Page 86 of Witness Protection

Chapter Seventeen

“Throw a grenade,” said Hawk.

Cayden reached into one of the pockets on his harness and tossed it into the foyer once they were outside.

Sophia was terrified and relieved. When she’d heard gunshots, she knew something was going down. She’d kept far from the bedroom door just in case. Thank God it was them.

They were on the front lawns, in the daylight. Cayden was shot and unable to walk properly. Hawk kept his eyes peeled on everything, his breathing heavy.

The grenade went off, the earth quaking beneath her feet.

Chaos.

Confusion.

“Where’s the car?” she asked.

“A couple blocks away,” said Hawk. “Come on. Keep close.”

Cayden grunted as they picked up the pace. “Leave me here. You won’t make it to the car in time. Neighbors could have called the cops by now.”

Hawk stopped, and she thought he’d leave Cayden behind. She was about to protest, but he surprised her, bending down and hoisting Cayden over one of his shoulders. Hawk’s strength shocked her because the other man was just as heavy with muscle.

They jogged up the street, continually checking behind them.

Hawk pulled out his cellphone without missing a beat. “I need a doctor. A surgeon. Gunshot to the thigh. I’ll pick them up in seven minutes at the corner by the old church.”

Her heart raced, adrenaline pumping wildly through her veins.

When they reached the car, Hawk hauled Cayden into the backseat and tossed a shotgun onto his lap. “Get in, Sophia.”

She jumped in the passenger seat, and Hawk immediately did a U-turn on the road and sped away.

No one said a word until they were a good five minutes down the highway.

“Will they follow?” she asked.

“Antonio won’t give up so easily. Do you know where he is?” asked Hawk.

“He’s gone most of the time. They’re busy planning our wedding.”

“Did he touch you?” asked Cayden.

She twisted around in her seat. “Oh God, we have to get you to a hospital.”

“Did he touch you?”

“No, he kept me trapped in a room,” she said. Sophia grabbed Hawk’s sleeve. “He doesn’t look good. We have to get him help.”

“I’ll handle everything. Let me think.” They exited the highway. An elderly man with a black bag waited on the corner. Hawk pulled up next to him. “Get in.”

The doctor started examining Cayden as they drove to the other end of the city, the rush hour traffic leaving the business district as they came in. “I’ll park in the underground because we can’t bring him in the front doors bleeding all over the damn place,” said Hawk.

“Will he be okay?”

Hawk ignored her, driving down the dark, winding underground parking garage of a high-rise hotel.

“Does my father own this one?”

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