Page 4 of Night Hawk
“Toni,” Drake said. “Aw, man. After her dad died, I bet you never thought you’d see her again.”
Drake was right, but Clay would never discuss it in front of Toni. “I can do without the commentary.”
“Seems like you might need help. Erik’s here with me. I’ll bring him along too.”
“No need. Sam will get us out.”
“Are you kidding,” Drake said. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
Before Clay could respond, Drake ended the call. Fine. They were coming from Portland and if Erik was driving, this school was a good five-hours from their office and condos at the Veritas Center. If Drake was behind the wheel, it would take more like four. At least by the time they got there, Clay would be out of the room. And it would help to have his brothers give the school a good once-over for leads.
Clay turned to observe Toni. She wasn’t in medical shock. Her breathing was normal but shallow, and her skin didn’t appear to be clammy or pale. He’d seen people react the same way after a car accident. The shock caused adrenaline to flood the body, but a healthy person’s body regulated itself as hers seemed to have done. Still, he would watch for symptoms declaring her situation had become a medical emergency.
“Sam from Blackwell and Drake and Erik are on the way,” he said. “You remember my brothers, right?”
She didn’t speak.
He feared she might hyperventilate. “Just breathe, Toni. Deep breath in. Then out.”
He mimicked the actions, drawing in the musty air, making sure to fully expand his chest, and letting the air slowly out. She followed suit.
Just when she seemed to be gaining control, the snake rattled in the bucket.
She jerked back and flailed out. She grabbed onto an old porcelain mop sink stained a rusty-yellow and climbed into the sink. She crouched down to wrap her arms around her shaking knees.
Man, he hated seeing her like this. Scared to death. When they’d worked together on the Child Exploitation Task Force, he’d gotten to know her quite well. She was as tough as any of the agents on the team. Maybe not physically, but mentally she’d endured everything with valor. Now this. Looked like whoever locked them in here knew she was terrified of snakes and was taking advantage of her fear.
He tried to make eye contact, but she fixated on the bucket. “You want to talk about what’s going on?”
She gave a quick but fierce shake of her head.
Since she didn’t seem to notice him looking at her, he didn’t bother to look away. He loved seeing her again, but the joy of the moment was tempered by the pain in his heart. Not just from her terror right now, either. He took her father’s death personally. Clay had been in charge of the op where Grayson Long had been gunned down. Clay still had no idea what her dad had been doing there. He’d retired from the DEA many years prior and had zero connection to the op. He shouldn’t even have been in the area, much less knocking on their suspect’s door.
Clay had held Toni that day and played the op over and over in his head. He’d felt like a total fraud. Comforting her when he believed he was responsible. He didn’t know what he could’ve done differently, but no one should die on an op. No one. Especially not an innocent member of the public.
Now, her electric blue eyes were wide and unblinking. He’d never seen her so terrified. He had to do something to help. There was no getting out of the room. Maybe he could block her view. He stepped between her and the snake. “What can I do for you?”
Her hands clamped on his shoulders, and she pushed him out of the way. He didn’t fight her, but even if he had, she was strong enough to move him. When they’d partnered on the task force, they’d often worked out together, and he’d seen her toned arms firsthand.
“I’m worried about your stress level. Can you try to focus on something else while we wait for help to arrive?”
She didn’t respond.
He took her hand. The skin was soft but icy cold. She glanced at their intertwined fingers for a beat of a moment before she locked on the bucket with the snake in it again.
“Come on, Toni. Take some breaths. You can do it. The snake can’t get out.”
“I…I…” She shook her head.
His heart cracked under her fear. “Do you want me to sit on the bucket again?”
“Yes, please.” She sounded like a child terrified of the boogeyman.
He wanted to lift her out of the sink and hold her until her fear evaporated. Instead, he took the vise’s place. If she were in her right mind, she wouldn’t appreciate the hug. She was too independent to need a man. She’d told him that. Three times to be specific. Her mother died when she was a kid, and her dad had brought her up to be tough. She’d even been stoic when the gunman took her dad down right before her eyes.
Clay shuddered at the memory and shoved it into the back of his mind to focus on their current situation. He looked around the room, wishing he’d brought someone with him. All four of his brothers would’ve warned him not to go alone if he’d told them. Even his sister, Sierra, a forensic expert at the Veritas Center, would’ve said something. So would his former deputy dad.
His mom—well, she would just as likely choose to keep him home and out of danger no matter what. But once Drake told them all about the night—and he would for sure—they wouldn’t let it go, and Clay would never live it down. Searching for whatever lead they were supposed to discover. Nothing in the space spoke to the investigation or provided the lead they were promised. He just spotted old janitorial supplies.
