Page 84 of Witness Protection

“My apologies,” said Hawk, giving him a sideways scowl.

They ordered.

They ate in silence.

****

The closer they got to rescuing Sophia, the more her love for Cayden tormented Hawk. Why couldn’t he hate the other man? Why hadn’t he put a bullet in his head?

In a way they were alike, too alike.

They connected on a level he rarely reached with other men. This was only a couple days in the making.

And he knew more about Cayden, knew he’d been through a lot of hardcore shit. He felt guilty because if it wasn’t for his past, he’d probably put up a decent fight for Sophia. But he was damaged to the point he wouldn’t challenge him, and good enough that he wanted her happy.

Why didn’t he feel relieved that Cayden would be out of the picture at the final scene? He shouldn’t be reflecting on a stranger’s feelings.

Hawk was already going soft without Vasily’s influence.

“You will only speak Russian in front of me,” Vasily said. “If I hear one word of English, you’ll get the belt.” He held up the thick leather loop as a reminder.

He’d only been eleven, not yet fluent in the new language.

He learned fast.

“You’re going on a neighborhood run with Vladimir tonight. You need to learn how we run business in this house. You need to become a man.”

Runs consisted of beatings and breaking bones. Forcing poor shop owners to pay money they didn’t have. If he didn’t do what Vlad said, he had to take their punishment in return. There had been numerous times he willingly took the beating for an old man or a woman who reminded him of his mother.

He had no choice. His life was fear. Control. Morenov demanded unwavering loyalty.

They drove out to Antonio Baretti’s mansion, parking a couple blocks away. They’d talked over their plan all night, going over the details again at the diner. The property was vast, no close neighbors.

“Okay, keep your head down. I don’t want them recognizing us before we even get in the front doors,” said Hawk.

They dressed as city hydro workers, occasionally marking up the sidewalk with orange spray paint as they neared the house. One man sat on the porch, and he could see the barrel of a rifle hidden under the chair legs. If this was late at night, there would be a lot more heat at the front of the house with a hostage being kept inside.

“Top floor,” said Hawk. “Whoever gets there first, gets Sophia out. No mistakes.”

They’d gone over the layout of the house and their plans over and over. He knew the house like the back of his hand.

“Let’s do this,” said Cayden.

He took a breath as they approached the guard on the porch. “Afternoon,” said Hawk. “Do you know where your meter is located?”

Cayden leaned close and knocked him out with one short, hard punch to the face, not giving him time to answer. They arranged his body so it looked like he was asleep.

Once they entered the grand foyer, they fanned out, dropping off their fake uniform jackets to reveal the arsenals strapped to their bodies. They used their silencers and knives to take out the men on the main floor, hoping to get in and out with as little drama as possible.

There were only two of them, so shit could get ugly quick if they weren’t on their game every second.

Cayden pointed to the library as he ascended the staircase, his Glock in his outstretched arm. Hawk pushed open the double doors and did a quick sweep, not finding anyone. He went to join Cayden on the staircase.

This was way too easy.

There were three stories, so they had to get up another flight of narrower stairs after this. They’d just set foot on the second level when some bitch downstairs screamed, probably finding one of the bodies. All hell broke loose.

Doors opened and closed, and Baretti’s men came at them from both directions. Hawk pulled out a second handgun, Cayden at his back covering the other direction. The gunfire rang in his ears, deafening, drywall flying at him from every direction. They inched their way toward the second staircase, taking cover in the stairwell.

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