Hawk kicked at the sand. “That’s not the kind of man I am—at least not anymore.”
“No, you’re the great Brady Hawk, so great that his own country views him as a homegrown terrorist.”
“That’s a questionable perspective, one I take serious issue with.”
“I don’t know what your end game is, but you don’t really have much of a play now.”
Hawk raised his weapon. “Drop your gun, Ray. I’m done talking.”
“No you’re not because I’m not going to drop anything.”
Hawk fired off a short burst that peppered the ground near Ray’s feet.
“Put the gun down now,” Hawk bellowed.
Ray crouched down and lowered his gun, setting it in the dirt.
“They’re watching you, Hawk,” Ray said. “Several of my guys are up on that ridge and they’ve got you in their sights. I would advise you to put your weapon down before someone puts a bullet in your head.”
Hawk looked up at the ridge, which was more than a mile away.
“I’d love to see one of your guards attempt that shot. No one that good is working private security in Oman.”
“Pride comes before a fall.”
“And bullshit comes before truth whenever you’re talking. Now, step clear of the vehicle and get face down in the dirt, hands behind your head.”
Ray complied. “You’re making a big mistake.”
“The mistake I made was coming to you for help and thinking you’d changed,” Hawk said. “But you’re the same asshole you were when we were Seals together. You just make more money now.”
“Michaels is gonna find you and kill you, Hawk. If not tonight, some other time. He’s not gonna let you get away with thwarting his plans.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Hawk kept his rifle trained on Ray as he walked over to the toppled truck. He opened the back and several crates spilled out onto the ground. Snatching up one of the handheld RPGs, Hawk backed up and took aim at the vehicle.
“This is me thwarting Michaels’ plan,” Hawk said before squeezing the trigger and lighting up the truck. An explosion blew out the side of the truck facing upward. In a split second, fire engulfed the weapons and started consuming the truck.
Hawk glanced back down at Ray, who was reaching for a gun in his ankle holster.
“I don’t think so,” Hawk said, glancing down at his captive.
“I’m gonna make you shoot me,” Ray said before he reached for the weapon.
Hawk hit Ray in the leg. “Satisfied now?”
Ray screamed in agony. “That was my knee cap, you asshole.”
“You can thank me some other time when I see you.”
Ray growled and lunged for his gun again. However, Hawk realized Ray had no inclination to stop.
Two bullets—one to the chest, the other to the head.
Ray’s body went limp.
“It didn’t have to end that way, Ray.”
Hawk climbed into the Humvee and headed for the ridge. When he arrived there a few minutes later, the Fortress Security personnel were set up and waiting. Lying in prone positions, they had their rifles sighted in on Hawk and unleashed a furious attack. Bullets whizzed past Hawk, some dinging off the side of his truck’s armor. The relentless assault continued as he pressed forward, even after he parked his Humvee a few meters away from them.
Hawk stuck his head through the cutout in the roof so he could operate the gun turret. After offering the men a chance to surrender, Hawk took aim at the men. He unleashed several rounds of ammunition on the guards, shooting every one of them.
He shot the tires out of the truck just in case any of them somehow managed to survive. With that portion of his mission complete, he slid back down into the driver’s seat, just in time to see a huge explosion send flames lapping the dark knight sky.
Alex—that woman never stops.
As Hawk contemplated his next move, the Reaper returned and circled around the ridge twice before striking off in a different direction. But Hawk understood what Alex was trying to tell him. She wanted him to follow the drone. And that’s what he did.
Hawk tailed the drone from the ground for 20 minutes before happening upon an airstrip. A C-130 sat at one end of the runway where the bay door was guarded by a pair of military policemen. Hawk roared up to the door and got out, training his rifle on the men. They appeared caught off guard by Hawk’s brash entry.
“Gentlemen, I’m going to need a ride,” Hawk said.
The guards looked at each other, mouths agape.
CHAPTER 23
Washington, D.C.
VICE PRESIDENT NOAH YOUNG WONDERED how he failed to remain president after filling in for Michaels when he was in the public’s crosshairs. Everything seemed primed for Young to sneak into the Oval Office through the figurative backdoor. But Michaels managed to turn what should’ve been a prompt exit into his own version of the Phoenix.
Young concluded that Americans are always suckers for a comeback story, especially one where the hero rises from the ashes. For most of his tenure, Michaels had been reviled by the American people and his own party. Nothing he did seemed to placate anyone, even while a collective list of grievances held by average citizens compounded daily with each political misstep. Eventually, Michaels had sunk so far to the bottom that his pathway to the top started with digging himself out of the mud. And he was mired in it.
Despite Michaels’ impossible situation, Young marveled at how the president had managed to rewrite history while also using his past to endear him to the American people. Without a doubt, Michaels’ revival during his first term was one of the most unlikely in the modern era. But Young knew the real story.
The real credit needed to be bestowed upon the Washington spin doctors, the masters of the Beltway. Instead of letting Michaels languish in his past sins, these manipulators of the public’s collective consciousness rebuilt the president’s image through a series of targeted campaigns to present a soft and gentler side of Michaels. Instead of a no-nonsense
