“Fair enough,” she said. “I’ll be ready to bolt when you return.”
“Great. See you soon.”
She grabbed him once more and kissed him on the cheek. “For good luck.”
Hawk smiled and shut the door, hustling downstairs until he reached the ground level. Glancing around, he didn’t notice anything suspicious about the people nearby. By all appearances, life on Kumzar was carrying on as usual.
Hawk checked his watch as he strode up to The Marlin exactly one hour later after he’d met Abid. Hawk didn’t want to admit it to Alex, but he shared her apprehension regarding the self-admitted opportunist. Reaching behind his back, Hawk felt for his gun, just in case.
Abid emerged from the deck below with a smile on his face, arms spread wide.
“Welcome, my friend,” Abid said, kissing Hawk on both sides of his cheek.
Hawk pulled back abruptly and glared at Abid. “I don’t do that thing. Americans shake hands.”
“I’m not an American.”
“You sure as hell sound like one with that fake accent,” Hawk said. “But your secret is safe with me.”
Abid adjusted his keffiyeh as his eyes widened. “Why don’t we just get started? Do you have the money?”
Hawk nodded and stepped aboard. Setting his pack down, he pulled out an envelope and handed it to Abid.
“Ten thousand U.S. dollars, just like we agreed,” Hawk said.
Abid peeked inside and inspected the cash. “Looks like it’s all here.”
“My word is my bond,” Hawk said. “Now, let’s get going. I don’t want to linger in the harbor any longer than we have to. I have work to do.”
Abid nodded. “Very well then.”
He signaled for his deck hand to untie the boat and shove off. Abid assumed the position behind the captain’s wheel and activated the bilge pump.
“You’ve already been out today?” Hawk said as he watched water spew out of the side of the boat.
“I spend most of my day on the water. You happened to catch me on dry land for the first time since earlier today.”
“And you’re just now using the bilge pump?”
“Just a habit. Nothing you should concern yourself with.”
Hawk shrugged. “How far is it going to take us to get out to the coordinates?”
Abid punched in some coordinates on his GPS and waited a few seconds. “The GPS says it’ll take about a half an hour.”
“That’s right on the edge of the shipping lane,” Hawk said. “Seems kind of lazy to me.”
“They were in a hurry, and I wouldn’t exactly describe them as professionals.”
“How’d they get the weapon in the water?”
“Weapon?” Abid said. “I don’t know anything about a weapon.”
Hawk sighed. “I’m assuming you were hired because this boat has a crane on it and can lift heavy equipment. They dropped what was essentially a torpedo launcher into the water. Don’t tell me that you didn’t notice it.”
“Whatever they brought aboard was crated up that day. I didn’t look at it, so I could honestly say I have no idea what they want me to drop in the water. They handled everything else.”
“Did your crane operator see anything?” Hawk asked.
“I’m sure he did, but he isn’t here—and he didn’t talk about it afterward.”
“You really would do anything for money, wouldn’t you?”
“A man has to eat and feed his family.”
Hawk eyed Abid cautiously. “You don’t strike me as the family man kind of guy.”
“Looks can be deceiving.”
Once the ship cleared the no wake zone, Abid throttled the engine as the boat started to skip across the sea. Hawk watched the sea spray kick into the air, creating a constant mist around the edge of the deck. He inserted his earpiece and tried to reach Alex.
“Are you there, Alex?” he asked.
“I’m here, and you’re coming in loud and clear.”
“Good. And while I wish you were here, I’m sure you’ll be glad that you didn’t come along,” Hawk said. “This ride is bumpier than our one to Kumzar.”
“In that case, I’m happy to hold down the fort.”
“Stand by,” Hawk said. “We should arrive in less than half an hour.”
“That’s not very far out into the Strait of Hormuz.”
“That’s what I said, but Abid acted like he didn’t know anything about what the Al Hasib agents did. And if he did, he’s not talking about it.”
“I knew there was something sketchy about that guy.”
“Nothing we can do about it now. He seemed pleased to get the cash and is driving me out to sea.”
“Hopefully not to just shoot you and dump your body.”
“I’ll be ready if he tries to pull such a stunt.”
As the ship cruised along, Hawk reviewed the protocol for disabling the torpedo launcher. The directions he’d been given seemed straightforward, but he didn’t have any margin for error. He needed to be sure he knew every step in the protocol. By the time he finished, the boat bounced as it slowed.
“Almost there,” Abid called to Hawk.
Hawk nodded and put on his wet suit. By the time he was dressed appropriately, Abid sauntered down to the main deck.
“This is where we anchored,” Abid said. “How long should we plan on you being down there?”
“Not long. What’s the depth here?”
“It’s about fifty meters, give or take a few. You should be fine in your suit.”
Hawk checked his oxygen tanks once more before securing them on his back. He put on his flippers.
“See you soon,” Hawk said before adjusting his goggles over his eye. He jumped into the water and began his descent to the bottom.
Though Hawk had lights, he didn’t need them at first. The water appeared surprisingly clear for the first twenty meters. But as he dove downward, a milky substance clouded his vision. Hawk activated the lights on his goggles and continued on.
However, Hawk never made it to the bottom before an object shot right past him.
What the hell was that?
He stopped and looked upward to see what appeared to be two men clutching sea scooters and moving straight toward him. Hawk noticed one of the men
