Alex leaned close to Hawk and whispered, “Did he just quote Nickelback?”
“God help us,” Hawk said under his breath.
They followed McGinn as he navigated through the men engaged in combat training.
“Don’t pay them any attention,” McGinn said. “They couldn’t hurt a flea.”
“Aren’t you the one supposed to be training them?” Alex asked.
“Lady, you sure do ask a lot of questions. I’d suggest you keep your mouth shut. A woman talking too much is far more detrimental to her own health than smoking ever will be. You can take that to the bank.”
“Any other nuggets of wisdom for me?” she said, chiding him.
McGinn ignored her dig. “No matter what you do, don’t ever anger the camels.”
Hawk glanced at Alex, who rolled her eyes.
“This guy’s a piece of work,” she said quietly.
“That’s one way of putting it. It’s far nicer than I would have,” Hawk whispered. “I might just have to punch his lights out before we’re through here.”
McGinn entered a set of barracks and marched through the hallway until he came to an open door.
“This will be your room for the next several days. Feel free to smoke in here if you like.”
Hawk furrowed his brow. “What? No private room for the lady?”
McGinn shrugged. “It’s the 21st Century. Get over it.”
Hawk, who’d grown more annoyed by McGinn’s antics by the second, rammed his forearm into McGinn’s chest and pinned him against the wall.
“I think she’d like some privacy,” Hawk said. “You think you can make that happen?”
McGinn exhaled and cut his eyes skyward. “You Millennials are so damn high maintenance, I swear.”
Hawk released him. “We aren’t anything other than highly-trained operatives who are here to bail your ass out. I suggest you quit acting put out or we’ll go get on a plane and leave you to stealing one of the most lethal gases in the world on your own.”
McGinn put up both hands in an act of surrender. “Now, now. No need to be so offended. I was just making an observation.”
“Observations are usually intelligent,” Alex quipped.
McGinn shook his head. “Follow me, Alex. I’m sure I can find you a room down this hall somewhere.”
Hawk stopped at the room next to his. He pushed the door open, revealing an unoccupied space. “This one will do.”
McGinn forced a smile and cocked his head to one side. “This one it is. Room No. 12 for the lady.”
Alex pushed her way past McGinn and threw her bag on the bed.
McGinn tugged on his ratty New England Patriots hat. “So, you and Hawk aren’t a thing?”
Hawk chuckled as he took in the scene. Alex slammed the door in McGinn’s face.
“Are you always this hospitable?” Hawk asked.
McGinn blew a lung full of smoke upward. “Hospitality isn’t really my thing. Busting people’s balls is.”
Hawk shook his head and looked at the grimy floor. “So, when are we going to put together a plan?”
“You just leave that to me.”
Alex opened the door, rejoining the conversation. “We didn’t come here to be your puppets.”
“You settled in awfully quick,” McGinn said. “Don’t you want to put your bag up? Just leave the men alone, and we’ll take care of all the logistics. You just do as you’re told. Understand?”
Alex sneered at him. But before she could say a word, the building was sprayed with bullets. Glass shattered in the rooms and spilled into the hallway. Instinctively, the trio dropped low to the ground and moved away from the doorway.
“You got any idea who this is?” Hawk asked as he checked the magazine in his gun.
McGinn shrugged. “I’ve got plenty of enemies.”
“The kind of enemies who can infiltrate your state-of-the-art secure facility?” Alex chided.
“Just keep your head down if you want to get out of here alive,” McGinn said. “This isn’t the first time we’ve been attacked here.”
“Not much loyalty among your men, is there?” Hawk said.
“This isn’t the time for your critique,” McGinn said as he stood up. “Now, get ready to follow me.”
McGinn didn’t get a chance to take a step before another round of bullets rained down on the building. He dropped back to the floor.
“Got any other ways out of here?” Hawk asked.
CHAPTER 6
Washington, D.C.
EMILY THORNTON SETTLED into a chair in the stark conference room. Silhouetted figures carrying boxes and other large objects passed along the opaque windows surrounding her. The floor was cold and bare. Nothing about the room was inviting, though she was certain that was the point. The business of Searchlight wasn’t about creating a warm environment; it was about snuffing out any and all threats. And Emily wasn’t sure if Searchlight had finally concluded that Brady Hawk was the kind of threat that needed to be dealt with using extreme measures. She only hoped it hadn’t arrived at that decision.
The door swung open, and Kade Parker strode in. He sat down directly across the table from Emily.
“What do you think of the new place?” Parker asked, gesturing around the room.
“You need an interior decorator,” she said.
“That’s not exactly where we like to spend our resources, though we wouldn’t have had to get a new facility if the old one hadn’t been compromised under your watch.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that this room is still ugly.”
“I’ll mention that to HR,” he said.
“Searchlight has an HR department? Who knew?”
Parker leaned back in his chair and exhaled a long breath. “Look, the reason we’re here is to discuss where we’re at with Hawk and Alex. I trust you have some more information about them.”
“If you’re expecting any bombshells, I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed,” Emily said. “They spoiled the bomb threat at Nationals Park, and Hawk, at least, has become a cult hero on the Internet. A few security cameras captured him, although the images are grainy. His identity is likely secure, but
