SEALs of Honor: Hawk by Dale Mayer Read Free Book Online Page B

us.”
    “Maybe they haven’t been around because there hasn’t been any reason to be around.”
    “True.”
    “What aren’t you telling me?”
    “Nothing specific. I just don’t like him.”
    He nodded and stayed quiet. Good. She really didn’t want to explain the entire town’s vantage point of the local law enforcement. He was right in that there was no need to have the law any closer and in fact, she was damn glad there wasn’t as then she’d have to see them more often. She had no idea where the grudge came from. Well, maybe she did at that. Her father. Because he sold guns. That was likely to have set him against the authorities a long time ago, and that road had just never straightened up. He really didn’t like the current sheriff. Called him a pompous ass. So yeah, she likely had been influenced by her father.
    She twisted in her seat and glanced back to check on him. His breathing was shallow. Hoarse. He didn’t look very good. Stretching out a hand, she reached out and stroked his arm. His skin was cool. She bit her lip, tears coming to her eyes. He’d been through so damn much lately. It was hard not to wonder if he’d hit the final hurdle.
    The hospital was a good half hour away. They could have called the ambulance, but she knew it was often slower than driving straight through on their own.
    “Swede has called the hospital. They are expected us.” He pulled into the turning lane at the traffic light.
    “Swede?”
    “The one driving the truck back there.”
    “Oh. Is he Swedish?”
    “No. He’s actually Norwegian.”
    “That makes no sense.”
    He laughed. “His nickname comes from a completely different source than his heritage.”
    She wanted to ask what that was but the hospital was just ahead. He pulled up outside the emergency doors. They opened and two men with a gurney raced out. Before she’d had a chance to explain, her father was loaded up and wheeled inside.
    “You must have pull to make them jump like that,” she muttered.
    “It’s all about knowing what to say,” he said comfortably. “Go deal with the paperwork. I’m heading back.”
    “Back?”
    He nodded, his face set in grim lines. “Back to your father’s house. We need to capture those bastards before they can do any more damage.”
    And just like that he was gone.
    *
    T HERE WAS NO sign of Swede’s truck when he pulled into Gordon’s driveway. Then Hawk didn’t really expect there to be any. His friend was too damn smart for that. Not to mention he loved that truck. There was no way he’d put it in harms way if he could avoid it.
    Now Shadow, his passenger, well he couldn’t be seen at the best of times. Hawk parked the Jeep where he’d parked it before and got out. Within seconds there was a loud Hawk’s call overhead. He responded with a low key one of his own. The men converged on him.
    “No sign of the truck. We’ve called it in.”
    “It was missing a plate when I saw it,” Hawk mentioned.
    “If they are smart they will have put one on by now. The license plate off Gordon’s truck is missing. The authorities are watching for it.”
    “Anything left behind?”
    Swede shook his head. “Nothing in the house. Nothing in the shed. Any idea where the bombs were cached?”
    “No. In a cave. Somewhere. And this place is riddled with them. The area is popular with spelunkers from all over the world.”
    “Then they could be anywhere,” Shadow said in a low voice. “This area is mapped. We’ll need to grab a copy and look for the most likely option.”
    Hawk’s cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Mia. He answered the call. “How’s your father?”
    “Alive, thanks to you,” she answered quietly. “Thank you. Are your friends okay?”
    Hawk’s gaze slipped across Swede and Shadow’s faces. “Both of them are standing in front of me. The truck was gone when they arrived, so the gunmen snuck out while we were going cross country.”
    “Damn.”
    “We’ll find them. The authorities have