R Patterson - The Shadow Hunter

Hawk chuckled and then paused. “How have you been?”

She gestured for Hawk to come in and led him into the living room where they both sat down. “Oh, I have my good days and bad days. More than anything, I miss our talks. I miss the way he could calm me down from my hysterical moments. And let me tell you, those seem to have increased substantially since he’s been gone.”

Hawk nodded. “I miss him, too. He loved you guys so much.”

She shrugged. “I guess he loved his country more.”

“I—I don’t think that’s true.”

“It’s why he’s dead, isn’t it?” she said, her eyes narrowing, tears welling up. “He just had to do one more mission. I begged him not to go, but he did it anyway. It wasn’t like him to defy me, but maybe he knew what was going on and just wanted an easy way out.”

“I know it’s rough right now, but it will get easier,” Hawk said. “I’ve endured some unimaginable pain in my life, and the only soothing balm that exists is time.”

“Well, I just wish I had one more day with him. There’s so many things I’d want to tell him, even as angry as I’ve been at him.”

“I understand,” Hawk said. “And while I can’t divulge the details of his last mission, I want you to know that he had to go. It was for your benefit, as difficult as that might be for you to believe. He wasn’t going for his country at all, to be honest.”

Her eyes widened. “What are you trying to say?”

Hawk looked down. “Like I said, I can’t tell you any details. But just know that what he did was for you. And he wants you to be happy.”

Her eyebrows arched upward. “Wants?”

“Wanted,” Hawk said, correcting himself.

She cocked her head to one side. “How do you know this?”

Hawk shifted in his seat. “One day we were hanging out and the conversation drifted toward more morbid topics. We all talked about what we’d want for our families if we died. Most of us couldn’t conceive of the idea that our wives would marry someone else and start new lives. But not Eddie. He was insistent that he’d want you to move on so you could be happy.”

“He said that?”

Hawk nodded. “He said the only thing he wanted for you was to be happy and fulfilled with your life.”

Tears streaked down Sheila’s face. “He never told me that.”

“It’s not something we like to talk about, but it’s something we all think about.”

She got up and hugged Hawk, thanking him profusely. “The gifts, the meal, the comfort—I appreciate it. Alex doesn’t know how good she has it.”

Hawk chuckled and shook his head. “I’m not sure she thinks that all the time, but thanks. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“As you should,” Sheila said.

Hawk said goodbye and called Alex as he drove to the airport.

“How’d it go?” she asked.

“Lots of tears,” Hawk said, “but I’m hoping maybe that was the closure Sheila needed.”

“I’m sure it was.”

“Alex?”

“Yes?”

“I love you. I can’t wait to see you and John Daniel soon enough.”

“Me either,” Alex said. “Because there’s something we need to talk about.”

Bridger, Montana

HAWK TUGGED ON THE rope, ensuring that the line was taut. Strung between a pair of trees, he invited John Daniel to climb up so he could try out the latest addition to the homestead. For most four-year-olds, the height would’ve seemed daunting, but John Daniel wasn’t like most. He didn’t need his father to ask him a second time as the preschooler bounded up the ladder, two rungs at a time.

Hawk fastened a harness to John Daniel and then secured him to the pulley.

“Ready?” Hawk asked.

John Daniel’s face lit up as he nodded vigorously.

“Just remember to hold on,” Hawk reminded.

Seconds later, John Daniel leaped off the platform and zipped toward the other tree, which was padded with a mound of loose hay about six feet thick. Hawk watched as John Daniel disappeared into the hay only to emerge seconds later with a grin plastered across his face.

“This is the best, Dad,” John Daniel said as he sprinted back to Hawk to try again.

Hawk showed John Daniel how to operate the apparatus so he could entertain himself. Then Hawk returned to the house where Alex was waiting on the porch, sitting in a chair while sipping a cup of steaming tea.

“If only I had that zip line for John Daniel when you were gone,” she said.

Hawk chuckled and shook his head. “Give me enough time and I’ll have this place converted into a quasi-amusement park.”

“And he’d probably be bored with it after a week,” she said.

“Probably.”

They both laughed as they watched John Daniel crash into the hay again and then squeal with delight.

“This is the life, isn’t it?” Hawk said as he looked at Alex.

“Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk with you about.”

Hawk settled into a chair next to her. “I’m listening.”

“While you were in Virginia, I was thinking about the future, specifically our future,” she said as she looked down. “And I’m not sure I can do this much longer.”

Hawk furrowed his brow. “Do what much longer?”

“This,” she said, “waving her hand in front of her. Living on a ranch in isolation while so many other people need us.”

“You want to move back to Washington?”

She shook her head and scoffed. “Of course not. I want to live here. I know it’s what’s best for John Daniel. But I don’t think our time is done out there.”

“I thought we agreed that this would just be a one-time assignment,” Hawk said.

“We did, but I reserve the right to change my mind,” she said before taking another sip of her tea. “Tell me you didn’t enjoy this last mission, the hunt, the exhilaration of stopping a man who was intent on sabotaging good Americans for some misguided agenda.”

“I loved it,” Hawk said. “But what about you and John Daniel? What if something happens to me?”

“We’ll be fine. In case you forgot, a Russian mafia assassin tried to kill me in our home—and I took care of him without you.”

Hawk smiled faintly. “Yes, you did.”

“The fact is there are other people just like us, families with kids who have wonderful lives right now but could have it all stripped away if the wrong people take control of this country and the world. Freedoms could be eroded. Innocent lives could be lost. Dreams for a generation could be snuffed out. And I don’t want to get to the end of our lives and think that we just put in our time. I want to help. We’ve had enough time out of the game, but it’s time to get back in it.”

She paused, letting the words sink in before continuing.

“At least, that’s how I feel. Maybe you feel differently, but I needed to let you know that in case you’re feeling the same way, too.”

Hawk nodded. “This last mission lit a fire in me again. And while I know there are significant risks, what I realized is that there are dozens of Eddie and Sheila Tysons out there, families who could be torn apart by the actions of a few evil men. And if I can stop them, then I feel like I must.”

“So, what you’re saying is that you want back in, too?”

“Only if you’re okay with it.”

Alex put her tea down and jumped in Hawk’s lap, wrapping her arms around him. She kissed him and then drew back before glancing at her watch.

“Speaking of getting back in the game, we have a conference call in five minutes with the Magnum team,” she said.

In the distance, John Daniel laughed as he careened into the haystack.

HAWK AND ALEX sat at their kitchen table as they joined the video conference headed by Morgan. She was joined by several members of the team, including Big Earv and Mia.