“Did he leave you here?”
The man shook his head. “I escaped. He was going to kill me.”
“What did you do?”
“I was supposed to secure the area. Apparently I failed. If I would have gone back to the truck, he would have killed me.”
“How would you like to get revenge on your taskmaster?”
The man finally looked up at Hawk and scowled. “I do not wish him any harm. He took me in when no one else would.”
“He took you in so he could use you,” Hawk said. “The fact that you understand that he would’ve killed you had you made it back to one of the vehicles proves you understand as much.”
“Maybe I deserve it for not doing what Fazil told me to do.”
Hawk chuckled. “You don’t deserve it, as least not for that. My life depends on you not being able to even catch even a whiff of my scent when I’m on a mission like that. I was a ghost. You could’ve checked a thousand times, and I doubt you would’ve ever found me. It’s not your fault.”
“Fazil would have seen it another way.”
“He would’ve killed you, yet here you are, still alive,” Hawk said. “Don’t you think that’s for a reason?”
The man nodded. Hawk offered his hand to the man and pulled him to his feet.
“Why don’t we go find out what that reason is,” Hawk said. “What do you say?”
“Okay.”
Hawk moved quickly and zip tied the man’s hands behind his back. The man squirmed as he twisted away from Hawk. But he grabbed the man and forced him forward.
“What is this for?” the man asked, cutting his eyes to the side at his bound hands.
“I’m simply taking precautions,” Hawk said. “For all I know, you could be a plant left behind to kill me.”
“Hiding in the bushes without a weapon?” the man asked. “You think that’s how we’re taught to ambush?”
“You can never be too careful. Now, come on, let’s get moving. We’ve got a flight to catch.”
Hawk nudged the man forward, and they continued along the path for several minutes. After a while, Hawk called Alex to update her on the situation.
“Where have you been?” she asked. “I was starting to worry about you once you left my screen and entered the jungle.”
“I had to get out of there,” Hawk said. “But on the positive side of things, I made a new friend.”
“You made a new friend? What’s his name?”
“To be determined, but he’s one of Fazil’s men. Found him hiding in the forest. He’s not one of Oberfelk’s guys, but, hopefully, he’ll be a nice consolation prize for Fortner.”
“Hustle back,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
CHAPTER 2
Washington, D.C.
THREE DAYS LATER, J.D. Blunt hobbled into the Pentagon meeting room and took a seat near the head of the table next to General Van Fortner. Hawk and Alex joined them before one lone straggler, an aide to President Noah Young, slipped into the room and shut the door before sitting down opposite Fortner.
“I appreciate everyone coming here today,” he said, kicking off the meeting. “As you all are acutely aware, we are in some difficult times. And because of the work of the Firestorm team, things are a little less difficult and the world is a little safer.”
“For now,” Blunt grumbled.
“Exactly,” Fortner said, pointing at Blunt. “For now. We dodged a bullet thanks to some great intel, but I shudder to think what might happen the next time Karif Fazil approaches an arms dealer about purchasing a long-range missile. He seems to be getting closer to making a breakthrough that would devastate this country.”
“With all due respect, sir,” Hawk said, “we’re not going to let that happen.”
“While I want to believe you, it’s foolish to make such claims,” Fortner said. “One wrong move and we all could be looking at a smoldering mushroom cloud over New York or Washington or Chicago or L.A.”
“But at least we have a member of Al Hasib to extract information from,” Alex said.
Fortner nodded. “Yes, at least we have that, though we haven’t got much out of him yet. But we’re working on it.”
“I’m glad we caught the little bastard before the election,” the aide chimed in. “If James Peterson were to win the presidency, there’s no doubt the terrorist would receive a hero’s welcome and be sent back to the Middle East with reparations for his time in U.S. custody.”
Fortner sighed. “I know you’re saying that in jest, but that might not be too from the truth. Part of the reason we need to work so hard to gather intelligence now is so we can force Fazil back into the open before the election. As much as the recent revelation about Peterson’s alleged interaction with Al Hasib has damaged him in the polls, we all know how reliable polling numbers can be. All it takes is one story in the eleventh hour to change the minds of the American people.”
“Well, let’s give them a story that will make everyone have faith in Noah Young’s leadership,” Hawk said. “The head of Karif Fazil on a platter will do wonders for Young’s popularity—as well as decimate Al Hasib.”
“Agreed,” Blunt said. “As strong of a tactician as Fazil is, his greatest strength is his charisma and ability to recruit able-bodied men to fight for him.”
“So, what do you want us to do?” Hawk asked.
“I want to know what you need from me to make your job easier,” Fortner said. “Access to tech, weapons, transportation, anything—you name it.”
Hawk’s eyes widened. “This might be a first in the history of the government.”
Fortner flashed a quick smile. “Remember, you’re not actually working for the government. That’s why you’re so successful at keeping terrorists at bay.”
A polite, collective chuckle filled the room but quickly ended when Blunt groaned. He clutched his stomach and bent over slightly.
“Are you okay, J.D.?” Fortner asked.
“I’m fine,” Blunt said. “Just a little stomach ache.”
“Are you well enough to continue?” Fortner asked.
Blunt waved dismissively. “Go on, go on. We’re all listening.”
“The reason I ask about what you might need is because it’s going to get increasingly more difficult to find Fazil now that his money supply has been cut off,” Fortner said. “With most of his assets frozen, our ability to track him has decreased considerably.”
“I didn’t initiate that,” Blunt said as he grimaced.
“I know you didn’t,” Fortner said. “Some stupid bureaucrat suggested it to Noah without running it by me first. We were able to learn more about his movements through tracking his money, even keeping tabs on his business associates and those loosely affiliated with Al Hasib through their fundraising efforts. But no longer.”
“So what now?” Alex asked.
“From what we’ve been able to discern, Fazil has gone underground again,” Fortner said.
“What if Al Hasib’s funds were released?” Alex asked.
“That wouldn’t matter,” Fortner said. “He’s going to lay low for a while, which might mean we don’t have to worry about him for a period of time. But that also means we’ll be in the dark about what he’s planning—money or no money. He’s not going to resurface until he’s ready to act. And by then, it might be too late.”
A knock at the door interrupted their discussion.
“Come in,” Fortner said.
One of Fortner’s aides poked his head inside the room. “Sorry to bother you, sir, but there’s an urgent message for Senator Blunt.”
Blunt furrowed his brow. “What is it?”
“A board member from Colton Industries just called on behalf of Thomas Colton’s wife,” the aide said. “He said that Mr. Colton has been kidnapped. And they think it’s Al Hasib.”
“Thank you,” Fornter said, nodding at the aide to dismiss him.
“So much for Fazil staying underground and off the radar,�
�� Hawk said.
“He’s a bull in a china shop now,” Blunt said. “And we can put our plans on hold. The last thing we want is for Karif Fazil to somehow wrangle away some of Colton Industries’ latest tech.”
“Then let’s get to it,” Fortner said.
CHAPTER 3
Dallas, Texas
KARIF FAZIL GRINNED as he watched the files transfer to the portable hard drive he had connected to Thomas Colton’s computer. To Fazil, fighting against the Americans always felt like entering battle with one hand tied behind his back. No matter how careful he was or how well he planned his attacks, they always seemed to have an advantage that mitigated any of his brilliant strategy. And that advantage seemed to come in the form of either technology or Brady Hawk. But Fazil had figured out a way to neutralize both advantages, and he was giddy with excitement while doing his best to contain his emotions.
“You know these documents are encrypted, right?” Colton said from the corner of the room as he fidgeted with the bindings around his wrists. “You won’t be able to read them even though you have them.”
“I know what encrypted means,” Fazil said. “I doubt they will be too difficult for my Cal Tech-trained computer experts to crack. And if they are, I know where to find you.”
“That’s not my department,” Colton said. “They don’t let me near anything like that. I wouldn’t know where to begin in finding you the right person to decrypt anything.”
“Then let’s just hope my men don’t run into any problems.”
Fazil crossed his arms and stepped back from the computer as he watched the file names populate the folder connected to his hard drive.
“You have a very dangerous son, Mr. Colton,” Fazil said.
“Excuse me?” Colton said.
“I said, you have a very dangerous son.”
“Oh, you’re talking about Brady Hawk,” Colton said. “Well, come to find out, he’s not exactly my son.”
“And does he know that?”
“I think he was actually relieved when he found out.”
“But he still cares for you, doesn’t he?”
Colton shrugged. “Can’t say for sure, though the only reason I ever see him these days is if he wants something from me.”
“Is that how all kids are when they get older? They only come to see you if they need a handout?”
“I guess it’s a universal trait among humans,” Colton said, pausing for a moment before continuing the conversation. “Do you have any kids?”
Fazil wagged a finger at Colton. “Don’t start with me, Mr. Colton. I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to connect with me and humanize yourself. But don’t worry—I will never see any Americans as humans after what they did to my family. You will all pay at some point or another for the sins of your country’s destructive military machine.”
“That’s not what I was trying to do. I was just—”
“Silence!” Fazil barked. “If I have a question, I will ask you and then you will speak. Is that understood?”
Colton nodded.
“Good,” Fazil said. “Now that we’re clear, it’s time to go.”
“Look, we can make a deal,” Colton said. “It doesn’t have to go down like this.”
Fazil stormed across the room and backhanded Colton, drawing blood from the corner of his mouth. Stooping down to eye level, Fazil glared at Colton.
“What did I just say about speaking without being spoken to?”
Colton looked down.
Fazil grabbed Colton’s face. “Look at me when I’m speaking to you.”
Colton’s gaze met Fazil’s.
“Don’t test me, Mr. Colton. You don’t want to see what I’m capable of doing—not yet anyway.”
Fazil strode back across the room to the computer and summoned his bird Jafar, which had been perched on the windowsill. Jafar lit on Fazil’s shoulder and cooed.
Colton struggled with his bindings, his chair scraping against the floor as he tried to wrestle free. The noise resulted in a glance from Fazil. He turned and looked back at the screen.
“Don’t bother with trying to escape,” Fazil said. “It’ll only make things worse for you.”
Colton continued, refusing to look up at his captor.
With Jafar in tow, Fazil hustled across the room and delivered a vicious uppercut to Colton, connecting squarely with his chin. The blow knocked Colton backward. Fazil stood over his prisoner and studied him closely. Colton was out cold.
The computer beeped twice, signaling the task had been completed. Fazil hustled back to the terminal and snatched the thumb drive out of the USB slot. He stuffed the device into his pocket and returned to Colton, who still wasn’t moving.
Fazil radioed for two of his men to retrieve Colton.
“I need him in the van,” Fazil said. “We’re not done with him yet.”
CHAPTER 4
Dallas, Texas
UPON LANDING AT THE Dallas-Fort Worth airport, Hawk and Alex hustled to their rental car and drove to Dallas Executive Airport, which was where Thomas Colton kept his Gulfstream G650 jet. The latest report Hawk had received from Colton Industries was that one of the company security guards heard an Al Hasib agent mention something about stealing the boss’s jet. And if that was true, Hawk understood the gravity of the situation.
Hawk was quite familiar with Colton’s plane, which was a newer model year of the one Blunt often deployed for Firestorm missions. The Gulfstream G650 had one of the longest ranges of any executive jet on the market and could nearly fly Mach 1. If Fazil and his men got that jet in the air with Colton, they could disappear virtually anywhere in the world.
“What do you have in mind if Fazil has already taken Colton?” Alex asked.
“I’m hoping we don’t have to deal with that, but I’m working on something.”
“You know they’re going to disable the GPS tracker.”
Hawk nodded. “This isn’t going to be easy.” He slammed his fist on the steering wheel, fearing the inevitable.
“Calm down,” she said. “We’ll find him.”
“I hate being a step behind Fazil.”
“I’m sure the feeling is mutual.”
“Well, he’s got the upper hand right now.”
“And look where that’s gotten him.”
Hawk shook his head. “He’s still alive, isn’t he?”
“He’s getting desperate. And when you feel that way, you try to force the issue and make mistakes that end up costing you dearly. Fazil ought to know that from experience.”
“But a brazen kidnapping like this on American soil demonstrates that he’s reached a point where he feels like he has nothing to lose. And that scares the hell out of me.”
“This is it for Fazil,” Alex said. “And I think he knows it. This is his last-ditch attempt at doing anything. If he fails this time . . .”
She let her words hang, though Hawk wasn’t in agreement with Alex’s conclusion. He wasn’t convinced Fazil had reached the point where he would resign himself to failure if he didn’t succeed on his next mission. Fazil was getting more desperate, but he still acted in a calculated manner. Kidnapping Colton was bold, but Hawk sensed there was purpose to it.
“My fear isn’t that this is his last hurrah and that he’s going for broke,” Hawk said. “It’s that he’s going to put us in the kind of situation we can’t win.”
“That’s the nature of the game, especially for someone who doesn’t share your values. It’s why we’re in this whole battle in the first place.”
“I know you’re right, but it doesn’t make it any easier to swallow.”
Hawk entered the security checkpoint at Dallas Executive Airport and quickly parked before racing toward the Colton Industries hangar with Alex. The guard at the door sighed and shook his head slightly the moment he made eye contact with Hawk.
“They’re gone,” the man said.
“You let him take the plane?” Hawk asked before his mouth f
ell agape.
“I didn’t have any choice. Mr. Colton made the request, though he didn’t look like he made it willingly. But I doubt he had a choice.”
“Did the terrorist have a gun?” Alex asked.
“I couldn’t see one, but he held Mr. Colton tight against him. I don’t know what else he could’ve been trying to conceal.”
“And they probably didn’t file a flight plan, did they?” Hawk asked.
The man looked down at his desk and picked up a piece of paper before sliding it across the countertop to Hawk.
“Actually, they did file one.”
Hawk looked at the final destination. “Port St. Lucia,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m not buying that for a second.”
“You and me both,” the man said. “But if you want to know more about what’s going on, I’d suggest you speak with Mr. Colton’s wife, Gayle. I saw him call her before he left.”
“Have the cops been by here yet?” Alex asked.
“Not yet, but they’re on their way. They know something happened, but nobody at headquarters is telling them much of anything. I’ve been instructed to tell them it’s all a big misunderstanding. But you guys aren’t cops.”
Hawk grinned. “Is Gayle in town?”
“She just got back two days ago from a trip somewhere in the Caribbean, and she hasn’t been here since,” the guard said. “And trust me, she doesn’t set foot in airports. Just the mention of a commercial airport will result in her beginning a rant about how they are just a giant petri dish.”
Hawk drummed on the counter before shaking the guard’s hand.
“Thank you for your assistance. You’ve been most helpful.”
“Sorry I couldn’t tell you more, but you know everything I do now.”
Alex nodded toward the door. “Let’s get moving.”
Once they got back to their car, Hawk fired up the engine and entered Colton’s address into the GPS app on his phone.
“So do you have a hunch about anything yet?” Alex asked.
“I wish I had a better idea of what Fazil is thinking right now.”
“You have many talents, Hawk, but unfortunately mind reading isn’t one of them.”
Two Minutes to Midnight Page 2
