“Did you call Davina?” I ask while I close the door and press the lock on the keys to make sure he can’t get near her again.
“Do you think I’m fucking stupid? For fuck’s sake, Bull, give me some credit!” His concern shifts to anger at me for not just taking his word on things. “There is something not right in this whole thing. Why do you think I did this? Do you want me to wave a red flag at the dragon? ‘Oh, hi, Davina, Asha has been compromised and I think it’s you. So, what do you suggest I do about it?’ I can’t believe you even asked me that.”
By now Scott is yelling at me and the tables have turned, and he looks like he’s about to hit me.
Throwing his hands up in the air, storming away from me, he halts all of a sudden, his feet spinning in the gravel. “I didn’t leave you on your own that night three years ago, Bull. I followed orders! Fuck, it’s not my fault those people died, and it’s not yours, either! You have to believe me.”
I’m not sure what clicks inside me. “Who gave you the orders that night? Davina?” I ask, stalking towards him.
“No, Oscar. Why?”
“Fuck!” I yell.
The pieces all start falling, clanging together as they hit. They’re not matching up but making a big messy pile, one that doesn’t make sense yet, but the clues are there now. The parts just have to be shuffled on the table to see how it all fits together.
“Shit, shit, shit!” I’m yelling as I run my hands through my hair. “He came to my house, told me he left the agency. It was the night that Asha ended up in the hospital.” The noises of the night get louder around us as we both stare at each other.
For the first time, I look at Hawk and see what I used to see all those years ago—someone who just wants to do his job. He might not be as invested in this job as I am, but he still has the inner core value of trying to do the right thing.
I’m torn because I don’t want to tell him anything, yet part of me knows that I’m going to need him. Can I get past the feeling of deep distrust I have been holding against him? It’s too early to make that call, but my wall is falling a little.
“Bastard,” he growls. “He hasn’t left the agency, he’s still active but on assignment, as far as I know.” Hawk is madly tapping away on his phone, and I can only assume he’s trying to get as much information as he can on Oscar.
“I need to move, get her out of here and safe.” I can’t wait any longer. I’ve got no idea what’s going on, so I can’t risk being vulnerable any longer.
“Where are you taking her?” Hawk knows as soon as the words leave his mouth that it’s a stupid question. “Ignore that,” he says before I even have time to say anything in return.
As I move towards the car door, the lights flash brightly in the night sky as it’s unlocking.
“I’ll be in touch. The only person to trust is me or Ghost. You need to go, sort out your story, and watch your back. If you need extracting, contact Ghost.”
“Roger that.” He’s standing, feet apart, shoulders back, and the blank look on his face that says he’s in pure work mode.
I’ve got to give it to him, he hasn’t shown one moment of fear about what’s going to happen now that he’s lost the client he’s supposed to be protecting. Especially since there is something dark underlying this whole situation.
I look in the back seat to Asha, still sleeping off the sedative that Hawk gave her. She’s in a strange peaceful slumber.
About to slide into the seat, I stop at the last moment, my arm leaning over the top of the door. “Thank you, I won’t forget this.”
Silence hangs in the air, and finally Hawk just gives me a chin lift, and then he turns and heads to his car while I pull my door shut.
Turning one last time to look at Asha on the seat, I just breathe to myself, thankful I have her with me and all too aware of how close I came to losing her.
“I’ve got you now, beautiful, and nothing will separate us again.”
Eyes back on the road and turning around, gravel sprays a little as I push my foot firmly down on the accelerator, leaving Hawk’s car alone in the middle of nowhere. I hope that he stays safe; I don’t want his life on my conscience too.
The outgoing call only rings once through my speakers before Ghost picks up.
“I have her, she is sedated but unhurt.” The relief in my voice is evident.
“Good news, and Hawk?” Ghost asks.
“I might have been wrong about him. I don’t know, but right now I owe him big time. You need to talk to him. There is something not right about that night three years ago. I think Oscar and Davina might be involved, and somehow Scott has been the scapegoat. He doesn’t have the same information as we do right now, but his intel of that night might answer some of the questions we have.”
“For fuck’s sake, you never do anything simple, do you?” he asks.
“If it wasn’t so serious, I’d laugh at that comment.” I pull back onto the main road. “I’m at the intersection now, left or right?”
“Left, you are going to head to the private airstrip fifteen miles out of Moreton. Should take you just about an hour to get there. I’ve pulled in some favors of an old buddy who is ex-military and has friends in high places.
