“Then stop me,” Miller said.
Hawk didn’t hesitate, putting two bullets in Miller’s chest. The weapon fell out of his hand as he collapsed to the ground clutching his chest.
Hawk and Big Earv jumped into the pit. After collecting the gun, Hawk knelt next to the admiral.
“We only wanted to talk, sir,” Hawk said.
“Thank you,” Miller said. “Now, I’m free.”
Miller’s body went limp, leaving Hawk and Big Earv sitting there in disbelief, not at what had just transpired but what they’d heard.
“Have you ever heard of The Alliance?” Hawk asked.
Big Earv shrugged. “Maybe as a myth, but nothing that ever sounded serious.”
“What Miller just said sounded serious to me.”
“I’m with you,” Big Earv said. “And this isn’t a mystery I’m excited to explore.”
Hawk drew in a deep breath and exhaled. He contacted Alex over the coms.
“We’re safe, honey,” he said.
“I know. I was watching.”
“Then you know we’re going to need a cleanup out here—and a cover story.”
“Already on it,” she said. “Now, when are you coming home?”
“Soon,” Hawk said. “But I’ve got one more stop to make.”
CHAPTER 43
Charlotte, North Carolina
HAWK CONVINCED BIG EARV to head back to Los Angeles in order to attend to some personal business. While Big Earv put up a fight, he eventually acquiesced, leaving Hawk with some solitude for a long drive to Charlotte. During that time, he had plenty of time to think about his past—and his future.
Hawk reflected on his time with Eddie Tyson, wondering if he was still alive in North Korea. If the opportunity arose as intel became available, Hawk would go back and get him. But he wanted to talk with Sheila, at least give her some closure in a way that only he could. And if one day Tyson walked back into her life, they could sort things out then. On the long car ride from Siberia to Sonbong, Tyson had expressed how he wanted her to move on, even though it’d hurt to see her with another man. And he’d asked Hawk to convey that to her in as delicate of a way as possible.
Hawk parked by the curb of the Tyson family home and closed his eyes, plotting how he could tell her. He’d picked up a couple of pizzas and brought gifts for all the kids. When he found the nerve, he rang the doorbell, instigating instant chaos.
Sheila, Tyson’s wife, barely had time to hug Hawk before Joey and Sam swarmed over the pizza and carried it off.
“Make sure Caleb gets a piece,” she shouted as they darted off toward the kitchen with their food and gifts.
“Uncle Brady” hadn’t stopped by to visit in several years, and Hawk was sure that none of the kids remembered him.
Sheila offered a thin smile and tucked her hair behind her ears. “They’re a motley crew, aren’t they?”
“They take after their dad,” Hawk said with a grin.
“Thank you,” she said. “I’m glad someone else sees that. I was always trying to convince Eddie that I had nothing to do with these children.”
Hawk chuckled and then paused. “How have you been?”
She gestured for Hawk to come in and led him into the living room where they both sat down. “Oh, I have my good days and bad days. More than anything, I miss our talks. I miss the way he could calm me down from my hysterical moments. And let me tell you, those seem to have increased substantially since he’s been gone.”
Hawk nodded. “I miss him, too. He loved you guys so much.”
She shrugged. “I guess he loved his country more.”
“I—I don’t think that’s true.”
“It’s why he’s dead, isn’t it?” she said, her eyes narrowing, tears welling up. “He just had to do one more mission. I begged him not to go, but he did it anyway. It wasn’t like him to defy me, but maybe he knew what was going on and just wanted an easy way out.”
“I know it’s rough right now, but it will get easier,” Hawk said. “I’ve endured some unimaginable pain in my life, and the only soothing balm that exists is time.”
“Well, I just wish I had one more day with him. There’s so many things I’d want to tell him, even as angry as I’ve been at him.”
“I understand,” Hawk said. “And while I can’t divulge the details of his last mission, I want you to know that he had to go. It was for your benefit, as difficult as that might be for you to believe. He wasn’t going for his country at all, to be honest.”
Her eyes widened. “What are you trying to say?”
Hawk looked down. “Like I said, I can’t tell you any details. But just know that what he did was for you. And he wants you to be happy.”
Her eyebrows arched upward. “Wants?”
“Wanted,” Hawk said, correcting himself.
She cocked her head to one side. “How do you know this?”
Hawk shifted in his seat. “One day we were hanging out and the conversation drifted toward more morbid topics. We all talked about what we’d want for our families if we died. Most of us couldn’t conceive of the idea that our wives would marry someone else and start new lives. But not Eddie. He was insistent that he’d want you to move on so you could be happy.”
“He said that?”
Hawk nodded. “He said the only thing he wanted for you was to be happy and fulfilled with your life.”
Tears streaked down Sheila’s face. “He never told me that.”
“It’s not something we like to talk about, but it’s something we all think about.”
She got up and hugged Hawk, thanking him profusely. “The gifts, the meal, the comfort—I appreciate it. Alex doesn’t know how good she has it.”
Hawk chuckled and shook his head. “I’m not sure she thinks that all the time, but thanks. I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“As you should,” Sheila said.
Hawk said goodbye and called Alex as he drove to the airport.
“How’d it go?” she asked.
“Lots of tears,” Hawk said, “but I’m hoping maybe that was the closure Sheila needed.”
“I’m sure it was.”
“Alex?”
“Yes?”
“I love you. I can’t wait to see you and John Daniel soon enough.”
“Me either,” Alex said. “Because there’s something we need to talk about.”
CHAPTER 44
Bridger, Montana
HAWK TUGGED ON THE rope, ensuring that the line was taut. Strung between a pair of trees, he invited John Daniel to climb up so he could try out the latest addition to the homestead. For most four-year-olds, the height would’ve seemed daunting, but John Daniel wasn’t like most. He didn’t need his father to ask him a second time as the preschooler bounded up the ladder, two rungs at a time.
Hawk fastened a harness to John Daniel and then secured him to the pulley.
“Ready?” Hawk asked.
John Daniel’s face lit up as he nodded vigorously.
“Just remember to hold on,” Hawk reminded.
Seconds later, John Daniel leaped off the platform and zipped toward the other tree, which was padded with a mound of loose hay about six feet thick. Hawk watched as John Daniel disappeared into the hay only to emerge seconds later with a grin plastered across his face.
“This is the best, Dad,” John Daniel said as he sprinted back to Hawk to try again.
Hawk showed John Daniel how to operate the apparatus so he could entertain himself. Then Hawk returned to the house where Alex was waiting on the porch, sitting in a chair while sipping a cup of steaming tea.
“If only I had that zip line for John Daniel when you were gone,” she said.
Hawk chuckled and shook his head. “Give me enough time and I’ll have this place converted into a quasi-amusement park.”