Kemal pulled his robe tight and peered out into the yard.
“Berk! Berk!”
Nothing.
Kemal ventured down the steps off the deck and headed toward the last location where Berk was—in the scope of the outdoor floodlight on the corner of the house. The moment he stepped into the darkness, Hawk and Samuels grabbed him. Samuels clamped his hand across Kemal’s mouth.
Hawk jammed his gun into Kemal’s back. “Not another word. Understand?”
Kemal nodded.
“Don’t kill my dog,” Kemal whispered.
Samuels patted Kemal on the shoulder and exhaled.
“What do we look like to you? Terrorists? We wouldn’t hurt your dog, man.”
Kemal wasn’t interested in hearing a response. He twisted free and attempted to escape back to the house. Hawk lunged for the security head and swatted at his feet. With his feet tangled, he tumbled to the ground. Hawk and Samuels pounced on Kemal, securing him with a piece of para cord, which Samuels wrapped around his wrists within seconds. Samuels took hold with a firm grip.
“Where’d you learn to do that?” Hawk asked, his mouth agape.
“Cattle ranching one summer in Colorado,” Samuels said. “You should tap into your western American roots sometime. Want me to do his ankles?”
Hawk chuckled. “I think this will do.”
Kemal wriggled on the ground. “What do you two cowboys want?”
“We need some information and a little help,” Hawk said, pulling Kemal to his feet. “Let’s step inside your garage and talk for a moment.”
“What about Berk?” Kemal asked.
“Berk isn’t going anywhere,” Hawk said, nudging Kemal toward the house with his gun. “Let’s make this quick.”
Once they were inside the garage, Hawk initiated the interrogation.
“We’ve been watching you for quite some time.”
Kemal placed his hands in the air. “Let me turn on the light.”
He reached behind him and pressed a button on a panel that Hawk presumed was the garage door opener. However, after a few seconds a red light started blinking.
“What did you do?” Samuels asked.
“You have five minutes to leave before the police arrive and arrest you for trespassing,” Kemal said. “Plus, I doubt that you have passports that match your fingerprints in Interpol. God knows how much trouble you’ll be in and how long you’ll be apprehended here. So, I suggest you leave right now.”
Hawk put his hand on Kemal’s chest. “I think you might want to reconsider that play.”
Hawk nodded to Samuels, who pulled out a laptop from his backpack.
“Alex? Are you getting all this?” Hawk asked.
“Almost done with the transaction,” she said.
Samuels showed the screen to Kemal.
“That’s your bank account,” Hawk said. “From the looks of it before, you liked money. Now you have none—and it will stay that way until you notify the police that there’s been a mistake.”
Kemal depressed a few buttons on the panel next to the door. The red light stopped blinking.
“Is that all you need to do to make sure the police don’t come?” Hawk asked.
Kemal nodded. “They will think it was a false alarm.”
“No phone call.”
“This isn’t America,” Kemal growled.
“No, it sure isn’t,” Hawk said. “Because you’d never be able to get away with there what you’re getting away with here.”
“What do you want, Mr. Hawk?” Kemal asked.
“Every day your employer disappears between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m.,” Hawk said. “We need to know where she goes and how to find her.”
“Where she goes is a simple answer,” Kemal said. “How to find her there? That’s not something I’ll be able to help you with.”
Hawk glared at Kemal. “Let’s start with the simple answer first.”
“Ms. Petrov is very concerned about her security, as well she should be. You being here is proof that her fears aren’t unfounded.”
“Skip the commentary, Mr. Kemal,” Hawk said. “My time is very valuable.”
“She has a bunker where she conducts more sensitive matters. Meetings with heads of state all take place on secure channels in that building where attempts to intercept signals or tap into the video and audio feeds are impossible.”
“How do we get in?”
Kemal shook his head. “You can forget about it. Most people that work for The Chamber do not know where she goes, much less have access to the bunker.”
Samuels smiled and slapped Kemal on the back.
“But we’re bettin’ you do, partner,” Samuels said.
“I suggest you return to the range where you can roam free before this mission gets you killed,” Kemal said.
“This guy here sure does have a sense of humor,” Samuels said.
Hawk held up his index finger. “The way I see it, Mr. Kemal, is you have limited options. One is to help us; the other is to become a well-known philanthropist throughout Europe where we give away all your money to various causes if you don’t comply. And based on your past record for abusing women, I think we’ll start with a nice donation toward an organization that helps battered women. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to give your money away to such great causes, but I’d rather pay Ms. Petrov a little visit. What sounds more appealing to you?”
Kemal sighed. “What is it you want me to help you do?”
“I think it should be pretty clear by this point,” Hawk said. “You’re going to escort us into Ms. Petrov’s bunker when we ask you to. In the meantime, you better not breathe a word of this to anyone—or try to move your money. We’ve got the best computer wiz on our team when it comes to tracking funds in overseas bank accounts. Any tinkering with your accounts will lead to an immediate release of all your funds to various NGOs of our choosing. Do I make myself clear?”
Before Kemal could answer, Hawk heard the sound of tires skidding to a halt on the pavement just outside the garage.
“You sonofabitch,” Hawk said.
“Good luck, Mr. Hawk, Mr. Samuels,” Kemal said. “I believe you might want to leave now.”
Hawk and Samuels eased out the side door leading to the back yard. Their movement in the field of a motion detector activated the floodlight, signaling
