Page 2 of Witness Protection

How long had she been inside the closet?

The sound of her own breathing drowned out all the sounds, claustrophobia setting in. Sophia opened the door an inch to let in some fresh air. She took a deep, cleansing breath, savoring the cool air filling her lungs.

That’s when she saw movement in the library.

The double doors flung open, and a man she’d never seen before dragged her father out by the back collar of his suit jacket. Like a dog. Her father’s nose was bloodied, and she’d never seen him so afraid. Now that she thought about it, she’d never seen fear in his eyes.

“This is the end of the road, Vasily.” The man pressed the muzzle of his gun to her father’s head. “No more playing God. It’s time to meet your maker.”

He pulled the trigger.

The spray of blood was surreal, the body collapsing heavily to the floor. Sophia gagged, her stomach roiling, her vision blurring. She let go of the closet doorknob and it swung outwards, the hinges making the slightest squeak. The murderer’s head whipped to the side, their eyes meeting. Her jaw dropped, and she froze, too terrified to move or think.

He only managed to take one step before bullets came flying at him from the back of the house. The monster didn’t seem fazed, still staring at her with those evil eyes. He lifted his gun, pointing it directly at her. She held her breath, everything seeming to play out in slow motion.

A bullet grazed the gunman’s face, and he brought his free hand up to cup his cheek. He cursed and ran out of the foyer just before Hawk and Vladimir raced out the front door after him.

Her adrenaline rush made her dizzy. She still couldn’t move, and only gasped small mouthfuls of air as the blood from Vasily Morenov’s body slowly spread out toward her like spilled paint. She wondered what colors she’d have to mix to recreate the crimson hue. Her mind began to fracture, the room slowly spinning. So many images flooded her mind, a kaleidoscope of moments now lost to memories.

He can’t be dead.

Her father was the only family she had. He was invincible. She should be horrified … but somehow, she only felt numb.

“Sophia!” The voice was muted, as if she were hearing it from under water. Was she drowning? It felt like everything in her life was being washed away. When her body was hoisted into the air, reality came rushing back, along with all the sharp sounds—shouting, car doors, alarms. “Sophia, snap out of it!”

Hawk carried her through the hallway to the back of the house. She wrapped an arm around his neck to hold on, her body bouncing up and down as he jogged the rest of the way. She slipped in and out of reality, old memories merging with the present. It was Hawk who’d rushed her out in his arms on her eighteenth birthday when the FBI raided the house during her party.

Her father had handled everything, like he always did.

Now he was dead.

Using his shoulder, Hawk rammed open the emergency door, and set her on her feet next to one of the black BMWs. “Get in,” he said before helping her fasten her seatbelt. It seemed so trivial. Worrying about a seatbelt when so many men had just lost their lives. How many other daughters had lost their fathers tonight? Had any become orphans like her?

Hawk slid over the hood to get to the driver’s side. He checked the clip of his Glock before replacing it in his shoulder holster.

“Cops are coming,” said Vlad, standing in the open doorway.

“Deal with it. I need to get Sophia somewhere safe.”

“Any idea who it was?”

Hawk shook his head. “He’s a lone wolf. There’s no contract on Morenov’s head. If there was, I’d already know about it.”

“How the hell did some nobody take out that many men?”

Hawk ran a hand through his hair, pacing back and forth. “Fuck! I should have been there.”

“What the hell happened?” asked Vlad.

His jaw twitched. “He told me to protect Sophia. Last I saw him he was safe.” Hawk pounded his fist on the roof of the car, making her jump in her seat. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”

“We’ll find out whoever did this. Where you taking the girl?”

“I have no fucking clue.”

****

Hawk backed out of the driveway, then spun around once on the roadway, the tires squealing when he floored the gas. He still wasn’t sure where he was heading. His mind was a fucking mess.

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