Love and War
A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only.
Chapter 7
"Zeus, I thought I told you not to contact me!" Haynes said angrily into the phone.
"It's a been a week, Haynes, and I've heard nothing. Don't think you can get away with that kind of behavior. " Zeus admonished. "I'm the one making sure you get paid for this mission and I'm also the one covering your ass with Archangel and anyone else who may be trying to snoop around. I picked you for this job because I knew you would have no problems doing whatever it takes to get Airwolf back to the Firm where it belongs. I'm not paying you to have some fling with that woman. Now either you tell me you've got some results or I'll find someone else to do the job!"
"Don't threaten me, Zeus." Haynes warned. "Don't forget, I'm the only other man alive that can fly Airwolf besides those three. Oh and there's always the fact that one word from me to the wrong person on how you're using Firm operatives on unauthorized missions and that you're skimming off the budget to pay me, and you won't have to worry whether I do my job or not."
With a frustrated sigh, Zeus realized that Haynes was right. Zeus, himself, was in a precarious position with this mission and if it failed, he'd be the first one to take the fall. If anyone ever found out that Zeus had turned over all of the agencies files on Moffett and Airwolf to someone like Haynes, he would be accused of nothing less than treason. The only way to succeed would be to get Airwolf back. The Firm would not be happy with his methods but they would have a hard time arguing with the results. Not only would The Firm have Airwolf back but they would have a pilot that could fly her and they would no longer have any need for Stringfellow Hawke. In this case, the ends would justify the means. Until then, he would just have to do his best to keep Haynes happy.
"All right, Haynes, we'll do it your way but I won't be able to explain away your lack of records for long. Somebody's bound to start asking questions, if they haven't already. "
"Well you'll just have to find them some answers then won't you, Zeus? I told you when you gave me this assignment that it would take some time. I'm not going to earn the woman's trust overnight. Not to mention that Hawke is more suspicious than a three-dollar bill and he's all over me as it is. If I start asking too many questions, I'll tip him off and he'll take Airwolf where we'll never find it or worse, he'll destroy it."
"Fine, do what you have to do but I expect to hear from you every couple of days whether you have information or not! And Haynes, about the O'Shannessy woman….don't let her end up like the last one on your last assignment. I don't want to have to explain away yet another dead girl. You're making it difficult to cover your tracks."
Haynes smiled slightly at the memory of the woman Zeus mentioned. She had been a pretty, petite blonde with honey brown eyes and red lips, a real beauty. He'd almost regretted having to beat the information he needed out of her. Although, watching her beg for life had been fairly exhilarating for him.
"Don't worry, Zeus, that's just a last resort. Anyways, I've almost got this one eating out of the palm of my hand as it is…she'll tell me what I want to know before long. I'm sure of it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date to keep," he said as he hung up the phone.
AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAW
It had been a week since Hawke had had his talk with Dominic and watching Caitlin seemingly growing closer and closer to Jack Haynes had been tearing him up inside, especially since he knew that the relationship would most likely end in Cait's heartbreak once again. Hawke had thought several times of just telling Caitlin what they had (or actually, hadn't) found out about Haynes but with no proof of any wrong-doing on Haynes part, he was afraid she would just accuse him of being over-protective again. Plus, he still felt that keeping her in the dark was the best way to keep her safe. She couldn't slip up and tell Jack something she didn't know, right?
As for Jack Haynes, the situation was just as frustrating for Hawke. He knew in his heart that the man was up to something but no one, not even Archangel and Marella, could dig up anything on him. It was like the man was nothing more than a ghost that barely existed. Hawke had spent a lot of time thinking back to Vietnam and trying to remember anything about Haynes that might give him a clue as to why the man had obviously turned into some kind of mercenary agent. However, not having seen or heard from the man for 12 years, there was just nothing he could remember that would give him a clue as to why he had turned allegiances, if that's in fact what had happened.
As maddening as it was for Hawke, all he could do for now was to sit and wait for Haynes to make his move. He just prayed that Cait would be safe in the meantime. Unfortunately, for Hawke, patience had never been one of his strong points.
Picking up the Santini Air office phone, Hawke dialed Michael's number. When the agent answered, Hawke barely gave the spy time to say hello before starting in. "Michael, I've had enough of this waiting around. I've been thinking and I believe I may have a way to draw out Haynes and Zeus. Meet me and Dom at the cabin tonight and I'll explain everything to you then."
"Just like that, Hawke? You expect me to drop everything and just come running at your command?" Michael answered feeling a little miffed at Hawke's automatic expectation of a positive response.
"Yeah, I do." Hawke said simply as he hung up on the spy knowing that Michael would show up, just like always.
TBC….