CHAPER 3.……THE CALL

Early the next morning, Saint John sat on the porch. This cabin and the lake and so many memories wrapped around them- fishing trips and summer weekends, then their parents deaths, String return which hadn't been able to witness, his own return , and now having Le live with them, many visits from Michael and Marella bringing news sometimes good, sometimes not. While he enjoyed the comfort and peacefulness of the cabin, he was glad he got to share it with his brother. Despite all the good memories, he had a feeling the bad ones would take over without his brother's presence.

His thoughts were interrupted as his younger brother came outside. "Michael called. It looks like we won't be on standby much longer. The smugglers are most likely going to try coming in the next few days so we're supposed to be ready."

\A/

Saint John hefted another heavy missile into the missile hold. "She's all ready to go," he reported. "Are you sure you don't want me to come. I could be of some help somehow."

"Sinj," String repeated yet again, "somebody's got to stay and take care of Le and Dom already said he would go. This one should take long, and once we're gone and done with this things can go back to normal, whatever that's like.

"Yeah," Saint John agreed. "I'm not sure there is such a thing as normal, at least not around here anyway."

After fully re-arming the sleek, black helicopter, String and Saint John returned to the hangar. All would continued as usual until Michael called again.

The phone range incessantly from the small office. Hawke reached over and picked it up.

"Santini Air."

"Stringfellow Hawke?" a female voice whispered over the line.

"Yeah."

"I need to meet with you. How about the coffee shop across the street from the bar.

Ignoring his curiosity, he agreed to meet her there.

"Who was that?" Caitlin asked.

"A friend in need," he felt no need to share the details.

He climbed into the Santini Air jeep and drove to the coffee shop. Inside, he ordered a cup of coffee and sat at a table near the door. Soon Nika joined him.

"Is everything alright?" he asked in concern.

"Jack. I think maybe he's involved in something illegal. He just started being really secretive and I heard him talking about getting some 'goods' then we could have it all."

"Do you know anything else?'

"Once he was suspected for a drug run, but they never could put together enough evidence to bring him up on charges. That's all I know."

'I wonder,' Hawke thought, 'if this could have anything to do with the drug run Michael's worried about.'

After his meeting with Nika, he met with Michael who promised to check up on Jack's information.

Picking up the phone, String answered it. Michael's voice gave away the intent of the call before he ever finished a sentence.

"The information you gave us on Jack Stoner turned up positive. It looks like he is involved in the drug run and we have reason to believe they are planning on coming in late tonight."

\A/

"This Stringfellow Hawke is getting too close," Jack said tersely. "Distract him. I don't care what you do as long as you keep him off our backs. Just to warn you though, those who have tried to kill him have obviously failed, and many have tried."

The second man nodded in acknowledgment. "I'll see to it."

\A/

Le stood out on the dock going to wave them off. Dom climbed into the Jet Ranger and started the engines. String was just about to join him when he was stopped by Le's cries.

"Uncle String, promise you'll come back," uncharacteristic worry overtook him. Normally, he could be brave, but something just worried him more than usual.

"I always come back, and besides I believe I promised you I would take you horseback riding again soon."

"Do you really have to go?" he asked between sniffles, tears still filling his eyes.

"Yeah I gotta go, but don't worry, I'll be back." He hugged Le, pulling him tight, then joined Dominic in the helicopter.

Arriving at the Lair, String and Dom pulled on their flight suits and fastened the boots. Punching the startup button, the rotors started moving slightly then gained momentum. With a low growl, she raised up through the tall chimney and shot off through the cloudless blue sky.