“No!”
Straining against my binds, I called out at the shocking liberty, but my turmoil was only met with more vicious laughter from his cronies.
“Why are you still here?”Hawkins spun to confront the cackling hyenas.“Didn’t I give you your orders already?”
“Yes, boss.We’re going.”
The sheepish expression on Hadden’s face would have been more satisfying had terror not been skyrocketing through my system at Hawkins’ unwelcome advances, but I just registered it as he and the other minions shuffled out of the hellish 1970’s-style study.As the door slammed closed behind the odious bunch, I realized there were no distractions left to protect me.
Tied to the chair, I was suddenly the center of Hawkins’ entire world.
Chapter Eighteen
A Plan Forms
Eli
It had been a mistake putting me in a cell with Baron.The dark, dank place might have beendisgusting, but leaving us there unsupervised wasa rookie error.Hawkins should have known better, but hey, I wasn’t going to be the one to tell him.
It hadn’t taken Baron and me long to catch the other up on the main events that had happened in our lives since the last time we saw one another.Baron had stayed in the profession after I’d been pushed out, but for all his experience and intelligence, he hadn’t seen the ambush coming that saw him languishing in the grim cell.
“I should have known.”Shaking his head, he practically snarled, “Hawkins was always a slippery bastard.I should have guessed he’d try something like this, and now, thanks to my fucking phone, we’re both stuck here.”
Regret was etched into his distinguished features as his head fell forward.
“Come on,” I chided lightly.“That kind of attitude won’t help.Weren’t you the one who taught me that?”
“Yeah.”He threw me a wry smirk as his chin rose.“I guess so.”
“So, tell me what happened after I took the rap again?”I sighed, recalling that ignominious day.I’d been sacrificed so those who’d really fucked up that night could go free, but while I’d guessed at who the culprits had been, I’d never known for sure.There was never any proof.“Was Hawkins smug when I left?”
“He kept his cards close to his chest for a long time.”Baron’s jaw clenched.“He made it damn near impossible to pin anything on him, but I bided my time, and after fifteen months or so, I finally saw a chink in his armor and a chance to bring him down.”
“So, you did?”
A rush of triumphant adrenaline flooded my system, forcing me to straighten.Even though I was down on my luck and thoughts of what Hawkins might be doing to Erin still plagued me, I’d waited too long for that moment not to revel in every juicy second of it.
Hawkins had got what he deserved, and no one deserved it more.
“I tried.”There was little glee in Baron’s voice.“I collated all the evidence and was able to prove that he paid the guns-for-hire who sabotaged your final mission.When I took it to the top brass, there was no choice for them but to back me.The testimony I’d gathered was irrefutable.”
“And that’s bad how?”Shifting on to my aching knees, I wondered why Baron wasn’t happiertelling that part of the story.Sure, we’d ended up in a shithole, but surely, putting Hawkins in his place had been sublime?
“It isn’t bad.”His expression relaxed a fraction.“But it just wasn’t enough.The worm had an ally on an even higher pay grade than mine, and even though Hawkins lost the chance for promotion, he never lost his role, pension, or any of the other benefits.It just wasn’t right.”
“Typical.”I spat the word into the darkness.“Lucky brats like him are always the same.”Pausing, an image of James popped into my head.That cocksure idiot had certainly got more than he bargained for when he’d planned a hike in the wilderness.“But you confronted him, regardless.You shone a light on the cretin that he is.”
Despite my situation, there was a glum satisfaction to that ending.Hawkins merited being shafted out of public service, but at least Baron had managed to disgrace him.
“Yeah.”Baron’s tone was wry.“Hence the huge fucking chip on his shoulder about me.I bet he’s been looking for an opportunity to bring me down ever since…”
Beleaguered silence filled the suffocating cell for long moments as we both chewed on the outcome.Baron had filled in the gaps and confirmed my suspicions.Hawkins had facilitated my fast-pass out of active service and ended my career, but confirmation only brought more nihilism.
“So, that’s what brings us here.”In the end, I broke the strained hush by joining the dots.The quiet only reinforced the hundred shards of unease knotting in my gut, each blade cutting deeper as the relentless questions flowed.
Where the hell were they holding us and how long would Erin be able to fend off a leech like Hawkins before serious harm befell her?
I knew the maggot well enough to know the things he liked to do for fun.Even when I’d been obliged to report to him, the man was damn near impossible to respect, though I’d had to fake professionalism to survive as long as I had.