“How many heat signatures do you see?” Hawk asked Alex.
“I can see three, including the man you just knocked out. Should be easy enough now with just two guards below, but then again, this is Brady Hawk we’re talking about.”
“Are you saying I make things difficult on purpose?”
“I do recall you acting against my advice, oh, I don’t know—several dozen times.”
“But I’m still standing.”
“Maybe you could give my ticker a break and just handle this op straightforward for once, okay?”
Hawk smiled as he stole below. “One simple op coming right up.”
Once Hawk reached the lower deck, he peered around the corner and saw a pair of guards talking softly over a game of cards. The men were arguing over who was scheduled to make the rounds once their companion returned. One of the guards suggested they play for it instead.
How about both of you take the night off?
Hawk fired two shots from across the room, the first one hitting the guard on the right in the head, the second drilling the other soldier in the chest. The first man died instantly, but the second struggled after he fell out of his chair and tried to reach his gun. Hawk used two more bullets to squash the man’s hope.
“Simple enough for you?” Hawk chided.
“Are they all dead?” Alex asked.
“All except for the guy up top, but he’s going to be asleep for a long time.”
“Consider me satisfied then. Now all you need to do is find the weapons system.”
Hawk scanned the room, which was relatively empty save a few wooden crates in the corner. Rushing over to them, he tried to pry off the lids. But they weren’t budging. Hawk looked around the room for something to help give him leverage until he found a long wooden paddle.
“This should do the trick,” Hawk said.
“Do the trick? Are you having problems?” Alex asked.
“Let’s just say things could be going better, but I’m making progress now.”
Jamming the oar in a small gap between the lid and the box, Hawk worked to loosen the top. After a few moments, the wood creaked as the nails broke free. Hawk wasted no time, immediately reaching inside to put his hands on and verify he’d located the device. Without finding anything but packing straw, he plunged his hands deeper inside.
Nothing.
“It’s not here,” Hawk said.
“Forget that,” Alex said. “You’ve got company.”
“What?”
“Two more heat signatures moving along the corridor toward your position.”
Hawk raced over to the doorway and braced for a fight. When the first guard rushed inside the room, Hawk broadsided him, taking the man to the floor before putting two bullets in his chest. When Hawk was finished, he looked up and found exactly what he expected—another guard who was taken aback by the violent nature of Hawk’s attack. Hawk rolled onto his back, pulling the dead body with him to use as a shield.
The guard at the door trained his weapon on Hawk, but he slung a knife at the guard’s arm, forcing him to drop his gun. Hawk shoved the body off and scrambled to his feet. The guard screamed with pain as he stared at the knife.
Hawk grabbed the knife and yanked it out of the man’s arm, resulting in further screams.
“First time in combat?” Hawk asked in Arabic.
The man nodded.
Hawk guessed the man couldn’t have been any older than twenty.
“Now, I’m looking for something on this boat, and I am hoping you can help me find it,” Hawk said, forcing the man across the room. “Have you seen any other large crates?”
The guard shook his head.
“Hawk,” Alex squawked, “it’s in the room.”
“What is?” Hawk asked.
“The tracking signal is coming from the corner of the room where you’re at.”
“Are you sure?”
“GPS coordinates don’t lie,” she said.
“Fine,” Hawk said before he picked up a rope and bound the man’s hands. Hawk tied him to a chair and wrapped twine around the man and the chair, securing them both to a pole in the middle of the room.
“That ought to hold him,” Hawk said. “Now, where exactly are we looking?”
“In the north corner of the room,” Alex said.
Hawk strode toward the stack of boxes where he’d searched earlier to no avail. Sifting through the straw, he felt for the large object that wasn’t to be found.
“There’s nothing here,” Hawk said. “And by that, I mean nothing. No hardware, no weapons, no anything.”
“It’s got to be there,” she said. “The tracker is still transmitting from your location. I know these coordinates can be off by several feet, but based on what I’m seeing, you appear to be standing over it.”
Hawk stormed across the room to the guard and spoke to him in Arabic. “Where is the weapon?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Hawk punched the man in the gut and glared as he regained his composure.
“I’ll ask you again. Where is the weapon?”
“What weapon?”
Hawk recoiled and unleashed a vicious kick with his boot heel on the man’s knee. The guard screamed in pain.
“Where is the weapon?”
“Stop,” the man cried. “I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
Hawk stepped back and waited for a moment.
Looking up at Hawk, the guard winced as he spoke. “There are no weapons on this ship.”
“That’s not
