It took Alex less than fifteen minutes to explain to the border patrol agent what they were doing on camels. He told them he couldn’t permit them to leave, not without the authority of a higher-ranking government officer. Then Alex turned on her charm. She asked the man if that was necessary if she was going to give him their camels.
Out came the stamp—and they were through into Djibouti.
Hawk offered five-hundred dollars to another agent on the other side to drive them to Camp Lemonnier. Once there, they asked for the gate MP to contact General Van Fortner and that they needed to speak to him on the orders of J.D. Blunt. After a few phone calls and verification of their identities, Hawk and Alex were forced to surrender their weapons and were taken via an armed escort to a hangar to meet General Fortner.
Fortner emerged from an office door in the hangar to greet his guests. While Blunt had mentioned that Fortner was twenty years his younger, Hawk struggled to see it. Perhaps it was the effects of leading a military installation located in one of the hottest regions on the planet. Or maybe it was just life in the military. Whatever the reason, Fortner’s face was leathery, his hat covering up what wisps of hair escaped. Hawk noted that he’d never seen any fresh-faced generals, even ones that made the rank far ahead of their peers, even ones that didn’t live in such harsh environments.
Fortner broke into a smile and offered his hand to Hawk and Alex.
“You must be Brady Hawk,” Fortner said, shaking Hawk’s hand. He turned toward Alex. “And you’re Alex Duncan?”
They both nodded.
“It’s my pleasure to meet both of you. J.D. spoke highly of you both the last time we talked.”
“When was that?” Hawk asked.
“Several weeks ago when he was trying to escape that shit storm Washington was raining down on him.”
“I’m glad someone has his back.”
“That’s a dwindling crowd these days.”
“We know that all too well,” Alex said.
Fortner looked Hawk and Alex up and down. It hadn’t even occurred to Hawk how questionable their grimy clothes might appear to someone else.
“Rough trip over here?” Fortner said with a grin.
“If you only knew the half of it,” Hawk said.
“Let me guess—terrorists, guns, camels, desert? Does that about cover it?”
“How’d you know?” Alex asked.
Fortner shook his head. “I live in Djibouti on the border of Somalia. That’s called Monday around here.”
“Think you can get us to Tuesday?” Hawk asked.
“Tell me what you need, and I’ll make it happen.”
Hawk’s phone buzzed. “Excuse me, General. I need to take this call.”
Hawk stepped away from the crowd and left Alex to charm the general. He glanced down at his phone before answering it.
“Now’s not a good time, Emily,” Hawk said in a whisper.
“I need your help.”
“I’m not sure I can help you right now,” he said.
“Please, I’m begging you. They’re going to kill me if you don’t do what Parker asks you to do. I need you to come to Cape Town.”
CHAPTER 41
Cape Town, South Africa
EMILY THORNTON WAS ALL TOO AWARE that she’d lost a good man in Brady Hawk. It was a steep price to pay but a necessary one for someone who feels committed to the cause. Yet the cause had lost its fervor, though not its importance. Managing the surging number of shadowy black ops organizations had been reduced to an endless game of whack-a-mole. To ignore these groups would lead to a world overrun with tyrant leaders. But to snuff them out had grown exhausting and dangerous. There were fewer resources to deal with the burgeoning problem that had spread like a cancer across the globe.
At the center of all these groups was the one Emily wanted to see taken down more than anything. It was why she stayed with Searchlight even as she acknowledged that the organization’s tactics often rode roughshod over legal lines. However, Emily’s latest assignment had her straddling the fence between succeeding in her mission and maintaining a shred of authenticity in her relationship with Hawk. Their romance had been real years ago when they were working together in Jordan with the Peace Corps, despite the fact that it was first part of a covert op. Hawk, her secondary assignment, was born out of opportunism. A chance to lure an elite-trained Navy Seal to work for them couldn’t be ignored. It’s all she ever mentioned to Hawk. She never wanted to tell him the primary reason she was there. The assignment was too dark and too evil. She knew he’d never look at her the same way again if he ever found out.
Yet here she was years later faced with a quandary that pitted duty and devoted obsession against the only man she’d ever loved. To move forward, she resigned herself to the fact that Hawk was a lost cause for her. Emily figured there weren’t enough days left in their lives to rebuild the trust that they’d once had. It was over—and it made what she was about to do that much easier.
Hawk just might try to kill me once he realizes we want to use Alex for bait, but there’s no other way.
Emily had perfected the art of manipulation and was prepared to use it when the situation called for it. If there was ever a time when she needed to do so, this was the moment. The guilt Emily felt over lying to Hawk about her supposedly being in danger from Searchlight would easily be assuaged after she took down the person at the center of The Chamber. Once The Chamber was weakened, a domino effect would ensue as the other players vied to assume the role as top dog. But no other group was positioned as strategically as The Chamber, and neither was one resourced as well either. Weapons and money were one thing, but The Chamber also possessed a stable of highly-trained operatives who could
