her go.”

  At the sound of his voice, Abby gasped and looked up until she locked gazes with him. “I’m sorry,” she said. “He got the jump on me.”

  “Of course I found you.” Gaines pressed his cheek to hers. “I always will. Now, here’s how this is going to work, Hawk. You’re going to put down your gun. And Logan? I know you’re out there. Might as well show yourself.”

  Logan did not appear. Hawk had no idea if this was strategy, or if he hadn’t made it around yet. “Let her go,” he repeated, his gun still sighted right between Gaines’s bloodshot eyes. “Do it. Or I promise you, this will hurt.”

  “I’m sorry.” And actually, Gaines did look sorry. He sported a bandage around his shoulder that reminded Hawk he’d shot the bastard last night. “I can’t always be looking for you over my shoulder. You have to die.”

  “No,” Abby gasped, terror filling her gaze, terror for Hawk. “Elliot, don’t be stupid, you’ll never get away with this.”

  “You’d be surprised what I can get away with.” Again, he ran his cheek over hers, his eyes softening. Then he shifted the muzzle of his gun from her temple to just beneath her jaw, and Hawk’s heart just about stopped. The guy’s hands were shaking, he was a loose cannon who was going to go off and shoot her in the process.

  No. He wasn’t going to let that happen. If he could get Abby to go limp and drop, he could get a clean shot. “Do you remember that one thing I wanted from you?” he asked.

  She nodded. Trust. It was there in her eyes for him to accept, take. “Good,” he told her, and nodded his head once, trying to signal her to drop. “That’s real good.” As his finger applied slow pressure, she looked him right in the eyes and mouthed “I love you,” and on that stunning revelation, she didn’t drop but shoved back with he