Valley of Shadows. Shirlee McCoy
him, frustration making him want to hurl the phone out the car’s window. He tightened his hand around it and growled into the phone. “Look, Stone, if you don’t believe that I’m innocent we’ve got nothing more to say to each other.”
“I’m on your side in this, Hawke, but I’m standing alone. Whoever set you up did it perfectly. The fingerprints on the weapon have every cop in the contiguous United States looking for you.”
“What about the DEA?”
Noah’s hesitation spoke volumes. The Drug Enforcement Agency might have hired Hawke to bring down one of the most notorious drug dealers on the East Coast, but they didn’t trust him.
“So, they think I’m guilty.”
“They’re reserving judgment.”
“Until?”
“Until they talk to you and your accomplice.”
Hawke gritted his teeth, shot a look at Miranda. She was eyeing the phone as if a knight in shining armor might be on the other end of the line, ready to ride to her rescue. Unfortunately, Hawke was the only one riding anywhere and he was no knight. “Accomplice? You going to tell me who that is?”
“A woman. Apparently, the two of you have been seeing each other for several months. According to your coworkers at Green’s factory, you spent more time with her than with anyone else.”
“Green works fast.”
“If he didn’t, he would have been out of business and in jail years ago.”
It was true. One of the East Coast’s most successful drug traffickers, Harold Green was, by most people’s accounts, an upstanding citizen of Essex, Maryland. A churchgoer, city council member and business owner, he hid his true nature beneath a facade of respectability. The DEA had hired Hawke to infiltrate Green’s organization and to bring him down. He’d have succeeded if he hadn’t been betrayed.
Fury threatened to take hold, but he tamped it down. Losing control meant losing. And Hawke had no intention of doing that. “What else?”
“Word is, you were apprehended by a Maryland cop. Your accomplice took him by surprise, knocking him out, and you both escaped.”
“Any news of a second man involved in that?”
“No. Just Liam Jefferson. Why? Was someone else there?”
“Yeah. The director of one of Green’s funeral homes. Simmons. Randy.”
“Do you think we should be looking for another body?”
“Yeah, but I don’t think you’ll find one. Green is nothing if not thorough. He won’t leave any loose ends.”
“Including you.”
“Including me.” Or Miranda, but Hawke didn’t add the thought.
There was another moment of hesitation. “You know you need to turn yourself in.”
“Do I?”
“What other option do you have?”
“I can get back home, find out who set me up and get the evidence I need to prove it.”
“I take it you have an idea how this should be done?”
“You’ve got connections on both sides of the law. If I can make it down to your area, can you get me out of the country?”
“I’ve got some people that owe me favors. I’ll call them in. See what I can do.”
Hawke had hoped Noah would agree, but hadn’t been certain. Relief loosened his grip on the phone, eased some of the pounding pain in his head. “How long will it take?”
“Give me an hour.”
“Thanks.”
“We’re friends. I trust you. Just don’t let your need for revenge keep you from doing what’s right.”
“You’re telling me not to kill the person who set me up.” A few years ago, he might have. Hawke had changed since then. Stone was part of the reason for that, though Hawke doubted he knew it.
“Taking the law into your hands won’t solve anything, and it’ll only make more trouble for you.”
“This isn’t just about me anymore, Stone.” He glanced at Miranda, saw that she was watching with wide, dark eyes. “You’ve been pulled into it. So has the woman who’s with me. I won’t risk either of you for revenge. I give you my word on that.”
“One hour, then.” Noah disconnected and Hawke tossed the phone into Miranda’s lap.
Now that he had the means to get her out of harms way, he’d make sure she had reason to cooperate. Flying halfway around the world with someone determined to escape was low on Hawke’s lists of ways to keep from being noticed.
She stared down at the phone, but didn’t reach for it, her hands fisted at her side, her jaw set.
“Is there someone you want to call? Someone who might be worried?
“Yes.”
“Then call.” And if news was spreading as fast as Noah claimed, Miranda would hear just how much trouble she was in from someone she trusted.
Call? Miranda was sure Hawke would pull the phone from her hands as she lifted it, but he looked relaxed. Much more relaxed than he’d been before his phone call. He’d mentioned leaving the country. Maybe he planned to drop her off and let her return home. Miranda refused to contemplate anything else. She dialed, pressing the phone to her ear, her heart thrumming a frantic beat. Please, Lauren, pick up. For once be there for me.
“Hello?” Lauren’s voice filled the line, high-pitched and breathless.
“Lauren, it’s me. I—”
“Miranda! Thank goodness! Where are you?”
Miranda glanced at a road sign, almost gave her sister the exit number, but hesitated. There was an edge of hysteria in Lauren’s voice, a breathless quality to it that didn’t fit. It wasn’t like her to be overly concerned with anyone but herself. That she was so upset could only mean bad news. “What’s wrong, Lauren?”
“Wrong? You attack a police officer and you’re asking me what’s wrong?”
Miranda went cold at her words, her back rigid with mounting tension. “How did you hear about that?”
“How do you think I heard about it? The police are here. They don’t take kindly to having one of their own knocked unconscious.”
“I didn’t have a choice. Liam—”
“Don’t say anything else, sis.” Her brother Max cut in, his voice such a welcome relief Miranda’s eyes burned with threatening tears.
“Max. I thought your plane wasn’t coming in until the morning.”
“I took an earlier flight. It’s a good thing I did. You’re in a lot of trouble, kid.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong, Max. This is all some kind of misunderstanding. I—”
“We’ll talk when you get home. The line is being monitored by the police. I don’t want you to say anything else until we’re face to face.”
“I don’t have anything to hide.” But her palms were sweaty, her breath hitching with fear.
“You need to come home, Randa. Max and I are here for you. We’ll support you. No matter what. Max has found you a great lawyer. The best. I’ve already paid a retainer fee. It’s the least I could do.” Lauren’s words caught on a sob. “After all, this is my fault. The past few years…all your time spent caring for Justin. I should have known you needed more than that.”
“Your fault? What are you talking about? I