Fandom: Airwolf
Series: Finding Family (Story 9)
Summary: When the team is betrayed, tragic consequences ensue.
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: Hawke/Caitlin. Michael/Marella. Saint John/Jo. Warning character death.
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. Written for entertainment purposes only.
Sacrifices
Part 1
Sarah Katherine Hawke. The sound of her real name seemed strange to the petite brunette as she tried it out loud for the umpteenth time, the words floating away on the thin breeze that ruffled her shoulder length hair and skimmed over her pale skin. She sighed and hugged her knees to her unconsciously as she stared out at the peaceful lake in front of her from her place on the porch steps of her brother’s cabin. The water was a silvery grey with the peaks of the surrounding mountains casting dark shadows. Sarah breathed deeply and let the serenity settle in her soul.
It was so beautiful, she thought wistfully. She turned her head and glanced back at her brother’s home. It suited Stringfellow Hawke and his wife, Caitlin. There was something solid and unyielding about the place from the outside yet once beyond the front door, it was softened with warmth - a bit like the couple themselves. Sarah smiled amused at her whimsy. The cabin had been a great place to hide for the previous two weeks since the reunion with her two older brothers. She rubbed her cold hands together as she watched the first glimmer of light break the dark sky.
‘There’s nothing like a sunrise.’
Sarah’s head snapped around to the porch at the quiet words and she put her hand to her chest as though to soothe her racing heart. Her brother stood there dressed in jeans and a thick woollen sweater.
Hawke took in her alarmed expression. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.’
‘It’s OK.’ Sarah smiled ruefully. ‘I’m kinda getting used to your ninja like ability not to make any noise.’
He returned the smile as he walked the few strides that separated them and sat down beside her. His knee nudged hers as he settled into position. They watched the sun come up in silence for a long while.
‘You’re up early.’
She heard the subtle concern in his statement and almost smiled. She had quickly realised that her brothers had a protective streak a mile wide. ‘I woke early.’
‘Nervous about today?’ Hawke asked gently. It was the first day that Sarah and her young son, Chris, would leave the cabin and begin their lives in LA.
‘I guess I am.’ Sarah admitted. She glanced over at Hawke who was looking back at her with a steady blue gaze from eyes that matched her own. She gave another half-smile. ‘You’ll be the same when you have to drop Nicky off at school for the first time.’ She gestured. ‘You worry if they’ll be OK, if they’ll make friends, if they’ll fit in. You just want so much for them.’
Hawke conjured up the moment when he would have to take his baby son, Nicky, to school and grinned at the image. ‘Yeah.’ His knee nudged hers again; this time deliberately. ‘Chris is going to be OK though. He’s a great kid and it’s a good school, very secure.’
‘I know.’ Sarah shivered. She’d never thought security would be top of the list of qualities to look for in a school but with the reality that her family were being targeted by the Mafia, security wasn’t only the top of the list, it was in bold capital letters and underscored several times.
‘You know Saint John would understand if you didn’t want to start work today.’ Hawke murmured. Sarah had opted to work at Santini Air claiming she was more comfortable with the familiar set up of an air service than the world of espionage and aerial combat that Hawke and Caitlin inhabited flying a technologically advanced helicopter, Airwolf, for a shadowy division within the Department of Defence.
‘I’m OK.’ Sarah insisted. ‘I can’t hide out here forever.’
‘No.’ Hawke agreed.
Sarah glanced over at him curiously. She figured there had been a time when Hawke had tried hiding out on the mountain. She faced the scenery again. Despite the fact that they had never met until two weeks before, she felt a certain empathy with Hawke. Maybe it was because they were so alike physically, she mused; looking at Hawke was like looking at a slighter older male version of herself unlike Saint John. She bit her lip.
Saint John looked so like their father, it was hard for her to get past that especially given the slightly combative relationship with her parents that had triggered her running away from home. She sighed heavily. She couldn’t regret it. If she hadn’t run away with Lee Edwards, he wouldn’t have gotten her pregnant at sixteen and she wouldn’t have Chris. Still, given her wariness about Saint John she was questioning whether she had made the right choice about going to work with him and his girlfriend Jo Santini at Santini Air.
‘Nervous?’ Hawke asked hearing her sigh.
‘Yeah. A little.’ Sarah admitted.
‘It’s a good place to work.’ Hawke assured her. ‘ Saint John and Jo will see you’re OK and Lord knows they pay better than Dom ever did.’
He succeeded in raising a smile and she shook her head in disbelief. ‘This is just so weird.’
‘What?’ Hawke asked.
‘Sitting here with you.’ Sarah said with a chuckle. ‘Talking about Dom.’ She waved a hand vaguely in the air. ‘Dad used to tell us all these old stories about him and his best friend Dom, about their escapades during the war. I always thought he made him up.’ She shook her head again. ‘I wish I could have met him.’
‘Me too.’ Hawke said gruffly. ‘You’d have liked him.’
‘Ah but would he have liked me?’ Sarah said lightly. As a young single Mom with no husband in tow she was used to being judged.
Hawke’s lips curved slightly as he thought about the likely reaction Dom would have had to Sarah. He could almost see the gap-toothed grin. ‘He’d have loved you.’
Sarah ducked her head before she registered the grief in his voice. ‘You miss him a lot.’
Hawke nodded. ‘He pretty much raised me after we thought Mom and Dad died in the boating accident.’
Sarah reached out and tangled her hand in his to comfort him and ease the pain she could hear underlying the simple statement. He frowned at how cold she was and rubbed at her fingers, warming them.
‘You really think we’re going to find them?’ Sarah asked. She had given up hope of ever seeing her parents again when she’d become separated from them and her younger brother. She had known the score, she told herself firmly. Their parents were on the run from a revengeful Mob family called the Cordelli’s, they had to keep moving even if that meant leaving her behind.
‘Larry Mason is the best there is.’ Hawke said referring to the information analyst who was tracking their parents down. ‘If anyone can find them, it’s him and all the information you provided has got to help.’
‘Do you really think Dad’s still alive? I mean with Yahara thinking he was dead.’ Sarah had been shocked to find out that the revengeful Japanese pilot who had prompted Hawke and Saint John to look for their family had thought their father had died of a heart-attack.
‘I’m hoping he was wrong.’ Hawke admitted.
‘I can’t believe I’ll get to see them all again. I’d given up hope of ever being able to tell them how sorry I was.’ Sarah murmured.
‘You were only a teenager.’ Hawke said gently. ‘Give yourself a break.’
‘I made their lives hell.’ Sarah corrected. ‘I never really understood why they were so protective, I just felt smothered. Even when they told me about losing you and Saint John, I didn’t get it.’ She felt him squeeze her fingers lightly. ‘It wasn’t until I had Chris that I understood.’
‘Rebellion’s fairly normal for a teenager.’ Hawke commented.
‘Did you rebel?’ Sarah asked.
‘I really wasn’t a normal teenager.’ Hawke said wryly.
‘Seb never rebelled either.’ Sarah said referring to the youngest of the Hawke siblings, a brother Hawke and Saint John had yet to meet. She felt a pang of regret. She had never paid too much attention to Seb; he’d simply been her annoying geeky younger brother but finding Saint John and Hawke had made her realise how much she missed him.
‘Maybe rebelling is an elder child thing.’ Hawke mused. ‘ Saint John did the whole rebellion thing. He tried to run away and join the army.’ He smiled at her. ‘You two have more in common than you realise.’ He caught the flicker of doubt in her eyes. ‘You just have to give him a chance.’
‘I know.’ Sarah said defensively. ‘It’s just…’
‘He looks like Dad.’ Hawke said.
She looked at him surprised he’d worked out why she was having a hard time connecting with their older brother.
Hawke shrugged. ‘Cait worked it out.’
‘Oh.’ Sarah looked down at the worn patch of grass at the bottom of the steps. She really liked Hawke’s wife. There was something immensely likeable about the pretty no-nonsense redhead. It had been Caitlin who had found her in the kitchen in the middle of the night when she’d had a nightmare about being abducted by Harold Watson. Somehow for Sarah confiding in the woman who had saved her from rape had been cathartic not least because Caitlin had shared some of her own experiences and offered to teach her some self-defence. ‘She’s a clever woman your wife.’
‘Yes, she is.’ Hawke said.
Sarah felt a pang of envy. She wondered if she would ever find a man who would speak about her with the same mixture of love and pride, and who she would look at the same way Caitlin looked at Hawke. Maybe one day that was possible now, she thought. She wasn’t running anymore. She wasn’t exactly safe yet; she understood that but she was done running. It was a good feeling. She might be nervous but she was also excited about Chris starting a new school, and starting her new job. She’d have to look for a place too, she thought a little regretfully. As much as she had enjoyed the sanctuary Hawke and Caitlin had offered, it was time to find somewhere closer to Chris’s school and Santini Air.
‘It’s going to take time for us all to get used to each other.’ Hawke commented as he rubbed her hand between his. ‘ Saint John understands that.’
‘I know. I wouldn’t be working at Santini Air if I didn’t think so.’ Sarah said trying to reassure him. ‘It’s just…it’s not just that he looks like Dad but he sounds so like him too.’
‘Really?’ Hawke’s eyes widened. ‘I hadn’t thought of that.’
‘He’ll say something and I’ll turn around expecting to see Dad and it’s him.’ Sarah shook her head. ‘And it’s been a little difficult getting him on his own to talk to him about it.’
Hawke’s eyebrow quirked upward. ‘Jo?’
‘She doesn’t seem to leave him alone.’ Sarah observed trying to lighten the words with a smile.
‘Well, they’ve just got together.’ Hawke said. ‘I think Caitlin calls it the can’t-be-without-each-other stage.’
Sarah remained diplomatically silent. Saint John and Jo had stayed at the cabin with them for the first week and she and Jo had gotten along but she hadn’t clicked with the blonde pilot in the same way as she had clicked with Caitlin. She sighed. In many ways she was beginning to question why she had chosen Santini Air where she would be working on a daily basis with Jo and Saint John when she got on so much better with Caitlin and Hawke. Guns scared her, she reminded herself; that whole world of spies and missions scared her.
Hawke patted her hand. ‘I think we should probably head in. Get the day started.’
She nodded and he released her, going back into the cabin as silently as he had come out. She glanced back at the sunrise; the light had turned the lake to a shimmering gold. A new day, she thought; her own new beginning.
Part 2
Michael Coldsmith-Briggs III tugged on his white waistcoat as he limped around his desk to the wall where the current details of the latest Airwolf mission were displayed on the large monitor.
‘So what are we looking at here, Michael?’ Hawke asked impatiently.
Michael sighed as he glanced across at the pilot. He could almost believe the last few years hadn’t happened and it was still the beginning of the original Airwolf project. Hawke hadn’t changed much; his boyish looks gave him the deceptive appearance of someone much younger than his thirty-six years, his short brown hair was in its usual military style and there weren’t that many more laughter lines around his startling blue eyes. Michael’s good eye dropped to the unopened briefing file clutched in Hawke’s hand. No; nothing changed. He cleared his throat and gestured at the photo. ‘This is Jarvosibrov, Russia. It’s not far from the location where we discovered Moffett last year.’
Hawke sighed automatically tensing at the mention of Airwolf’s late twisted creator. ‘Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this?’
‘Because you’re not going to like it?’ quipped Mike Rivers.
The blonde haired air force major had assumed the position of Hawke’s co-pilot in Airwolf a few weeks before having previously flown the helicopter with Saint John during the time the intelligence agency the Company had been in control of the machine. He had willingly transferred over when the Airwolf project had been transferred to the Department of Defence on the authority of a Presidential order. He, Hawke and Caitlin were beginning to find a rhythm as a crew and while Michael grimaced at the humour, Hawke’s carefully guarded eyes lit up with appreciation while Caitlin hid a smile.
Michael hit the remote and another picture slid onto the screen. All three pilots leaned forward for a better look. ‘Satellite picked this up two days ago.’
Caitlin frowned. ‘That looks kinda like…’
‘Airwolf.’ Hawke completed.
Michael had the grim satisfaction of seeing them all turn to regard him with serious concern.
‘Is that…?’ Mike waved at the screen unwilling to complete the sentence.
‘Yes.’ Michael said.
There was a brief rap on the office door and it opened to reveal Marella, Michael’s fiancée and right-hand woman. She swept across the office gracefully and handed him a set of pictures before she perched on his desk to join the rest of the briefing.
Michael glanced at the pictures before he handed them out to the Airwolf team. ‘These are the latest images.’ He leaned back against the console. ‘We’ve known for some time that the Russian’s were working on an Airwolf design. James Byrne managed to steal the first completed blueprint and get that away from Russia.’
Hawke and Caitlin exchanged a look; Caitlin had been badly wounded in the op to bring in Byrne. It was a mission both of them were happy to forget.
‘When you went into Russia after Moffett last year, you reported that the Russian general told you their Airwolf design had been stolen.’ Michael frowned. ‘We’ve always assumed that he was referring to Byrne’s theft.’
‘But he wasn’t.’ Hawke murmured.
‘These pictures would suggest otherwise.’ Marella said smoothly brushing her hair back over her shoulder. Her dark eyes seemed to simmer with secrets as she looked at him. ‘They show an almost fully completed Airwolf helicopter.’
‘Almost?’ Caitlin held up the picture. ‘I would say she was done.’
‘Our intel indicates that she’s undergoing final flight tests.’ Marella said.
‘You want us to go in and destroy it.’ Hawke surmised.
‘Actually, that’s not the primary objective.’ Michael said.
Hawke’s eyes narrowed on the spy. ‘You want us to recover it.’
‘You have to be kidding.’ Mike gestured at the monitor. ‘That place is a fortress.’
‘A third Airwolf craft would be invaluable.’ Michael said.
‘Because the two we have aren’t enough.’ Caitlin said sarcastically folding her arms.
‘At the moment, we only have one mission ready helicopter,’ Marella pointed out, ‘the original Airwolf. The newer model is still undergoing tests and adjustments. If Airwolf was damaged on a mission, we don’t have a spare so having another would provide us with the ability to continue to perform missions if the original Airwolf was in for repair or for maintenance.’
Hawke rubbed his chin. ‘You want us to steal the Russian Airwolf as a back-up.’
‘Recover.’ Michael said primly. ‘After all, her design is owned by us but if you can’t recover her, you’re authorised to destroy her.’
‘Mike’s right; recovering her is going to be difficult.’ Hawke said pointing at the screen. ‘I’m seeing an outer and an inner perimeter; both of which are heavily guarded. There’re anti-aircraft guns on the roof; four look-out positions with serious artillery…and I’m going to assume they have radar and other surveillance equipment.’
‘You’d be right.’ Marella said calmly.
‘And you still expect us to recover it?’ Mike asked in disbelief.
‘We’re confident if anybody can find a way, it’s this team.’ Michael confirmed.
Hawke leaned over to Mike although he kept his eyes on Michael. ‘You know when he starts to flatter you that he’s asking the impossible.’
Mike grinned appreciatively as Michael looked exasperated. ‘What about an undercover op?’
‘We don’t have the time to create a feasible cover and quite frankly, we’re playing catch up on this.’ Michael admitted. ‘If satellite images hadn’t picked this up twenty-four hours ago, we’d still be none the wiser.’
Hawke sighed. ‘We can go take a look but I’m not guaranteeing we’ll bring it back.’
Michael nodded. ‘There’s one other thing.’
‘There always is.’ Hawke said dryly.
Michael pushed his glasses up his nose, brushing the black eye-patch. He pressed the remote again and the picture changed to a map showing a blacked out circle around Jarvosibrov. ‘The area marked seems to be experiencing problems with long range communications.’
‘A jammer?’ Caitlin asked.
‘Undoubtedly.’ Michael agreed. ‘Unfortunately, it’s yet to be located. Once you enter this zone, communication will be impossible.’
‘Although short range communication doesn’t seem to be affected,’ Marella added, ‘so you should be able to use radios during your mission if you split up as a team.’
‘Great, just great.’ Caitlin muttered. She frowned. ‘If long range communication is being jammed, what about Airwolf’s AI?’ She asked referring to the artificial intelligence Airwolf had developed. It operated from the new ship but used the telecommunications system to transfer between computers and helicopters. ‘How is she going to keep connected with us?’
Marella smiled reassuringly. ‘We had the relevant parts of the programming supporting the AI moved back to the original Airwolf and removed from the new ship last night in preparation for the mission today. She won’t need the connection to remain with you.’
‘Any other questions?’ Michael asked.
Hawke looked at Caitlin and Mike who both shook their heads. He looked back at Michael. ‘I guess not. We’ll get going.’
They all rose to their feet as Michael and Marella wished them good luck.
Caitlin turned to Marella. ‘Can you take look after Nicky until we get back?’
Marella nodded. ‘No problem, and don’t worry. Just get back within forty-eight hours; don’t forget we have that dress fitting for the wedding.’
Caitlin attempted a smile. Marella and Michael were getting married in June and the final preparations were in full swing including dress fittings. The dress couldn’t be any worse than the one her sister had chosen for her, Caitlin reassured herself.
‘Damn.’ Hawke sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. ‘I’d better call Saint John and see if he can stay at the cabin tonight with Sarah and Chris.’
Caitlin laid a hand on his arm. ‘Good idea. We can call him from Airwolf. The sooner we get this mission over with the better.’
Hawke didn’t argue with her; he shared the sentiment.
Michael wandered back to the white leather chair behind his desk, his mind already turning to the other problem that had surfaced that morning and sat down.
Marella closed the door after the departing Airwolf team and walked back to him. ‘You really think they can pull it off?’
‘Hawke will think of something.’ Michael said, glancing over the briefing document in front of him.
‘What is it?’ Marella asked seeing the concern on his face.
He passed her the piece of paper and leaned back in his chair watching her reaction.
‘Jason Locke disappeared twenty-four hours ago.’ Marella’s dark eyes met Michael’s gaze. ‘I take it that wasn’t planned.’ The Company agent was undertaking a risky undercover operation to get close to Matt Sterling. The well-known businessman had been named as the man behind two attempts to grab Airwolf. They believed he was backed by Mafia money and ran a number of illegitimate activities alongside his legitimate business and philanthropy. He apparently had been able to compromise a number of Company operatives including an ex-deputy director called Marshall Evan whose betrayal of the Airwolf team had precipitated the Presidential order to move the Airwolf project to the DoD.
‘No.’ Michael rubbed his moustache. ‘Locke was reporting in as scheduled until yesterday.’
‘What are you thinking?’ Marella asked.
‘I’m not sure what I think.’ Michael admitted. ‘According to his reports, Locke was doing well. He was approached forty-eight hours after arriving in New York. They apparently fell for his act about bitter about losing control of Airwolf.’
‘I don’t think it was all an act.’ Marella murmured.
Michael raised a hand from the desk in a vague gesture of acceptance. ‘Which made it all the more convincing.’ He swung back around to face her fully. ‘He was expecting to be contacted by someone around the time he disappeared at a nightclub called Shakers.’ He paused. ‘It’s owned by Sterling.’
‘What about his back-up?’ Marella asked.
‘Simone lost him in the nightclub.’ Michael admitted. ‘She says he was taken to a VIP section and she couldn’t follow him; by the time she’d convinced the bouncer to let her in, Locke was gone.’
‘And no sightings at airports or train stations.’ Marella noted.
‘Kara’s checking back through the surveillance tapes at the New York airports to be sure.’ Michael sighed. ‘I have a bad feeling about this.’
‘What are you going to do?’ Marella asked.
‘Wait another twenty-four hours.’ Michael said firmly. ‘See if Locke surfaces on his own.’
‘And if he does?’ Marella probed.
‘Then we’ll soon find out if he’s been compromised.’ Michael said solemnly.
Marella put the document back down on the desk.
‘Where are you going?’ Michael asked bemused.
‘To tell security to arrest Locke on sight.’ Marella said continuing to walk to the door. She paused when she had the handle in her hand and turned back to look at him. ‘I’m not taking any chances on losing another Airwolf.’
Michael nodded. He stared at the wooden door for a long time after she had left. What the hell had happened to Locke?
Part 3
Saint John smiled at the sight of the brunette vacuuming out the Jet Ranger. He walked over and nudged her arm to get her attention. He tried hard not to notice the way her eyes did a double take before the understanding that he wasn’t their father asserted itself and she smiled at him.
‘Here.’ Saint John offered her a mug.
Sarah switched off the vacuum cleaner and accepted the drink. ‘Thanks.’
‘I even got you a new mug.’ Saint John said gesturing at it.
She glanced at the design which proclaimed she was the world’s best sister. Her smile widened. ‘I like it.’
‘Well, you are my favourite sister.’ Saint John said with a grin.
‘I’m your only sister.’ Sarah said laughing.
‘Well, there is that.’ Saint John pushed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. ‘I just want you to feel welcome here.’
‘I do.’ Sarah replied reaching out to touch his arm gently. ‘Thank you for giving me a job,’ she raised her drink, ‘and the mug.’
‘My pleasure.’ Saint John leaned against the side of the helicopter as Sarah sat in the cockpit doorway to drink her coffee. ‘I’m really glad you decided to come and work here.’
‘Me too.’ Sarah said. ‘It’s a really good set-up.’
‘That’s more down to Jo than me.’ Saint John admitted. ‘She organised everything after Dom died.’
‘You recently became a half-owner though, right?’ Sarah checked.
Saint John nodded and folded his arms across his chest. ‘I wanted out of the spy business.’
‘How did you get into it?’ Sarah asked curious.
‘I got approached when my Special Forces unit was disbanded.’ Saint John said. ‘It seemed like a way to keep on doing what I did best.’ He gave a short laugh. ‘Or to keep running.’
‘I know all about that.’ Sarah commented.
‘What happened? I mean if you don’t mind…’
‘I don’t mind.’ Sarah said quickly. She shrugged. ‘Mom and Dad were always over-protective with me and Seb. I didn’t really understand why and even when they explained it, it didn’t make sense to me. In fact, if anything finding out the truth made it worse.’
‘Because they’d been lying to you.’ Saint John surmised.
‘Yeah.’ Sarah winced. ‘I rebelled big time. I broke all the rules they set, did my best to get into as much trouble as I could and finally I ran away.’ She took a sip of her drink. ‘I just felt trapped.’
‘I can understand that.’ Saint John admitted.
‘Is that why you joined the army?’ Sarah asked.
‘In a way.’ Saint John allowed. ‘Although I think it was more the reason why I stayed away once the war was over.’
‘That had to be tough on you.’ Sarah sympathised.
‘It was tougher on String.’ Saint John said bluntly.
Sarah bit her lip. ‘When I had Chris, I suddenly realised what affect my running off must have had on my parents.’
‘That’s when you went back and tried to find them?’ Saint John asked.
She nodded. ‘Only they’d moved on.’ She couldn’t keep the forlorn note out of her voice; the way she had felt so alone when she’d knocked on the door and been told her parents weren’t there.
Saint John shook his head. ‘I can’t understand that. It just doesn’t sound like the parents I knew.’
‘Things change.’ Sarah pointed out. ‘They changed, I guess, after thinking they’d lost you and String, being on the run, always having to hide.’ She sighed. ‘I didn’t blame them; not really. I mean the way I was when I left…’ she shrugged, ‘I was really horrible to them.’
‘You didn’t have the best relationship with our Dad.’ Saint John guessed.
‘No.’ Sarah agreed gently.
‘That’s why you’re having problems with me,’ Saint John concluded, ‘because I look like him.’
‘You look and sound an awful lot like him,’ Sarah said truthfully, ‘but the more time I spend around you, the more I notice the differences.’
‘Then we’ll have to spend more time around each other.’ Saint John said with a smile.
‘I’d like that.’ Sarah said.
A noise at the doorway had them both turning to look and they smiled as Jo entered the hangar. She was in flight overalls with her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail and hidden by a baseball cap.
‘Hey.’ Saint John greeted her with a hug and a kiss as Sarah mentally waved goodbye to her alone time with her brother.
Jo returned Saint John’s greeting and tried hard not to feel jealous at finding him in a deep discussion with his sister. ‘So what were you guys talking about so seriously?’
‘Stuff.’ Saint John said covering with a smile.
Jo gestured at the mug Sarah held. ‘Is there any more of that coffee?’
‘Nope, that was the last.’ Saint John said keeping his arm around her shoulders.
‘Sorry.’ Sarah said weakly.
Jo attempted a friendly smile. ‘Not your fault. I guess I’ll go make some more.’ She patted Saint John’s stomach and walked quickly away to the office. She grabbed the coffee pot and headed for the small kitchen. She was filling the carafe with water when she felt hands sliding around her waist and lips at her neck. ‘That had better be you, Saint John.’ She murmured as she tilted her neck to give him better access. A second later she turned around in his arms and kissed him. They were both breathing deeply when they parted.
‘What was that for?’ Jo asked.
Saint John shrugged, his eyes twinkling. ‘I couldn’t resist you.’
She forced a smile. The physical side of their relationship was great but she was beginning to wonder if Saint John was ever going to allow her into his thoughts and his feelings. Caitlin had called it emotional intimacy. Her fingers worried at the button on his shirt. Caitlin had also warned her it would take time to develop but Jo could admit to herself that she was impatient especially when she saw Saint John developing a relationship with another woman. Intellectually, she knew it was different; Sarah was his sister but emotionally, she hated that he was spending time with her and connecting with her in a way he seemed not to be ready to do with her.
‘Hey.’ Saint John nudged her chin up forcing her to look at him. ‘You OK?’
She nodded.
‘It’s been a little crazy around here with finding Sarah and everything, huh?’ Saint John said.
‘A little.’ Jo admitted. They had barely been together a week when they had found Sarah; the next week had been spent at the cabin and even the past week had involved spending every evening there as Saint John made an effort to get to know his sister.
‘How about we spend the evening alone?’ Saint John suggested. ‘Just the two of us? I’ll cook; nice bottle of wine; candle-lit dinner…what d’ya say?’
Her eyes opened wide in delighted pleasure. ‘Sounds good.’ She reached up and kissed him.
The sound of the phone ringing in the office separated them.
‘I’ll get that.’ Saint John said as he dropped another quick kiss on her lips.
She could hear him faintly as she completed her task; he was talking to Hawke. She wondered absently what Saint John’s brother wanted as she made her way back to the coffee machine in the office to fill it with the water she had collected.
‘No, it’s no problem.’ Saint John said into the phone. ‘No, I agree. Sarah shouldn’t be on her own up at the cabin. No, no. Jo and I will stay up there tonight.’
She turned around in surprise.
‘OK. Take care and good luck with it.’ Saint John dropped the receiver back into the cradle.
‘‘Jo and I will stay up there tonight.’’ Jo repeated folding her arms. ‘I guess our romantic evening for two just disappeared huh?’
Saint John gave her a sheepish look and rubbed the back of his neck. ‘They have a mission. They’re going to be away overnight and Hawke didn’t think it was a good idea for Sarah to stay alone at the cabin.’
‘I see; so our night together gets cancelled without so much as a discussion.’ Jo retorted. She sighed and turned back to the coffee machine and continued with her task in short, jerky motions.
‘You’re angry.’ Saint John said accusatorily.
‘I’m not angry.’ She denied slapping the on button on the machine.
‘Why are you angry?’
Jo whirled around to face him again. Saint John was standing by the desk with his hands on his hips. There was a hint of temper in his hazel eyes which infuriated her. Why was he upset? ‘I said I’m not angry.’
‘Well, you’re sure doing a good impression of it.’ Saint John snapped back. He gestured at the open office doorway into the hangar. ‘Sarah’s, and Chris’s, safety has to come first…’
‘And I come last.’ Jo blurted out.
Saint John was bemused. ‘No! Of course not.’
‘Really?’ Jo waved her hand at him. ‘When have you put me first in the last couple of weeks? When?’
‘Well…’
‘I’ll tell you when; you haven’t.’ She said. ‘You haven’t even discussed any of it with me; not the decision to go off and find her with just String, whether we should have stayed at the cabin the first week back, the fact that we’ve spent all our time there since and offering her the job? I’m part owner; I should have been consulted.’
The words fell out of her mouth in a torrent leaving Saint John feeling adrift. ‘Why haven’t you said anything?’
‘I didn’t think I needed to say anything. I’m your girlfriend. I deserve a little consideration.’
‘Consideration?’ Saint John felt his own temper spark. ‘I’ve considered you every day! If I hadn’t, I would have spent some time with my sister alone this last couple of weeks.’
‘What is that supposed to mean?’ Jo demanded, her eyes flashing.
‘It means I didn’t expect to have such a clingy girlfriend.’ Saint John shot back.
‘Clingy?’ Her voice was barely a squeak. ‘Maybe I wouldn’t have to be clingy if you actually confided in me or talked to me like you do Sarah.’
‘Oh my God.’ Saint John said. ‘You’re jealous of her!’
‘I’m not…’
‘She’s my sister!’ Saint John yelled.
‘You know what, forget it! Just forget the whole damned thing!’ Jo shouted.
Saint John physically reeled backwards.
‘Am I interrupting?’
The two of them spun round to the door. Jason Locke looked back at them. The African-American agent was leaning against the door post, his arms folded over his light brown suit, his dark eyes concerned.
Jo glanced over at Saint John, the colour fading from his cheeks. ‘No, Jason. You’re not interrupting.’
Saint John remained silent.
‘Excuse me,’ Jo continued feeling the tears starting to press against the back of her throat and her eyes, ‘I have to prepare a chopper for a flight lesson.’ She headed out and stopped to place a light kiss on Locke’s cheek before she hurried from the hangar.
Locke straightened and took a step into the office. He closed the door behind him. ‘That didn’t look pretty.’
‘That’s because it wasn’t.’ Saint John admitted running his hands over his face. He gave a deep sigh and shook himself mentally. His eyes settled on his friend and roamed over the relaxed features. ‘You look good.’
‘Yeah,’ Locke smiled, ‘I guess not having to worry about Airwolf anymore has done wonders for my stress levels.’
Saint John smiled. ‘I thought you were in New York.’
‘Actually I came back for a reason.’ Locke sobered. ‘I need your help.’
Saint John gestured at a free chair and sank onto the desk.
Locke took a seat and clasped his hands together. ‘Twenty-four hours ago, I met with one of Sterling’s lieutenants and he told me something worrying.’ He paused.
Saint John frowned. ‘Don’t keep me in suspense.’
‘ Sterling made a deal with Archangel.’ Locke said.
‘What!’ Saint John stared at his friend. His own relationship with Michael was a little rocky. He had set his distrust of the spy aside because of his brother’s friendship with the other man and although Michael had done a great deal to help the brothers’ search for their family, that distrust hadn’t gone away completely. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Michael’s been working to regain control of the Airwolf project ever since the Company took over the FIRM.’ Locke explained. ‘He was really clever. He worked out his political strategy with an ex-NSA agent called Robert Delaney. It was a good alliance. As you know Delaney was part of the cross-agency taskforce assigned to recover Airwolf at the back end of 1985.’
‘Nobody would suspect them of being in league together.’ Saint John surmised.
‘Exactly.’ Locke nodded. ‘Delaney was responsible for prepping the political side of the deal leaving Michael responsible for ensuring there was enough doubt about the Company’s handling of the ongoing Airwolf file to enable Delaney to argue for a change.’
‘He needed examples where we were failing.’ Saint John filled in.
‘Unfortunately, we were doing a good job.’ Locke scowled. ‘So he had to create something.’
‘Which is when he made his deal with Sterling.’ Saint John shook his head and looked at the ceiling. ‘That was when Sterling grabbed you in Paris.’
‘I swear, Saint John, I don’t think I ever told them about the Lair. Afterwards, when I was rescued I second guessed myself, figured I must have told them in some torture session that I couldn’t remember.’ Locke caught and held his gaze. ‘But if I’m right,’ he pointed at Saint John, ‘if I didn’t tell them, who did?’
Saint John sighed. ‘Michael gave them the coordinates.’
‘And got to play the hero,’ Locke pointed out, ‘because he made a deal with Evan to take over the mission.’
Saint John threw up his hands and got to his feet. ‘Why didn’t I see it?’
‘Because he was careful.’ Locke said. ‘On the second attempt, he even played the odds with your brother’s flying ability on that crash. Tell me; who supposedly worked the bad guys plan out and had you return to camp?’
It had been Michael, Saint John thought. ‘This doesn’t make sense.’ He said as he stared out at the bustling airfield unseeingly. ‘When we were talking about taking down the Cordelli’s, Michael agreed we needed to put Sterling away.’
‘Did he?’ Locke said. ‘Did he really?’
Saint John flashed back to the conversation in Michael’s office.
‘The original plan was to find someway of taking down the Cordelli’s to enable your family to come out of hiding.’ Michael said. ‘ Sterling is a rival of the Cordelli’s…’
‘You want to do a deal.’ His brother answered.
It was Jo who had concluded that Michael intended to offer Sterling the Cordelli’s territory in exchange of his backing off Airwolf.
Michael had explained how it would work but they had challenged him, questioned letting Sterling go…it was String who had stepped in…
‘Actually I don’t think offering Sterling a deal was Michael’s plan.’ Hawke said slowly.
‘We make the deal with the Cordelli’s.’ Caitlin sighed and crossed her arms over the checked cotton shirt she wore.
‘Sterling’s territory for them leaving us alone?’ Saint John remembered saying…
‘Damn. This is going to kill String.’ Saint John murmured turning back to him.
‘I know but all we have at the moment is the word of one of Sterling’s men told to me on an undercover op.’ Locke said. ‘We need evidence, hard evidence.’
‘How do we get it?’ Saint John asked.
Locke smiled slowly. ‘I think I might know but I’m going to need your help.’
‘You’ve got it.’ Saint John said. He frowned. ‘How long will this take?’
‘A couple of hours.’ Locke said rising and fastening his jacket. ‘We should leave now though.’
‘Great.’ Saint John said. ‘Let’s go.’
They walked out into the hangar. Saint John interrupted Sarah who had resumed her vacuuming duty.
‘I’m going out for a couple of hours.’
‘OK.’ Sarah looked curiously at Locke.
‘Don’t worry.’ Saint John smiled tightly. ‘I’ll be back before you know it. Hawke’s away on a mission so it’s just you, me and Chris tonight.’ He patted her shoulder and headed out of the hangar. He glanced over at the Santini Air Jet Ranger where Jo was setting up for her lesson. Her back was a tense line and Saint John decided against walking over to her.
Jo heard the car doors slam and unwillingly looked over as the engine gunned and the car squealed away. She slumped against the helicopter and watched the vehicle disappear.
‘Who was that?’
Jo jerked upright at the sound of Sarah’s voice just behind her. ‘Jason. Jason Locke. He’s a friend of ours.’ She said returning to her task of cleaning the chopper.
‘Is it usual for them to take off like that?’ Sarah asked frowning. She could feel a tug between her shoulder blades; an itch that nagged at her that something was wrong.
‘ Saint John believes in helping his friends.’ Jo said shortly.
Sarah looked at the other woman who was studiously keeping her attention on the helicopter. ‘Jo, I couldn’t help but overhear your argument before…’
‘It’s none of your business!’ Jo snapped.
Sarah took a deep breath. ‘I know that. What I’m trying to say is…’
‘That’s my lesson now.’ Jo said pointing at the car pulling up in front of the Santini Air hangar. ‘Finish this for me, will you? And when you’re done, watch the office.’
Sarah completed removing the rubbish from the helicopter. She watched Jo leave with her student before she headed into the hangar. She reached into her pocket and drew out a piece of paper. It had a number that Hawke had scribbled down for her if there was an emergency. She bit her lip and hesitated. Maybe she was over-reacting. She’d wait, she decided. After all, Saint John had said he’d only be gone a couple of hours. She sighed and hoped she’d made the right decision.
Continued in
Part II.