Full Blast (A Brady Hawk novel Book 4)

by Jack Patterson

  More bullets pounded the door. He waited for a beat.

  “Now,” he said.

  Alex followed him, diving into the hallway. Hawk withdrew his leg from propping the door open and scurried into the hallway. As soon as the door shut behind them, the shooting stopped.

  “Okay, you can stand up now,” Hawk said, “but stay low.”

  They both moved stealthily down the hall. Hawk reached behind him and pulled the dead man’s gun out of the back of his belt. He handed the gun to Alex.

  “You might need this,” he said.

  “Thanks,” she said as she took it.

  As they neared the stairwell, they heard a few men shouting at them.

  “Let’s move,” Hawk said.

  The men fired a few shots toward them before Hawk turned to shoot back, providing enough time to slip into the stairwell. The door rattled shut behind them as they raced down the steps. They descended two flights of stairs before the door above them opened.

  “Against the wall,” Hawk said.

  Shots ricocheted off the wall nearby but all well out of danger.

  They ran down another flight of stairs until they reached the bottom floor. Hawk sprinted toward the door, placing his hands on the handle. But it didn’t budge.

  The door was locked.

  Hawk leaned against the glass to look at why the door wasn’t moving. It was padlocked.

  “Great,” Alex said. “Now what?”

  Hawk took a deep breath and tried to think as the clatter of footsteps echoed in the stairwell. They were getting closer, and Hawk had no foreseeable way out.

  CHAPTER 23

  Washington, D.C.

  FAZIL TOOK A DEEP BREATH and exhaled slowly. He glanced around the room and could hardly see anyone else other than the people who’d plastered themselves against the wall like he’d done. Everyone else was well out of sight.

  The men outside came right up to the window and pressed their faces close to the glass while they shined their flashlights inside. Fazil was certain they wouldn’t see anything suspicious.

  “Just looks like a bunch of vagrants having a party,” one of the officers said into his radio.

  “Good,” crackled a woman’s voice on the other end. “We’ve got another issue that needs your attention.”

  “On our way,” the man said.

  Fazil relaxed when the flashlight beams were directed elsewhere outside the building. He waited until he heard two car doors slam and tires screech away in the evening air before he announced that it was okay for everyone to resume their partying ways.

  Malik Mudin approached Fazil and placed a drink in his hands.

  “I think we could all use one of these,” Mudin said.

  Fazil grinned. “Nice to see you’ve come around.”

  Mudin forced a smile. “I’m not sure that I’ve come around, as you put it. But I am considering indulging in a few things.”

  Fazil grabbed Mudin’s arm and pulled him toward one of the women sitting alone on the couch.

  “What about her?” Fazil said as he pushed Mudin toward the woman.

  Mudin resisted Fazil’s shove, holding fast. “I’m still married.”

  “But maybe not for long,” Fazil said. “And even if you were, I wouldn’t tell a soul.”

  Mudin shook his head again and jerked his arm, freeing himself from Fazil’s clutches.

  “I will not dishonor my wife like that,” Mudin said. “I do what I do for the advancement of the caliphate, not because I want to gain the power to do whatever I wish. People who do whatever they wish, never live happy and fulfilling lives—if they even live long at all.”

  Fazil sighed. “Suit yourself. I won’t pressure you.”

  Mudin nodded. “Thank you. I need to pray now.”

  Without any further warning, Mudin disappeared down the hallway.

  ***

  MALIK MUDIN slipped into a quiet room and knelt down to pray. He needed to ask for forgiveness for even thinking about partaking in the carnal pleasures provided by Fazil. Mudin tried to focus, but he couldn’t find the words. The images of the scantily-clad women danced around in his mind just as they had shimmied in front of him only minutes ago.

  Mudin drew a deep breath and prepared to pray, but the words escaped him. Instead of asking for Allah’s help, he proceeded to wallow in his own guilt—and it bothered him. Mudin didn’t want to fill his final days succumbing to the very lifestyle he loathed and wanted to eradicate from the planet. America was—and always had been—a nation full of indulgent people, people gratified in their sinful cravings no matter the cost. In his brief time there, he witnessed the first-hand effects of Americans who refused to show restraint. And it sickened him.

  But Mudin was determined to go out a pure man, one who resisted temptation even as she enticed him with her most alluring vices. He was going to inflict the same level of pain on thousands of Americans that he felt when his parents were killed by a drone strike. The twisted irony was that his parents were attending the funeral of another family friend who’d been killed by another drone attack. It wasn’t fair, and it wasn’t right.

  Mudin’s father was a doctor who faithfully served five rural villages in Afghanistan. He always taught his son that peace—not violence—would be the way forward in the Middle East. Mudin recognized it was a lie. Until the U.S. government and its citizens bowed before the caliphate, the situation would never change. Seeing the decadence of the American people firsthand made Mudin angrier and more determined than ever to exact revenge for his parents’ death.

  He might be sending himself to the grave, but Mudin would do it with pride. His son would remember him as a man of principle, a man who sought to fight injustice in the world.

  Mudin’s phone buzzed, and he fished it out of his pocket. It was his son, Tabiq. Mudin could barely afford to give his son a cell phone, but in reality, he could hardly afford not to. As any caring father would, he wanted to be able to get ahold of Tabiq on a moment’s notice in the event of a bombing or missile strike. Tabiq was only twelve, but Mudin knew his son understood the importance of this mission, even if he didn’t fully understand the implications of what it meant: Tabiq would grow up fatherless.

  Mudin stared at Tabiq and his toothy grin glowing on the smartphone screen. Mudin wanted to talk, but he couldn’t. His son would understand one day.

  Mudin turned the phone off, sending Tabiq’s call straight to voicemail while wondering if he was doing the right thing.

  CHAPTER 24

  Prague, Czech Republic

  HAWK RATTLED THE DOOR several times before coming to grips with the fact that they were locked in the hotel. The security protocol resulted in a literal entrapment within the confines of the building’s doors. No way in or out—at least not yet, anyway.

  “Well, isn’t this just dandy,” Alex said.

  “I’d be willing to bet they locked all the exit doors but the front is still unlocked,” Hawk said.

  “And that exit is probably heavily guarded, too.”

  “You can count on it.”

  “So, what do you suggest we do then, Hawk?”

  “The only thing we can do—ambush the guards.”

  Hawk yanked a fire extinguisher off the wall and recoiled in the shadows of the stairwell.

  “Is this your big plan?” Alex asked. “We’re going to hit the assassin with a fire extinguisher?”

  “A gunshot will attract too much attention. We have to be as discreet as possible.”

  “And then what?”

  Hawk shrugged. “I’m making this up as I go along.”

  Alex winked at him. “I’ve got phase two all planned out. You just better knock him out in one blow.”

  The footfalls echoed in the stairwell as the man pursuing them continued rapidly descending the steps. As he neared them, Alex stepped back against the wall, out of sight underneath the stairs.

  “Make me proud,” she said.

  Hawk took one last deep breath and waite
d until he felt it was the right moment. Unloading on the man, Hawk swung hard—and missed.

  The operative ducked and tried to spin away from Hawk, who grabbed the man and held him tightly. With a firm elbow to Hawk’s chest, the man ripped himself free and immediately tried to train his gun on Hawk. Hawk dove to the ground and swung the fire extinguisher at the man’s kneecaps, buckling him and sending him to the floor. Hawk was about to deliver one final blow to the man’s head when he fired a shot at Hawk. The bullet whizzed past, but it attracted the attention Hawk was trying so desperately to avoid.

  “They’re down there!” a man yelled from up above in the stairwell.

  Hawk whirled and kicked the gun out of the man’s hand. Stunned after losing his gun, the man turned to fight Hawk in a hand-to-hand battle. But Hawk snatched the fire extinguisher off the ground and delivered a devastating blow to the man’s head. He crumpled to the ground, knocked out cold.

  Hawk looked at Alex. “Time to get moving on phase two.”

  “Follow me,” she said. Alex darted into the hallway with Hawk right behind her. She ran toward the lobby before taking a sharp left and slipping into the laundry room.

  Hawk followed her and froze once he realized this destination had been Alex’s end game from the beginning. “If this is your genius plan, I think we’re in trouble.”

  Alex turned around and yanked open the dryer. She pulled out a staff polo shirt.

  “Here, put this on,” she said.

  Hawk obeyed and slipped into the shirt.

  “Now what?” he asked.

  “Now, we walk through the front door without anyone hassling us.”

  Hawk eyed her closely. “You really think this is going to work?”

  “Got any better ideas that don’t involve drone strikes and missiles?”

  “I’m sure this will work just fine. But be ready for a gunfight.”

  They both stripped and redressed in staff attire. Once they finished, Alex turned to Hawk. “You ready?”

  Hawk shook his head. “This isn’t going to be as easy as you think, you know?”

  “It’ll buy us some time, which is what we’re in short supply of at the moment. Agreed?”

  He nodded. “I liked it so much better when you were sitting behind a computer, telling me that some assailants were converging on my position.”

  She glared at him. “Where’s the fun in that?”

  Hawk watched as she yanked the door open and walked swiftly down the hallway. He kept pace right behind, determined not to let her get more than two yards in front of him. Right now, their survival depended upon being able to close ranks and fend off attackers. It also depended upon their ability to vanish.

  As they neared the common area, Hawk wondered if Alex hadn’t just conceived and pulled off a plan that would’ve garnered her respect at every FBI, CIA, NSA, and military special ops meeting. She was resourceful and acted accordingly to give them a chance at escape. Of course, if Hawk didn’t uphold his end of the bargain, he figured they might end up in a promotional video for Al Hasib.

  Once they turned toward the exit, the doors slid open and they walked right into a well-lit area of the hotel courtyard.

  “That’s them,” a man yelled.

  “Stay close,” Hawk said as he took off running. Hawk excelled in this type of situation, the kind most people hoped they would never have to experience.

  “This isn’t going to be easy,” Hawk said while looking over his shoulder.

  “Why? Because of the people or their guns?”

  “Both,” he said.

  “Hold your fire,” one man yelled as they stepped into the courtyard.

  Hawk exhaled, relieved that he’d avoided getting riddled with bullets.

  “You better get somewhere safe,” one of the exterior guards said.

  Hawk and Alex hustled toward a small shed near the edge of the manicured property line. Outside, the rain had dug its heels in and was dumping water on the area near them.

  “Do you know how crazy this is?” Alex asked. “Less than a week ago, I was a lowly analyst.”

  “And now you’re not,” Hawk said.

  “No, now I’m not—and thanks to you, I’m still alive,” she said.

  Hawk laughed and shook his head. “I’m sure I had nothing to do with it, but it’s clear I’m not going to be able to get you to sit behind a computer terminal from now on … even if that’s where we’re all best serviced by your talents.”

  “But my creativity in the field?” she said. “Didn’t you say my retorts only barely scratched the surface of what I was capable of doing?”

  “Don’t get the big head,” Hawk said. “We’ve still got to get out of this.”

  “In the meantime, call Blunt. He needs to know what’s going on.”

  Hawk shook his head. “Are you kidding? He’s probably spying on us right now by tapping into closed-circuit feeds. I bet he knows exactly everything that we’ve said over the past few weeks.”

  “Well, we probably need to hear from him personally before we enter disavowing territory.”

  Hawk sighed. “Don’t you remember that’s something we have to grapple with the moment we begin any assignment for Firestorm? Nobody is ever coming to get us.”

  “Unless Blunt intervenes.”

  Hawk nodded. “True, but that’s only going to happen if there are large sums of money involved.”

  “Okay, fine. Let’s call him,” she said.

  Hawk pulled out his phone and dialed Blunt’s number. Following the third ring, Hawk considered hanging up for good. But then he went against his better judgment and let his curiosity get the better of him.

  After the fifth ring, Blunt answered.

  “What do you two lunatics want?” he said, delivering his first salvo.

  “You might put us more in the mad scientist category after what we did today just to get to this point.”

  “I’m sure it was challenging, yet here you are,” Blunt said. “Obviously not challenging enough.”

  “We’ve been worried sick about you,” Hawk said. “Are you okay?”

  “Me? I’m the one who’s been worried not knowing where you guys were or what you were doing.”

  “We’re always where we said we’re gonna be, end of discussion.”

  “Don’t make me laugh,” Blunt said. “There’s something I need to talk with you about immediately.”

  “Oh?” Hawk said.

  “Yeah, I need you to return to the U.S. immediately.”

  “Immediately?”

  “That’s what I said, isn’t it?” Blunt replied. “We’ve got intel that says Al Hasib operatives are planning a strike in Washington on Saturday.”

  “And I’m the only one who can stop it? Please, I’m a little busy right now.”

  “Of course you are, but I’m sure the local authorities can handle it from there and protect Abbadi.”

  Hawk crept upright and peered through the window into the courtyard. He saw several Czech police walking around, oblivious to a pair of gunmen hiding in the shadows.

  “We’re still boxed in right now,” Hawk said. “Can this wait?”

  “Every second you’re not back home in Washington just makes your job more difficult when you get there,” Blunt said. “This is serious, Hawk. And thousands of people are going to die.”

  “What’s the target?” Hawk asked.

  “Al Hasib is going to blow up Nationals stadium.”

  “We’ll see what we can do,” Hawk said. “But first things first. We’ve got to get out of here without being seen—and make sure Abbadi is safe.”

  CHAPTER 25

  Tangier, Morocco

  BLUNT HUNG UP WITH HAWK and wondered just how serious the Al Hasib threat was in Washington. Was it all a distraction to get him to pull Hawk so someone could take out Abbadi? Because for the time being, Hawk and Alex were the only ones standing between a team of determined assassins and the Jordanian prime minister. Blunt had mastered the art of we
aving a web of deception when it came to espionage. But he started to consider the possibility that even what he knew to be true was all a lie, a lie built on the false premise that his country needed protecting. The more he thought about it, the more everything began to feel like a carefully constructed narrative to achieve some politician’s end game. Whatever was going on, Blunt didn’t feel good about it.

  Then he received a call from one of his other operatives, code name Zeus.

  “Are you on a secure line?” Zeus asked.

  “Speak freely,” Blunt said.

  “I heard some chatter about who’s behind the pending attack in Washington.”

  “Go on.”

  “Senator Adams has been working with one of the CIA’s clandestine black ops teams to ensure that Al Hasib’s plot to bomb Nationals Park goes off without a hitch.”

  “Bastards,” Blunt said. “Is President Michaels involved?”

  “All indications are that he is at the very least aware of the situation and has signed off on it.”

  “This is treason. He’s going to let thousands of U.S. citizens die—and for what end? A plea to authorize more power for the government? You know he’s going to blame this on what he considers constricting surveillance laws.”

  “And yet the laws are sufficient enough to help stop a catastrophic plot like this one,” Zeus added.

  “Where are you?”

  “Munich. Do you want me to return to Washington?”

  “It might be a good idea, but don’t get involved unless I tell you to. I’ve got Hawk working on this as well, but I’d rather not risk losing both of my remaining operatives on this one mission.”

  “Even if it means thousands of people will lose their lives?”

  “Thousands more will lose their lives if I have no way to stop them. I need to keep one of you safe. Consider yourself my designated survivor.”

  “And Thor?”

  “He’s chosen a different path. Don’t worry about him.”

  “So, it’s down to me and Hawk as your final two operatives.”

  “And Alex,” Blunt said. “Don’t forget about Alex.”