been notified.”
“I know. Look. It’s probably nothing, but I was caving this morning and thought I saw something. At the time it didn’t occur to me it was important, and I was with a group of six of us so didn’t think about it much until I heard the gunmen talking about the missing cache.”
“That makes sense but what does that have to do with the cave and whatever you saw?”
“I saw a bullet casing,” she said. “I even picked it up. Just never said anything because we were leaving right away.”
“What kind of bullet?” he asked, his voice hard.
“I’m not sure,” she said apologetically. “I think it was from a rifle.”
“That’s a military gun.” Hawk’s gaze locked on Swede. Both his friends had frozen as he listened to Mia’s voice. “Do they know you found it?”
“I don’t think so. Unless they were watching me.” Her voice rose. “They couldn’t have been in the cave watching me, could they?”
“I doubt it. Chances are they’d have shot you if they had.”
“But there were six of us,” she reminded him. “If one person went missing that was one thing. Six is quite a different story.”
He pondered that. “Did they ask you about guns while you were captive?”
“Not really. He did search me, but not very thoroughly. I had the bullet in my jeans pocket with my cellphone and he didn’t take that either.”
“That’s odd.” It’s one of the first things he’d have removed.
“That’s how Eva heard the conversation. Remember.”
“Yeah, I do. We’re going to see if we can find that bomb cache the men were talking about. Especially if today is delivery day.”
“Let me come.”
“No,” he said instantly. “There’s no way. You stay with your father.”
“I know the cave system. If there is anything to find, I can help you find it. I was training for search and rescue missions for the spelunkers here. The place is a maze.”
“Still not happening,” he said. “You were in trouble, now you’re safe.”
“But you’re not going to be if you go in alone.”
Humor tinged his voice as he replied, “I’m pretty sure we can find our way.”
Frustrated silence filled the line. “And if I have to come and rescue you?”
He laughed. “That’s not going to happen.”
“But I can show you where I found the bullet. That will save time so you’ll know where to start.”
He frowned. “You can tell me where you found it.”
“Hardly.”
“You could.”
“Okay.” And she proceeded to rattle off the sting of caves she’d gone through and where she’d found the bullet. At least approximately. “There, does that help?”
He frowned thinking about it. “You could mark it on the map.”
“I could, but then you’d have to come here and then go back down there.”
“I’m sure you can scan it in and email it,” he said.
“Damn it, why won’t you let me go?”
“It’s too dangerous.” Hawk held the phone away from his ear as she let out a yell of frustration.
“If it’s dangerous for me, how is it not dangerous for you?”
“It might be dangerous for us, but we’re used to it.”
Silence. “Do you really think doing search and rescue work is not dangerous?”
“You’re not up against guns on a regular basis and we are.”
“I’ve handled guns since I was old enough to carry one.”
“But you still got yourself captured,” he reminded her. “We can’t afford to look after you.”
That earned him a cursing. He grinned, she was too much fun to piss off but he had to go. “Send me a map of the cave system and give us an idea where to start.”
And he clicked the phone off.
“Who is that?” Shadow asked.
“Mia. She’s Eva’s best friend and Gordon’s daughter.”
“Little Mia,” Swede asked in astonishment. “Did I hear she’s doing search and rescue work?”
Hawk nodded. “And she’s not so little now.”
“What was that about a bullet?”
He explained to the men. “We need a map of the system
“I know. Look. It’s probably nothing, but I was caving this morning and thought I saw something. At the time it didn’t occur to me it was important, and I was with a group of six of us so didn’t think about it much until I heard the gunmen talking about the missing cache.”
“That makes sense but what does that have to do with the cave and whatever you saw?”
“I saw a bullet casing,” she said. “I even picked it up. Just never said anything because we were leaving right away.”
“What kind of bullet?” he asked, his voice hard.
“I’m not sure,” she said apologetically. “I think it was from a rifle.”
“That’s a military gun.” Hawk’s gaze locked on Swede. Both his friends had frozen as he listened to Mia’s voice. “Do they know you found it?”
“I don’t think so. Unless they were watching me.” Her voice rose. “They couldn’t have been in the cave watching me, could they?”
“I doubt it. Chances are they’d have shot you if they had.”
“But there were six of us,” she reminded him. “If one person went missing that was one thing. Six is quite a different story.”
He pondered that. “Did they ask you about guns while you were captive?”
“Not really. He did search me, but not very thoroughly. I had the bullet in my jeans pocket with my cellphone and he didn’t take that either.”
“That’s odd.” It’s one of the first things he’d have removed.
“That’s how Eva heard the conversation. Remember.”
“Yeah, I do. We’re going to see if we can find that bomb cache the men were talking about. Especially if today is delivery day.”
“Let me come.”
“No,” he said instantly. “There’s no way. You stay with your father.”
“I know the cave system. If there is anything to find, I can help you find it. I was training for search and rescue missions for the spelunkers here. The place is a maze.”
“Still not happening,” he said. “You were in trouble, now you’re safe.”
“But you’re not going to be if you go in alone.”
Humor tinged his voice as he replied, “I’m pretty sure we can find our way.”
Frustrated silence filled the line. “And if I have to come and rescue you?”
He laughed. “That’s not going to happen.”
“But I can show you where I found the bullet. That will save time so you’ll know where to start.”
He frowned. “You can tell me where you found it.”
“Hardly.”
“You could.”
“Okay.” And she proceeded to rattle off the sting of caves she’d gone through and where she’d found the bullet. At least approximately. “There, does that help?”
He frowned thinking about it. “You could mark it on the map.”
“I could, but then you’d have to come here and then go back down there.”
“I’m sure you can scan it in and email it,” he said.
“Damn it, why won’t you let me go?”
“It’s too dangerous.” Hawk held the phone away from his ear as she let out a yell of frustration.
“If it’s dangerous for me, how is it not dangerous for you?”
“It might be dangerous for us, but we’re used to it.”
Silence. “Do you really think doing search and rescue work is not dangerous?”
“You’re not up against guns on a regular basis and we are.”
“I’ve handled guns since I was old enough to carry one.”
“But you still got yourself captured,” he reminded her. “We can’t afford to look after you.”
That earned him a cursing. He grinned, she was too much fun to piss off but he had to go. “Send me a map of the cave system and give us an idea where to start.”
And he clicked the phone off.
“Who is that?” Shadow asked.
“Mia. She’s Eva’s best friend and Gordon’s daughter.”
“Little Mia,” Swede asked in astonishment. “Did I hear she’s doing search and rescue work?”
Hawk nodded. “And she’s not so little now.”
“What was that about a bullet?”
He explained to the men. “We need a map of the system
Similar Books
