“Looks can be deceiving,” Alex said.
The Baba Mountains cast long shadows on the rural village below, darkening Nazari’s face. While the story of Nazari’s meteoric rise was intriguing, the story of his family history was what Hawk found interesting. Upon learning more about it, Hawk realized Nazari’s path wasn’t so shocking at all. In fact, it should’ve been expected. Washington had seen it played out over and over again: A relative gets killed in a U.S. military strike, spawning legions of new terrorists. That’s part of the reason why Firestorm and, now, the Phoenix Foundation had been allowed to exist. Targeted strikes against radicals had proven to seed far fewer terrorists. But when Karif Fazil was killed in London, Nazari had plotted not just to take his half-brother’s place, but to supplant whatever he’d built with a stronger militia, one more nimble and capable.
According to all the intel on Nazari, the agrarian lifestyle never seemed to be a problem for him. But overnight, that changed. Now, Nazari had succeeded in his goal, making Fazil’s team look like a rag-tag group of carnival workers in comparison.
Hawk couldn’t help but wonder if Nazari’s inexperience accounted for his lack of awareness. Prancing around in the open was going to get him killed. Hawk was merely seconds away from pulling the trigger and making that happen.
“Still good?” Alex asked again.
“I’ll tell you in about thirty seconds,” Hawk said. “The target is standing on a chair against the wall in the courtyard. I don’t think I’ll ever get a cleaner shot.”
“Then take it,” she said.
Hawk steadied his breathing as he centered the crosshairs on Nazari’s chest.
“Say goodnight, Mr. Nazari,” Hawk said before pulling the trigger.
Hawk waited a couple seconds as the bullet zipped through the air before hitting Nazari in the heart. He staggered backward a few steps before collapsing onto the ground. Hawk watched horror spread across the faces of everyone at the party. Shock turned to panic as people dove for cover.
Hawk rose to his knees before slinging the gun over his shoulder. He crouched low as he navigated through the rocky terrain to his vehicle. However, before he could get inside, bullets peppered the area around him. He cursed as he sought cover.
“What the hell is going on?” Hawk asked over the coms.
“I was hoping you could tell me,” Alex said. “I see heat signatures coming from weapons positioned in the ridge above you, but that’s all. And they sure as hell weren’t there a few minutes ago.”
“Where’d they come from?” Hawk asked.
“Beats me,” she said. “Maybe that’s where Nazari’s hideout is … or, was.”
“Can you get me any help?” Hawk asked. “This is starting to look like a kill box to me. I’ve got hostiles on both sides of the ridge.”
“There’s not much I can do at this point,” she said. “Your best bet is to try and drive out of there and beat anyone responding to the main highway.”
“Roger that,” Hawk said as he scrambled behind the wheel, dodging stray bullets. He turned the key, igniting the engine. Jamming the vehicle into drive, Hawk wheeled around and sped back down the primitive road that he took to reach his perch. While he’d assassinated many hardened terrorists before, they never looked quite so surprised. Death came as a welcome relief for some. But Hawk couldn’t shake the image of horror on Nazari’s face, making the American operative wonder if the pre-emptive strike may have happened too early. He assuaged his conscience by telling himself that Hitler probably wasn’t always a psychopath, but if someone had killed him before his rise to power, the world would’ve been spared so much suffering.
Hawk’s mind raced with possibilities of how to handle the potential scenarios. He could abandon his vehicle and fight. He could drive straight toward them in a dangerous game of chicken. Or he could get out and run, taking his chances on foot. Every report he’d read said that Nazari’s men wouldn’t be able to provide a quick response and that the best location to take him out would’ve provided quick access to the main road where it would’ve been easy to blend in again. But that wasn’t the case. Everything felt off from the moment he’d arrived. He should’ve trusted his gut.
“There are two vehicles zipping your way from the mountains behind you,” she said. “I’m guessing they’re Nazari’s men.”
Hawk maneuvered around a couple boulders. “And what do you suggest I do? I’m kind of flying blind here.”
“There aren’t a lot of options,” she said. “How much ammo do you have?”
“I don’t like where this is going.”
She ignored him and continued. “The road takes a sharp right about a mile from where you are. You need to stay on the gas. The other two vehicles shouldn’t catch you before the turnoff. But if you slow down for any reason …”
“What is it, Alex? How many men am I going to have to face? Six? Eight? Ten?”
“I don’t know,” Alex said, her voice quivering. “Just don’t let it get to that.”
“I’ll do my best. Just keep me posted if anything changes.”
“Be careful, Hawk.”
He looked behind him, the dust from the vehicles rising over the ridge. The fear in Alex’s voice made him concerned, as if maybe it was worse than what she was letting on.
“Honey, I’ve got some bad news,” Alex said, breaking the silence after a few seconds.
“That’s not what I need right now,” he said.
“There’s another caravan headed toward you now, too.”
“How many?”
“I count four vehicles. You’re not going to make that sharp curve before they reach you.”
Hawk cursed and slammed on the brakes. After scanning the area, he noticed a farm house with a small barn about fifty meters away. He jumped out of his SUV and searched the ground for a sizable rock.
“What are you doing, Hawk?” Alex asked.
“Giving myself a fighting chance,” he said.
“You need to get out of there.”
“Just trust me, okay? I’ve got this.”
Hawk drove his
