“That could be any one of a dozen men.”
“And where is Hawk now?”
“I really shouldn’t say.”
Fortner cocked his head to one side and arched his eyebrows.
“Okay,” Blunt relented. “He’s in Oman.”
“They’re setting him up, J.D.”
“Hawk’s too smart for that. He’d smell that coming from a mile away.”
“What if he has no choice?”
Blunt sighed. “There’s not much I could do about it right now. Alex is the one who has contact with him. I have to relay all my messages through her.”
“Then call her tonight. Hawk’s future might depend on it.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Take this seriously, J.D. You know Michaels will relish the opportunity to put him away for good, effectively shutting you down. Even if you stay in hiding the rest of your life, he won’t care as long as you can’t touch him.”
“I appreciate you letting me know about this, I really do. I wish we knew further in advance.”
“Me too,” Fortner said as he picked up the menu and began studying it. “Metoo.”
* * *
WHEN BLUNT RETURNED to his house of the week, he called Alex to see if she could get the message to Hawk.
“Michaels is planning on doing what?” she asked.
“When I spoke with Fortner tonight, he seems to be under the impression that this is all one big setup.”
“Hawk has been trying to get a job through one of his former Navy Seal buddies. Surely he wouldn’t let Hawk twist in the wind.”
“Throw enough money at people and they’ll sell out their own mothers if it came down to it,” Blunt said. “You’ve been around long enough to know that.”
“I guess you’re right, but that’s what makes this all the more depressing.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I can leave a message for him, but I never know when he’s going to check it. For all we know, he could already be on his mission now.”
“You’ve gotta try, Alex.”
“I can’t do anything until the morning when the library opens. I’ve been very careful about when and where and how I utilize the email account that he set up for us. If I opened it now from my apartment, it could set off alarm bells somewhere. And that’s the last thing we need right now.”
“Just send the message in the morning and pray it gets to him in time. Otherwise, he’ll be all on his own when he’s blindsided.”
Blunt hung up and said a little prayer of his own. Even Hawk would need a little extra help on this mission.
CHAPTER 17
Muscat, Oman
LATER THAT EVENING, Hawk hustled near the Fortress Security compound. Quickly scaling the wall using a grappling hook, he climbed over and eased his way down. The grounds were well lit but relatively quiet. Hawk had only seen two guards patrolling the area, though most of the time they were seated against the wall smoking cigars.
Unlike last time, Hawk didn’t want a soul to know he was there. If he was going to find out the real goal for this mission, he needed to slip into Ackerman’s office without the boss ever knowing what happened.
While the front door was the most direct route, Hawk had observed a utility shed that had a rollup garage door and connected to the inside of the office building. And the door was rolled up, almost serving as an open invitation for Hawk. He decided to risk it; entering any other way would be foolish.
Hawk watched the two guards reclining against the wall with plumes of smoke rising above them. Laughing as they swapped stories, Hawk charged ahead with his plan to access the main facility. The door to the inside was unlocked and Hawk prepared to go inside.
I hope the security system is armed. Where’s Alex when I really need her?
Hawk held his breath as he turned the doorknob and opened the door. He winced as he stepped inside, hoping that he wouldn’t hear a dreaded alarm sounding. Instead, complete silence.
Hawk hustled up the stairs to Ackerman’s office and activated the flashlight on his phone. He rifled through some papers on his desk in search of the mission files. Upon locating a familiar folder, Hawk scanned the pages until he recognized some of the mission details that Ackerman had already related to him—weapons exchange, port near Khabas, terrorist organization. Hawk stopped and went back and read the name of the terrorist group again.
Al Hasib. Al Hasib? Michaels is going to sell weapons to Al Hasib?
Hawk continued reading and noted that most of the weapons were going to be sabotaged. The few the Al Hasib agents would try out at the exchange would work—but the rest of the guns and grenade launchers would fail in battle.
Michaels knows how to make an enemy for life, doesn’t he?
Hawk continued reading and learned that the plot was a complete ruse, one designed to give Michaels a big political win. If he were to bag one of the biggest terrorists since Osama bin Laden, it would do wonders for Michaels’ poll numbers, rendering the upcoming election little more than a foregone conclusion.
For a moment, Hawk contemplated throwing a wrench in Michaels’ plan. Maybe Hawk could hunt down and kill Fazil, though that too would create a win for Michaels. Hawk considered warning Al Hasib about the weapons at the exchange. Such a move would be bold, but Hawk concluded it’d just make him a common enemy, lumped in with the rest of the American government, not to mention they might kill him on the spot. There had to be something he could do, but he would have to consider it later. He poked his head high up enough to see the two guards had left their spot and were presumably patrolling the grounds again.
Hawk returned the scattered files to the place where he’d discovered them and crept out of the room. Once downstairs, Hawk eased back outside, using the utility doorway.
As he rounded the corner, he heard plodding footfalls approaching his direction. He crouched low and hoped they would veer in a different direction. Instead, the guard marched straight toward him.
Hawk stayed low, leaping up just as the man walked by. Hawk pistol whipped him, sending him staggering against the wall. He hit his head and collapsed to the ground without ever making eye contact with Hawk.
Good night, little buddy. I hope you don’t remember a thing.
Hawk hustled down the street and headed straight for Ray’s apartment.
* * *
“DO YOU EVER SLEEP?” Ray said with a growl as he opened the door. “Why couldn’t you have just broken in like last time? It’s two o’clock in the morning.”
Hawk ignored the complaint, pushing his way past Ray.
“What’s the hurry?” Ray said again before shutting the door.
“Do you know what’s going on with this exchange?” Hawk asked.
Ray nodded. “Yeah, we’re gonna screw over those Al Hasib thugs.”
“Not screw them over,” Hawk said. “You’re going to infuriate them. I don’t really understand the thinking behind this. Why would our government sanction this?”
“They didn’t just sanction it—they ordered it. Look, I don’t understand everything our government does. I just do what I’m told. I’m a soldier.”
“A soldier without a conscience?”
“Hey, now. You have no moral high ground here. Your sole reason for getting involved is a hundred G’s, am I not right?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Then what’s it like, Hawk? From where I stand, you’re a mercenary, just like me. Money talks—period. You could get out if you wanted to. Nothing’s stopping you.”
“I can’t leave now. Ackerman would just replace me, and I can’t let this deal go down. The blowback will be fierce and swift. Michaels has no idea what he’s doing.”
“Like I said, I just follow orders.”
“Bullshit,” Hawk said as he narrowed his eyes. “I’ve seen you defy orders before.”
Ray shrugged. “So, what do you want to do about it? Kill some Al Hasib terrorists as a way o
f sending Michaels a message? He might even appreciate that and throw a parade for us.”
“No, that’s not what I was thinking at all. Maybe we could give them what they came to buy in the first place.”
“Are you insane? Speaking of soldiers without a conscience—they’ll kill thousands of innocent people if we arm them with properly functioning weapons.”
“Look, we could put tracking devices in the weapons and hunt them down before they had a chance to use them. Ultimately, this is all a big setup to capture Karif Fazil so Michaels can assure himself another four-year term. We can’t let that happen.”
“You can’t let that happen,” Ray said. “Meet the new boss, same as the old one. The political parties are one and the same in my book.”
“Would you help me smoke out Al Hasib and take them down if I placed a tracking device in the weapons shipment?”
“I guess so. Not sure how we’d have the firepower to do that.”
“I have some friends who can help. But I just need to know you’re on board with this plan. I can’t do this alone.”
“Okay,” Ray said. “I’ll help. However, you have to answer one question for me. How do you think this is going to help you?”
“If I capture Fazil without the help of U.S. military forces, I’ll return to the U.S. a hero. Michaels won’t be able to touch me then.”
“But Michaels still gets another four years. Doesn’t seem like you’ve thought this through.”
“There’s another way to deal with Michaels. My goal is two-fold and begins and ends with him not getting what he wants.”
“You’re ambitious—I’ll give you that.”
“Just be ready. Now, I need to use your computer to send my people a message.”
Hawk logged on and wrote a message to Alex, leaving it in the draft folder of their joint account. He informed her that he’d discovered the real intent behind the weapon exchange and his new plan. He also encouraged her to watch over satellite in case something went wrong, giving her the coordinates and time for the rendezvous. He finished by explaining that he was going dark and he’d reconnect after everything went down.
When he finished, Hawk announced he was going back to his apartment for the night and would see Ray at the compound in the morning.
“We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow,” Hawk said. “Get some good sleep.”
“I was trying until someone stormed into my apartment in the middle of the night,” Ray said.
Hawk patted Ray on the shoulder. “I was wrong to think ill of you. You’re a good friend.”
“I won’t be so kind if you make me miss out on sleep again.”
Hawk smiled and said goodnight. As he exited Ray’s place, he had a sense of hope for the first time in months. He was going to take down two enemies almost at once.
* * *
RAY WAITED TEN MINUTES after Hawk left to be sure that his friend wasn’t lurking outside. If he heard any of the conversation that was about to happen, Ray knew he’d likely be killed.
He dialed Ackerman’s number.
“Couldn’t this have waited until the morning, Ray?” Ackerman said with a growl when he answered.
“Your friend, Mr. Pearl, just stopped by to see me.”
“He still has no clue, does he?”
“Nope. And he took the bait. He broke in and read the file you left on your desk about tomorrow’s operation.”
“And?” Ackerman asked.
“And he wants to plant a tracking device on the weapons shipment. He wants to be a hero and thinks that will be a way for him to march back to Washington and get his life back.”
“Just play it cool with him. I don’t want him getting suspicious, even for a minute. The more control he thinks he’s in, the better. This whole operation began because Michaels wanted those weapons in the hands of Al Hasib. The more terror in the region, the better. But he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to set up Hawk either. It’s petty but I understand given the past history between them. Michaels can eliminate a foe and get a boost in ratings at the same time for capturing a traitor abroad. And then he’ll swoop in and snag Karif Fazil just a few days before the election to seal the deal.”
“We know where Fazil is hiding out?”
“From what I understand, we’ve been watching his location for months. All Michaels has to do is say the word.”
“Just be forewarned that Hawk is a force to be reckoned with when he wants to be. And if he wants to turn this thing on its head, he just might pull it off.”
“You’re the one who will need to heed your own warning. You keep him under control. After all, you’re the one who’s going to deliver him personally to Michaels.”
“Lucky me.”
“Lucky you, indeed,” Ackerman said. “I’m going to give you the rest of the money I’d promised Hawk—excuse me, Mr. Pearl—for completing the exchange.”
“Can’t complain about that.”
CHAPTER 18
Brighton, England
ALEX WOKE UP EARLY to make sure she was the first one in the Brighton library when it opened. She tried to act calm when the woman jangling a large set of keys sauntered toward the door and unlocked it. But Alex couldn’t help herself, nearly bowling over the woman to get to the bank of computers.
Alex settled into a seat and banged out her login credentials to gain access. Moments later, she read Hawk’s note. With each sentence, her despair increased. She felt sorry for him at first, a noble man who’d been betrayed by one of his friends. Hawk’s confidence—the kind of chutzpah that believed he could capture Karif Fazil—never ceased to amaze her. But from what she knew based on what Hawk understood, Alex realized he was walking right into a trap.
That sonofabitch Michaels is killing two birds with one stone.
Alex threw her head back and exhaled. With a deep breath, she tried to think of a way that would help her get a message to Hawk. He had no cell phone and, even if he did have one, he likely wouldn’t have any cell coverage. She invited a moment of levity to the situation and considered hiring a skywriter to deliver a message in the most non-discreet sort of ways.
He’d get a kick out of that.
But the reality was Alex had no way of alerting Hawk to the fact that he was driving straight into a trap. In Hawk’s moment of weakness, he acted desperately, and someone was there who knew him and took advantage of the situation.
Alex logged out of the system and trudged to her office at Lloyd’s Bank. She didn’t figure anything would get her mind off the impending doom about to befall Hawk—and she was right. For most of the day, she labored with a sense of dread. She skipped lunch and called Blunt to deliver the news.
“There’s no way you can work some of your magic to tell him what’s going down?” Blunt asked.
“I’ve considered everything, but I can’t get over the challenge of communicating with him when we have no direct access. It’s never been a serious problem until now. And if there had been a safer way for us to stay in touch, I’m sure we would’ve tried it. But there wasn’t. And now there’s no way for me to let him know anything. I even thought about hiring a skywriter for about a minute.”
“You have thought of everything, haven’t you?” he asked with a half-hearted laugh.
“Unfortunately, none of those ideas will get us any message to Hawk. I’m afraid he’s on his own.”
“I’ll send you the security codes you need to log into the NSA’s satellites?”
“Thanks. I appreciate it, though I’m not too fond about the idea of watching him get carted off to prison by a bunch of Army Rangers. He saved some of their lives not that long ago.”
“Nobody in Washington cares about that,” Blunt said. “All the career military personnel at the Pentagon care about is ticking off the box that they accomplished a mission successfully so they can earn the next promotion. With a little bit of luck, they might even catch the president’s eye and land on a powerful committee. Those people are far too r
emoved from the battlefield to remember—or even care—about life in the trenches and how important morale and camaraderie is to soldiers in battle. They just go follow the next directive and don’t ask any questions. It’s easier that way.”
“All that to say that Hawk’s past interactions with the Rangers won’t buy him anything?”
“They might buy him a pillow to lay his head on and some gentler treatment while they transport him home,” Blunt said. “But other than that, not much.”
“So, Hawk is screwed.”
“Pretty much,” Blunt said. “And if Michaels would go to such lengths to make sure that this mission is carried out, you can bet that he’s gunning for us next.”
“This is not how I want to live,” Alex said.
“Me either. But right now we’re not in the position to be making any demands. We’re alive and free for the moment. And that means we have a fighting chance.”
“Wish we could say the same for Hawk.”
“Don’t give up on him yet,” Blunt said. “You know how resourceful he can be. And you too. Maybe you’ll think of something between now and the time he meets with Al Hasib.”
“I don’t know if I can. I’m too depressed to get creative.”
“Well, snap out of it because Hawk needs you. If there was something I could do about it, I would.”
“Okay, I’ll try to focus for Hawk’s sake.”
“Do it for yourself too. Dwelling on the negative will never get you anywhere.”
Alex hung up and returned to her office, counting down the hours until she could leave work and contemplate how she might be able to help Hawk.
* * *
THIRTY MINUTES BEFORE SHE was supposed to leave work, Alex bolted for the door. She called her supervisor and complained about stomach cramps, which was an excuse that men rarely questioned. On her way home from work, she purchased a pair of computer monitors to hook up to her desktop. She planned to utilize all the resources she could to figure out a way to help Hawk in what she considered was a final stand against Michaels.
By the time she arrived at her apartment, she had less than three hours before the deal was supposed to happen. With Oman being three time zones ahead of her in Brighton, she already felt the pressure. Hawk had relayed in his last message that the meeting was scheduled to take place at 11 p.m. local time in Khabas.
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