Kit followed, looking shell-shocked.

“Kit?” Hawk took a step toward her. “You okay?”

“There’s money. So much money.”

Hawk glanced at Aric, but the boy was happily splashing in the streamlet and hadn’t noticed his mother was upset.

“Money’s a good thing,” Hawk said cautiously.

“Um. Yes.” She shook her head, and her brain apparently turned back on.

He almost grinned. When young, he’d enthusiastically pumped a car’s gas pedal, then had to wait until the flooded engine could recover and start. Like the vehicle, the little gardener had been swamped with too much of a good thing.

Her face brightened, and then her laughter bubbled out. “This is wonderful. I can’t wait to divide up the money with the other women. We’ll have a chance to start over.”

“Okay then.” He studied her. Apparently, she hadn’t even considered keeping it for herself.

As if unable to believe the good fortune was real, she followed Bull to the helicopter to watch him stow the boxes away.

Hawk made a quick check of his half of the area…and saw two birds burst upward from the forest canopy to the west. A few more birds went up. Closer to the clearing.

The trail was in that direction.

“Hsst.” His snake-like warning carried over the sound of the water, and his brothers turned toward him.

Catching a glimpse of movement and a glint of metal from down the trail, Hawk made the hand signal to his eyes and pointed. Enemy in sight.

“Dios,” Caz said under his breath. Closest to Aric, he snatched the boy up and disappeared into the forest to the south.

“Kit, we have company coming,” Bull said in a low voice and motioned to a boulder north of the cave. “Hide behind there.”

Instead, seeing her son carried away, she started to run that direction.

Hell. Hawk grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the boulder. He kept his voice quiet and cold. “Get down. Stay put.”

Panting, she stared up into his face, then regained control and crouched behind the boulder.

Good enough. Getting Bull’s attention, Hawk motioned to her.

Bull nodded. He’d protect the civilian.

And Hawk would do what he did best. Taking the area of less cover, he ran to the northeast along the base of the cliff.

Bull moved toward a stand of trees. It was far enough away from Kit’s hiding place return fire wouldn’t come near her but close enough to intervene if she needed protection.

A boulder-strewn cliff ledge about ten feet up was Hawk’s goal. Scraping the shit out of his arms, he scrambled up onto it.

Yeah, from here, he’d be damned difficult to spot.