“Your bark is definitely more ferocious than your bite,” Hawk fired back.
Alex chuckled.
“Whose side are you on anyway?” Samuels said. “Hawk’s or your brother’s?”
“I’m on the side of getting this job done without incident,” she snapped.
“Roger that,” Hawk said before he continued his stealthy approach to the house.
Once Hawk reached the house, he inched along with his back to the wall. He froze when he heard heavy footfalls nearing the door.
“Guys, did either of you pick up a third person in the house?” Hawk asked.
“Nope,” Alex said. “Just the two guards and Justice Williams. No, wait.”
She paused. Hawk didn’t need to wait for her reply to know they’d missed something. The screen door creaked as it swung open and out stumbled another security agent. At 6 foot 6 with the physique of a power lifter, he was an intimidating wrench thrown into Hawk’s plan. Hawk wasn’t used to facing larger men, but he knew his only advantage was surprise.
Hawk kicked the man in the back of his knees, forcing him to the ground. Without waiting for him to fall, Hawk pistol whipped the man, knocking him out with two successive blows.
“I won’t have long now,” Hawk said, pausing before the entrance. “Are you two positive only Justice Williams remains in the house?”
“I’d stake my life on it,” Samuels said.
“Good,” Hawk said. “At least I’ll have something to look forward to if I’m able to survive this mess.”
“Just stay focused,” Alex said. “Second floor, back right corner of the house for the study.”
“Roger that,” Hawk said before quietly opening the door.
He slipped inside and crept up the stairs toward Williams’ study. As he reached the door, one of the boards creaked rather loudly beneath his step.
“Thomas? Is that you?” Williams called.
Hawk took a deep breath and peered around the corner. Still seated with her back to the door, Williams’ head barely poked above the back of her chair.
“I’m afraid not,” Hawk said as he strode into the room.
Williams turned around frantically. “Who are you? And how did you get in here?”
Hawk continued moving slowly toward her until she brandished a gun. He raised his hands in the air and took a step backward.
“I’m not the one you need to be worried about,” Hawk said. “I’m here to warn you that your life might be in danger.”
She glared at him. “Who are you? One of Michaels’ thugs? You can tell him I won’t be intimidated.”
“No,” Hawk said as he eyed her weapon. “I’m here to warn you about what Michaels might do to you.”
“To me? If he’s going to do anything, he’s going to threaten my family. Now tell me who you are before I fill you full of lead.”
“My name is Brady Hawk and I’m a former Navy Seal. I care about this country and I care about what happens if Michaels gets his way with the case you’ll be hearing tomorrow. I want to make sure that you make it there alive.”
“Protect my children or my grandkids,” she said, lowering her gun. “That bastard is more likely to use them against me.”
“No, he needs your vote. And if he thinks you’re not going to vote his way, he will eliminate you and appoint someone who will do what he wants.”
She sighed and waved dismissively at Hawk. “And then what? The bench will have a split verdict and nothing will happen.”
“And if one of the other judges recuses himself?”
Williams chuckled again. “And who would do that, not to mention why?”
“Justice Scarborough stands to profit greatly if the one world currency becomes a reality in the U.S.,” Hawk said. “Rumor has it that his family’s bank, which hasn’t been allowed to participate on the Federal Reserve’s committee, would be tapped to help lead the currency exchange here.”
“But I know him,” Williams snapped. “He’s an honorable man and would never do anything like that.”
Hawk shrugged. “Perhaps not, but once Michaels’ minions spread that information around to the press, he’d have to recuse himself, leaving Michaels with a 4-3 decision in his favor to overturn the Federal Reserve Act of 1913. And guess who will then be leading our country through this transitional time period?
“Damn him,” Williams said.
“You’ve just got to make sure you stay alive so you can oppose him—if that’s what you intend to do.”
“Our founding fathers are rolling over in their graves right now,” she said. “If I step outside on my back porch, I might even be able to hear George Washington spinning all the way from here.”
In the next instant, the sound of shattering glass filled the room. Hawk instinctively dove toward Williams, covering her up by placing his arm around her. A second shot tore through the remaining glass.
“That was just a warning shot,” Hawk said, his face pressed against the floor. “If they wanted you dead, you’d be dead right now.”
“Why not just kill me?” she asked, her lips quivering.
“It’s far more convenient for you to just vote the way he wants you to without creating a conspiracy or a congressional investigation. But if push comes to shove, he’ll forge ahead and deal with the fallout later.”
Alex’s voice squawked in Hawk’s earpiece.
“Who’s that?” Williams asked, cutting her eyes toward the cord.
“A friend,” Hawk said to Williams. “Where is he, Alex?”
“The target is heading toward the water,” Alex said.
“And the guards?”
“He tranqed them both,” Samuels said.
“How did you guys miss him?” Hawk asked, leaping to his feet and racing toward the back.
“I-I don’t know,” Alex said. “I don’t know how he slipped onto the screen without me seeing him.”
“Don’t let me get surprised like that again,” Hawk said as he sprinted toward the back of the property. “Now, where is he?”
“He appears to be scaling the wall down to the water,” Samuels said. “Maybe thirty meters northeast of your position.”
“Roger that.”
Hawk reached the edge of the craggy cliff just in time to see the rope loosened and pulled down.
“I’m going after him,”
