Valley of Shadows and Stranger in the Shadows: Valley of ShadowsStranger in the Shadows

by Shirlee McCoy

  “I’ll be here.”

  “And you’ll let me know what the plans are? You won’t go anywhere without me?”

  “I’ll let you know.” But he would be going without her. The next part of the mission was too dangerous, Miranda too fragile to risk taking her with him.

  “You’d better. I’m just as much a part of this as you. And I have almost as much at stake.”

  “Almost? We could both lose our lives.” Hawke followed her into the hall, surprised at the reluctance he felt at letting her out of his sight. He’d been hypervigilant about background checks since he’d been betrayed to the Wa last year and a young girl had been kidnapped from the compound. The men and women who worked for him were loyal to him and to the cause they fought for. Because of them, dozens of DEA and police raids had been carried out in the past year alone. Hawke had no reason to question Miranda’s safety here. And still he felt reluctant to let her go.

  “Yes, but my brother is safe in Essex. At least, I hope he is.”

  “If Green tries to harm your family, the police will get suspicious. He can’t take the chance of a deeper investigation.”

  “I guess not.” But she still looked worried, lines of fatigue and anxiety creasing her smooth brow.

  Doom stepped in, sliding an arm around Miranda’s waist and urging her to the stairs. “Come. You’ll feel better when you’re dry and rested.”

  Hawke resisted the urge to follow. Instead he stayed where he was, watching their retreating figures until the door to the room near the top of the stairs closed on them.

  When he turned back toward the living room, Apirak was standing in the doorway. “You care for that woman.”

  It wasn’t a question, but Hawke gave an answer anyway. “She saved my life.”

  “And so you dragged her halfway around the world with you.”

  “It was that or leave her to die at Green’s hands.”

  “I don’t know that being here is any safer.”

  True. But at least here she wasn’t alone. Hawke didn’t say as much. “What was the phone call about?”

  “McKenzie called. He said you were right. Austin’s maternal grandfather was killed by Russian troops eight years ago. There are rumors that he was the leader of one of the resistance armies. There is no concrete evidence, but McKenzie thinks it’s interesting that that same army has grown fifty fold in the years since Austin was transferred here. They’ve got the best weapons. The best training. Before they were a ragtag group with more rhetoric than fight. Now they’re a force to be reckoned with.”

  “Does he think he can get proof that Austin is funding the group?”

  “He’s working on it now. He’s also keeping the search for you under his own control. The police here in Mae Hong Son will lay low until he tells them different.”

  “He’s taking a risk with his career. If I go down, he’ll go down with me.”

  “Maybe, but if he can pull this off and find the leak in his office, he’ll be a hero.”

  Hawke nodded. “What else?”

  “Austin is acting as if nothing is wrong. He reported your interview with his wife and is insisting on a full-out manhunt.”

  “Did he mention that anything was missing from his apartment?”

  “No. Is there?”

  “Yeah. I found letters and photos. The letters are written in a language I’m not familiar with, but I think they might be of interest to McKenzie.”

  “It seems odd for Austin not to mention them. There must be a reason for it.”

  “I’d say he doesn’t realize McKenzie and I are working together and he thinks Sharee will take me out before I can figure out what the letters say.”

  “He’s underestimated you, then.” Apirak motioned toward the office. “We’ve sent Sharee’s men running. We’d better get ready for his next move.”

  “It’ll be a trade. Simon in exchange for me and the documents I took.” Hawke moved into the large room behind his friend, the teak furniture, rich leather and wood floors both familiar and strange after so many months away.

  “And Miss Sheldon. They’ll want her, too.”

  “Too bad. I don’t plan on bringing her with me.”

  “If we want to convince Sharee that he’s got us on the run, you’re going to have to act like you’re willing to cooperate.”

  “When have I ever cooperated with drug dealers?” Hawke shrugged out of his T-shirt, grabbed another from the closet and pulled it on.

  “You’ve never had good reason to. Now, they’ve got your brother. They’ll think you will be willing to do just about anything to get him back.”

  “And I am. But that doesn’t include risking an innocent woman’s life.”

  The phone on the desk rang, cutting off further argument. Hawke picked it up, knowing before he heard the voice who’d be on the other end of the line. “Morran.”

  “You’ve got something I want.” Sharee spoke in the guttural dialect of his hill tribespeople, his words hissing out like a serpent’s warning.

  “And you have someone I want. Where is my brother?”

  “Alive. For now.”

  “Let me speak to him.”

  There was a moment of silence, then Simon’s voice filled the line. “Took you long enough, bro.”

  Some of Hawke’s tension drained away and he smiled. “If you hadn’t gotten yourself into trouble, I wouldn’t have had to come at all.”

  “For once, it wasn’t me who started the trouble.”

  “I know. Things got out of control in the States.”

  “So much for starting a new life, eh?” There was a strain in Simon’s voice that Hawke didn’t like. It hinted at injury.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’ll be better once I get out of here.”

  “It won’t be l—”

  “Now you see that your brother is okay,” Sharee interrupted. “Are you ready to listen?”

  “Go ahead.”

  “You bring the pictures and letters you took from Austin and meet me at the village a half mile north of Wat Mueng Sai. You know it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Bring the woman with you.”

  “No deal.”

  “Bring the woman or your brother will die.” Sharee disconnected before Hawke could respond.

  “How did your brother sound?” Apirak sat near the door, his shoulders tense. Like Doom, he’d been working for the Morrans for years and had become part of the family.

  “Ornery as ever.”

  “That’s good, then.”

  “Yes. Now I just have to make sure he stays that way.”

  “What’s the plan?”

  “We can’t go in force. That’s what Sharee will be expecting.” Hawke crossed the room, pulled a rolled-up map from a shelf and spread it out on his desk.

  “What do you suggest?”

  “I’m thinking Sharee doesn’t dare kill me until he makes sure I have the documents he’s after.”

  “Agreed.”

  “So, we send out some of our guys and one of our ladies. While they’re making slow progress toward the Myanmar border, you and I will move quickly. We get in the village, dispatch Sharee and his men, and find out if Simon is there.”

  “And if he isn’t?”

  “We get someone to tell us where he is. One way or another, we’re taking control of the situation.”

  “I like the sound of that.” Apirak’s eyes gleamed in anticipation.

  “Let’s map out the quickest route. I want to be out of here fast.”

  “I’ll map it. You go brief the team. Then you need to do what you told Miss Sheldon and rest.” Apirak took a seat at the desk and grabbed a high
lighter. “The sooner we get going. The happier I’ll be.”

  “You and me both.”

  It took only minutes to get his men together, go over the plan and send them off to gather weapons and supplies. It took him even less time to ready himself. He’d done this many times before, though never with so much at risk. Infiltrating drug labs, gathering names, dates and other data to pass on to the police or DEA had been part of Hawke’s life for a decade. At any other time, the idea of catching one of Thailand’s most elusive drug cartels would have filled him with purpose. Now, his sole focus was on finding Simon and getting him home alive.

  “Hawke?” Miranda hovered outside the open door to his office. Dressed in a snug black T-shirt and black cargo pants, her face freshly scrubbed, her hair pulled back from her pale, bruised face, she looked exhausted and much more lovely than she should have after all she’d been through.

  “I thought you were sleeping.”

  “And I thought you weren’t going anywhere.” She gestured toward the backpack on his shoulders and the gun belt he’d strapped to his hips.

  “I said I’d be in my office. I was. Now, I’m going to find my brother.”

  “And I’m supposed to stay here?”

  “It’s the only way to keep you safe.”

  “I’ve been safe with you.”

  Her trust in him pulled at Hawke, the intangible bond that seemed to draw him to her growing stronger. He stepped away, not trusting himself to keep from pulling her into his arms, inhaling the sweet scent that clung to her. “I’ve got to move fast, babe. You’re not up to it.”

  If she’d argued, Hawke might have found a reason to separate himself and his emotions from Miranda, but she only nodded, leaning her shoulder against the doorjamb, her gaze filled with sadness and worry. “I know. I’ve just got this feeling that if we get separated, we’ll never find each other again.” She flushed, her cheeks a deep pink. “What I mean is—”

  “No need to explain, babe. We started this as a team, and we’ll end it as one. This part, though, I’ve got to do myself.” He moved past her, stepping into the hallway, the need to be on the road warring with the desire to keep Miranda close.

  “How long will you be gone?”

  “Anywhere from a few hours to a few days.”

  “Days?”

  “If it takes that long to find Simon.”

  “And I’m just supposed to sit around here and wait?”

  “That’s exactly what you’re supposed to do.”

  “I’m not sure I like this plan.”

  “I’m not sure you’ve got any say in it.”

  Miranda opened her mouth, closed it and then shook her head, laughing, the sound peeling through the hallway and wrapping around Hawke’s heart. He smiled, wishing he had more time to stand in the hall watching laughter play across her face. “What’s so funny?”

  “You and me. We’ve had this conversation too many times to count.”

  “That we have.”

  “I don’t think we’ve agreed on anything since we met.”

  “We’ve only known each other a few days. There’s still time.”

  “A few days. It seems like a lifetime.” She’d stopped laughing, but her eyes still sparkled and Hawke wondered what it would be like to know her under different circumstances, at a time when danger didn’t lurk at every corner.

  “Has knowing me been that bad?” He meant to tease, but his words came out much more serious than he intended.

  “Not bad. Just…familiar. Like you’re an old friend I’ve suddenly reconnected with.” She smiled, shrugged. “That’s silly, I know.”

  “Is it? I’ve been thinking something similar.” He cupped her neck in his hands, feeling the quiet thrum of her pulse beneath his fingers. “Listen, babe, no matter how long I’m gone, I want you to stay here. I don’t want anything to happen to you while I’m out searching for my brother.”

  “I’ll stay here as long as I know you’re safe.”

  “I will be. This assignment is no different than any other I’ve been on. I’ve always managed to come through in one piece.”

  “Yeah? Well, that scar you’re sporting says you’ve come pretty close to not coming out in one piece.”

  “God had other plans for me the day this happened.” Hawke fingered the ridge of skin, remembering the day he’d almost been killed by men loyal to the Wa. Noah Stone had saved his life. Or at least that’s what Hawke had chosen to believe. Now he felt different. It was too hard to believe that coincidence had brought first Noah and then Miranda into his life at just exactly the right time to save him. “He had other plans for me the day I met you, too.”

  He leaned forward, placed a gentle kiss on her lips, reveling in the soft warmth of her skin, the flowery scent of the shampoo she’d used. But this was dangerous territory—the kiss he’d meant to be nothing more than a thank-you, threatened to become something more. Hawke forced himself to step away. “I’ve got to go.”

  Miranda nodded, her cheeks flushed. “I’ll stay here. And I’ll be praying for you.”

  In years past, Hawke would have scoffed at the words. But things had changed. He’d changed. “I’ll be praying for you, too, babe.”

  And he would. God had laid a foundation on Hawke’s heart years ago when his mother and stepfather had taught him the truth of the Creator’s love and sacrifice for humanity. Hawke had chosen to ignore their teachings, his anger and need for revenge overriding the quiet voice inside that yearned for peace.

  He wouldn’t ignore it any longer. God had saved him twice. Hawke could no longer turn his back on that. As he walked away, he gave his future to the one he finally believed held it in His hands.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The sun rose over Mae Hong Son in silent streaks of gold and glittering mist. Miranda watched from her bedroom window on the second-story floor, following the first faint glimmers of light as they spread across the domed mountains and the shadowy valley below. Hawke and Apirak had left hours ago and were now somewhere deep in the tangled jungles beyond the compound. Painted in greens and grays, the world seemed a place of both beauty and danger. A place where a man or woman could easily be lost. A place where bodies could lie unnoticed while scavengers tore the flesh from their bones and stole their identities.

  Miranda shivered, the image not one she wanted to dwell on. As mysterious and dangerous as the misty jungle seemed to her, she knew Hawke and his men were at home there, that they’d moved through it, explored it for most of their lives. They’d be okay. She prayed they would be, anyway.

  And she prayed they’d return quickly. Imagination was a poor companion. One that had haunted the restless sleep she’d fallen into. Nightmare figures had skulked just out of sight, their long shadows dancing across thick beds of leaves. Faceless bodies lying in dreadful stillness had created a path that stretched as far as her dream-self could see. She’d woken an hour after she’d fallen asleep and had been awake ever since, the silent house seeming to wait with her as dawn slowly arrived.

  It was probably for the best that Hawke hadn’t been able to tell her when he’d return. If she had expectations about how long his mission would take, she’d be watching the clock, worrying about every extra second it took for him to return.

  Who was she trying to kid?

  She was watching the clock. She was worrying. More and more as the seconds stretched into minutes, the minutes into hours. “Please, Lord, get them all back safely. Help Hawke find his brother quickly. Keep all of them from injury and harm.”

  She whispered the prayer, her voice sounding strangely out of place in the quiet house. The moment, her plea, reminding her of the time she’d spent at the hospital standing vigil over Justin’s failing body. Then she’d been alone, too, Lauren gone home to
sleep, convinced that Justin was too far gone to need her. Miranda hadn’t been able to leave him, though, and she’d sat through the dark, quiet night, listening to muted hospital sounds and the constant beep of machinery until night had turned to day and day to night again.

  How long she’d stand here, staring out into the morning, remained to be seen. Obviously, doing so wouldn’t do Hawke or his men any good. It would only lead to more worry and tension, but Miranda couldn’t seem to leave her vigil, her mind jumping from thought to thought, her heart beating a ragged, unhappy rhythm.

  “Miss?” A soft knock sounded on the door and Miranda turned to see Hawke’s housekeeper stepping across the threshold. “Will you have some breakfast?” Her English was flawless, her accent just slightly thicker than Hawke’s.

  “No, thank you.”

  “You must eat something. I’ll make you coffee and toast. Maybe some fruit. You like pineapple?”

  “Yes, but…” Miranda let the protest die. She didn’t have the energy or the will to argue. “That’s fine. Thank you.”

  “Shall I bring it up for you?” The woman’s dark eyes were filled with the same worry Miranda was feeling. That, rather than any desire to leave the room, made her step toward the door.

  “I’ll come down.”

  “We will have coffee together while we wait.” She smiled, her lined face creasing. “I am Doom.”

  “I’m Miranda.” They stepped out into the hallway together and moved down the steps.

  “You met Hawke in the United States.”

  “Yes.” Though she wouldn’t exactly call what had happened a meeting. They’d been thrown together, had stayed together, and now not having him nearby left her anxious and antsy.

  “He’s a good man, but it is time he stopped fighting his battle and settled down. It is what his mother would have wanted for him. I think it is what he wants for himself.”

  “Is that why he was in the United States?”

  “Yes, he had hopes of expanding the export company he and his brother own. Eventually bring Simon to the States. Thailand is dangerous for the Morrans, now. So many people do not appreciate the work they do.”