“These men are dangerous, and they have nefarious plans, the kind that could kill thousands of your constituents. Is that the kind of decision you want to live with?”
“You’re just trying to scare me,” Wharton said, waving dismissively at Blunt.
“Where are they?” Blunt asked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Stop playing dumb. I’ve got so much dirt on you I could spread out enough soil and plant a garden on forty acres of land.”
“Okay, okay,” Wharton said as he held up his hands. “I’ll tell you where I sent them.”
Wharton gave Blunt an address.
“Senator, it’s your turn,” one of the men in the foursome called out.
“I’ve gotta go,” Wharton said. “But we’re done, you understand?”
“Of course. Thanks for your help, Senator. I may have just saved your job. Better be thanking me instead of shooting darts at me with those eyes of yours.”
“Go. Now,” Wharton said. “Do it before I change my mind and call security on you.”
Blunt jumped into his golf cart and threw it into gear. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Hawk’s number as he hummed over the cart path.
“What is it?” Hawk asked. “Did you get something?”
“You’re going to New York City,” Hawk said. “Wharton even gave me the address.”
“We’ll get on the next train headed there,” Hawk said. “See you there.”
Blunt hung up and sighed as he pulled into the member parking lot. He could taste revenge—and it was sweet.
Just one more thing to do.
CHAPTER 42
New York City
HAWK SIGNALED TO ALEX and Big Earv as they approached the boarded-up building in East Harlem. From half a block away, Hawk noted two men panhandling on the sidewalk near the front steps. He was almost certain that they were Nazari’s men in disguise.
“You see what I see?” Hawk asked.
Alex took a deep breath and nodded slowly without saying a word.
“Are you all right?” Hawk asked as concern spread across his face. “You look pale.”
“I’m fine,” she said. “Maybe I shouldn’t have eaten that hotdog from the street vendor earlier.”
Hawk held her gaze. “Can you do this?”
“Yeah. Let’s go. I’m fine.”
Hawk wasn’t sure he believed Alex. For the past hour, he’d noticed that she’d been short in her responses and somewhat lethargic. Maybe the fatigue of the past few weeks was starting to catch up with them. And he wasn’t about to let her put herself in danger.
“Why don’t you go back to the car and monitor the operations from there?” Hawk suggested. “Big Earv and I can handle this.”
“You have no idea how many men are inside that building,” she fired back. “You need me more than ever right now.”
“You don’t look well right now, definitely not someone who’s able to handle herself in a protracted gunfight,” Hawk said. “We don’t know what we’re going to find in there.”
“He’s right,” Big Earv said. “If you’re not a hundred percent, we can use your seventy or eighty percent better on your computer.”
“And if something goes wrong?” she asked.
“At least you’ll be able to alert the authorities about it,” Hawk said.
“Okay, fine,” she said before grabbing his hand. “Be careful in there, and I mean it.”
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid,” Big Earv said.
“Promise me, Hawk,” she said, her eyes narrowing.
“I promise,” Hawk said. “Now get back to the car and let us know when you’re ready.”
Hawk and Big Earv acted casual as they stood on the corner, waiting for Alex to give them the signal to proceed. Their research into the building had shown that it was most recently used fifteen years ago as an event center. But the place fell into disrepair, and the owners went bankrupt. The bank that owned the building seemed content to sit on the property until its value skyrocketed, unwilling to offload it at a nominal price. Hence the reason the facility was empty.
Around the back, there was a fire escape leading up to the top of the four-story building. That was how Hawk and Big Earv planned to enter.
In the distance, Hawk heard a faint sound check occurring in Central Park.
“If we take care of these guys quickly, you might still have time to make the Rolling Stones concert,” Big Earv said.
“I might still have time?” Hawk asked incredulously. “We might still have time.”
“Oh, no. You’re not getting me to a Rolling Stones concert.”
Hawk scowled. “You’re not a fan of the Stones?”
“Not my kind of music, man,” Big Earv said. “I like my rock more like Lenny Kravitz, if I listen to that style at all. Jazz is more my speed.”
“How about I join you at a jazz club if you go with me to hear the Stones?”
Big Earv shook his head. “Not at Central Park. Too many people. I’m done with large crowds, especially after all the campaigns I worked on. I hate those things.”
“Fair enough,” Hawk said. “But I’ll still join you at a jazz club.”
“Sounds like a deal,” Big Earv said.
Hawk scanned the area in front of the building again, noting that only one of the panhandlers remained.
“Okay, I’m back and set up,” Alex said over the coms. “Keep your cameras on, and let me know if you need any help.”
“Roger that,” Hawk said.
Hawk and Big Earv cut down an alley and eased around to the back of the building. They spied a small parking lot as well a ramp leading down to a loading dock located below street level. But there weren’t any guards in sight.
“I’m beginning to think those panhandlers were real and not some bodyguards in disguise,” Hawk said.
Big Earv nodded. “If this place is ground zero for an attack on New York City today, they’re either extremely confident that they aren’t going to get raided here or they’re a ragtag outfit that doesn’t stand a chance at launching an operation.”
“I’m fine with either of those scenarios,” Hawk said.
He surveyed the area one final time before signaling that it was time to investigate further and take action.
“Hawk,” Alex said over the coms, “you might want to hold back a moment. I just saw two guys with guns hustling past the van and heading in your direction.”
Hawk put his hand on Big Earv’s chest. “Let’s wait.”
They crouched low near the corner of an adjacent building and watched for the gunmen Alex had seen. But after a few minutes, nobody had even gone close to the building, much less in or out.
“Did you happen to see where they went, Alex?” Hawk asked.
“I lost them near one of the shops,” she said. “Maybe I was wrong.”
“From where we are, we haven’t seen anyone near the front of the building, but we don’t have the clearest view of the front door.”
“I’ve been watching, but I haven’t seen anybody go in either.”
“Roger that,” Hawk said. “We’re moving in now.”
Hawk and Big Earv darted up to the building and peered inside. The windows that weren’t boarded up had been painted over to prevent people from looking inside. However, there was a small portion on the glass panes of the back door that had been scratched off. With just enough daylight before the sun dipped below the skyline for good, Hawk could see inside.
“What’s in there?” Big Earv asked.
“It looks empty,” Hawk said. “But I’m not leaving until we’ve thoroughly investigated the area. This would be a great cover for an operation.”
Hawk jiggled the knob on the door, but it didn’t open.
“Let’s try through the loading dock,” Big Earv said. “I think I saw a way we can get in.”
Hawk followed Big Earv down the ramp. He approached a rickety wood door that had a p
adlock on it.
“Did you bring your bolt cutters?” Hawk asked.
Big Earv grinned and shook his head. “Don’t need ‘em.”
He drew back and kicked at the door. The wood splintered, crashing into the building.
“So much for the element of surprise,” Hawk said.
Big Earv ripped away enough of the wood to create a large opening they could ease through. Once inside, they split up and started searching the rooms on opposite sides of the hall.
“Clear,” Hawk whispered in his coms.
“Clear,” Big Earv answered.
When they reemerged into the hallway, Hawk caught movement in the shadows and signaled for Big Earv to go back into the room. Using the doorjamb for cover, Hawk peered around the side and saw two men with military-grade machine guns.
“Two hostiles,” Hawk whispered as he glanced at Big Earv. “You ready?”
“Ready.”
Hawk and Big Earv poked their guns into the hallway and started shooting in the direction of the two hostiles. They responded with a hail of bullets, shredding the walls of the corridor. Hawk reached into his rucksack and retrieved a flashbang.
“Fire in the hole,” Hawk said as he pulled the pin. He tossed the device toward the men and waited. When it went off, the shooting stopped. Hawk and Big Earv assumed prone positions, ready to strike when the smoke cleared. However, when it finally did, the two terrorists were crawling around on the floor.
“Cover me,” Hawk said to Big Earv before rushing down the hall.
Hawk kicked the men’s weapons away from them as they struggled to regain their equilibrium.
“Please, don’t shoot me,” one of the men said in a thick New Jersey accent. “We were told to scare you.”
“Who told you to scare us?” Hawk asked.
“Just some guy we know. Said he’d pay us a grand each to come down here and just shoot at a couple of thugs trying to break in to his property. We were only trying to scare you. We don’t want any trouble.”
Hawk kept his gun trained on the man. “Pointing your rifle at me is a sure way to ask for trouble.”
“Look, man. I’m sorry. We’ll leave you alone.”
Hawk reached into the man’s back pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Arnold Thurman,” Hawk said into his coms. “You got that name, honey?”
“Yeah,” Alex said.
Then he proceeded to read off his address before repeating the routine with the other man.
“Now, if you truly don’t want any more trouble, go tell your contact that you scared us off. Tell him that you hit one of us, but that we got away. If I find out you said anything differently, I’ll hunt you down myself. Am I making myself clear?”
“Yes,” one of the men said.
“Crystal,” the other muttered.
“Now get the hell outta here before I have Big Earv rip you apart with his bare hands.”
Big Earv grunted before stomping toward the men. They scrambled to their feet and raced away.
“I was really hoping you’d let me wreck one of those dudes,” Big Earv said. “Because I’m really pissed off right now.”
“That makes two of us,” Hawk said.
“Three of us,” Alex chimed in over the coms.
“This was clearly a set up,” Hawk said. “And unfortunately, Nazari and his minions are still out there.”
“Then let’s get back to work,” Big Earv said.
Just as they started to leave, Hawk noticed a piece of paper on the ground with Arabic writing. He knelt and picked it up.
“What is it?” Big Earv asked.
“This may have not been the setup that we thought it was.”
CHAPTER 43
HAWK AND BIG EARV rushed back to the SUV where Alex was already furiously typing on her laptop. He read the crumpled up note, which appeared to be a restaurant menu. Near the straight edge of paper was half a business name and half a street address. Hawk considered the possibility that it was a mere coincidence.
When he got in the vehicle, he asked Alex to enter in the information as he read it off.
“Got it,” she said. “It’s a little cafe in Mirabad, Afghanistan.”
“Makes sense,” Hawk said. “That was the area where we suspected Tahir Nazari was hiding out before all the intel said he was hiding outside of Baghran.”
“You’re using that word intel quite loosely,” Alex said.
Hawk grunted. “No doubt about that at this point. But that makes me think that this wasn’t necessarily the setup that we thought it was.”
“What do you mean?” Alex asked.
“I mean, Nazari was likely in that building at some point, but he’s since moved obviously,” Hawk said.
“And Senator Wharton was trying to play it both ways,” Alex said. “He thought he could placate Blunt, while also avoid drawing the ire of Falcon Sinclair.”
“Was Wharton’s name on that list of payouts from Sinclair’s shell corporation?” Big Earv asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Alex said. “Wharton’s on the take, and he’s not about to piss off the man who could be effectively controlling the free world in a few days from now.”
Hawk thought for a minute as the gears in his mind started to whir. “Okay, go with me on this. After Blunt visits Wharton. Wharton calls Nazari and warns him. Then what? Where does he go?”
“To another one of Wharton’s properties,” Alex said.
“Did this building belong to Wharton?” Big Earv asked.
She nodded. “I just found that out five seconds ago on one of my searches. Wharton owns several real estate companies that develop properties in East Harlem. The name didn’t ring a bell when I first saw who owned it, but now I know it was one of his.”
“So, Wharton warned Nazari, but there had to be a backup location he could go to,” Hawk said.
“Cross-referencing all of Wharton’s properties nearby right now,” Alex said, her keyboard clicking at a rapid speed.
A moment of silence passed before Alex raised her hands in the air, triumphantly. Then they almost immediately fell, deflated.
“Want the good news or bad news first?” she asked.
“Always good first,” Big Earv said.
“All right then,” she said, “There’s more than a dozen within a mile of here. There’s no way we can check all of them fast enough.”
“We don’t know when they’re going to strike, do we?” Big Earv asked.
Hawk shook his head. “No, but they’re not going to stay around here long and risk getting caught. Time is of the essence in these types of operations.”
“Let’s put the shoe on the other foot and pretend you were the terrorist,” Alex said. “How would you strike?”
“With a dirty bomb?” he asked.
“That’s how Karif Fazil tried it, but he failed,” Alex said. “Maybe Nazari has a different idea.”
Hawk met Alex’s gaze, her face flush. “Are you feeling any better?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “Let’s figure this thing out.”
“You look hot.”
“Why thank you, honey. But I don’t think this is the appropriate time to be flattering me, especially in front of Big Earv.”
Big Earv chuckled. “Don’t mind me.”
“No, seriously,” Hawk said. “You look like you’re overheated.”
“Would you focus for a minute?” she snapped.
Hawk rolled down the window halfway. “That ought to help. It was getting stuffy in here anyway. Now, where were we?”
“You were about to tell us how you’d terrorize New York.”
The distant thumping of music reached his ears. “Well, I might attack the seven hundred and fifty thousand people they expect to be in Central Park for the Rolling Stones’ concert tonight. Easy target and even easier to get away with.”
“I don’t think these people care too much about that,” Big Earv said.
“Good point,” Hawk said.
“So, how would
you do it?” Alex asked. “I mean, what would your delivery method be?”
He shrugged. “We don’t even know what kind of weapon they’re using.”
“I know what I’d use,” she said.
“What?” he said.
“I’d use drones. It’d terrify the hell out of everybody, creating mass chaos and panic. And there’d be nothing anybody could do about it until it was too late. Nowhere to take cover. Nowhere to run.”
“See if you can find how many Afghani nationals entered the country in the past three days,” Hawk said. “Look specifically for New York as the port of entry.”
Alex typed away, while Hawk tapped his hand on the steering wheel to the beat of the music wafting outside.
Big Earv shot him a glance. “You really want to go to this concert, don’t you?”
Hawk nodded. “It’d be a blast.”
“I think you’re looking for any excuse to go,” Big Earv said with a wry grin.
“I told you I like to mix work with pleasure.”
Alex cleared her throat. “Okay, you ask, I deliver.”
“What’d you find?” Hawk asked.
There were two dozen Afghani nationals that came into the country. Four of them are listed as former MIT grads, all holding some sort of degree in chemistry. And five others are licensed pilots.
“Another 9/11?” Hawk asked.
“Not a chance of that happening,” she said. “But drone pilots, on the other hand … It’s a much better method.”
“Plus you don’t have to kill yourself to do it,” Big Earv said.
“That’s not exactly the M.O. for these types of terrorists, but maybe times are changing,” Hawk said.
“We’re just a playing a hunch for now,” Alex said. “We can’t confirm any of this until we know where they are.”
Hawk snapped his fingers as an idea came to him. “Okay, so let’s say these guys were here. We’d have to see them leave at some point since the time that Wharton met with Blunt. And I’d almost bet it happened within hours.”
“I’m pulling satellite footage now of this location,” Alex said.
A couple minutes passed before she exhaled loudly. “Got it.”
“What is it?” Hawk asked.
“I’m watching them leave and following their vans.”
Final Strike (A Brady Hawk Novel Book 21) Page 20
