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“You’re taking us there,” he said quietly. “You’re taking us to the Badlands. And if she doesn’t come out alive, then you don’t either.”
Chapter 37
Shooter called in reinforcements, as Hawk grabbed bottles of water from the break room fridge. It was hell waiting for the others to arrive, but Hawk knew they needed to gather supplies first. Finding Tildy might take the better part of the day, and, even if they found her quickly, she was going to need water and possibly medical treatment before they could get to her safety.
The Cowboy had apparently stopped by to pick up Easy. He swung into the lot in his large, black Humvee and pulled in next to Hawk. Vegas also got out of the vehicle, dressed in boots, khakis and a long sleeve t-shirt. Hawk frowned as they approached the building; he was unsure about potentially putting her in danger.
Tex caught his look as they entered through the side door. “She’s from the desert. And we might need a woman,” he added quietly.
Vegas followed Tex into the relative darkness of the garage and spied Garrett. If she was surprised to see a man missing half an ear, she didn’t show it. Hawk wanted to rip off Garrett’s other ear after considering Tex’s words. He’d been so intent on finding Tildy that he hadn’t thought to consider what might have come before. He turned on Garrett, his rage clearly visible on his face, causing Garrett to shrink back in the chair he’d collapsed in.
“I didn’t rape her,” Garrett insisted.
Hawk wasn’t certain whether or not to believe him. Garrett had bent her over a car and ripped off her underwear. It was safe to say that, at this point, Hawk no longer had any idea what his cousin would do.
As Hawk took a step closer and Garrett’s breath started to hitch. “I swear. I swear to God, Hawk! I didn’t touch her like that!”
The heavy side door closed with a bang- Caleb standing just inside. He was wearing civilian clothes, but had his sidearm in a black holster. “If you did,” Caleb said quietly, “I’ll kill you myself.”
Garrett’s eyes widened. “I know you! You’re a cop!”
Caleb shook his head. “Not today. Not to you.” To the others he said, “I’ve got my med kit. Some ropes. Some flare guns. She might need a medevac chopper,” he added, looking at Garrett.
“I didn’t hurt her!” the terrified man insisted.
“You left her in the Badlands to die,” Hawk pointed out.
A few hundred feet down the dirt access road, the small group of ex-Army rangers parked their trucks and got out on foot. They crossed the terrain parallel to the road in a single file line, scanning the area. Garrett insisted he didn’t know exactly where Tildy had forced his truck off the road. Hawk guessed that with the front headlight out, pieces of it would be scattered in the area where she’d made a run for it, if the rain hadn’t washed them away. He glanced up at the sun, which would be overhead soon. Caleb hoofed it to the front of the line where Hawk was leading the somber parade.
“In another hour, we’ll have to call in reinforcements,” Caleb told him, also eyeing the blazing ball of light hovering in the sky.
Hawk scowled but nodded. Calling in the RCPD would halt the search, at least temporarily. They would want to question Garrett as well as want to know about Hawk’s own brand of questioning. In the meantime, Tildy would be baking in the Badlands’ excessive heat, possibly dying of thirst or injuries, while they waited for the authorities to organize themselves.
Hawk was a tracker, as good as his uncle who’d taught him and Garrett when they were boys. Indeed, Garrett had said he’d stalked her to the edge of a steep arroyo and only gave up the chase because there appeared to be no way out of the hole she’d slid into. Garrett had also assumed that the flash flooding would finish her off for him, and the raging electrical storm was the only reason he hadn’t stayed to be sure.
The rain had washed away the top layer of dirt that normally covered everything in the badlands, making it next to impossible to look for any signs. There was little vegetation in this area, so no broken tree branches or snapped twigs on the ground could be followed. They’d have to rely on finding the scene of the accident.
Garrett and Easy stayed behind, waiting in one of the vehicles. Garrett would be of no use at this point, and Easy was too wary of navigating the uneven ground of the canyons with his prosthetic leg. It was probably just as well Garrett stayed behind. Every minute that passed had Hawk wanting to choke the life out of him.
