Soldier's Christmas Secrets

She wanted to protest but knew it was useless. She awkwardly climbed off the machine, feeling Lizzy’s weight slipping down.

Hawk jumped back on the snowmobile and rode it about eighty yards away before abandoning it. Then he pulled several items out of a storage area behind the seat, before hurrying toward her. He was careful to step only on the tracks made by the sled.

She was impressed by his actions, knowing the machine would draw the men in the woods away from them. She hitched Lizzy in her arms.

“I’ll take her.” Hawk didn’t wait for permission but took Lizzy from her, after storing what looked like duct tape and twine in his jacket pocket. “This way.”

Lizzy didn’t cry, too frightened to do anything but hang on. They once again moved through the woods, faster now that Jillian wasn’t impeded by her daughter’s weight.

Hawk stopped in front of a large tree. “We’re going up.”

Her jaw dropped. “Up? The tree?”

He nodded, pulling another length of twine out of his jacket pocket. “I’ll carry you while you hold Lizzy.”

She shook her head, thinking he was crazy. No way could Hawk carry both of them all the way up a tree. And what would they do when they got up there? Swing from the branches like Tarzan and Jane? She’d fall on her face for sure.

“Like this.” He placed Lizzy back in her arms. “You’re going to put your arms around my neck and lock your legs around my waist, keeping Lizzy tucked between us.”

“She’ll fall,” she protested.

“She won’t. She’ll hang on to you. Trust me.”

She did trust Hawk. Had trusted him to get them out of danger twice now. Knew that God was somehow guiding him.

“Hold tight, Lizzy.” The little girl nodded and wrapped her tiny arms snugly around her neck. Then Jillian faced Hawk’s back and locked her arms around his chest. When she lifted her legs around his waist, pressing Lizzy securely between them, he began to climb, using the rope around the tree for leverage.

How he made it up the tree was a mystery. The muscles of his chest and shoulders bunched beneath her arms with the strain, but he didn’t make a sound as he went vertical.

She wasn’t sure what she expected, but the flat platform about two-thirds of the way up the tree was a surprise. Especially when she saw that there were three full sides to the thing that protected them from view. Hawk managed to get up and over the edge of the platform, landing on his hands and knees.

“You can get off now,” he whispered.

It was scary being up so high, but she unlocked her legs first, then slid to the side so she was sitting on the platform next to him. Holding Lizzy close, she edged closer to the trunk of the tree, seeking some sense of stability.

“We made it,” she whispered in awe.

Hawk nodded. “We still need to be quiet, okay?” He didn’t wait for a response but pulled out his gun and flattened himself against the platform. He inched to the edge, peering down to see what was going on down below.

She lifted her hand to push her hair out of her face, frowning when she saw blood. For a moment she didn’t understand, but then she noticed several more drops of blood staining the platform.

He’d been shot!

FOUR (#u761bb363-ccd6-5b9f-b8a2-37fd1d710fbe)

“Hawk! You’re hurt!” Jillian whispered in a low, urgent tone.

“It’s nothing. Keep Lizzy quiet, okay?” Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, Hawk looked carefully over the edge of the deer blind, searching for hostiles. He had two guns and a knife but didn’t want to use them unless there was absolutely no other option. He’d taken one man temporarily out of commission, but there were three more, and he couldn’t bear the thought of Jillian and Lizzy witnessing him killing a man.

Yet he’d do whatever was necessary to keep them safe.

They were in danger because of him. Because he’d poked the sleeping bear by probing for information on Senator Barton. It was the only thing that made sense.

Pushing the thought away, he kept his gaze focused on the wooded area below while internally planning their next move. He needed to call Mike Callahan for help, but he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of putting his buddy in danger.

Jillian did her best to soothe Lizzy, urging the little girl to stay quiet. Lizzy’s hiccuping sobs were muffled against Jillian’s chest and he hated knowing his daughter was so frightened.

Peering through the trees, he could see the dark shape of the snowmobile where he’d left it, eighty yards from where they were hiding.

Time to implement the next phase of his plan.

“Stay up here with Lizzy,” he whispered to Jillian.

“Where are you going?” There was thinly veiled panic in her voice.

He wasn’t sure how to answer her without causing her to become even more afraid. He trusted his ability to take out the three men but hated leaving her here, alone. Pulling out his phone, he found Mike Callahan’s number and showed it to her. “If I’m not back in an hour, call Mike. He’s a cop and will keep you and Lizzy safe.”

“Why can’t we call him now?” Jillian argued. “Then you can stay here with us.”

“He’s at least forty-five minutes away, maybe more.” He thrust the phone at her. “Please, Jilly. I’m asking you to trust me on this.”

She held his gaze for a long moment, before reluctantly nodding. He wanted nothing more than to pull her close in a reassuring hug but needed to get moving.

Soundlessly, he climbed down the tree, ignoring his injured shoulder, and moved quickly without the added burden of having to carry Jillian and Lizzy. On the ground, he took a moment to get his bearings.

He found a branch and used it to help wipe away his footprints from the base of the tree. Then he took a roundabout and silent path toward the snowmobile.

Hawk halted behind a tree when he caught sight of one hostile positioned twenty yards in front of him. Hawk could only see his back, it was clear the man’s attention was focused on the snowmobile.

His mistake. Hawk managed to sneak up on him from behind, taking him down without making much of a sound despite the ache in his shoulder. Hawk knocked him unconscious, then bound and gagged him using the duct tape in his pocket.

Another one down, two more to go.

Hawk moved silently away, estimating that another assailant would be at the three o’clock position. Hiding behind a tree, he searched for a sign and then found him.

The second guy didn’t go down as quietly as the first one. Could be because Hawk was feeling the effect of blood loss, but he refused to acknowledge weakness. When he had the second man unconscious and tied up securely, as well, he looked for the next one.

Keenly aware of the minutes ticking by on his allotted hour, he hoped Jillian wouldn’t place the call to Mike before he’d had the chance to take the last attacker out of commission.

Hawk knew that taking down the last man would be the most difficult. The hostile must know that his cohorts were compromised and would have no reason to stay at his point location.

Ducking behind a thorny bush, Hawk wiped snow away to uncover a large rock. He tossed it high in the air, then crouched down and watched carefully for signs of movement when it landed with a dull thud.

For several long seconds there was nothing, but finally, the slightest movement from the twelve o’clock position caught his eye. Target in sight, Hawk moved in.

Another movement had him dropping to the ground. The sound of gunfire echoed loudly through the woods, narrowly missing him. Gut instinct had Hawk rolling to the side and returning fire at the spot where he’d seen the muzzle flash.

Then there was nothing but silence.