“So, Black can get us into this meeting?” Hawk asked.
“Yes, he tentatively arranged for you to accompany him as an illegal arms seller, all predicated on your ability to get to Hong Kong in time, which now you’ll be able to make if you don’t delay.”
Hawk took a deep breath and stared off in the distance. He hated the idea of working with someone other than Alex, especially after getting burned so many times in the past.
“How come I’ve never met Black?” he finally asked.
“Just play nice, okay?”
CHAPTER 11
Hong Kong
Victoria Harbor
THE NEXT AFTERNOON, Hawk leaned on the railing and peered out over the ships chugging through the busy harbor. On his right, Alex stood with her back to the scene, scanning the area in the opposite direction. A stiff wind tousled their hair and caused Hawk’s eyes to tear up.
“Usually it’s the ladies who cry when they see me,” a man said in a low voice to Hawk.
Turning to his left, Hawk looked over to see a bulked-up man sporting sunglasses and a blue baseball cap.
“You’re not nearly as handsome as Blunt described you,” Hawk said.
Black smirked. “He does like to oversell, doesn’t he?” He turned toward Alex. “And this young woman must be Alex, the lady with the magic touch.”
Hawk put his right hand on Black’s chest and pointed at Alex’s wedding band with his left. “Don’t get any ideas,” Hawk said. “She’s spoken for.”
Black raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Just repeating what I heard. We’re all on the same team here. No need to get testy.”
If Hawk could’ve swung and knocked out Black and still been admitted to the secret Obsidian meeting, he would have. But he decided to heed his colleague’s suggestion.
“In that case, let’s talk about tonight,” Hawk said. “Tell me what I need to know about attending this gathering.”
“It’s more like an auction than anything,” Black said. “We’ll be seated around a long table, and various buyers will parade their wares in front. Obsidian is hosting the event because they’re seeking certain services and commodities. However, they have positioned themselves as a bridge between buyers and sellers of various illegal activities.”
“Sounds like we’ll have a motley crew on hand.”
“You’ll be surprised at the clientele in attendance. These are not low-life knuckle draggers from third world nations. There are respected businessmen along with former military leaders and ambassadors. You’ll even find powerful women there, too. This group is networked across the globe. And while they’re not all officially part of Obsidian, they will do favors for the organization from time to time.”
“From what you’re saying, this could be our chance to wipe out a large number of evil leaders in one fell swoop.”
Black shook his head. “That’s a good idea in theory, but in reality we would simply lose our ability to follow these networks and see how they’re being funded and where all the connections are. Besides, we don’t even know where the meeting is yet.”
“Did we fly to Hong Kong for nothing?” Alex asked.
“No, the meeting is here, but we won’t know exactly where until later tonight,” Black said. “The process of finding out the location is shrouded in secrecy. A half-hour before the meeting, we receive coordinates via text message about where we should go. Upon arriving at the location, we must surrender our phones before receiving a slip of paper with another address. Once we arrive there, we’ll be personally escorted to the actual site.”
Hawk nodded. “That protocol would certainly make it difficult to strike the location.”
“Exactly,” Black said. “There’s also a state-of-the-art metal detector along with a pat down to make sure there aren’t any weapons in the room. We can’t go in with our guns blazing, especially if we’re going to apprehend Adelman for questioning.”
“What are your plans for interrogating him?” Hawk asked.
“I’ll follow Adelman out when he exits for a bathroom break. Once there, I’ll ask him a few questions and see what he has to say about his meeting with the Chinese.”
“That sounds like a terrible plan,” Hawk said. “Because you’ll be in a public place devoid of weapons, he will stonewall you—and he can get away with it since you’re not in a private area. Adelman trained the best of the best. He also served as a SEAL. He knows how to manipulate the situation. You’re going to need to do more to him than simply ask him a few questions in the men’s room.”
“What do you suggest then?” Black asked.
“I think we need to take him somewhere, a place where we can make the kind of threats he will cower to. Then we need to question him properly, expressing the kind of urgency we have regarding this situation. If he doesn’t respond to that, we can move on to more persuasive means.”
“I’m afraid that just isn’t going to happen,” Black said. “I need to maintain my access to the group, which means we’ll have to work more slowly than perhaps you’re accustomed to. The end goal is to get information out of Adelman in a way that preserves my standing with them.”
Hawk shook his head. “If I’m hearing you correctly, I find those two goals to be mutually exclusive. We’re not going to find out what we need to know if you’re trying to tread lightly in approaching Adelman. A full-throated interrogation is the only thing Adelman is going to respond to in a manner that gets us what we need.”
Black furrowed his brow as he removed his sunglasses. “Let’s get one thing straight here, Hawk. I’m in charge of this operation. You’re going to do what I need you to do. And if that’s standing in the shadows while I try to make contact with Adelman, then that’s what you’re going to do. If you don’t like this arrangement, you can take it up with Blunt. He’s the one who charged me with handling this operation. You’re only here for support. Got it?”
Hawk sighed and then nodded. “Apparently, you’re the boss. Just tell me where I need to go so I can stand there and look pretty.”
A wry grin leaked across Black’s face. “Now you’re starting to get it.”
* * *
HAWK ADJUSTED his fake glasses before straightening his tie.
“How do I look?” he asked Alex.
She shrugged. “Not bad considering all that you’ve been through in the past forty-eight hours.”
“I’ll take that as a great compliment then.”
Alex shook her head. “I just don’t want you to look any worse when you return later tonight.”
Hawk furrowed his brow. “What do you mean by that?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about—you and Black. It’s quite evident that you two aren’t won’t be fly fishing together on the South Fork of the Salmon River in your down time.”
“I wouldn’t be doing that on my own during any vacation time.”
“True,” she said, batting some dust off the shoulders of his sports coat. “You’d be doing it with me.”
“Since when did you get into fly fishing?” Hawk asked.
“Just because you’re married to me doesn’t mean you know everything about me—yet. But by the time we’re old and gray, you better know how many millimeters the mole on my left shoulder blade is.”
“Six,” Hawk deadpanned. Unable to hold his straight face for more than a few seconds, he cracked a big grin.
“Good guess, but wrong. However, we have a lifetime to learn every little thing about one another. And that lifetime I’m referring to better be a long one.”
Hawk shrugged. “Well, when you married me, you knew what you were getting yourself into.”
“I also know that you better control your impulsiveness,” Alex said. “We need to work with Black, not undermine him.”
“I would never—”
“Just stop right there,” she said as she held up her right hand, palm flat and just a few inches from his face. “I know how you are, which is why I’m saying th
is. Play nice. Understand?”
Hawk nodded. “You sound just like Blunt.”
“That’s because we both know you so well.”
“Fine. I’ll be on my best behavior. But at the end of the day, we need answers, and if Black can’t get them—”
Alex pressed her forefinger against Hawk’s lips. “Just go do your job. And remember that I’ll be able to communicate with you and see everything you see as long as you have those glasses on.”
“Roger that,” he said before hugging Alex.
A knock on the door interrupted their embrace. Hawk peered through the peephole and saw Black. Opening the door, Hawk gestured for Black to join them.
“It’s time to get going,” Black said. “I just received the text.”
Hawk kissed Alex on the cheek.
“We’ll be in touch,” Black said to Alex.
“I’ll meet you at the CIA warehouse later tonight,” she said.
* * *
AN HOUR LATER, Hawk and Black stood inside the first floor of a stark department store that was still under construction. Opaque plastic sheets hung from the rafters and served as makeshift walls. A cool breeze rustled them as Hawk and Black followed a man to the back of the building. He led them into an alley where a car was waiting. Before he permitted them to pass, he requested all electronic devices be deposited into the basket he held. Black obliged while Hawk gestured that he didn’t have any. After a brief pat down, Black and Hawk were allowed into the vehicle.
They wound around the streets of Hong Kong for fifteen minutes before disappearing into a tunnel. When they reemerged, they drove along another few blocks and then turned into a parking deck. The driver took them down several floors well below ground, braking in front of a set of doors.
A man in a tuxedo stationed outside the entrance hustled over and opened the car door for his guests. He then ushered them onto an elevator and inserted a key before depressing the button that took them to the bottom floor. Hawk wasn’t certain what floor they’d started on, but they descended for another minute. Once they stopped, the door slid open and Hawk was taken aback by the festive atmosphere inside the large room in front of him.
Pulsating music thumped on the loud speakers as black lights flashed. A scantily clad waitress breezed past him, pausing briefly to offer a drink. Hawk politely declined and turned his attention elsewhere.
“Are you always that quick to look away?” Alex asked over the coms.
Hawk smiled and nodded subtly. He scanned the rest of the room and saw several rows of chairs set up near a podium in the far corner of the room. Large monitors hung from the ceiling, and a countdown had already been initiated. It showed there were less than three minutes remaining. Hawk wasn’t sure what would happen when zeros hit, but he assumed that would signal the beginning of the meeting.
The people in the room, mostly comprised of men, moved around in pairs and rarely interacted with others.
“Is this how all their meetings are?” Hawk asked Black.
“This is a little out of the norm,” Black said, “but by and large, this is what I saw the only other time I wormed my way into an Obsidian marketplace meeting. Half-naked women offering free alcohol to clients, techno music, and a less than cordial atmosphere.”
“So, it’s not just me?” Hawk asked.
“These clients barely trust their own assistants, let alone anyone else.”
Hawk growled. “That’s going to make it quite obvious when you approach Adelman.”
“It may not matter,” Black said. “I haven’t seen Adelman here yet.”
Hawk glanced at the clock showing just under two minutes remaining. “I suppose there’s still time.”
“But if he does show up, you’re right. I’m going to have to tread carefully if you expect to get any information out of him. That’s why you’re going to watch the door for me.”
“Won’t he have someone watching the door for him?” Hawk asked.
“Maybe, but you know what to do in a case like that.”
Hawk and Black continued to study the rest of the clientele while waiting for the meeting to begin. Along with over a dozen men dressed in suits, there were sheiks adorned in traditional Middle Eastern garb, a woman in a pantsuit, two men wearing African tribal attire, and four men sporting camouflage gear.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think we were at some comic-con event,” Hawk said.
“Just give it a minute,” Black said. “Batman will stride through the doors any second now.”
“Aren’t you two just regular comedians,” Alex chimed in over the coms.
Hawk and Black both turned and looked toward the entrance at the same time. The elevator doors slid open, and three more guests spilled out.
“Well, it’s not Batman,” Hawk said, “but it is who we came here for.”
Admiral Adelman walked casually into the room, his hands thrust deep into his pants pockets. He wore a three-piece suit accented with a golden chain attached to what Hawk could only assume was a pocket watch. Adelman’s suit was tailored and showed off his chiseled frame. He may have trained Navy SEALS for several years, but Hawk could tell his former supervisor was still in top shape. He was also attending alone.
The clock on the monitor struck zero, and an alarm whooped over the speakers. Immediately, the black lights were exchanged for more suitable house lighting while the music quickly faded out. A man holding a microphone stepped onto the stage and urged everyone to join him in the main meeting area. He enthusiastically expressed how excited he was to begin the evening’s festivities and wasted no time in showcasing the first item on the docket.
“Fresh off the boat from Galveston, Texas, we have a dozen Personal Ultrasonic Ballistics—or PUB-47s,” the man said. “These state-of-the-art weapons come here compliments of Colton Industries and will enable your small band of vigilantes to level the playing field against a corrupt government trying to snuff out your resistance. The bidding begins at two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Do I have any takers?”
Hands went up all around the room. Black’s hand shot up as he bid early and often, driving the item’s cost up to well over two million dollars before bowing out. A Middle Eastern man pumped his fist after being declared the winner of the auction.
“Now those Americans will have to worry about more than just a roadside IED,” the man said as he rushed over to the table just off to the side of the stage to make payment arrangements.
Hawk leaned over and whispered to Black. “This is insane. Those weapons were stolen, no doubt about it.”
“And you think anyone here cares about that?” Black asked.
“Of course not, but it’s scary how easily these maniacs can get their hands on powerful weapons.”
“This kind of buying and trading has been going on for years,” Black said. “There’s nothing new about any of this, except maybe the fact that you’re here to witness it all. But just you wait; you haven’t seen anything yet.”
The emcee continued by introducing the next item. “This next one comes all the way to us from Hiroshima, Japan—six skillfully trained ninjas who specialize in kidnapping.”
“Wouldn’t you like to meet that crew in a back alley?” Black joked.
“Not without a weapon,” Hawk said, tapping his coat pocket.
Black’s eyes widened. “You snuck a gun in here? Are you crazy?”
“Given what I’ve seen in the first five minutes of this gathering, I think bringing a gun in here was about the most sane decision I could’ve made.”
“How did you get that in here anyway?”
“My wife is good at printing guns,” Hawk said. “This one can even hold six shots.”
“You better not use it. Six shots won’t be enough.”
“Don’t get your panties in a wad,” Hawk said. “I’m only shooting tranq darts.”
Black narrowed his eyes. “We’re doing this my way. Do you understand?”
“By all means, do your
thing,” Hawk said. “I’m just here to look pretty, remember?”
The next half hour of the auction saw everything from rocket launchers to missiles up for sale as well as the services of elite assassins. With the room full of highly trained killing machines, Hawk considered how unlikely it would be to escape alive. He also kept an eye on Adelman, who had yet to raise his hand to bid on anything.
After declaring a winner for two long-range ballistic missiles, the emcee adjourned for a fifteen-minute break. The black lights returned as did the pulsating music. Hawk watched as Adelman headed straight toward one of the women offering drinks. He grabbed a tumbler filled with bourbon and downed it without hesitation.
Adelman always could drink like a fish.
Hawk watched as his former training supervisor traded the empty glass for another full one, draining the liquid in a matter of seconds, too. After one final swap, Adelman meandered back toward his seat but was stopped when he was blocked by Black.
Hawk could hear the conversation loud and clear on his coms.
“Hi, Admiral,” Black said. “We need to talk. Don’t you need to use the restroom?”
Adelman didn’t budge. “I’m sorry, sir, but do I know you?”
Black shrugged. “We’re about to become plenty acquainted.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Adelman said. “All I need to do is alert security that someone is threatening me, and you’ll be tossed out of here fast—and likely in a body bag.”
“Go ahead and alert them” Black said. “What’s stopping you?”
“Just move out of my way so I can get back to my seat,” Adelman said. “I promise you that you don’t want to tangle with me.”
Black didn’t flinch. “You need to talk with me right now.”
“Maybe your hearing is bad after getting beaten so often, but I’m only going to say this one more time before I notify the security team here about your threat.”
“Be my guest,” Black said. “You’re the impostor here, not me.”
Before Adelman could respond, he slumped to the floor.
“What the hell,” Black said, scanning the room.
Any Means Necessary Page 7
