“Just give me a second.”
Hawk studied the area, swinging from left to right. On his first pass, he didn’t see anyone on the clever balcony tucked beneath a cavern and hidden from view. Hawk took a moment to marvel at the engineering feat required to create such a hidden feature that gave Fazil and his men access to the outdoors without being caught by any prying satellite cameras.
“Hawk, I’m seeing two new heat sigs near your position. Do you copy?”
“Loud and clear.”
“You’re not thinking about going in there right now, are you?”
“Alex, I’m not going to get many more chances like this, if at all. I’ve got to seize this one.”
“That’s not a good idea. We have no idea what’s inside. I suggest you wait it out and see if you can capture one of the guards and get the information from him. That’s what this mission was all about, not settling some score with Fazil.”
“Sometimes you’ve gotta buck conventional wisdom and take the bull by the horns.”
“Sometimes wisdom is living to fight another day.”
“Wish me luck.”
“Hawk!” Alex said.
He turned the volume on his com down low and snuck closer.
The balcony area was about three feet off the ground, a concrete slab poured over the jagged cave floor. The sky was still visible, albeit a shaded view by the cavernous overhang. But the edges remained rather dark, perfect for lying in wait.
Hawk waited until one of the guards had wandered aimlessly near the edge before springing into action. The man poked his head over the railing for a cursory look only to have someone reach up and jerk him over it. Hawk yanked the man onto the rocks below, bashing his head against a jagged feature. He didn’t have a chance to scream before he was knocked out and likely dead.
Hawk eased eye level with the balcony floor and waited for the other guard to notice his friend was missing. Fazil wasn’t paying any attention, instead engrossed on a phone call. Pacing around the balcony, Fazil waived his arms around as he spoke. While Hawk wasn’t quite close enough to decipher the topic of conversation, he could tell from Fazil’s body language that the Al Hasib leader wasn’t pleased.
A moment later, the other guard noticed he was patrolling the area alone. As the dumbfounded expression swept across his face, he called out for his friend by name. As each second dripped past, the guard furrowed his brow. He raced to the edge and scanned the surrounding area.
Hawk watched intently as Fazil remained talking on the phone, his back turned as the entire situation unfolded. His relaxed nature led Hawk to believe that Fazil felt secure in his hideout, even after something spooked Jafar.
When the second guard neared the edge, his eyes widened as they met Hawk’s.
Using both hands, Hawk grabbed the man by his shirt and pulled down hard. The guard toppled over the railing and let out a faint yelp before crashing to the ground with more velocity than the first guard.
Hawk checked both their pulses before setting his sights on the real prize. In a smooth motion, Hawk placed both his hands on the rail and pulled himself up, throwing his legs over onto the balcony and landing softly. Weapon drawn, Hawk eased up behind Fazil before inserting the gun barrel into the back of Fazil’s head.
“Not another move or another sound,” Hawk said.
“Brady Hawk,” Fazil announced. “I should have known you would come racing into danger yet again. So, it wasn’t enough that you escaped with your life the last time you came hunting for my underwater weapons system.”
“It’s not exactly yours.”
“Police of the world, are we? Sounds just like your arrogant government. Sadly, your jurisdiction means nothing here, even if your country did help the Iraqis get rid of a tyrant.”
“I don’t have time for your lectures,” Hawk said.
Fazil eased his hand into his pocket.
“I said not another move,” Hawk said.
“Or what? You’ll shoot me and not get the information you came here for? If you wanted me dead, you would’ve never introduced yourself, at least not so personally as you have here.”
“I’m not here to make small talk. I’m here to find out where you’ve placed that mine weapon.”
“You are relentless, I’ll give you that. A hopeless romantic, I would surmise. You and little Alex holding hands and believing that you’ve made the world a safer place.”
“I’m only going to give you one more chance,” Hawk said. “Where is the weapon?”
Fazil raised his hands in surrender and turned around cautiously before coming face to face with Hawk.
“You mean this weapon?” Fazil said before tapping his watch. An electric charge bolted from his timepiece.
Hawk convulsed violently as he crumpled to the ground, where he twitched and turned for nearly half a minute.
Fazil wore a big grin as he loomed over Hawk and watched him until he finally stopped.
“Looks like it’s time for you to answer some questions for me,” Fazil said before whistling for a pair of guards inside to give him a hand.
Hawk wanted to say something. He wanted to fight back. But he could scarcely move, much less put up enough of a fight to stand a chance. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Fazil’s fist.
CHAPTER 10
Washington, D.C.
BLUNT CHECKED HIS WATCH and prepared for the peep show that would mark the downfall of James Peterson’s bid to become the president. In less than five minutes, Peterson would stride into a room with a Russian ambassador, discuss things no candidate should be discussing with him, and torpedo an election bid. If Blunt liked popcorn, he would’ve popped a big bowl’s worth and sat back to watch the entertaining end. But he preferred scotch and fixed himself a glass in preparation of the event.
Pacing around the room, Blunt considered calling Alex to find out about Hawk’s operation behind enemy lines. But Blunt didn’t want to miss a second of the conversation.
Two minutes.
He took a long
