Hawk and the Cougar (10 page)

“One month, Liz. That’s all I’m asking.”

Her assistant Karen walked in and pointed to her watch. Liz nodded. She knew she had a conference call with a new start-up design company in five minutes.

“Tell you what,” she said into the phone, “you give Leland Industries the interest you’ll make on keeping our money in
your
bank, and you’ve got a deal.”

Silence.

“Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?” she asked.

“Liz—”

“No,” she cut in. “You’re asking us to lose money so that you can make money. We won’t do it, Ben.”

He sighed. “I’ll talk to Anderson. Maybe he can offer some sort of incentive.”

“Five days,” she repeated.

“You sure you won’t come over to the dark side and work for us?”

She laughed. “You make this offer every time you get tired of arguing with me.”

“Hell, yeah,” he agreed. “But I mean it.”

He’d meant it every time he said it over the last ten years. Ben wasn’t a bad guy, but today was a perfect example of how GFW did business, and she didn’t like it.

“I’ll talk to you later, Ben.”

“Think about it,” he said. “Seriously.”

“I have. Now you talk to your boss.” She hung up.

Karen sat down in the chair across from Liz’s desk. “Are they going to pay?”

Liz leant back in her chair. “Hard to say. The interest they’ll make by withholding payment is enough to induce even Superman to give thought to holding out. What have you got?” She nodded towards the pink slips of paper in Karen’s hand while reaching for the quarterly production report she’d been poring over when Ben had called.

“Two messages from Suzy Chang, and one from Professor Hawkins.”

Liz’s head jerked up before she could halt the action.

Karen’s brows rose. “That must have been some night in the mountains.”

Liz’s heart raced. Why would he be calling when she was meeting him and Emma in two hours at the university?

She blew out a breath she hoped said
last night was an experience I don’t care to repeat,
and said, “A person doesn’t get shot at every day.”

“No. And they don’t get stuck in the mountains with a man like Professor Hawkins every day, either. I saw his picture in the paper. The man is drop-dead gorgeous.”

“It was life or death, Karen. Gorgeous had nothing to do with it. Not to mention the man’s twelve years younger than me.”

Karen’s gaze sharpened and Liz realised her mistake when her assistant said, “You noticed that, did you?”

Liz shrugged. “It would be hard not to notice a man like him.” When in doubt, fall back on the truth. “But that doesn’t change the fact we were running for our lives.”

Karen’s expression sobered. “Hard to believe all this is over some land.”

“Land that’s worth enough money to make our dispute with GFW look like couch change.”

At least Hawk’s goal had been accomplished. Artefacts had been discovered on the north-east section of the land, butting up to and reaching into Reid’s land—which explained Reid’s desperation to get to Hawk. Liz glanced at the clock. Six-thirty. Injunctions would already have been filed to stop all building until experts were brought in to assess the find. Hawk would be one of those experts.

“I still can’t believe there’s nothing the police can do,” Karen said.

Liz had been just as surprised. But Hawk had known the police wouldn’t be able to connect Reid to the two men, a fact that wasn’t going to stop him from dealing with Reid, despite Liz’s attempts to dissuade him. According to him, the only good thing that had come out of their attack was the fact that, since the case was now high profile, Harry Jones—also know as The Beanstalk—and his partner Jack Phillips wouldn’t be able to get near Liz again.

That didn’t mean someone else wouldn’t try, which was why an unmarked police car sat outside, and why Liz had agreed to work from home today—that and Hawk’s threat to follow her to the plant and stick by her side all day if she didn’t stay home. The question in Em’s eyes when Liz had explained what had happened had been bad enough. She didn’t want to confirm her daughter’s suspicions by having her professor follow her mother around all day.

“You’ve got that call,” Karen said.

Liz nodded. “You go ahead and take off.”

“You sure?”

“Yep.”

“Same place, same time tomorrow,” Karen asked.

Liz laughed. “Yeah. I think Emma would have a fit if I left the house just yet.” But it wasn’t Emma she was worried about.

Half an hour later, Liz flipped off the bedroom light and stepped into the hallway. A hulking figure stood at the far end, silhouetted against the soft light behind him in the foyer.
Not The Beanstalk
, her mind told her, but a stranger
inside my house
. She whirled back into the room, slamming the door shut.

Liz turned the tiny lock then raced to the window on the far wall. She wound the handle and the window began to roll outward. A crash against the door caused her to jump. Her heart thudded. Where were the police? The door banged with his weight against the wood. Liz fought panic. He’d be inside and upon her before she could open the window and climb outside. She released the window handle, grabbed the cordless from the nightstand, and jabbed nine-one-one.

One dial tone, then a voice said, “Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?”

“Someone—” The door creaked again and splintered.

Liz dropped the phone and grabbed the crystal lamp on the nightstand. She ripped the shade from the lamp and raced to the wall beside the door. Hands shaking, she raised the lamp as the door gave way beneath the gorilla’s weight.

He propelled two steps into the room and she swung the lamp with all her strength. The thick crystal slammed into the side of his neck with a sickening crack. She swung the lamp again. His arm shot up and he wrenched it from her grip. Iron fingers seized her wrist and the back of his hand made hard contact against her cheek.

Her head wrenched sideways and pain splintered through her cheek. He dragged her forward. She stumbled. The goon yanked her upright as they crossed from the bedroom into the hallway. Spots raced across her vision. Liz fought nausea and kicked his leg.

“Fucking bitch,” he cursed.

She drew breath for a scream, but he clamped a large hand over her mouth and jerked her against him. Hot breath covered her ear. She forced back the whimper that rose to her lips.

“Keep your fucking mouth shut.” His voice, low and deep, resonated in her ear.

She fought tears. Where were the police that were supposed to be outside? Emma and Hawk weren’t expecting her for another hour and a half.

Keep it together,
she ordered.
If Reid intended to kill you, you’d be dead
. He needed her as leverage against Hawk.

They reached the foyer and the man turned left into the family room, instead of right towards the front door as expected. He was headed for the garage beyond the kitchen, which was part of the large room that made up the family room and kitchen.

Liz caught sight of the knife block sitting on the counter beside the door that opened into the garage. Her stomach knotted. Could she stab another human being? Once Reid threatened to kill her, Hawk would give into Reid’s demands, then Reid would kill her and Hawk. A vision rose of Hawk stepping from the door to the university parking lot on a deserted night and a bullet ripping through his massive chest. No one would be there to stop the gush of blood as he crashed to the asphalt, then bled to death.

They reached the door. “Keep your mouth shut, or I’ll come back for your daughter” her attacker ordered.

Liz froze.

Emma.

He released her mouth and opened the door. As he crossed the threshold, Liz closed her fingers around the handle of the nine-inch chef’s knife. The blade slid noiselessly from its wooden sheath. Her heart hammered. They stepped into the garage and he started around the front of the Land Cruiser. She rammed the knife into his thigh. Her stomach roiled at the feel of the blade slicing into his muscle.

He bellowed an animal’s cry, twisting in a frenzied movement. His grip on her loosened. She yanked the knife free and forced back bile when slick, warm blood covered her hand. She stabbed again and pushed free. He crashed to his knees in front of the Toyota, clutching his leg where the hilt protruded like an all-too-lifelike Halloween prank. Liz reached back, steadying herself on the fender as she sidled around the car. Blood spread in a dark stain across the thousand-dollar suit’s trouser leg.

He grabbed the knife and his face contorted as he wrenched it free. He threw it aside. The knife clattered on the cement and skittered under the Land Cruiser. He lifted his head, and wild eyes met hers. She retreated another step, then froze. He was nearly as close to the door as she was. A grotesque smile twisted his mouth. He’d realised the same thing.

Liz lunged forward, slapped the garage door opener, and whirled. The mechanical door jerked into motion and the man’s heavy grunt told her he’d shoved to his feet. She pulled down paint cans, cleaning bottles and anything else she could grab from the shelf on her right. Debris bounced off the Land Cruiser and clattered to the floor. A crash sounded behind her, and the man bellowed in pain. The door had lifted a mere foot from the ground. Liz dropped to her belly to roll underneath.

A large hand seized her leg. She twisted onto her back. He was on his knees, blood gushing from his leg as he grabbed for her other leg with his free hand. She kicked his face. Bone and cartilage cracked beneath the ball of her foot. Blood spurted from his nose, but he held tight, while grabbing for her other leg. She kicked again and pulled loose.

Liz rolled under the garage door and onto her feet, and hit a solid wall. Steel arms banded around her. She blinked against the glare of the streetlight behind them and raked nails across her new attacker’s face.

He grunted. “Liz.”

Tears streamed down her face. “Let me go, you son of a bitch.”

“Mom!”

Liz grimaced against the fog of fear that clouded her brain. A large hand seized the hand with blood on it. A noise behind her caused her to jerk her head around and she saw her attacker stumble from the garage. An animal growl emanated from the man holding her. Liz startled at the sight of Emma appearing at his side. A siren wailed in the distance. The man holding her stepped around her, and Liz sucked in a breath.

Hawk
.

Chapter Eleven

Lava-hot fury rammed through Hawk. The man who’d emerged from the garage had tried to kill Liz. Her attacker veered right, heading for the neighbour’s yard. Hawk dived for him. They crashed to the concrete. Hawk reared up and drove a fist into his already bloody face.

“Motherfucker,” Hawk ground out.

“Hawk!”

“Professor Hawkins!”

Hawk jumped to his feet, dragging the man up with him. “I warned Reid.”

Hawk slammed a fist into his stomach. He doubled over with a heavy grunt. Hawk swung an uppercut to his jaw. The man flew back and landed on the neighbour’s lawn. Hawk leapt onto him like a wild animal, fist raised. Weight dragged his right arm down as he threw the punch, and Liz jerked forward from the force of gripping his arm. She fell on top of the man. Hawk seized her arm and pulled her off him.

“Hawk!” she shouted as he raised another fist, aiming for the man.

She grabbed his arm again. He yanked his gaze onto her.

“I’m okay,” she said.

He blinked.

“He wasn’t trying to kill me.”

“What?”

“The blood, it’s his, not mine.”

Hawk glanced from her blood-stained pants to the man. Blood soaked his face where his nose had been broken, and his left trouser leg was drenched with blood. He moaned.

Gentle fingers cupped Hawk’s jaw, and Liz turned his face towards hers. “I’d rather you didn’t go to jail for killing him.”

Hawk shoved away from him, pulling Liz into his arms as he gained his feet. He held her, unable to do anything else. He became aware of the blare of an approaching police siren and registered the fact that Emma stood a few feet away.

“Damn it,” he cursed. “Emma…”

Liz turned and opened her arms. Emma launched herself into her mother’s embrace, tears streaming down her face. Hawk looked up to find neighbours up and down the street standing on their lawns and on the sidewalk, watching. Blue and red lights bounced off the houses an instant before a cruiser sped around the corner. Hawk started towards the kerb as the car came to a skidding halt in front of Liz’s house. The driver’s side door swung open and a cop jumped out, hand resting on his gun.

“We’re all right, officer,” Hawk said.

The cop’s eyes flicked to the man lying on the grass as he took two steps to meet Hawk. “What happened?”

The other cop came around the hood.

Hawk pointed to Liz’s attacker. “That man broke into Ms Williams’ home and attacked her.”

The police officer’s gaze shifted to his partner. “Check him out.”