Page 103 of Leading Conviction
But no matter how good it felt, how freeing it was to even stand up to him, the rage in his eyes still spurred a deep-seated fear, one that was innate, as if her body remembered those awful nights more than her mind did.
“You will come with me now, daughter, and maybe I’ll be lenient with this one.” He pointed the muzzle in Callie’s direction, making Hannah’s heart surge up her throat. Her shoulders tensed and cool sweat already dripped down her spine underneath her blue blouse. But Callie looked amazingly undeterred.
“Your team?” she asked again, obviously not letting him off the hook. “I asked you where they are.”
His nauseating smirk twisted his lips as he stared straight at Callie’s thighs. “You look better with meat on your bones, toy. Maybe I should’ve fed you more. I would’ve had more cushion for the pushin’.”
Hannah gasped. “You disgusting piece of—”
He burst into a laugh in the face of her contempt, but when Callie feinted at him, pretending like she was going to attack him, he tripped backward and slapped his hand against the stairs to catch himself from falling.
Callie took a slow step forward, her gun aimed closer to his heart. She was bluffing—maybe—but the General didn’t need to know they weren’t supposed to kill him. After hearing the way he talked about her new friend, though, Hannah wasn’t sure she cared.
“Oooh. Are you scared, General?” Callie asked, now with a smug smile of her own.
His laugh took on an uneasy edge as he lifted his gun higher to aim at her again. A bead of sweat popped up at his hairline and trailed down the side of his face, confirming his fear, even as he tried to throw them off the acrid scent of ammonia.
“Of course I’m notscared. I just enjoy riling you up, toy. I’d be careful about trying to get a rise out of me, though. You think the BlackStone boys will be there to protect you, but I have to be honest, ladies. They’ve lost their touch.” His eyes flicked to her while his gun stayed trained on Callie. “Our business creates enemies, Hannah, and your little Hawk can’t protect you. Not like I can. They’ve been out of the game for too long, but my other team is thetruebest of the best. Come with me and they’ll protect us both.”
“Is that why they left you to fend for yourself?” Hannah asked, lifting her brow.
The General scowled. “Ileftthemto fend for themselves. I trust they’ll clear the building as quickly as possible, especially since we already know BlackStone isn’t back yet.” Hannah tried not to dwell on where the team could be while his greedy eyes followed her curves. “Once we get the all clear, a wardrobe change is in order. You’re dressed like a whore. Although, I guess it’s better than wearing baggy T-shirts all the time,” he sneered. “By the way, I’ve always wondered. Which ex’s T-shirts did you keep, little slut? Thomas’s or Hawkins’s? You can’t blame me for being curious since you slept with athirdof my team.”
That morning she’d felt sexy in her tight jeans, blue blouse, and cute heels to match. But now shame had her fighting the urge to cross her arms to cover herself.
“Hannah… don’t listen to him,” Callie urged.
Hannah nodded and stiffened her arms at her side.
“This is over. Turn yourself in, or get comfortable in one of the cells behind me and have BlackStone do it for you. But know this. Whatever you decide to do, do it far away from my son and me, because Ineverwant to see you again.”
A vein in his reddening forehead pulsed so thickly it looked like it was on the verge of popping. He lunged toward her, getting in her face, spurring Callie into action. She shoved her gun between them, but Hannah didn’t flinch. Pride flooded her chest as she held her head high against her monster.
“I’m not leaving until I’ve taken what’s rightfullymine,” he hissed.
“She’s not yours.” The deep voice coming from the jagged hole above them sent a cool wave of relief surging through Hannah’s veins.
The General whirled around and pointed his gun wildly at the breach in the ceiling. Callie shoved the muzzle of her pistol into the back of his head.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” she ordered.
“You won’t kill me.” The General scowled but didn’t turn around. His shoulders remained tense, betraying how uncertain he felt. “You’re thegoodguys, remember? You need me for the farce of a trial the government will put on.”
Hawk dropped through the ceiling and landed gracefully on his feet with his pistol somehow already trained on his target. The sight of him healthy and unharmed had Hannah’s eyes burning with emotion. As he straightened, his serious eyes and chiseled jaw hardened into a fierce glare. The General gasped audibly, as if Hawk’s presence sucked the air out of the room, but the safety he promised made Hannah feel like she could finally breathe easy.
A smile lifted her cheeks but she crossed her arms to keep from hugging him. Not only would she have to pass the General to get to him, Hawk was focused on the task, his gun aiming right at the man’s head.
“Where’s my team?” the General growled.
“Yourteam?” An unfamiliar head peeked through the hole. The blue-eyed man with tanned skin tsked. “We had a chat. Seems likebothof your MF7 teams have alotin common,General.”
The General’s cheeks whitened to a sickly pallor, and he shook his head. “W-whatever they told you… it’s not true. I can connect the dots for you. If you take care of these two aiming at me right now, I’ll forgive this transgression.”
The man shook his head. “I highly doubt that. Besides, we’ve already seen the big picture. My men and I have had questions for a while, and this particular mission set off alarm bells for us. Hawk here showed us where the fire was and I gotta say, General, I’ve been dying to watch you burn for a long-ass time. If they let me kill you, it’ll feel good to know the blood on my hands is finally for a good cause.”
“Put the gun down, General,” Hawk commanded. “There’s no cavalry coming. You have two guns trained on you, and the FBI is on its way as we speak. They’ve got a nice pair of handcuffs with your name on them.” Despite the teasing nature of his last sentence, Hawk’s face was serious and his aim at the General’s head was unrelenting.
The worry widening the General’s dull eyes contorted into hate. His scowl overtook his expression as he shouted at Hawk, “You’re all talk, Captain Black, always have been. You can’t kill me because the reality is, you need me, and you don’t care enough about Hannah to stop me from taking her.”
