While Blunt had plenty of questions, all Blunt could do was sit and wait.
CHAPTER 27
Berbera, Somalia
HAWK CLOSED ONE EYE and stared down the barrel with the other. It looked clear, but he brought it close to his mouth and blew a forceful breath through the barrel just to be sure. He pulled it away from his mouth, eyeing it once more.
“All clear,” he announced, setting the gun on the table. He repeated the process several times with all the weapons he planned to strap to his body.
“A jam in the middle of a gunfight is a bitch,” McGinn said. “Guys, I gotta tell you that I’ve got a good feeling about tonight.”
Hawk set another gun on the table and glanced at McGinn before cutting his gaze over at Alex, who was looking at him. They both returned to their assignments, Hawk with the guns and Alex with the computers.
“That’s good to hear,” Alex said. “I’d hate for you to have a bad feeling before we entered battle together.”
“I always have a good feeling,” he said.
“As long as you have my back, we’ll be okay,” Hawk said, glancing up at McGinn.
“Of course I do,” McGinn said. “Everything is going to run smoothly.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” she said.
McGinn sighed and shook his head. “Don’t be such a stick in the mud, Alex. To date, every mission I’ve ever been on, I’ve emerged without dying.”
“There’s always a first time,” she said.
Hawk cracked a faint smile. If there was one thing he loved about Alex, it was that she was relentless. Even though they hadn’t had much of an opportunity to fully discuss the fact that perhaps they were working with a man who’d been co-opted by the enemy, Hawk knew she understood the situation. They’d been working together long enough that words weren’t always necessary. A look could sometimes say it all.
McGinn let out a long breath through his teeth He rolled his eyes at Alex’s comment and continued prepping the explosives on the table.
“Are you always so optimistic, Alex?” McGinn asked.
She nodded. “It’s what keeps me alive.”
“Load up in five minutes,” McGinn said, refusing to engage in any more witty banter.
Hawk collected every weapon he’d collected from his trip to McGinn’s compound and headed for the SUV. Alex did likewise with all her computer equipment.
“Got any last-minute questions?” McGinn asked Alex as they walked out to the car.
Hawk turned around and watched Alex shake her head. It was obvious that his partner knew what she was doing and wasn’t interested in giving McGinn any more inside information that might be detrimental to their ultimate objective: take possession of the Sarin gas.
“You need to be on your A game tonight,” McGinn said. “One wrong move could cost all of us.”
Alex scowled. “You think I don’t already know that?”
“Just a reminder,” he said.
Hawk stopped in front of the SUV and attempted to referee the argument taking place behind him.
“We need to get on the same page,” Hawk said. “We’re not going up against a fly-by-night operation here. Al Hasib and Al-Shabaab are two terrorists groups that know how to put everyone on edge. Please don’t lose your edge by fighting amongst yourselves. We all need to be committed to working with and for one another. If you can’t do that, then please sit this operation out.”
Both Alex and McGinn looked somewhat sheepishly at Hawk.
“Thousands of people could die if we don’t get our act together,” Hawk said. “Now, let’s get it together. Are you with me?”
Alex and McGinn both nodded and returned to their duties as they loaded up the SUV for surveillance.
McGinn tossed his last weapon into the trunk before slamming it shut.
“He isn’t joking, you know?” McGinn said to Alex.
Alex watched Hawk walk back toward the building where there were plenty of other supplies, enough to make a two-day stand if necessary. To Hawk, every piece was important if they were going to survive the impending onslaught.
“If you have anything else, grab it now,” McGinn said. “It’s time to ride.”
He turned the ignition and revved the gas, firing up the engine. “This won’t be easy,” he said with a smile.
Alex waved him off. “Nothing is ever easy.”
Several minutes later, Hawk returned and climbed into the passenger side front seat next to McGinn.
McGinn slapped the steering wheel and let out a yell of delight. “Hot damn,” he said. “We’re gonna kill us some terrorists tonight.”
CHAPTER 28
GARAAR GLANCED AT HIS WATCH and continued to pace in the warehouse. He only stopped every minute or so when he drew near to the bank of closed-circuit security monitors on his desk. He hunched over and studied the image of each camera closely before moving on to the next one. The only activity he noticed was that of the Al-Shabaab guards patrolling the perimeter. Despite the fact that everything appeared quiet, Garaar remained worried.
At 10:50 p.m., Garaar decided to sit down after more than three hours of pacing and worrying. He opened up his Internet browser to see if he could find the latest message from Cindy. The message at the top of his inbox was a new one, denoted in a bold font. The combination of the email title along with the paper clip icon intrigued Garaar even more than usual when it came to Cindy’s messages. The title read: Tasteful Party Boat Attire? Garaar clicked on the email with delight, knowing there wouldn’t be anything tasteful about it. A grin slowly spread across Garaar’s face as he stared at the buxom blonde.
Cindy’s attire barely qualified as clothing and, Garaar deduced, would not likely withstand the mild rigors of a fifty-meter lap swim.
But perhaps that is the point.
Garaar gawked at the picture of Cindy for a couple minutes before he crafted a response to her picture, which didn’t include any message.
That is most tasteful, Cindy. I hope you plan on wearing that when you
