Page 104 of Night Hawk
“But you know what?” She forced a smile. “It doesn’t matter. He’s behind bars.”
“True that.” Drake smiled. “Any news on the girls?”
“Let me ask.” She thumbed a response to Clay.What about the girls?
Hibbard’s clammed up on that. Trent and Blake are working on him.
“Nothing yet.” She texted Clay to keep her updated.
I will and I’m so very sorry about earlier. I hope we can talk soon.
Maybe tomorrow.
He sent back a smiley emoji, which for some silly reason made her miss him more. She locked her phone and looked up at Drake. “I feel like I should celebrate, but all I want to do is go to sleep and wake up to hear everything’s been resolved.”
Drake nodded. “Maybe we’ll know by morning if Lisa’s been found too.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Toni said, but she was dreading that bit of news. She couldn’t imagine it would be good. “It’s probably time for me to face facts. If she was abducted in the eighties, the odds of her being alive are close to zero.”
“But there’s a chance.”
She smiled up at Drake, this one sincere. “Thanks for being here to cheer me up. Since no one’s out to get me anymore, you can go back to the beach house.”
“And miss a chance to sleep the night without snoring keeping me awake.” He grinned. “No way.”
“Then we’ll meet for breakfast as planned at eight.”
“I’ll text Clay to keep me updated too so you don’t have to. ’Night.”
“Good night. And thanks again, Drake.”
“My pleasure.” He strode to his room, the confidence in his walk like his brothers. Like Clay.
No, don’t think about him.
She closed and locked the door behind Drake and forced Clay out of her mind. She quickly took a shower and dropped into the bed after setting an alarm for seven. She fell asleep right away, dreaming of Lisa running on the beach, calling out for help, but no matter how fast Toni ran, Lisa remained out of reach.
A piercing alarm brought Toni awake, and she sat up. She blinked a few times to get her bearings and smelled smoke. The fire alarm. That was what woke her. And she didn’t think it was a false alarm.
She grabbed her phone, slid into some shoes, then fixed her gun at her waist. Tossing a jacket on, she opened the door to Drake’s room just as he was releasing his side.
He met her gaze, his eyes concerned. “Seems real enough.”
She nodded, fear starting to rise in the pit of her stomach. “Let’s go.”
He led her to his door and ran his fingers around it. “Not hot. Should be safe to exit.”
He opened the door, and smoke poured in. He tugged his shirt over his mouth. “Follow me.”
She put her arm over her mouth and plunged into the smoky hallway. They hurried toward the stairway at the end of the floor. An elderly woman with a cane trudged out of her room. Drake held the stairwell door open for her. Lungs starting to protest, Toni stood back to let the woman go first. They moved slowly down the steps behind her, the smoke growing and making it difficult to see. The woman stumbled.
Drake grabbed her arm to right her. “Let me help you, ma’am.”
She looked up at him. “Bless you, young man.”
He guided her down to the second floor landing just as the door flew open.
“Help!” A frantic woman’s high-pitched voice cut through the smoke. “My daughter. I can’t get her out.”
