Page 61 of Storm Warning

“Not while I was on the helicopter. I wouldn’t have been on a special forces mission. I wasn’t in the Army anymore. So my presence there makes no sense.”

“Well, at least it’s coming back to you,” he said. “This thing is coming to a head, and probably faster than we’re ready for.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just that we need to be ready for anything.”

“And I can do that onceyou’vetold me everything.”

He groaned to himself. Yep. He’d agreed to that. He took a long swig of the too-hot coffee. Took a bite of his breakfast sandwich. Swerved into the middle lane and watched the mirror for any tails. Early morning traffic would pick up and get heavy within the hour. It didn’t appear anyone was onto him yet, and his Blazer couldn’t be tracked. Remi was right. This was like a spy thriller in too many ways, and he wanted to get them both out of this plotline before it was too late.

“I was a deputy pilot for the sheriff’s air support unit.”

“Wait, I want to know, I really do, but I think I need to hear about Cole first. Tell me about your brother. He’s the reason this is happening.”

“He’s one part of it, yes.” Hawk’s stomach churned. He really didn’t want to hash through this again. It was stilltoo fresh. Too raw. “It’s all related, so let me tell it my way, okay?”

“Oh, yeah. Sure. I’ll shut up now.”

She was cute. More than cute.

Time to focus on the road now and, unfortunately, the recent past. Might as well get this over with. “I was in a high-speed aerial pursuit to capture a dangerous terrorist and wanted fugitive. Red Notice kind of thing.”

“Red Notice kind of thing?”

“Interpol stuff. Someone wanted by other countries who has been put on a watch list called a Red Notice. His name was Andre Aslam, part of a terrorist cell called Blackfire. On the side, outside of my duties, I’d been searching for any information that could lead me to Cole. He’d gone missing two years ago. Same time as your incident.”

“So, see, it makes sense. He could have been there.”

“Yeah, he could have. I’d heard that Cole had gone rogue and was a very specialized hired gun.”

“Where did you hear this? Let me guess, your former CO.”

“Yes. He couldn’t tell me much, just that through intelligence channels, he’d learned that Cole was working with an international criminal organization.”

He paused and let that sink in all over again. Like he’d just heard the news yesterday.

“You must have been devastated.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“I don’t mean to interrupt the flow of this, but could you have ever suspected it? What could have caused such a big shift in your brother?”

What indeed? Hawk had struggled to come to terms with it. He and Cole loved each other growing up, but they’d always been competitive, and at times, that had taken them to dark places. But they’d always had each other’s backs.

“And what about your parents? Are they still alive?”

Remi was good at asking the questions. He pursed his lips.

“Oh. I’ll stop and let you tell me.”

“They’re gone. I’m glad, honestly, because Cole’s behavior would kill them now.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Before she could ask, because he knew she would, he told her. “Car accident. Five years ago.” Dealing with the aftermath was the reason he’d left the Night Stalkers. “The thing is, Cole and Dad never got along, and I get it. I understand. Dad always favored me. I wish he hadn’t, but he put pressure on Cole to measure up, and it was wrong. Just wrong.”

“Could that be the reason Cole has gone to the dark side?”

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