Hawk looked at his watch. It had been over two hours since the bounty hunter had evaded them. It was getting hotter, and harder to look busy. One of the FBI actors brought Gary a cart of petunias to plant.
Hawk picked up one of the plastic crates and set it on the ground where Gary was working. “I don’t know how you can get into this with the bounty hunter out there somewhere, maybe even watching us.”
“Believe it or not, it helps to keep me focused,” Gary said. “You feeling antsy?”
“More like stressed.” Hawk sighed. “Man, I hope we don’t have to do this for days. I feel like I could lose my lunch.”
“You’re doing great, Hawk. Really. I’m not just saying that.”
“Thanks. I really want to help. But how long can we keep up this ruse of the landscaping project?”
“Until we run out of flowers.” Gary smiled and looked up at Hawk. “The bounty hunter had a successful walk-by or disappearing act—whatever it was. He’s probably feeling safe now. That’s a good thing.”
“Safe to do what, though?” Hawk said. “He can’t approach me this way, with all of you close by. Obviously, I’m going to have to man up and move away from you where he might actually feel comfortable making a move.”
“Are you eager to do that?”
Hawk rolled his eyes. “What do you think? But I can’t stand around with this mounting stress, wondering where he is. I’d rather just get it over with. I’m willing to be the bait because I know you’ve got my back. But let’s get on with it.”
“Stay put,” Gary said. “I’ll talk to Special Agent Romo and see what the plan is.”
Gary walked away, his phone to his ear.
Hawk got down on his knees and dug a small hole. Gently, he placed one of the petunias into it and scooped dirt around the flower. As he patted down the dirt, he had a flashback of Kennedy’s soft hands pulling the dead leaves off a green plant she had in the kitchen. He still couldn’t believe she was dead. I can do this for you. I know I can.
“How’re you holding up?”
Hawk looked up into the face of Special Agent Ryan Ziegler. “Not as well as I’d like. I was telling Gary I need to move away from you guys if we want the bounty hunter to approach me. He’s never going to do that as long as I’m this close to anyone.”
Ryan squatted down next to Hawk. “We know that. We just want him to get far enough away from the guests that we can grab him. He’s smart. He’s doing exactly what we expected him to do. Once he gets brave enough to do a walk-by without a bunch of people around him, we’ll make our move.”
“What if he sees you or reacts faster than you do?” Hawk said. “You’ve already said you can’t hurt him. What if he’s got a gun?”
“You let us worry about the bounty hunter. You just keep doing what you’re—”
“We’ve got eyes on the bounty hunter!” Romo’s voice came through loud and clear. “Actors, get into your positions. Hawk, I need you to stand up and let Gary plant the flowers. Number six, zoom in on the bounty hunter’s face. Oh yeah, there you are, Mr. Houdini. What’s his twenty?”
“Sir, he’s sitting by the playground. There’s at least two dozen children and almost that many parents. He’s got sunglasses on, so he could be watching the actors.”
“Hear that, people?” Romo said. “Look believable. Hawk, walk around to each actor and pretend to be giving instructions. Point at the ground while you’re talking. Look positive and not too intense.”
“Okay, here we go,” Hawk mumbled to himself. He started with Gary and then walked over to Ryan. “They really pay you guys to do this?” Hawk flashed a crooked smile. He pointed to the ground and then moved on to another actor, who was about ten yards away.
“That’s it,” Romo said. “Great. The bounty hunter is over there watching. Keep it real, people.”
Virgil stood behind the two rows of agents crowded around the surveillance monitors. “You there?”
“Copy that,” Billy Gene said. “I’ve got eyes on the bounty hunter. I’m sitting in the shade, my back leaned against the shade tree, about forty yards directly in front of the playground. I’m pretending to read Black Hawk Down.”
Virgil put his handkerchief to his nose. “What about Saman?”
“Oh, I’ve got eyes on him too. He’s watchin’ every move Hawk makes. I just can’t figure him out. Do you think he could be workin’ with the bounty hunter?”
“Don’t think so,” Virgil said. “No one here is paying any attention to him.”
“Well, I sure am.”
“Good. Keep me posted,” Virgil said.
“Will do.”
“Special Agent Romo, this is Hawk.”
“I’m here. What’s up?”
“Sir, I feel like I should be doing something to draw the bounty hunter out in the open. With all this waiting around, we could lose him. You can see him right now. And I’m not in danger. Why not let me get out there away from all the actors and see what he does?”
“You sure you’re up for it?”
“Truthfully,” Hawk said, “it couldn’t be any more stressful than just waiting out here with a big target on my back.”
“Fair enough. Actors, you can’t react to whatever happens unless I tell you to. Hawk, you have to do exactly as I say.”
“I will.”
“Okay, pick up a shovel and walk across the back lawn toward the playground. Go to the big oak tree with the hummingbird feeder hanging on it and stop.”
Hawk, butterflies in his stomach, left his safe haven and walked across the lawn, stopping at the big oak tree.
“Now lean on the shovel, and look like you’re thinking about building a circular flower bed around the base of the tree. Look as natural as you can. I want to see what the bounty hunter does when you’re there by yourself.”
“He’s getting up,” Romo said. “The bounty hunter is on the move! Heads up, people. Everybody, stay cool. Assume your roles. Number five, give me a head shot. Number six, bring him in a little closer. That’s it. Hawk, you okay?”
“I’m shaking on the inside and my knees are ready to give out, but I’m okay. What do I do if he talks to me?”
“Answer him,” Romo said. “We’ve got your back. Just stay calm and don’t blow this. I think we’d all like to get this guy and go home.”
“You’ve got that right. Where is he?”
“He’s on the phone, walking in your direction. Remember, he’s not going to shoot. He wants to talk. He may ask a question about the lodge. About anything. This is an icebreaker. Just be natural.”
Hawk exhaled a nervous laugh. “Right. How close is he?”
“About twenty yards. He’s got his phone to his ear. But he’s coming to you. That’s what we want. You’re a hero, Hawk. We all respect you for what you’re doing.”
“You sure you’ve got my back?” Hawk noticed his hands were shaking a little.
“You are surrounded with FBI. Relax. This is your moment.”
Kate tapped her fingers on the kitchen table and shifted in her chair. “This is making me crazy. Hawk, be careful. Lord, protect him. Put a circle of angels around him and don’t let anything evil touch him.”
Elliot whispered, “Amen.”
Buck put his hand on hers. “Baby girl, God’s got this. Just like He always does.”
Kate nodded. “I know, Dad. I really do. But my wits aren’t cooperating.”
Elliot chuckled. “Now that’s a good one. Sounded like something Riley would say.”
“I guess we’re not going to meet the camp bus tomorrow afternoon,” Kate said. “I miss that little munchkin.”
“Clarissa, why are they lettin’ the bounty hunter walk over to Hawk?” Buck said. “Couldn’t they just shoot him with a rubber bullet?”
“Special Agent Romo knows what he’s doing. And you heard Hawk. He wants to get this done.”
“Poor guy is probably exhausted,” Elliot said. “Look at what’s happened to him in a week’s time. First he’s knocked out with a chemical, and when he wakes up, Kennedy is gone and her house totally empty. He owns his affair and tells Laura Lynn, and they break up. Then he faces the humiliation of telling the family about the affair. Then Dennis tells him what Brody saw, and he realizes Brody was talking about Kennedy and him, and the drone attack. He’s told that Kennedy was kidnapped by eight men. Brody thinks he’s being followed, then is killed when his car goes off the road and down an embankment. Hawk and Dennis get up the nerve to report everything to the sheriff. Then he’s detained by the FBI, questioned for hours, and enlisted for this unnerving assignment. Romo said Hawk was a hero. I think so too.”
Kate wiped a tear off her cheek and linked arms with Elliot.
“He’s done everything he can to make things right,” Buck said. “But that’s a whole lot of hurtin’ inside of a week.”
Clarissa held up her palm to quiet them. “The bounty hunter stopped. He’s writing something on what appears to be a business card. He’s just waiting to see if Hawk reacts to his presence.”
“I hope not,” Kate said. “But I sure am.”
Virgil’s heart pounded as if it would explode. Everything was about to play out. He put his hand to his mouth. “Where are you?”
“I’m standing,” Billy Gene said, “leaning against the same tree, pretending to text. The bounty hunter stopped walking and wrote something down. I think he’s testing Hawk to see if he acts nervous with him standing there. So far, Hawk’s been amazing.”
“Where’s Saman …? Billy Gene …?”
“Sheriff, I’ve gotta go—now!”
Virgil stared at the monitors. Hawk was leaning on the shovel, looking pensive. The bounty hunter, the vile assassin wanted in Europe and the Middle East, was no more than ten yards from him, talking on the phone.
“Hawk,” Romo said, “the bounty hunter is easing his way toward you. He’s about thirty feet behind you, talking on his phone again. I’m going to ask you to do something difficult and brave. I need you to be even more of an actor.”
“And do what?”
“I want you to turn around slowly,” Romo said, “and make eye contact with the bounty hunter. Smile or somehow acknowledge him.”
Hawk exhaled and whispered. “I can do this. I need to do this. Lord, help me do this. Okay. Here goes.”
Every agent in the room was fixated on Hawk. Virgil’s heart pounded so hard he was sure they could hear it. Come on, Hawk. This is the moment of truth.
Hawk turned slowly, still looking at the ground around the tree. Finally, he lifted his gaze and looked at the bounty hunter and smiled. “Hey, man. You doin’ all right?”
“Yes. I am fine. Thank you.”
“It’s getting hot out here,” Hawk said. “Be careful not to get overheated. That’ll put a damper on your vacation big time.”
The bounty hunter nodded. “Yes. Big time.”
Virgil scanned all the monitors, hoping to spot Billy Gene, but the cameras were focused on the main event. Something was going on. Virgil could feel it. He resented that his hands were tied and his authority trumped by Romo. Why did Billy Gene have to get off the phone so abruptly?
“Sheriff, are you still there?” Billy Gene sounded out of breath.
Virgil turned around, his back to the agents. “Yes, what’s happening?”
“Saman has a gun. In his hand. What do you want me to do?”
“Where is he?”
“Behind the bounty hunter.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m behind Saman.”
“I trust your instincts, Billy Gene. The success of this operation depends on the bounty hunter being taken in unharmed. But do what you need to do to protect Hawk, whatever it takes. Go.”
Virgil could hardly breathe. He spun around and stared at the monitors, listening to what was being said in the room—and on the other end of the phone.
“Number six, zoom in on that man standing behind the bounty hunter,” Romo said. “We saw him on camera earlier. Do we know who he is? He seems to be inching closer. I’d sure like to know why.”
“I don’t recognize him,” someone said. “But isn’t that Hawk’s friend, Kirby something-or-other behind him?”
“Hawk, isn’t that your friend, a few yards behind the bounty hunter?” Romo said.
Hawk made eye contact with Billy Gene and sensed something was wrong. His pulse surged, and he was hot all over. He wanted to run, but he had to see this through. “Yes, that’s him. Do you want me to say something?”
“Actually, I’d like him to leave,” Romo said. “But I don’t know how to get that done without blowing everything.”
Hawk kept getting bad vibes from Billy Gene but couldn’t figure out why. Then he saw it—the man standing directly behind the bounty hunter had a gun pointed at his back!
Billy Gene charged the guy like an angry bull and knocked the gun out of his hand just as it discharged.
People screamed and were running in all directions. It was utter chaos.
The bounty hunter looked alarmed, and turned to run. Billy Gene stuck his leg out and tripped him, sending him falling facedown on the ground.
Without thinking, Hawk jumped on the bounty hunter’s back and straddled him, fighting to hold him down.
The man who fired the gun had the wind knocked out of him. Billy Gene slapped handcuffs on him.
Hawk rolled off the bounty hunter so Billy Gene could subdue him. In a matter of seconds, Billy Gene pulled the bounty hunter’s arms behind him, put on the handcuffs, and pulled him to his feet. “Surprise, sweetheart. You’ve got a blind date with the feds.”
Hawk got up and was immediately surrounded by at least a dozen FBI agents.
“You okay?” Gary said.
Hawk nodded. “I’m fine. What just happened?”
Special Agent Ziegler poked Billy Gene in the chest. “Who are you?”
“I’m Deputy Billy Gene Duncan of the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department. I’m off duty. Up here to enjoy a relaxing weekend.”
“You told us you were an old friend of Hawk’s,” Gary said.
“Sorry about that. It’s never good to tell people you’re a deputy when you’re trying to get some R and R.”
“Well, Deputy, you’ve got some explaining to do. You just interfered with an FBI operation in progress.” Ziegler smiled. “And I, for one, am grateful to you.” He shook Billy Gene’s hand. “We’re going to need to talk to you. It may not turn out to be the relaxing weekend you’d hoped for.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that.” Billy Gene winked at Hawk. “Dealin’ with the feds will be a nice change of pace.”
Romo glared at Virgil. “You want to tell me what that was all about?”
“It appears that one of my off-duty deputies just saved your heinie,” Virgil said, trying not to smile.
“Don’t get smug,” Romo said. “I made it clear that this was my operation.”
“And by all accounts, it was successful. Congratulations. I’m sure the higher-ups in the Bureau will recognize you for capturing the bounty hunter.”
“You were working behind my back.”
“How do you figure that?” Virgil said. “I’ve been standing here all this time. But I’ll tell you something. This is my county, my turf, my people. I took an oath to protect them.”
“I didn’t need your help,” Romo said. “The operation was right on track.”
“Except you didn’t know that your bounty hunter was being hunted. A good deputy taking a few days of vacation saw the gun and acted accordingly.”
Romo’s eyes narrowed. “Vacation, huh? Then tell me why he knew to tackle the bounty hunter.”
“Actually Hawk tackled him quite handily. Deputy Duncan subdued him in order to get the cuffs on. As for Hawk, he really is a hero.”
“Just so you know,” Romo said. “I wouldn’t have put him at risk.”
“I believe you did all you could to protect him. But we both know that if he had been hurt or killed, you would have considered it acceptable collateral damage.” Virgil shook his head. “I’m sorry, but anyone who agrees to help me and my deputies, after being told we’ve got their back, is not—nor ever will be—acceptable collateral damage. We leave no man behind.”
“We live in different worlds, Virgil. Sometimes I have to make decisions that keep me up at night. Decisions I hope Timothy and Lacy will never know about.”
“Being a fed is tough. I’m not sure I could do it. But I’m glad there are good people who do.” Virgil put his hand on Romo’s shoulder. “But don’t think you’re the only one who’s had to make decisions that haunt you for a long time. I think it’s the nature of law enforcement. The biggest difference between your job and mine is that mine is subjective. I love this community. These people. I grew up here and know many of them by name. I feel it when any of them is in peril. My biggest challenge is putting my feelings aside and being objective. On the other hand, you don’t know the victims or the perpetrators, so staying objective is easy. Your biggest challenge is knowing when to give yourself permission to feel. Either way, it’s a balancing act.”
“What an interesting perspective. I never thought of it quite that way.” Romo seemed lost in thought. Finally, he said, “I like you, Sheriff. You’re a good man. I’m not going to ask what part you played in this. The truth is, Deputy Duncan saved the day. A gunshot wound at close range would likely have killed the bounty hunter or critically injured him. As it turned out, we got him into custody unharmed and successfully completed the operation, which will make some powerful people very happy.”
“Did I hear we?” Virgil said.
“You did. I intend to put in my report that our success was largely due to the cooperative efforts of the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department. Oh, I’ll get razzed unmercifully, but it’s a small price to pay. I really am grateful.”
“The CIA will be too.” Virgil winked. “You might even get a promotion.”
Romo laughed. “Stranger things have happened.”
A comfortable silence settled over them for half a minute.
Finally, Romo said, “Seriously, Virgil, thanks for your help. I’m ashamed that I misjudged you and didn’t think you would be an asset to the operation. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
“I appreciate you saying that. If you hadn’t offered me a hot dog today, I might never have gotten a glimpse of the man behind the badge. Not only are you a good lawman, you’re a heck of a dad. And just for the record, you were outstanding with Hawk. You never put him in harm’s way beyond the obvious risk he understood going in. In fact, I was impressed with the way you organized and ran the entire operation. But I tend to be disagreeable when I’m shut out of a case that involves the people I swore to protect.”
Romo held out his hand. “I guess we both learned something.”
Virgil shook his hand. “We did. So does this mean you’re going to tell me who the shooter was?”
“Nice try, Sheriff. And yes, it’s classified.”
Virgil laughed. “You’re still using your office in the courthouse, aren’t you?”
“Yes, but not for long. I promised Timothy I’d be home on Sunday and take him to the pool. I’m happy to say that I have no trouble giving myself permission to feel when it comes to that.” Romo winked.