“But if they hadn’t been okay with his demands—like hiring an obvious criminal as their head of security—they could’ve just gone with another bus company,” Charlotte said. “There are tons of them out there, and they’re much cheaper.”
“Maybe Everett is offering something other trucking companies can’t?” Hawk wondered aloud.
“But what?” Charlotte didn’t seem convinced.
“Unfortunately, HRA has locked things down pretty tight, making it a bit more complicated. But with the connection Sammy established into HRA’s system and the top-level access Casey has—thanks to his position working for Burke—they should be able to connect the dots between HRA, Everett, and Kimball.” Cole’s confidence in their skills infused each word.
“So, you think all of this—the list, the contract with Everett, HRA hiring Kimball—is connected?” Charlotte twisted to reach into the back seat. “It’s okay, Remy.” She stroked her hand from the top of the dog’s head and down his back.
“My gut tells me it is.” Hawk felt like the answer was just out of reach.
“Agreed,” Cole said.
“Cole, Charlotte would like to see her mom.” Hawk knew how worried she was about Donna. “Unless you have an issue with it, I’m going to call Calliope and arrange to have them meet us at a diner near my place.”
“I trust your judgment, Hawk.”
His boss’s trust in him and the other people on the team was one of the many reasons why Hawk would never leave OSI.
Charlotte stopped petting the dog to set her hand on Hawk’s forearm and mouthed the words, “Thank you.”
He winked.
“One last thing—Luna is officially going to be joining Dark Ops,” Cole said. “As soon as they get her stuff packed up, Caleb and Dawn will be helping her relocate to Virginia.”
“That’s great news. She’ll be an incredible asset to the team.” Hawk thought about Caleb and Dawn and how worried they must be about Luna leaving their protection in California.
Not that he could blame them.
When she was seventeen, a psychopathic cult leader with an unhealthy attraction to young women and girls lured her to his secured compound not far from where Hawk grew up. Dawn had gone after her and ended up being trapped on the compound with her. Hawk didn’t know all of the details, but what he did know wasn’t good.
Had Caleb, his K9 partner, Jake, and the guys from OSI not gone in after them, God only knows what horrors they would’ve suffered.
“Must be tough for Caleb and Dawn to let her go,” he said.
“They were hesitant, initially. After all, Dawn basically raised her after their folks died. But Luna reminded them in no uncertain terms that she’s not a naive teenager anymore. She’s twenty-three now, mature beyond her years, and smart as hell. She went directly to Beck and told him she wanted to work with the Dark Ops team.” There was respect in Cole’s voice. “OSI has grown so much, it was getting tough for Sammy to do everything. They approached me about having Luna join us, and since we’d already planned to establish a tech team for Dark Ops, I, of course, said yes and formally offered her the position.”
Since that first time he watched Beatrice and Mathias work a crime scene, Hawk could tell OSI was a top-notch organization loaded with talented people.
“It’ll be good to have her on the team.” Cole actually had a hint of excitement in his voice. Well, as much excitement as his stoic boss was willing to display. “Make sure to keep me in the loop.”
“Will do,” Hawk said. “Thanks, man.”
Charlotte called out, “Yes, thank you, Cole.”
“You bet.”
Hawk tapped a button on his steering wheel to end the call.
“Why don’t you go ahead and program those numbers into the burner phones.” He lifted her hand from his arm, kissed her knuckles, and released her. “I’ll call Calliope and let her know where to meet us.”
“You know, I just remembered that I keep some things at my mom’s house.” She grabbed her bag and retrieved the phones. “Instead of having someone go by my place to get my suitcase, Mom can just pack up my stuff and bring it with them when we meet.”
“If you’re sure, I’ll let Calliope know,” Hawk said.
“Absolutely.” Charlotte started programming numbers into the burner phones.
“Siri, call Calliope.”
