Yeah. He agreed with that one. “Fair enough. But here’s the deal, beautiful. Your odds are based on what you think you know about me and the sides you’ve seen. You’ve never seen the side at war, and you won’t. Ever.” He turned into the perfectly plowed driveway. “The guys I’m after, they’re not like us, and they won’t fight fair. Hell, they won’t fight.” They’d just kill. “I know you don’t get that, and I’m perfectly fine with you not getting that. But what you do need to get, and get right now, is that you’re going to follow orders and stay here until I say it’s safe to go home.”
She rolled her eyes. “Like I said, I don’t like the bossy side of you.”
“Like I said,” he said evenly, “that’s unfortunate.” He cut the engine, unbuckled her seat belt, and tugged her toward him to step out of the truck on his side. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and he swept the area, finding extra ranch hands stationed at strategic points. Good. Colton had listened to him. Keeping her body between his and the ranch house, he all but carried her toward the door, which was already opening, with Colton on the other side.
It was a little over the top, but he couldn’t help it. Dawn came first.
Colton drew them in and glanced around the sprawling ranch before shutting the door. “Quinn wants you back at the station as soon as you drop off Dawn.”
Hawk shook his head. “I don’t need the sheriff in the way.” He needed to question Reese’s lying bastard of an employee, and he couldn’t have anybody involved in the law there.
“How bad is Reese?” Colton asked, helping Dawn from her coat.
“He’ll live.”
Colton nodded and then pushed Dawn toward the kitchen, where Melanie sat sipping tea. “Go reassure Mel that you’re okay,” Colton said before shoving Hawk out into the cold.
Hawk braced himself for Colton’s rare but formidable temper. Yeah. He’d fucked up by beginning a relationship with Dawn when things were so up in the air, and if her brother wanted to take a shot, he deserved to make it a good one.
Colton shut the door. “I have men at every station, and we’re good. Quinn and Jake have to stay out of it.” He turned to stride down the stairs.
Hawk paused. “What the hell?”
Colton’s shoulders went back, and on the middle step, he turned around. “I figured you’d want to talk to the guy Reese fought with, who’s also in the hospital right now.”
Hawk stumbled. “How did you know about Frank Zonas?”
Colton snorted. “Like there are any secrets in Maverick County.”
Hawk slid his thumbs into his jeans. “Good point.”
“Then let’s go. Quinn’s hands are full right now, but soon he’s gonna take a moment to think, and he’s gonna think about you and what you’re most likely doing.” Colton turned and descended again, his boots throwing snow. “He’s the sheriff, and he has to stop us, so we need to get a move on. Jake’s a lawyer, and we’re probably gonna need him, so he can’t be part of it, either.”
Hawk shook his head and stomped down the steps to grab Colt’s shoulder. “You’re not coming with me.”
Colt moved then, suddenly and without warning, shoving Hawk up against the porch post. Pain ricocheted trough Hawk’s head, and he automatically fisted his hands in Colton’s lapels.
Colt leaned in, blue eyes furious, his body strung tight. “Don’t. Fuckin’. Mess. With. Me. Right. Now.”
Hawk blinked. He could count on one hand the times Colton had been truly mad at him during their lives, and even so, he’d never seen the dark look he was getting now. “I’m sorry everything is so screwed up. Chances are there’s no danger headed this way, but I have to make sure, you know?”
Colton leaned in closer. “I know, so we’re going to take care of it. But this Lone Ranger bullshit you’re sporting just ended.”
Heat. It flared through Hawk along with panic as he glared into his best friend’s face, which was way too close. “You’re close enough to freak me out, Colt. If you kiss me, I’m gonna have to kill you. So how about you get the fuck off me?”
Colton blinked and shoved him away, hard. “You’re such a dumb-ass right now.”
Yeah, true that. Hawk was trained, and he was deadly. Sometimes he forgot Colton’s training, and his time as a MMA fighter. Colt would be one hell of an opponent, and Hawk didn’t want to go there. Ever. “You’re about to have two babies,” he said slowly.
Colton slid his hat further up his head. “I was there for the last doctor’s appointment, Hawk. You’re not tellin’ me anything I don’t know.”
“So stay here and keep your woman safe.” And mine, too. He didn’t say the words, but they certainly filled the air around them.
“I’ve got good men on them, and Jake’s on his way here. So you and I are doing this. No more alone bullshit, and no more chances.” Colton pivoted and strode toward Hawk’s truck. “If you’re not at the truck when I am, I’m taking it.”
Hawk shook his head, caught between being pissed and grateful. “Colt—”
“You’re another brother to me, Hawk. You know it, I know it, and Quinn will know it. So let’s go do what we gotta do and keep him out of it. It’s the least we can do.” Colton hitched into the truck.
Hawk gave up. When Colton Freeze set his mind to something, nobody, and that meant fucking nobody, would stop him. “Fine. But if it gets illegal, and it’s gonna get illegal, you let me break the law.”
Colton rolled his eyes. “Shut up. And think about one thing for a moment—it wasn’t your fault Meyer stabbed your buddy. Stop feeling guilty and just live your damn life.”
Hawk recoiled like he’d been punched. Shit. Was that his mindset?
They didn’t talk on the way in, both lost in thoughts, both pissed off. Anger swelled in the truck, cascading around, at home and not going anywhere. Hawk figured they should probably talk about Dawn, but now wasn’t the time.
They reached the hospital and slipped in the back door after an orderly coming back from a smoke break. “I called Junnie Allice earlier to get the guy’s room.” Junnie Allice ran the florist shop in town and knew everyone at the hospital. Hawk didn’t know who she’d called to get the room number, and he didn’t care. “Room two eleven.”
Colton nodded.
It occurred to Hawk that he’d seen some shit, Colton had seen some shit, but they’d never actually seen shit together. They’d always had each other’s backs, though. On the football field, the baseball diamond, even back alleys after bar fights.
They found the room and then quickly backed around a corner. A Maverick County deputy stood outside the room, holding up the wall.
Colt rubbed his whiskered chin. “Quinn isn’t stupid.”
No. The sheriff was nowhere near stupid. Hawk scrubbed both hands down his face. “That guy new?”
“Yeah. Think his name is Chuck. Or George.” Colton shrugged. “He doesn’t know us, and he’ll have orders from Quinn, who he does know. We’re fucked. Any ideas?”
“Besides blowing up my truck in the lot as a diversion?” Hawk whispered. “No. Besides, if Quinn is onto us, then he’s told the deputy not to move…no matter what.” He eyed the far door. “Remember last year?”
Colt tipped up his head. “Yeah. When we jumped out the window.” It could work. “Chances are the window isn’t unlocked though.”
Hawk’s spine straightened, and he nudged Colton aside. “There’s only one option, and you can’t be a part of it.”
Colton shook his head. “There’s no choice.”
Hawk eyed the distance between the deputy and him. Running would draw attention, and stealth would take ten long strides. “There are no cameras in the halls, although there was one in the entryway. But we could say we were visiting Reese. We need a way to knock the deputy out without him seeing us. One of us could distract him, but Quinn will know it’s us.”
Colton shrugged. “Quinn’s going to know it was us no matter what. The issue is proving it, and we have to make sure he
can’t. If for nothing else, then to protect him.”
Hawk nodded. “Good point.”
Colt cut him a look. “You distract the cop, and I’ll have a talk with the patient.”
Hawk shook his head. “No. This guy’s mine.”
“Fine. Give me a few.” Turning, Colt jogged out the back door.
Hawk took several deep breaths—his hands steady, his head wound still pounding. What he wouldn’t give for a week on a beach with Dawn just to play and explore whatever the hell they had going on. But right now, he had to break the law and scare a guy in order to keep everyone he cared about safe.
So much for leaving violence behind.
He’d only been seeing Dawn a few days, and she’d already been in a car wreck—and had actually saved his butt the previous night.
Pride, unwelcome and irritating, slid through Hawk. His girl had stepped up, now hadn’t she?
Colton’s voice came from down the corridor. “Dude, I’m the sheriff’s brother, and he sent me to talk to the guy in this room. Stand down.”
Hawk peered around the corner to see the deputy facing Colton, hands at his hips, shaking his head. The hallway was quiet, with no witnesses. The cop reached for his phone, and Colton grabbed for it. “Mr. Freeze, I have to ask you to stand down.”
Hawk moved silently and grasped the guy in a headlock.
Colton feigned a gasp, his eyes widening on Hawk, his hands going up in fake shock. “Who are you?”
The deputy scuffled, and the guy had bulk. Hawk held on tight, grimacing, finally relaxing when the deputy lost consciousness. “Quinn’s going to kill us,” he muttered, setting the deputy in a fluorescent orange chair and adjusting his cowboy hat over his head.
“Yeah.” Colton sat next to the guy. “Hurry up, so I can call this in like I actually witnessed something.”
Hawk dodged inside the room and stalked patiently toward the bed. The guy was in his early thirties, long brown hair, scruff across his chin, body gone partially to fat. His eyes were open, and alarm filled them. He reached for the call button, and Hawk knocked it out of his hand.
Leaning in, Hawk placed a hand over the man’s neck. “You have a millisecond, so listen up. You put a friend of mine in the hospital, and you put in jeopardy everything I give a shit about, which means you should die. Killing you wouldn’t bother me much, but it’d put my friend, the sheriff, in a spot, so if you work with me, I’m gonna let you live.” To emphasize his point, Hawk slid his hand up to cover the man’s mouth and nose just long enough to cut off all oxygen.
The guy went still.
“Do you get me?” Hawk asked.
The man nodded, and machines around them beeped rapidly.
“Where’s Meyer and what does he know?” Hawk asked.
Chapter Sixteen
Men like an angel in public, a mom in the kitchen, and a wildcat in bed. Do NOT get those mixed up.
~ The Lady Elks Secret Archives
Dawn moved from Melanie’s bright kitchen into the large gathering room, where a fire crackled in a massive stone fireplace near a seven-foot Christmas tree decorated in bright colors. The teapot she carried was vintage, as were most of the furnishings, and even the drapes across the wide windows. The entire effect was country, homey, and comfortable.
The snowstorm had finally stopped, and the sun shone down to reflect off snowy fields.
Dawn refilled Melanie’s teacup and tried to smile. “Why are men such dumb-asses?”
Melanie shrugged and sipped her tea, sitting back in a muted suede sofa that added a calmness to the woodsy living room. “I think it’s something in the excess testosterone.” She stretched her feet out on a matching ottoman. “I could be wrong.”
Dawn snorted and placed the pot on a wide serving tray her mom had given Melanie for a wedding present. “I think you’re right. How are you feeling, anyway?”
Mel rubbed her huge belly. “Fantastic, in an I swallowed volleyballs kind of way. Excited for the babies to get here.”
Dawn sat. “Why haven’t you had the ultrasound to find out the sexes? I want to go shopping.”
“I like surprises.” Mel chuckled, her brown eyes laughing. “Colton does not. Therefore I won.” She set down her cup and shoved curls off her forehead. “So. I guess it’s time we talked about Hawk, right? How are things?”
“Crazy. He’s pissed that Reese was hurt, and I’m not liking the pressure from all around. That just because we started dating, it means forever.” Dawn took a sip and scalded her tongue.
Mel nodded. “Yeah, but with you and Hawk, didn’t you figure on forever?”
“Yes.” Dawn lifted a shoulder and set down the offending mug. “I’ve known Hawk my whole life, but I didn’t really know him, know him. You know?”
Melanie lifted an eyebrow. “Sister, I’m one of the few people alive who actually would understand and agree with that statement. Colt and I were friends forever, but when we, ah, you know, things totally changed. He totally changed.”
“Exactly.” Dawn leaned forward, her breath rushing out. “Hawk’s always been a sweetie, not a chauvinistic dick who ordered everyone around. Sure, some of that’s from the military, but the other part? That’s just because we bumped uglies and now his main goal in life is to keep me from getting shot.”
Mel nodded sagely. “I have to be honest in that I think that’s a good goal.” She blew on her tea. “However, I agree about the bossiness. That can’t be allowed to continue. Getting your brother to back off was tough.”
Dawn swallowed a grin. Colton hadn’t backed off. Not a bit. In fact, he was even more protective since Melanie had gotten pregnant.
“Shut up,” Mel said without much heat.
“Didn’t say a word.” Dawn reached for her cup again.
The front door burst open, and she jumped. Colton stomped inside with Hawk on his heels. She half rose.
Colton reached his wife and planted a hard kiss on her lips.
Dawn faltered and then sat down. “Um—”
The trill of sirens, somehow angry, violated the quiet winter morning. Oh shit. Dawn stilled, and her stomach dropped.
A truck roared to a stop, heavy boot steps clanged on the stairs, and then Quinn Lodge stood inside the room, a swell of anger cascading from him and heating Dawn’s lungs.
His hard gaze took in both Hawk and Colton. “Out. Side.”
Another truck came to a stop outside, and everyone paused. Seconds later, Jake Lodge strode through the doorway. “What the holy fuck of a holy fuckup of a fuck were you two fucking fuck-ups fucking doing?” he yelled.
Melanie snorted and dropped her face to her cup.
Dawn’s mouth opened and shut, but she couldn’t find words.
Colton turned toward his oldest brother, opened his mouth, and took a square-on punch to the jaw from Jake. He fell into Hawk, who righted him. Then Colt lunged for Jake.
Hawk slipped in front of Colton, and Quinn punched hard and fast. Hawk flew back into Colton and then sprang forward and into the sheriff.
Melanie stood, holding her stomach. “Knock it the hell off. Now.”
All four men froze.
Hysteria bubbled through Dawn, and she gulped it down.
Quinn recovered first. “Hawk Rain and Colton Freeze. You have the right to remain silent—”
Jake faced off with the sheriff. “Probable cause?” he barked.
Quinn turned toward Jake, fury darkening his rugged cheekbones. “Seriously?”
“Wait a minute.” Hawk tried to step between them. “You two don’t fight.”
“Shut up,” they said in unison.
Jake stepped into his brother’s face, both of them tall, broad, dark, and furious. “Listen, sheriff. I want nothing better than to beat the holy shit out of these two, and don’t think I won’t, but you don’t have probable cause for an arrest.”
Quinn shifted until they were nose to nose. “I fucking do. I have these two morons on camera entering the hospital, and Colton witnes
sing whoever knocked out my deputy. So feel free to follow me to the station, counselor.”
“They could’ve been visiting anybody, and that’s not probable cause,” Jake shot back.
Dawn swallowed, and her arms trembled. Anger. Way too much of it surrounded them. She shuffled to her feet. “Can we just talk about this?”
Colton reached for his wife to settle her back in the chair. “Listen. This is what happened—”
Jake whirled on him in unison with Quinn. “Shut up,” they both growled.
Dawn would’ve laughed had it not been so scary. “I, ah…”
Hawk’s head pivoted, and he silenced her with one hard look. “You know absolutely nothing and have nothing to add.”
Quinn sighed. “I agree. Now you two numb-nuts get your asses in the back of my rig. We have to sort this out at the station, away from Dawn and Melanie, because none of this touches them.”
The door pushed open, and Reese Johnson leaned against the doorframe, a hospital gown barely covering him, big fur-lined black boots up to his knees.
“What the hell?” Quinn breathed, going for his tall friend before he hit the floor. “How?”
Reese smiled wanly and allowed Quinn to help him inside the room to sit. “I, ah, may have borrowed a car from the hospital.” He shook snow out of his dark hair. Bruises covered his face, and bandages blanketed his muscled arms. “I thought I should let you know that Colton and Hawk visited me at the hospital. Hawk stayed with me the entire time. All morning. Just in case a camera caught them coming into and then leaving the hospital.”
“Fuck me.” Quinn grabbed a blanket to toss on his friend. “You’re providing an alibi for these two morons?”
“Yes.” Reese leaned back with a tired groan. “I heard a deputy was choked unconscious, and I also heard he didn’t see who did it. But my former employee, the one being guarded, hasn’t had anything to say, so we just don’t know who went inside to chat with him.”
Quinn growled. “I know he hasn’t talked, because I tried to get him to talk. Seemed a bit scared.”
Reese shrugged and then winced. “Yes.”
“The deputy was talking to Colton,” Quinn hissed.
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