CHAPTER 11
Juggling two heavy brown paper bags and rifling in her pocket for the keys to the jeep, Caitlin finally found them, locked the vehicle, and headed for the hangar.
"Hey guys," she called, pounding against the door, "let me in will ya."
No answer.
"Hmph," she sighed, setting the bags down, "Can't even open the door for a girl anymore."
She let herself in and somehow managed to carry in the food without dropping it all over the recently swept ground and to the counter.
"I'm back," she called out.
Nothing.
"I brought food." If anything would bring them that would. But still the hangar remained silent. "Is anyone even here?"
Setting their lunch on the counter, she walked towards the back to see if anyone was there. Nobody in the office. She continued around the back, coming around the corner just in time to see a white limo disappearing down thee road.
So much for lunch, she thought, but what was it Michael could want? And why hadn't anyone bothered to tell her?
\A/
"Aunt Cait? Why're you picking me up?" Joshua queried as he climbed into the car.
"Saint John was busy," she answered vaguely, still trying to figure out herself where they might have gone.
"What's he doing?"
Trust the six year old to want to play twenty questions when she had zero answers. "I don't know, honey. When we get back I'll make a couple phone calls and see if I can figure it out, okay?"
Michael himself picked up the phone, greeting her with an exasperated tone. Caitlin hesitated a moment; she'd been expecting Marella or one of his other assistants to answer, but figuring she might as well take advantage of getting him first hand. "What did you want Saint John and String for? Everyone just kind of left me and three kids without even bothering to tell me they were leaving, much less where they were going or why."
"What did I want them for? Why would you think I wanted them?"
"Stop avoiding the question Michael. I saw the limo leaving the hangar."
"It wasn't me."
"I saw-"
"I'm not denying what you saw, but it wasn't me. I've been stuck in meetings battling the whole committee all morning."
"But, if it wasn't you, who was it?"
\A/
"String," Saint John whispered, "that isn't him."
"You sure?"
He nodded. "I thought he was the guy, but he's too young."
"Obviously he doesn't care for us much either."
"Are you two talking? I do believe I told you to stay quiet," the driver warned. "I suggest you do as I asked, for your own sakes."
"He could be working for Ansagar."
"He tended to do things himself, well at least on the business end."
The driver slammed on the brakes, sending brothers flying into the seats in front of them.
"I said stop with all the damn talking! If I have to tell you again, you won't have to worry about getting any further because I'll send this car flying off the edge of a cliff. And no, I'm not afraid of dying to finish this. You two though, and rest of your family, must be wiped off the planet, permanently."
\A/
Caitlin turned the light out and sat down on the couch to think. She had opted to stay at Saint John's apartment, figuring it would be easier on the kids to be in more familiar surroundings. Because they've never been to the cabin before, she though sarcastically, and they don't know where anything is. Honestly, they'd be just as comfortable at the cabin and she knew it, but she'd be closer to any action here, and as soon as something happened she wanted to be the first to know about it.
Le walked back into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water, sipping it as he walked into the living room and joined Caitlin. "Where is he really?"
"Who Saint John?"
"Yeah."
"I'm afraid I have no clue, Le."
"No clue?" Le repeated skeptically. "Not even an idea?"
"All I saw was a white limo driving off from the hangar when I returned from getting lunch. I assumed Michael wanted them for something, but he's either lying or it wasn't him. And I'm leaning towards it wasn't him."
\A/
The car screeched to a halt, once again slamming the two men into the seats. "Out now," the driver now known as Dirk ordered. "I've had enough of you. We're going to end this now. You think you can take that big helicopter and scare us, blow up anything in your way. Well you can't. We fought to get those men, and you think you can just come in and destroy everything. You killed my father. You killed my mother and sister, and they didn't even do anything to you. Now you, you and your whole family will pay, Saint John Hawke. He upholstered his 9mm and gestured towards the unscalable rock backdrop. "Which one of you wants to be first?"
Saint John started to take a step forward but his younger brother stepped in front of him. "Me."
Dirk looked nearly as surprised as Saint John, but he made no effort to conceal it. "Sad, you make your own brother take the punishment first, but then, you always did like to try taking the easy way out didn't you? No problem though, you'll get the same treatment."
"No, you've got it all wrong. He wasn't-"
"Sinj," String shot him a warning look. "No."
"But he wasn't even there. He was back in the hospital in California, nearly died, nowhere near you or your family."
"Is this true?" Dirk asked inquisitively. "It wasn't you flying the monster helicopter?"
"No, he doesn't remember - years of captivity does that you know. Memories all jumbled, didn't even remember that he had a son." Well, only part of that was a lie, he just wished he had some way to keep Sinj quiet; he appreciated the thought, but the likelihood of it actually helping wasn't that great.
"Fine. Over there - now!"
"Wait. Can I have a minute - to say goodbye?"
"I never got that chance, why should I let you?" Get over there and let's get this over with."
The younger Hawke walked silently towards the slab of rock, keeping both eyes carefully on the gun. Dirk trained the 9mm on him, finger tightening on the trigger. "Goodbye to the first of the Hawkes."