Veza. Every country had a form of exploiting connections, and Hawk was finding out that the Slavic states were practically run through veza. The right connections could get one a good government job, or a bigger, better-equipped hospital room, or a place in the university. In the world of mercenaries, veza could get one freedom to move from province to province, state to state, without too much trouble.
Through his weapons and drug trades, Dragan Dilaver had accumulated and given many vezas, thus making him very powerful. His weapons, Hawk discovered, were very much sought after. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d told Hawk that what he had couldn’t be found on the streets yet, that they were the most current state-of-the-art weaponry. Someone in the United States had been dropping these shipments for him to distribute in any way he wanted, as long as he armed the KLA. Of course, Dilaver made sure he made a lot of money while following orders.
“My aunt is a genius, isn’t she?” Dilaver boasted, as they rode through the bumpy roads in a Humvee, courtesy of a veza with a high-end peacekeeping official. “She’s coordinated this for years, you know. I’m really looking forward to meeting her again.”
“When’s she coming?” Hawk asked. He wanted to know who this “aunt” was too.
Dilaver shrugged. “She says she’s been delayed and will call again later. I want to get as much of the business in order as I can so she can see I can take care of bigger things, you know?”
Hence the road trip. Dilaver wanted to take care of certain gangs who hadn’t been “respectful” enough. He also wanted Hawk to see how it was done over here. Hawk knew it was also a test to see how he would handle a “situation” if he were to work for Dilaver.
Hawk didn’t mind. Taking out a gang was appealing anyhow. Who cared whose side he was on? They were all alike, in the same trades, killing each other over illegal weapons and drugs. All this watching and waiting was wearing on him; he looked forward to taking a few of them out. And along the way, he would be mapping Dilaver’s routes and trying to find out where the weapon depots were.
Their convoy rode boldly through the city streets onto scenic country routes. Dilaver’s men were armed to the teeth, waving weapons at passing vehicles. Sometimes they shouted, their anticipation of some action ahead obvious to Hawk. He understood the adrenaline running through their blood. He felt it too.
“Sometimes I miss being young,” Dilaver commented, gesturing at the younger men leaning out of their open Jeeps. “They aren’t afraid of dying. They just want to kill.”
“Are you afraid of dying?” Hawk asked.
“Of course not. But I don’t take stupid chances like I used to. Money and old age will make one a cautious man, Hawk.”
Hawk ran his hand down the AK-47 standing between his legs. It was on the tip of his tongue to point out that mercenary-turned-old-farts became pimps, just as Dilaver now was. Somehow, he didn’t think the kingpin would like to be called that. He deliberately changed the subject. “So we’re going to cautiously attack some group of militia, and then what?”
Dilaver laughed. “Cautiously attack? Damn your odd American-Serbian translations. In this country, it’s all war and no caution, my friend. That’s why I keep solidifying my power base. That’s why I make and take care of certain friends in need of veza. You never know who will help you out later on, so you help out as much as you can.”
“That...doesn’t make one bit of sense, but keep talking,” Hawk said.
“It’s easy to demonstrate. This group we’re going after has been bothering a few friends of mine. I also suspect they’ve been hijacking my shipments. Now, you lead my guys and take out this group, right? My friends will hear of this and also your connection to me, and now you can get some favors done through veza, you see? You’ll be a friend too. Around here, you can’t buy connections, like you do with the coffee money stuff in Asia. You earn it. Much more deserving, don’t you think?”
In a twisted sort of way, yes, it made sense. But then, everything in this world was twisted. The talk of friendship and loyalty. The camaraderie between two “blood” brothers, talking about life and sharing locker-room jokes. All this sandwiched between bouts of violence. These were things Hawk valued in his life with his SEAL brothers. Yet now he had to function the same way with his enemies.
It sickened him to see the horrifying similarity from the other side. And now he had to go out and kill in the name of collecting veza. He knew the veneer of humanity was very thin on the war front, and once killing became a cheap thrill, there was very little left to distinguish right from wrong. And those young men riding open shot in the convoys were just going for the cheap thrills of bloody action and quick cash.
Hawk thought of the girl who was so violently raped last night and the look of anguish and betrayal in Amber’s eyes. He wanted to destroy Dilaver’s network and take out those men one by one, not for the thrill of action and certainly not for cash. For those girls. And to take away Amber’s pain and grief.
He clung to the image of her crying and aiming a weapon at the group of rapists, and somehow, it clicked in his mind that the sight of Amber represented reality to him. She knew and understood the twisted world she was living in was fake, that everything happening around her—the friendships and the bondings—wasn’t real. She’d been able to do this for four years and still cried at not being able to help the helpless.
“Besides, I have good reasons to get rid of them,” Dilaver continued. “I want this area under my control.”
The closest city was a few hours’ drive away. The roads had slowly deteriorated and became more like country paths.
“Why?” Hawk asked the obvious question. There was nothing here.
“You’ll see.”
There was a shout informing them they were closing in, to get ready for attack. Hawk looked out the window at the pretty countryside with the shadows and sunlight of dusk settling in, giving it a postcard effect that belied the tragic horrors of war happening in its cities. The truth was hidden in this twisted world.
So what truth was Amber Hutchens hiding? For the first time, Hawk admitted to himself that he wanted to find out because he needed something—someone—solidly real, and not some abstract reason on which to hang his sanity.
“Ready, Hawk?”
“Ready,” he said, as he watched all the men spill out of the vehicles, scrambling toward the top of the hill. Time to stop thinking.
Hawk jumped off the Humvee, grabbing his weapons in both hands, and, not glancing at Dilaver, started running. No use being a sitting duck contemplating about life and death in the vehicle. He’d get himself killed.
The ground under his feet rumbled with the familiar sound of an exploding grenade. Clumps of earth flew up over the crest of the hill. When he reached the top, he went down flat on his stomach and started a belly-crawl. The scene from his vantage point showed a chaotic battle under way. Apparently, the only strategy these guys knew was pretending to be cowboys and Indians. Circle the wagons and make a lot of noise while shooting. He didn’t think Jazz, the co-commander of his SEAL team and the consummate strategist, would approve. There was nothing to do but aim and shoot as bullets whizzed past.
“Hawk!” Dilaver shouted from behind. He was limping but was still able to keep up with his men. He came up close behind Hawk. “Take a few of my men and circle around to the other side. We’ll cover this side. Once they know they’re surrounded, they’ll surrender.”
“Care to tell me first why this band of brothers is in the middle of nowhere like sitting ducks?” Hawk shouted back.
“They’re guarding territory. And looking for something.”
“What?” Hawk shook his head. “Never mind. I’ll get rid of them and collect my veza points first.”
Dilaver smacked him on the back. “There you go. Now you get how we do business here.”
Hawk studied the area quickly, noting the landscape and impending nightfall. A barrage of RPGs and small arms fire disturbed the air. Hell, he didn’t need anyone to help him. But this was a test of his skill and he wasn’t going to show his hand just yet. After all, he was merely a guide who happened to be in excellent shape, not a mercenary. Or a Navy SEAL.
He signaled to two of Dilaver’s men whom he’d gotten to know. They were the most skilled ones, least likely to get too excited when sneaking up toward the enemy’s rear. For now, he had to view them as part of his team.
“Bring grenades,” he ordered briskly. “We’re going to make a lot of noise.”
Amber closed the container. “That’s it, that’s the last one,” she said. “Do you have the drinks and clothes packed?”
“Yes, and I have the car out back, ready to load.” Lily taped the box she had filled up with clothes. “I think this will be enough for this and the next group.”
The boxes of clothes, food, and amenities were for the young girls they had in hiding in various basements around Velesta. The girls needed a few weeks to recuperate from their injuries. Those who were stronger helped the weaker ones.
Amber stacked the containers near the doorway. “We have to be careful,” she cautioned. “Our groups are getting bigger and we don’t want Dilaver to start getting too suspicious.”
“So it’s good we have your Hawk to tell us he isn’t in town, right? We can do our runs and maybe tell Brad to get in another raid.”
Amber cocked her head. “So are you calling Brad again today?”
“You can.”
“I will, if you’ll tell me what happened last night.”
Lily scowled. “I told you—nothing happened.”
“Right. And that isn’t a hickey on your neck.” Amber grinned when Lily smacked at a certain spot on her neck and made off to the bathroom. There wasn’t any hickey, but she’d tossed the lie out to see how her friend would react. Now she knew for sure that Lily and Brad hadn’t just had dinner.
“Bitch! There’s nothing there!” Lily yelled from the bathroom.
“Of course. Nothing happened, so how could there be any hickey?” Amber laughed when Lily reappeared, her dark eyes flashing threateningly at her. “Ooooh, busted again, huh?”
Her friend made a face at her, running a careless hand through her short tresses. Her gold ear hoops jiggled and glinted against the black hair. Her smile turned rueful. “Oh, okay, so we kissed.” At Amber’s raised eyebrows, she made another face. “Among other things.”
“My, things are progressing between the two of you, aren’t they?” Amber took a bite from a freshly baked cookie.
“Yeah, well, don’t expect it to progress too much,” Lily muttered as she moved some of the boxes.
“Why not? Lily, he likes you. You like him. That’s a good thing.”
Lily looked up. “Since when is getting involved emotionally a good thing when it comes to people like me?”
So that was her problem. Amber finished her cookie, eyeing her friend thoughtfully. “Lily, sometimes the future isn’t so bleak, you know? You don’t have to see yourself as a career criminal for the rest of your life.”
“Right. I don’t go around making illegal art bids and not have a reputation among certain people. And oh yeah, involvement with shady people who run guns, make fake passports, and are basically mercenaries, looks so good on my résumé.”
Amber went over to Lily and pulled her by the arms. “Look, I’ve known you for four years and we’re friends, aren’t we? You never did tell me why you chose this lifestyle. You’re beautiful, know enough about art to tell me something about your background, and yet you’re running around with people who are using you to make money. Why?” She gestured with her chin toward the boxes and containers. “I know it has something to do with the girls, but you make it very personal, Lily. You’ve never told me the reason.”
Lily’s eyes met hers for a long time, as if she were considering whether to tell Amber the truth or half of it. “Why are you a contract agent for the CIA?” she asked quietly. “You hate them.”
“I don’t hate them, hate them. I just know they are users.” Amber released Lily’s arms. “They see me as an asset because I provide them with information they need for their analyses and political games. I see them as a way to help these girls out of this hellhole. I met some of the luckier ones in the States, runaways who had stories to tell and no one who truly cared, and I wanted to make a difference. Throwing money at organizations didn’t seem to help. I know this, I was part of one and all they did was hold fundraisers and play with numbers to get more funding as the kids became hopelessly lost in the system. So I opted for an unconventional way. You know this. I’ve already told you the story of my life.”
“You have a big heart, Amber,” Lily said quietly. “Don’t your parents miss you?”
“They were missionaries. They know I’m just continuing their job, only in my way. Besides, they’re happily retired now with their own little café in Florida.” Amber missed them, actually. She hadn’t called home for a while now. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want, Lily. I know some of it is too painful for you.”
Amber was, after all, a contract agent. Backgrounds were made up all the time. She’d chosen to tell Lily the truth a couple of years ago, when they’d become closer friends. Their partnership had started very slowly, when it became obvious Amber needed help. She couldn’t run a CIA front and travel around the region moving girls in and out of hideouts.
“Do you remember how we met?” Lily asked.
Lily Noretski had appeared on a prayer, when Amber had accompanied a businessman to an illegal art auction out of curiosity. After they were introduced, she’d dropped by The Last Resort a few times when she was in town. Amber liked her. Lily was eclectic, well traveled, funny as hell, and totally fearless when it came to handling weapons and dangerous situations. Amber had seen it herself one night when they were accosted by some thugs who had thought they’d found some candidates for their kafenas.
Together, she and Lily had beaten the crap out of the men. Amber still smiled at that particularly satisfying memory. That had been the beginning of their getting to know each other.
“Let’s see, wasn’t it fighting over some man?” Amber laughed at Lily’s frown.
“Bitch. That’s why we get along so well. Always joking. I guess it’s time to tell you a bit about me.”
Through the years, Amber had discovered that Lily didn’t seem to have anyone. Nor did she want to talk about her own past. It still intrigued Amber how her friend could possibly end up being an expert in the highly secretive world of illegal art. Who trained her about art? How did she get started? And how did one go about bidding for black market art? Lily was mum about the methods, but obviously her cut was high since she gave Amber a lot of the cash to pay for information and hideout places.
“I lost a sister this way.” Lily tapped one of the boxes with a foot. “She was kidnapped. My parents didn’t really care, since we didn’t have enough money to support six kids anyway. No one cared and I was really angry with them. So one day I ran away with a gunrunner who became my boyfriend. He taught me how to use weapons and take care of myself. In fact, he taught me about networking with different groups. I was his...asset, if you know what I mean.”
Amber kept her expression bland. She knew Lily was revealing a lot more between the lines.
“Then I met a businessman who dealt in art, who told me I could be his asset. And he had better clothes, so I left my boyfriend for him.” Lily shrugged. “On to bigger, better crimes. End of story. Sorry you asked?”
“No. Glad. I see now why you get so passionate about the girls.”
“Yes. I hate those bastards that lure and kidnap them,” Lily said fiercely. “And I’ll save as many girls as I can, however long I can.”
“I’m sorry about your sister,” Amber said softly.
“We were very close. I couldn’t save her, but I’ll save the others,” Lily said, then picked up a box. “Ready to load these babies in? We really should get going.”
“Okay. Hey...”
“What?” Lily paused at the back door.
“Brad would understand, you know.”
There was a flash of emotion in Lily’s eyes before her face shuttered. “Would he? And what kind of asset would I be to a career bureaucrat?” she asked before walking out the door.
Amber sighed. Good point. In terms of assets anyway. She picked up a couple of containers and followed her friend.
They had three safe houses, two in town and one just outside. The girls were moved to the last one just before their long ride out of Macedonia. They were good hiding places. Dilaver would never guess that his missing girls were actually driven into Velesta, the very place to which they were headed.
Now there were a different group of girls—those who had been taken from the raids. They were in worse condition than the ones Lily and her mercenaries had saved while being transported, sometimes needing extreme medical attention.
“When will Tatiana and Alia be able to go?” Lily asked as she started up the car.
“I don’t think they’ll be well enough to make it this trip, Lily. Tatiana really needs to rest. That girl is mentally and physically exhausted.” Tatiana had also not spoken a word since the rescue. The girls who had been with her said she hadn’t for a long time, even when “Papa” hit her many times to make her plead. Amber’s heart broke every time she saw the scars on the girl’s body. “Maybe next trip.”
Amber and Lily had been very careful to transport the girls by different routes so they were harder to trace. Those flying out had to be taught how to use their passports and what exactly to say at different embassies, if they were caught. Those who preferred to return to their homes were accompanied to the farthest train stations possible.
“I hope she makes it, Amber,” Lily said quietly. “She...reminds me of my sister. I would love to get her out of here as quickly as possible, to somewhere safe.”
Amber’s responsibility was to get the girls ready. Or as ready as possible. Lily was in charge of transportation. Amber had gone on several of these trips, after shutting the café down for vacation, to learn the different routes and meet the networks involved and was always amazed at Lily’s many connections.
Veza—who one knew how to ease away problems—was the most valuable asset besides cash, and in the world of moving people without papers across borders, one needed to know many people at different levels of government and crime. Sometimes, watching how Lily nimbly navigated her way through them, Amber wondered whether there was any line between the two. Four years of doing this had certainly made her even more cynical.
She touched Lily’s arm comfortingly. She’d never lost a sister the way Lily had and could imagine how painful it had to be to see these girls and know her sister had suffered the same fate. “I’ll do my best to get her ready,” she said. Privately, she was worried. The girl wouldn’t talk. How was she going to function among strangers?
By the time they reached the last safe house with the deliveries, it was very late in the afternoon. At every stop, Amber checked on the injured girls while Lily talked to those who were ready to leave with her on the next trip. They restocked the place. Amber gave cash to the caretakers, two nurses who had lost their jobs and families in the Balkan wars.
“You must take more away soon,” one of them told her. “Too many girls.”
Amber nodded. The more they took in, the more dangerous the situation. With Brad’s raids, their numbers had almost tripled, and she couldn’t afford to get anyone else involved in the caretaking. Too many people equaled more risk of being discovered. As it was, three safe houses was pushing it. Brad had offered to bring in international medics, but then that would mean reports would filter out. Their operation wouldn’t be a secret anymore.
“Very soon,” Amber agreed.
Lily burst into the room suddenly. “Amber,” she said, her calm voice contrasting her expressive eyes. “Can we talk?”
Amber nodded to the nurse, who went off with a few of the containers. “What is it?”
“I just got a cell call. Dilaver’s men are attacking one of the gangs that have been seizing his trailers.”
“That means—”
“If Dilaver captures them alive, they’ll tell him about selling the girls to me. They’re mercenaries, without much allegiance.”
“But you’ve been careful. Dilaver wouldn’t be able to trace you.”
“Yes, but it’d interest him to know that it’s a woman who’s setting a price on his trailers,” Lily said. Her movements were very measured as she picked up her jacket from the back of the chair. “I have the location and I need to go there.”
“Why?” Amber frowned. “They’re in the middle of a firefight and this guy calls you? Isn’t that a bit odd? And what are you going to do in a battle?”
“I said the mercenaries have some allegiance, didn’t I? The man owed me, so he’s doing me the favor of telling me to run before Dilaver comes after me.” Lily shrugged. “I’m not running. I’m going there to take the mercenaries out myself. That way there’s no chance for Dilaver to interrogate them.”
Amber stepped in front of Lily. “Wait a minute. You’re going there alone to...what...take out a whole gang of mercenaries? Lily, you aren’t the Terminator, you know. You’ll get killed.”
“I can’t let this destroy what we’re doing, Amber. It’s an hour’s drive from here. I can take a chance that they’ll still be at it when I get there. All I need is a few grenades.”
“Lily!” Amber shook her head in disbelief. The image of Lily tossing grenades in her short top and heels was stretching her imagination. But she’d had a gunrunner boyfriend.... “No, no, that’s too damn dangerous. We’ll take the chance that Dilaver—”
“No, not with this many girls in our care!” Lily’s expression turned grim. “They’re my responsibility and transporting them will be dangerous if Dilaver sends the word out to look for a woman. Do you have any other ideas?”
There was no way she was going to let her friend drive out into a gang war. Amber racked her brain for an answer. “Cell phone. Cell phone!” She yelled out, snapping her fingers.
“What about my cell phone?” Lily was already buttoning her jacket.
“Let me try getting hold of Hawk. He told me last night his would be on if I needed to call him.”
“He tells you to call while he’s going into a firefight? Come on!”
“Well, he didn’t know he was going to be in one. He told me Dilaver was taking him out to show him the weapons depots and routes. We were joking when I asked about contacting him in case I needed to instant message something...important.” Something sexy was what she had said, actually. Amber went to the counter to get her handbag. “Let me give it a try.”
“I can’t believe it. You’re going to call the guy while he’s running around with a weapon in his hand.”
“Your mercenary called you,” Amber pointed out. “I read in the papers that the Americans did it in Somalia. Called in on the embassy for help. Collect call, too.”
“That’s true,” Lily admitted. “Shit. Men are crazy. I wouldn’t have time to call anyone while I’m in a middle of a war. Oh, go ahead, give it a try. The man’s crazy enough to break into the café and carry you upstairs, he’s probably crazy enough to answer a buzzing cell phone.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, Amber grinned. “Maybe I’ll phone in a take-out order,” she said as she dialed.
The descent down the hill was quick enough, rounds impacting all around Hawk and his men. The sound of the firepower was tremendous as they moved closer. Hawk motioned the two others to the flank.
The other side was using clumps of trees for cover. Their vehicles were parked together near a clearing behind the kill zone. To get closer, Hawk and his men would have to get nearer to the enemy’s camp and line of fire. Hawk sent the two men to opposite points. “Wait till dark,” he ordered. “I’ll move in and get closer. If we synchronize our explosives, they’ll think there are actually more of us. With Dilaver uphill, they’ll give up a lot sooner.”
“What about those who try to escape in their trucks?”
“Pick off as many as you can. Dilaver wants to capture them, so I’d go for the tires.” He didn’t know how good they were with weapon precision skills, and frankly, he would prefer to exterminate as many of these bastards as he could. He didn’t care whether they were of any value to Dilaver or not. “Darkness is good cover for us, so they won’t be able to see us while we can see their headlights.”
“Okay. We’ll wait for your first charge and then we’ll toss in ours.”
“Remember to get out of the way, American,” one of the men said in a joking tone. “We tend to just throw in all the explosives we’ve got and watch the fireworks. We don’t worry about who’s on whose side at that point.”
“Right.” Hawk got the point. Dilaver might be thinking about business, but this was “fun” for the men. They were in this for the sheer adrenaline of bloodletting.
The opposing side had retreated under tree and bush cover, leaving some of their trucks in the clearing. They had evidently been caught with their pants down by Dilaver’s sudden attack. Hawk wondered again why they were here in the first place. Dilaver had mentioned that he believed this gang was responsible for some of his missing trailers, so were they here to capture another? Yet the country road was so out of the way from the usual routes the gangs traversed.
He decided that as soon as it became dark enough, he would sneak up to the trucks. It would have been easier if he had a grenade launcher, then he could just take them out from a distance, but where was the fun in that? Hawk bellied up under a clump of bushes and waited, listening to the sounds of gunshots and explosions around him.
Stringing up explosives, as Jazz would say, was like making music; the more expert one became, the better the result. And a very well-done explosion could devastate the enemy’s psyche. If his team were here, they wouldn’t be hurling grenades at each other like these idiots were doing, making more noise than actually targeting the enemy. Hawk felt strange, removed from it all.
The buzzing in the back of his pants made him frown. He’d ignored it several times now, but whoever it was kept calling. He didn’t think it was McNeil, unless there was an emergency. What the hell? He was alone and still had a few minutes before dark. He pulled out his cell phone.
It wasn’t a number he recognized. There was a text message, too. He clicked on it. Pick up hotstuff. Now. Hawk stared at the message, then looked up into the darkening sky. He wasn’t going to—Ah, hell. He would just have to use the earphone so his hands would be free.
Amber picked up on the first ring. “About time.” Her voice came in clearly through the earpiece. “I almost gave up.”
“This had better be good, Ambrosia,” Hawk said, as he looked around him. “This isn’t a good time to have our usual phone sex.”
Even her snort came in loud and clear. “I know you’re currently using your gun for other sports, Hot Stuff. That’s why I called. I can hear explosives, by the way.”
She knew. Hawk studied the figure darting in and out of the shadows toward him, slowly sneaking up. He briefly wondered whether he should find out whether it was “his” side or the other who was trying to surprise him. It didn’t really matter. He was on neither. “Let me guess. You’re concerned for my safety and are calling me to tell me you want me badly.” Hawk took aim at the figure, his eye steady as the shadow popped up and down like a dummy target. “You do know that most people don’t answer cell calls in the middle of a firefight?”
“The soldiers did in Somalia, so why can’t you? You’re probably just hiding behind a big tree while waiting for Dilaver to finish his war games,” she answered sardonically. “It isn’t as if you’re special ops or something and have any special skills in warfare to be any help.”
Hawk’s lips curved reluctantly. It didn’t matter how grave the situation was, but that woman always managed to put a smile on his face.
“No special skills...I’ll have to remedy that,” he said, then fired his weapon. The figure fell over. And stayed that way.
There was a pause. “Hawk? I heard a shot. Are you okay?”
“Just target-shooting. What is it you need, Ambrosia?”
“You have to make sure Dilaver won’t take those men alive, especially a man named Dija.” There was a pause and Hawk could hear women’s voices arguing back and forth. Then Amber returned, sounding a lot more sober. “They know Lily and we prefer Dija doesn’t mention anything about Lily to Dilaver.”
Lily. Hawk remembered the dark-haired woman with the weapons at Amber’s place the other night. “Connection?” he asked. It was about time to make his move toward the vehicles.
“These men are mercenaries and Lily retains their services to get certain things.”
He should have known. This place was full of shady dealings. “Let me guess. Highway robberies. Dilaver’s shipments.” The persons behind Dilaver’s problem were two women. Dilaver wouldn’t like that. “This all has to do with the kidnapped girls, doesn’t it? I know Dilaver’s after the people robbing him.”
“Yes. A potential problem if Dija gets caught. He doesn’t intend to be, but he claims he’s surrounded and might have to give up. Dija is five-eight, scar on his left cheek, speaks English almost without an accent, and is missing a little finger.”
“So what do you want me to do? Go looking for some man with a missing finger in the dark?”
“If he gets caught, Hawk...” There was more muffled discussion at the other end. Amber cleared her throat, then continued. “Take him out before he talks. He doesn’t care which side he’s on, as long as he’s paid. He warned Lily because she’d saved his life once, but now they’re even. And you don’t want Lily in danger because then who’s going to guide you around?”
Her attempt at flippancy didn’t ring true. She must really need him quite desperately to make this call. He supposed, if he had to take one side, he would choose the ladies’.
Whether Amber had called or not, Hawk was going to kill tonight. But now he had a good reason other than gratuitous violence. “Are you sure?” he asked quietly.
“I wouldn’t call you if this wasn’t an emergency. I don’t order hits,” she replied just as quietly. “I have no choice.”
Hawk wasn’t one to let an opportunity go by without seizing on it. She was all serious right now, her thoughts on her decision. And like the other night when he’d seen her staring down into the yard, he had this urge to make her sorrow disappear.
Besides, he enjoyed keeping her off-kilter ever since she’d taken him off guard at their first meeting. “If I do this, you owe me. I want a date. With all the trimmings.” He got on his feet, undoing his back pouch where the grenades were tucked.
“Trimmings?” She sounded confused.
“Yeah...you know, makeup, stockings, garter belt.”
Another small pause. “Those are trimmings? You make me sound like I’m a meal.”
“That reminds me,” Hawk said as he looked through his small binoculars. “Edible underwear, preferably strawberry.”
“Edible...you’re kidding, right?”
“Nope. I do this for you and you owe me the trimmings.”
“I’m not going to discuss edible underwear over the phone.”
Hawk chuckled softly. “I’ll call back later, Ambrosia. Tell Lily she owes me too.”
“You haven’t done anything yet,” she reminded him. “And it’s me who’s asking the favor, so Lily owes you nothing.”
“Well, then, you’re Lily’s veza, and I’m yours,” Hawk said, pulling out his bowie knife instead. The grenades would have to wait, since he now had to get up close and personal. “That’s double-duty veza, so I’ll have to think of more trimmings. How about the rest of the order I wrote on your thigh?”
“You—”
Hawk cut off the cell phone. He was learning how to get veza for future advantage.