Page 41 of Freeing Hawk
I cleared my throat and focused.
“They’re holding a kid there—about fifteen, black hair. He looks pretty banged up.” Cadmus reported. “In another section there’s a man—I’m thinking that’s your Kingston. Both he and the kid are alive, a little banged up but alive. I have a couple of my guys keeping an eye on the place just in case they move him. But, bro, this is Ayala territory. You know that, right?”
“I know.” I grumbled, wrapping a towel around her as she stared at me with questioning eyes. “They hit my place earlier today.”
“Jesus, anyone hurt?”
“Just my girl—nothing too serious.”
Her cheeks flushed.
“Listen, we’re going to head your way first thing in the morning,” I told him. “Let me know if anything changes.”
“All right.” Cadmus replied. “I’ll make sure I’m there when you land. Call if you need anything before then.”
“Will do.”
I hung up and met her gaze. “Cadmus, my contact in Mexico, thinks they’ve located Kingston.”
Without waiting for her to speak, I took her hand and led her out to where I’d set all our things. I found one of the maps Tex had found for us and grabbed a marker. “We were wrong about Tornillo. Check this out.”
“How did they know how to check somewhere else?” Hawk leant over next to me.
“Cadmus has connections all over Mexico.” I explained to her. “One of his underground people heard the feelers he sent out and responded about movement at a place that had been dormant and went looking.”
“Oh.”
“They found the boy from Texas—Keegan—in one section of the place and Kingston in another.” I reported.
“Are they—”
“Alive, yes.” I replied. “Cadmus said they’re banged up but breathing.”
Hawk exhaled loudly.
“We can’t move tonight—it’d be suspicious, but Cadmus has guys watching the place, waiting for us to come in. If anything changes, they’ll go in but otherwise, they’ll wait for us. That okay?”
She kissed my shoulder. “Perfect. Though I doubt I’ll get a wink of sleep tonight.”
“I’m going to need you to.” I told her, leaving to roll the food cart in. By the time I came back, she was slipping into a nightgown. “Because tomorrow is going to be a very long day.”
“I really hope we can rescue him alive. A part of me wants to tell Mia but I don’t want to get her hopes up only to lose him again.”
“Good call.” I placed a plate beside her on the bed. “Eat.”
“Mhmm.” Hawk picked up the fork. “Cadmus—is that his real name?”
I smiled lifting a piece of fish to my lips. “No. His real name is Gerardo Sanchez. Cadmus is—”
“Greek myth. Founder of Thebes. Son of the Phoenix.”
Proudly, I nodded. “He almost died twice—came back both times. We figured it was the closest we could get to Phoenix without being right on the nose.”
“You boys and your callsigns.” She teased.
“Why do they call you Hawk?”
She reached for one of the drinks on the cart and I waited until she wrung the top off, drank and set it back on the cart. “My strength. My power. I was good at capturing my prey while stationed overseas.”
