“It is, and I’ll be happy to show you the intel on it once you’re on board.”
“Once I’m on board? Showing that to me is about the only way I’m going to get on board.”
Parker took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I’m afraid I can’t show that to you until you agree to work with me. Protocol. I’m sure you understand.”
“No, I don’t,” she said as she shook her head. “This whole thing is starting to seem really fishy to me all of a sudden. I’m quite certain that I don’t think this is a good fit for me.”
She stood up and walked to the door.
“Sit down, Alex,” Parker barked. “You’re been brainwashed by Blunt, and you’re too damn naïve to even realize it.”
“Open this door now,” Alex said.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
She stormed back across the room toward Parker. “I said open the door.”
She proceeded to grab his shirt and shake him. Parker, however, was prepared. He jammed a needle into Alex’s neck, sending her staggering to the floor.
“Sleep well, Alex. Maybe when you wake up, you’ll be ready to handle this simple interview process like an adult.”
Alex felt the cold floor against her face while she heard Parker’s Italian shoes click as he exited the room.
Then everything went dark.
***
ALEX AWOKE IN A CELL, one far less covert than the one Searchlight originally placed her in after picking her up near the National Archives. Steel bars and a back wall made of cinder block comprised her new surroundings. Other than a bed with a mattress no thicker than a slice of bread, the cell was devoid of any accoutrements.
“What’s going on?” Alex yelled. “I want to talk to Kade Parker.”
Nothing but the faint echo of her own voice.
She was so enraged that she didn’t initially notice the woman in the cell next to her.
“It’s best not to fight it,” the woman said as she pointed to a scar on her face.
“Who are you?” Alex asked. “How long have you been in here?”
“Just go along with what they tell you to do. It’ll make your stay here much more pleasant, believe me.”
“Did they just grab you off the street, too?”
The woman slowly shook her head. “It’s best that we don’t discuss that kind of thing in here,” she said before pointing toward the ceiling. “They’re watching . . . and listening.”
Alex glanced upward and noticed the camera with the blinking red light on the side. Her fellow prisoner wasn’t joking.
Biting her lip, Alex scanned the area. For at least fifty meters to her right, she could see nothing but cell after cell. Most of them appeared empty, but it was hard to know for sure. She slumped to the floor and leaned against the wall. Looking up again at the camera, she noticed the red light stopped flashing.
What the—?
As she stood up to examine it, a man slipped up next to her cell and opened it.
“You need to get out of here,” he said.
“Who are you?” Alex asked.
“No time for questions. Listen very closely to what I’m about to say.”
Alex nodded. “Okay.”
“When I open this door, I want you to go down this corridor and take the first right. Take it until it dead ends. Then, take another right. Once you reach another dead end, take a left. There will be a door at the end of that hallway that leads to the outside. From there, I trust you can find your own way home.”
Alex grabbed the man’s arm. “Wait. Is this some kind of test?”
“Yeah, the kind of test that if you fail, you’ll eventually get killed in here—or worse.”
“Or worse?” Alex asked.
“Just do exactly as I said if you want to regain your freedom. I don’t have much time.”
Alex nodded and started to follow the man’s instructions.
She walked swiftly and stealthily down the first corridor, taking the first right as instructed. She stopped at the next dead end and turned right. However, she froze after the first two steps as she heard voices coming from the other end of the hallway. Despite everything within her telling her to keep moving forward, Alex had to look in the direction of the voices. A woman and a man were talking, engaged in what appeared to be a serious conversation. But the woman looked familiar to Alex.
No, it can’t be.
Alex kept walking and then glanced over her shoulder again.
It looks just like her.
That face was burned in her memory. Alex would know it anywhere—and there was no denying who it was. The image chilled Alex. She kept walking, following the man’s instructions until she hit the door to the outside.
Sunlight flooded Alex’s vision. She broke into a sprint, refusing to look behind her.
CHAPTER 5
Tuesday
Washington, D.C.
Rock Creek Park
HAWK HATED WAITING almost as much as being helpless. And for the time being, he was stuck with both. It was his version of Hell. He could do nothing to help Alex, and all he could do was wait and hope that Blunt’s man on the inside came through.
Hawk tried to pass his time by doing what he did every morning when he was in Washington: run. Weather permitting, he preferred to run around Rock Creek Park. The Cherry Blossoms had long since vanished, but it was still a scenic run. To make the run more interesting, he often tried to count the number of spooks also getting in their workout. The most he’d ever identified on one run was twenty-two. Fifteen minutes into this particular run, he’d already counted eight.
Despite his heightened awareness, he didn’t anticipate being tapped on the shoulder from behind. When he looked over his shoulder, he stopped almost immediately.
“Alex!” he said. “What are you—?”
“Keep your voice down. I’ll tell you everything. Just keep running.”
“This felt like Drishyam to me. A lone man fighting against powerful forces with nowhere to turn.”
“Still trying to woo me with a Bollywood reference, are you?”
“Whatever it takes.”
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m back. And I’m not leaving again.”
“What happened?”
“In a minute,” she said.
They remained silent as they continued jogging until Alex tapped him on the shoulder and broke off the main path. Hawk followed her until they reached an open area. Hawk recognized it as a pro move, especially from someone who spent most of her time behind a computer screen. If anyone were following them, they’d be able to spot the person with ease.
Alex sat on a bench, and Hawk followed suit.
“What did they do to you?” Hawk asked.
“I don’t really want to talk about it. For all I know, they may have injected me with some tracker, which is why I need to get a full body exam from the Firestorm doctor.”
“You really think he can help you with that?”
“Blunt gave me specific instructions to go see him immediately if I’d ever been taken against my will.”
Hawk sighed and looked at the ground. “I wanted to help you, but I didn’t want to make a scene. Plus, I couldn’t tell if you were going on your own or not.”
“At first, I was. They didn’t have to coerce me, just point me toward the van. But it wasn’t at all like that once I got inside. They sprayed something in my face and knocked me out. I woke up and didn’t know where I was. Then when Kade Parker started to question me—”
“So, he was behind this?”
“Yeah, more on that later. But when he questioned me, I felt like I was being interrogated instead of interviewed. It was like he hadn’t decided if he wanted to hire me. It was infuriating.”
“What did you do?”
“I threatened to walk out. That’s when he injected me with something and knocked me out. The next thing I knew, I woke up in a prison cell.”
“How’d you get out?”
“Some guy open
ed the door for me and let me out. He gave me instructions on how to escape. It was surreal, to be honest.”
“I’m glad you made it out.”
“Me, too. There’s something up with Searchlight, and I can promise you that it isn’t good.”
“Did you get any good intel while you were there?”
She shook her head. “I was either unconscious or barely coming to. I hardly got the lay of the land, though I do know where their facility is now.”
“Anything else?”
“Yeah, you won’t believe who I saw there as I was escaping. I almost didn’t believe it myself.”
“Who did you see?”
Alex took a deep breath and exhaled. “I don’t know how to say this, Hawk, but I saw Emily Thornton.”
CHAPTER 6
International Waters
30 miles offshore of California
BLUNT PULLED HIS BATHROBE tight and propped his feet up as he sat on the deck of his boat to watch the sun rise. He nursed a cup of coffee and watched the sun arise out of the east in glorious fashion. Despite all the evil in the world, viewing the dawning of a new day always gave Blunt hope. And after the past few months, he needed a heavy dose of it.
The sun had ascended fully above the water, and the smattering of clouds that had been splashed with pinks and purples had turned white when Blunt’s phone rang.
“Senator Blunt?” the man on the other end asked.
“I’m sorry. Who’s this?”
“Please hold the line for the President of the United States.”
Blunt chuckled and hung up.
In the past, Blunt had several clashes with President Conrad Michaels over issues ranging from homeland security to entitlement programs to stimulus spending. And if President Michaels wanted to talk with Blunt, he doubted it would be a conversation he wanted to have. Not to mention Blunt had gone to great lengths to fake his own death. He was leery that anyone even knew he was alive and surmised that the caller was on a figurative fishing expedition. Or it could simply be a new iteration of the Nigerian Prince scam.
Blunt’s phone rang again.
Didn’t this guy get the clue?
“Senator Blunt?” the same man asked again.
“I’m sorry, but you must have the wrong number. Senator Blunt died a while back.”
“According to my voice analyzer, your voice is a 99.99 percent match with the recording of Senator J.D. Blunt. So, if you’re impersonating him, you’re damn good. Otherwise, please hold the line for the President of the United States.”
“First of all, I don’t care what your machine told you, I’m not Blunt. And secondly, if President Michaels insists on talking to me regardless, he can call me direct instead of having one of his little lackeys do it for him.”
Blunt hung up again. For a second, he pondered tossing the phone into the water. It was drastic, but at least he’d be completely untethered—and untraceable. But he quickly decided against it. He still needed a way to contact Hawk and stay connected with the rest of the outside world.
The phone rang again.
Blunt growled and answered. “Didn’t I make myself clear—?”
“If it isn’t Senator J.D. Blunt,” came the voice on the other end.
Blunt recognized President Michael’s almost instantly. “President Michaels. How did you get my number?”
“Never mind that. I’ve got some more pressing questions, starting with just what the hell do you think you’re doing, J.D.?”
Blunt cut off the end of one of his cigars and started gnawing on it. His nervous habit demanded immediate satiation.
“I’m not sure I understand exactly what you’re referring to, Mr. President?”
“You know damn well what I’m talking about. But let’s cut to the chase. How are you still alive? I went to your funeral.”
“Mr. President, you of all people know that not everything is as it seems. How else could you have pulled the wool over the eyes of the American people. They continue to believe that you’re going to keep them safe.”
“Come now, J.D. You’ve played this game long enough to understand that certain situations can’t be nuanced politically. Sometimes, it’s more about how people feel than the reality of the situation.”
“Not when it comes to matters of national security, much less stabilizing the world’s most destabilized region.”
“While I agree with you on some level, J.D., the truth is real problems in this country require money. And nothing will get Americans writing checks faster than the thought of a foreign invasion or an Islamic extremist missile strike. They won’t care how much they’re taxed if they remain safe. It’s simple math with a little bit of politics mixed in.”
Blunt sipped his coffee and considered his response. “You’re disgusting. You really are.”
“Are you really so naïve to think that the American people know what’s best for themselves? The truth is, they don’t. You know and I know it. The problem is, they haven’t got a clue. And it’s my job, a job those same American people elected me to do, to ensure that this country continues on a track to prosperity. The biggest challenge I see is that prosperity will never happen under the current system. Everyone is fat and happy to some extent and unwilling to make the sacrifices necessary to expand and grow.”
“And you have the answers, I suppose,” Blunt said, his quip dripping with sarcasm.
“I have some of them, starting with the need to control the people more.”
“And how do you intend to do that?”
“You already know the answer, J.D. The more people are scared, the more they’ll give up just to feel safe. It’s a beautiful thing.”
“No, it’s not, Mr. President. It’s repulsive. You’re taking the American people for a ride.”
“No, you’re the one taking people for a ride with your vigilante horse shit,” Michaels said, his voice rising with each sentence. “And I think it’s high time you return to Washington.”
Blunt sighed. “Why? So I can atone for my sins? And all so you can make a public example out of me. No, thank you. I’ll pass on that one.”
“I won’t ask a second time.”
Blunt peered out across the horizon as he thought he saw something glimmer on the water. “Glad to hear that. I hate being bothered with frivolous phone calls like this one.”
“We will find you,” Michaels said.
“Don’t worry. If you do happen to find me, you’ll have no jurisdiction to take me in.”
“Oh, I’m counting on that. That’s one little fact that ought to make you very afraid.”
Blunt smiled as he prepared to deliver his closing line. “Nobody in the free world will support you once they find out what you and your little cabal have been up against.”
Blunt heard a faint sound, a sound that wasn’t native to the natural rhythms of the surrounding ocean. He scanned the horizon again, straining to see anything. Nothing.
“Good-bye, J.D. Don’t ever underestimate my reach again. It’s been a pleasure knowing you.”
In that moment, Blunt realized what was happening as the faint sound became more audible. It was a boat off the starboard side. Without hesitating, he dove to the ground. But he wasn’t quick enough.
A bullet struck Blunt in the shoulder as he collapsed onto the deck.
CHAPTER 7
Washington, D.C.
WHEN HAWK AND ALEX REACHED the safety of Hawk’s apartment, he dialed Blunt’s number. Whatever strings he pulled to help get Alex to safety had worked, and they needed to let him know. Hawk waited as the phone rang and rang. After the tenth ring, Hawk hung up.
“No answer?” Alex asked.
Hawk shook his head.
“I hope he’s okay,” Alex said.
“You never know with Blunt. But if something is up, I’m sure he can handle himself. He always does.”
“Well, we need to get a plan together to go after Searchlight.”
“Whoa. Slow down. We can’t just
go to their headquarters and annihilate them. We need to learn more about what they’re up to, not to mention why you think you saw Emily Thornton there.”
Alex cocked her head to one side. “Do you not believe that was her?”
Hawk took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
“I believe you think that’s who you saw,” he said. “But can you really be sure? I mean, I just have a hard time believing that after how I saw her dragged away and shot right in front of me.”
“Right in front of you?”
“Well, not right in front of me, but I saw it.”
“I know this news is shaking your world right now, but I promise you, I saw her alive and well. And she’s part of Searchlight. Doesn’t that make you want to find out what they’re really about all the more?”
“Yeah, my interest is piqued but not to the point that I want to die trying to find out. If we’re going to infiltrate them, we need a calculated plan, one that’s well thought out and resourced well. And that’s not going to happen with us just brainstorming for a few minutes. I know you’re itching to get back in there for payback and get some answers out of Parker, but it’s true about discretion being the better part of valor.”
Alex growled. “I want to make them pay.”
Hawk held up his right hand. “And they will. I swear. But we have to strike back when we have everything in place to inflict maximum pain. That time is not yet upon us. Besides, we have a Jordanian prime minister to protect.”
“Yaseen Abbadi?” she asked.
“That’s the man. According to Blunt, Abbadi’s life is in danger. Someone has a hit out on him, likely Al Hasib, as Abbadi is attempting to bring peace to the region with a treaty that includes several different neighboring nations.”
“Peace is bad for business when your business is war.”
“Exactly. And if peace is ever going to be achieved in that region, leaders like Abbadi must be protected so their courage and bravery can result in substantial change there.”
“You really believe that, don’t you?
Hawk nodded. “I might be idealistic, but I’m smart enough to know that idealism requires more than platitudes. It requires action, the kind of action I’m willing to take.”
Full Blast (A Brady Hawk novel Book 4) Page 3
