Edge of the Heat 7 (8 page)

Hawk shook his head. "That's his father. Knox started his own company. He does panic rooms like his dad, but he also does personal security for the wealthy."

Brindi's eyes shone. "Hook me up," she said.

Hawk groaned. "Just professionally. From what I've heard his personal life is kind of... convoluted."

Now Brindi just looked fascinated. "Like three ex-wives and a crazy mistress convoluted?"

"No... more like ... ah, just trust me. He's more trouble than he's worth. Unless you're into that kind of thing."

"I'd be willing to try anything once," Brindi said. "Especially with a guy who looks like that. He's got dark and handsome
down
. Tell me he's tall and I won't be able to handle it."

Hawk shrugged. "He's about my height."

Brindi's eyes rolled back in her head and she fanned herself with a piece of paper from her desk.

Hawk watched her bemusedly. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

The laptop in front of him lightened and Knox's face came back on the screen.

"Ready?"

Hawk un-muted them, grabbed a piece of paper and nodded.

"I got the IP address and I already traced it for you. It comes back to a Canon Country Industries. PO Box 4547 Tetam County, California."

Hawk copied the information down, his mind whirling. Tetam County was just outside of Westwood Harbor.

A knock sounded behind Hawk as he was writing, someone at the main entrance. Brindi shot up from her chair and excused herself, leaving Hawk alone in her office.

Hawk looked up to see Knox watching her go. When the door closed behind her Knox said, "What's her story?"

"That's Brindi Battaini. She's a private investigator here in San Francisco."

"Single?"

Hawk shrugged. "Seems like it."

"I've heard of her," Knox said. "I didn't know she was so gorgeous though."

"I don't think she's your type," Hawk said, remembering the kind of women he'd seen Knox involved with before.

Knox threw back his head and laughed. "Come on Kincaid, all women are my type."

Hawk shook his head, then prepared to ask one more favor and sign off. Knox's preferences in women was something he had no time or desire to think about. He had to get home and make sure his family was still safe.

Emma stomped in her front door, Craig on her heels. "I just don't understand why you had to come to the fire station," she said over her shoulder.

JT stood in the dining area, setting the table. "Uh-oh," he said, throwing a glance their way. "Lover's quarrel?"

Emma didn't wait for a reply from Craig. She addressed JT. "I had to do four hours of overtime at station eighteen for one of the captains and Craig sat there in the station the entire time, in the radio room, glowering at anyone who dared to step off the sidewalk or come too close to the building."

JT shrugged. "Hawk thinks you could be in danger. Craig is just trying to protect you."

"Yeah, that's what I heard. What else is new?" Emma grumped, then disappeared into her bedroom to change her clothes.

When she returned to the dining room she felt better, some of the day's headaches already shed along with her uniform. She found her husband standing against the dining room wall, listening to JT. She pressed herself against him and twined her hands around his waist. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be grumpy."

Craig squeezed her tight and planted a chaste kiss on her forehead. "I even love you when you're grumpy, you know that. JT was about to tell me about their day."

JT shrugged. "Hawk will be home soon. We don't really know anything else yet. We've just been hanging out since we got his phone call. He says not to wait for him to eat dinner."

Dani came into the room from down the hallway, pulling Vivian after her. Emma looked over her sister, concern on her face. Vivian seemed worse than she had yesterday. Her hair had not been brushed or washed and she was still wearing the same clothes Emma had given her the night before. Vivian pulled away from Dani and sat at the table, not looking at anyone. Emma rushed over and kissed her sister on the cheek. "Hi Viv, how are you doing?"

"Good," Vivian mumbled into her empty plate.

Emma squeezed Vivian's shoulder and looked at Dani, heartbreak for her sister in her eyes. Dani motioned for her to come into the kitchen.

Emma followed Dani into the far corner of the kitchen where Dani crowded close and whispered into her ear. "She wouldn't buy anything today. I had to bring her home early. She wouldn't even look at the baby clothes. I think she's still in some sort of shock."

Emma looked over her shoulder, through the open doorway between the kitchen and dining area where Vivian sat quietly at the dining room table. Emma's heart sank. She knew what to do for physical shock but emotional shock? How did you help someone get over the fact that their house had been blown up and someone was trying to kill them?

Dani plucked at her sleeve. "Help me with dinner. Maybe we can talk to her after."

Emma nodded and headed to the countertop, carrying bowls of soup and bread to the table.

When they all sat down to their meal, Emma watched Vivian closely, anxious to see that she was only caressing her spoon and not actually picking it up and using it to eat. Emma wondered how long it had been since Vivian had eaten anything. The baby needed food.

Vivian stopped caressing her spoon and reached forward to do the same thing to her bread plate.

Dani leaned forward suddenly, a fierce look in her eyes. "Are you thinking about all your wedding china, Vivian? That was a lovely set you got."

A single tear fell from Vivian's eye into her soup.

Emma stared hard at Dani, hoping she would take the hint and stop talking.

But Dani took no hint. "Are you thinking about how all your plates are gone? How they were destroyed in the fire?"

Emma looked around at JT and Craig who were both staring at Dani openly. Emma caught Dani's eye.
What are you doing?
she mouthed.

Trust me
, Dani mouthed back.

"Your pictures, Vivian. They're all gone too. And the crib your dad made for the baby. It's gone. Burnt up in the fire."

JT reached across the table and grasped Dani's hand. "Dani," he whispered. "Hawk isn't going to like—"

"The baby's nursery," Dani exclaimed, ignoring JT. "It's gone. Completely destroyed."

Understanding dawned in Emma's brain. She looked closely at Vivian. Tears dripped down her face now, but her expression still showed no emotion.

Dani's got it wrong though, she's trying to make Vivian be sad. Vivian's already sad enough. She needs to get angry!

Emma took a moment to wonder if she had ever seen her sister get angry and then pushed the thought away. It didn't matter, because she was about to. "That guy took everything you had. It's okay to be upset. Angry even. I would be livid if someone blew up my house and tried to kill me."

Still no reaction from Vivian. Emma opened her mouth to try again but Vivian arched suddenly, like a cat. She slammed her hand on the table and let out a scream then stood up, knocking her chair to the floor. Out of the corner of her eye, Emma saw JT drop his silverware and stare openly at Viv in surprise.

Vivian's hands clenched open and closed like she wasn't sure what to do with them. Emma stood up too, thrilled to finally see Vivian responding. Vivian looked around the table, her eyes flashing in anger. Emma acted without thinking, snatching Hawk's empty bowl off of the table and thrusting it into Vivian's hands.

Vivian looked at the bowl like she'd never seen one before and then heaved it across the room at the wall, where it shattered with a flat, unimportant sound, the pieces falling to the floor. Emma grabbed a plate and gave it to her sister. Vivian threw this one on the floor, an agonized, hurting sound coming from her throat.

"That ... that ... MOTHERFUCKER!" Vivian screamed. Craig stood up and took a step backwards, his face showing his disbelief and uncertainty. Vivian snatched up her fork and knife and threw them into the corner of the room, another anguished cry coming from her.

The front door slammed open and everyone jumped but Vivian. Hawk took a powerful step into the room. "What in the hell is going on here?" he thundered, his eyes on his trembling wife.

Hawk rushed to Vivian's side and she collapsed into his arms. "Hawk, he took everything we had. He blew up our house. He robbed us of everything we owned in the world."

Hawk held Vivian close, caressing her hair and kissing her cheeks. "He did baby, he did. But he didn't take you and he didn't take me. And he didn't take the most precious thing we have."

Hawk dropped to his knees and kissed Vivian's rounded belly with incredible tenderness. The gesture was so intimate, Emma had to look away. "He didn't take this baby that you're providing such a safe and perfect home for."

A wracking, tormented sob built up in Vivian's throat, spilling over into the room. Her body shook as the tears poured out of her, her hands clenching Hawk's shoulders. Hawk held her around her waist until she quieted as everyone in the room stayed silent, feeling Vivian's pain. Hawk stood and picked her up. "I'm taking you to bed."

"No," Vivian said quietly. "I've spent enough time in bed. Put me down."

Hawk did and Vivian grasped his cheeks, staring into his eyes. "I've never wished harm on anyone, but you promise me something Holden Kincaid," she said, her eyes burning. "You promise me you'll catch him. Make him pay. Make sure he'll never do it again to anyone."

Hawk looked back solemnly. "I promise."

"Good, then let's eat. Sorry about your plates, Emma."

"No problem," Emma said. She stood and ran to get the broom. Dani got up to help and as they passed each other, their hands met in a subtle, sliding low-5.
Vivian was back!

***

Hawk filled his soup bowl to the top and took four pieces of bread. He managed to take a few bites of food before the eyes on him forced him to start talking. "I don't know much more than I told you already. A lot of this is just a feeling on my part, but if you add in JT being followed to everything that happened to us—"

"What?" Dani said. She turned to JT. "You didn't tell me you were being followed."

JT shrugged. "I didn't want to worry you."

Vivian caught Hawk's attention. "But who? Why? What connects the three of us but our father? And he's dead."

"That's what we have to figure out."

"What did the private investigator tell you?" Craig asked.

Hawk explained what little they had discovered and then put the piece of paper with the company name Knox had discovered for him in the middle of the table. "Canon Country Industries. We don't know who the company belongs to yet. I have a friend looking into it."

"Who?" Craig asked.

"Rosesson."

Craig nodded as if satisfied. "Good."

Emma picked up the little piece of paper. "Who's Rosesson?"

"A buddy of mine," Hawk said. "From high school. You might have heard of his dad, Felix Rosesson."

Dani broke in. "Oh, the guy from the infomercials?"

Hawk nodded. "He's the guy that's made billions of dollars building personal fallout shelters and panic rooms for ordinary people who can't really afford it. He bought a mortgage company so he could refinance people's homes and take the money out of the equity so they didn't need to be able to afford it."

Emma's eyes narrowed as she dropped the paper back on the table. "At crazy high interest rates, I'll bet."

"Of course."

Emma made a face. "And you're working with this guy?"

"That's his dad," Hawk said patiently. "Knox started his own company because he doesn't agree with his dad's tactics."

Hawk turned to Dani and JT. "How long are you two going to be in town?"

JT glanced at Dani, who answered the question. "Only four more days, then I have an assignment."

Hawk nodded. "I want you to check out of the hotel and come stay here with us." He looked around at Craig and Emma. "If that's cool—"

Emma nodded quickly. "Of course. We can put them up in the basement."

JT looked dubious. "Is that necessary?"

Hawk didn't say anything for a few moments. "I don't know," he admitted. "But if this really is about the three of you, I think we're all safer together, circling the wagons, so to speak." He turned to Emma. "Emma, can you take some time off of work? Just until we can make some headway on this?"

Emma bit her lip and shook her head at the same time. "Maybe, but I
have
to go in tomorrow. The fire inspector is giving his report on your fire and the warehouse fire. I'm also expected to give a report."

Hawk rolled his eyes back as if he were thinking. "But Craig takes you to work and brings you home."

Emma nodded resignedly. Craig spoke up. "And I'll come by at noon to take you to lunch."

Hawk looked around the table hoping he wasn't forgetting anything. The five most important people in his life were here, counting on him. His eyes lingered on his pregnant wife. Make that the
six
most important people.

Craig returned home the next morning to a full and noisy house. He found Hawk at the kitchen table, eating breakfast. "Emma is at work. What do I do now?"

"Nothing," Hawk said between bites. "Our only lead is the Canon Country Industries company and I haven't heard back from Knox yet. I've already called the post office in Tetam County. They want a warrant to release any information."

"I'll get one written up."

Hawk shook his head. "I've already got one on Judge Davis' desk. I'm hoping he'll sign it on his lunch hour but I might have to wait till five or six. He's in session all day."

Craig grabbed a bagel. "What about Judge Holt?"

"She's on vacation. She'll be back tomorrow."

Craig gave him a knowing look. "She'd do it for you."

Hawk grimaced. "I know, but I called already. She's not in the state until eight o'clock tonight."

Craig grunted and sat back, chewing his bagel. "I hate doing nothing."

Hawk didn't respond.