Shadows on the High Plains

Chapter 1

The alarm blared at 6:40 a.m. Hawk silenced it before it sounded a second time. The room stayed dark, the edges gone.

He rolled onto his back and scrubbed a hand over his face. A long breath escaped. Sheets tangled around his legs as Hawk worked free and planted his feet on the floor. Fingers pressed into the joint in his knee, slow and practiced, until the stiffness eased.

Fifty-odd years settling into the bone.

The lamp clicked on, spilling dim yellow light across the nightstand. Linda’s photo caught the glow—hair tucked behind one ear, smile soft. His thumb traced the edge of the silver frame once before he turned away.

He stood there a beat, breath held. Then crossed into the kitchen, the hardwood cool under his bare soles.

Leaning against the counter, Hawk thumbed the blinds open. Beyond the glass, the Wyoming sky eased toward dawn, the rolling hills still wrapped in shadow. The coffee maker gurgled behind him. He poured a cup and set it beside the laptop.

The lid flipped open, the screen flaring blue across his face. The inbox opened with a tap. One new message waited at the top.