Though he was starting to question that assumption given the recent break-in and paranoia he was experiencing. Perhaps someone did know.
But the lure of the big payday trumped his fears.
Garaar looked around his lab and continued with his work for the day, confident that everything would be fine as long as he could make it until Saturday night without anything else going haywire.
CHAPTER 10
ALEX SLEPT WITH HER PHONE, almost never setting it down when McGinn was around. She wanted to tell Hawk about what she’d found, but it was difficult when McGinn acted as if Hawk had to shadow him wherever they went. She presumed it was because McGinn was a fraud who couldn’t fight his way through a room full of kindergarteners. That was her first impression of him, at least. Perhaps he was a fully competent operative. But she’d have to see him in action to change her mind.
She was left behind again while Hawk and McGinn returned to the compound to see if it was still occupied by the men who’d attacked or if they’d found what they were looking for. Either way, she was told it required a high degree of caution and she could best serve them by going over schematics he printed out for her.
Alex hovered over the blueprints and tried to figure out the best place for them to tap into the security network so she could have eyes on the building throughout the duration of the operation. The execution of what she was being asked to do was simple to her, so simple that it made her question why she was even tapped for the job. When she initially asked why not anyone else, Roland’s reasoning made sense, but now she began to suspect there was something else going on. Her task was something dozens of tech experts could do in their sleep.
And if McGinn is such a badass, why does he even need Hawk?
In her short time with Firestorm, if she’d learned anything, it was that she needed to be on her guard at all times and trust no one. And she took her own advice to heart with the exception of Hawk, who’d proven himself to be more than trustworthy. She still held Blunt suspect, even though she wasn’t quite sure why.
A couple hours later, Hawk returned with McGinn and updated Alex on everything that transpired at the compound. The power had been cut off along with the water. More than two dozen men had been killed, their bodies left in the center of the courtyard, while the ones who escaped had yet to return to the grounds. McGinn explained that he and Hawk donned disguises and sought out one of the men who’d been training at McGinn’s camp. The trainee, Amir, described what happened after they left.
According to Amir, the militia that initiated the attack were looking for something, but they didn’t appear to find it. Amir watched the scene unfold from a crack in the door at one of the storage sheds. The soldiers kicked the door down, but not before Amir had time to hide behind some supplies in the corner. After a cursory search, the soldiers abandoned the room and moved along. Fifteen minutes later, they were gone, screaming and cursing in anger.
“Should we abandon this op and come up with another plan?” Alex asked. “Sounds like there are some things that are getting beyond our control here.”
McGinn glared at her. “Everything’s fine. According to my sources, the exchange is still on. This attack had everything to do with Al-Shabaab’s vendetta against the presence of a U.S.-led training facility here and was merely coincidental.”
Hawk nodded. “And you trust this informant?”
“I’d bet my life on it,” McGinn said. “In fact, I am betting my life on the information he gave me.”
“In that case, we should still proceed,” Hawk said. “What’s at stake here if this weapon gets into the wrong hands is worth the risk.”
“Not if we’re dead,” Alex said. “Who’s even going to find out what happened to the weapon if this is a set up?”
Hawk put his hand on Alex’s shoulder. “We still need to try to do what we came here to do.”
McGinn cracked his knuckles. “That’s right, Alex. Listen to your partner. I’m in charge here, and there’s no reason to doubt my informant. I can promise you that the exchange is going to happen as planned.”
“That’s why I’m concerned,” she said.
McGinn eyed her closely. “Come again?”
“This information all feels like it’s coming too easily to me, as if someone is feeding it to you for other purposes.”
“Are you suggesting my informant is screwing with me?”
She shrugged. “Not sure. But I’d be leery about taking anybody at their word.”
McGinn smirked and looked at Hawk. “You might wanna tell your girl here that paranoia will get you killed in this business.”
Hawk narrowed his eyes. “One person’s paranoia is another person’s savvy intuition. Alex reads situations well. I’m trusting you, but if she’s insistent that something else might be at play here, I think we’d be wise to use more caution.”
“And how do you think we should do that?” McGinn asked.
“Get someone else to confirm it. Get Alex to hack someone’s communications. Anything to get us the assurance we need that we’re not all being set up here.”
McGinn exhaled slowly. “You sure did change your tune fast. A little defensive of your princess, aren’t you?”
Hawk grabbed McGinn by his shirt and got in his face. “You got something against Alex?”
McGinn huffed through his nose. “You gonna do something about it if I do?”
Hawk released McGinn before shoving him backward. “Get your act together or we’re out of here.”
“Be careful about your demands, Mr. Hawk,” McGinn said as he smoothed out the front of his jacket. “There’s no private plane sitting on the runway for you, and getting out of Somalia on the ground isn’t a picnic. I suggest you get in step
