“It’d be all over social media, right?” Alex interrupted. “That’s why we don’t transport weapons that way.”
“I know, but it’s just—it’s just astounding.”
“Don’t get too caught up in your fan boy moment. You still have a mission to accomplish.”
“Roger that,” Hawk said.
The infrared function on his binoculars had been rendered ineffective due to the headlights from the truck and the bulbs ringing the flatbed. No one could sneak up on the arms deal without getting caught in the beams of what Hawk figured was enough wattage to illuminate a soccer field.
He trained his glasses on the sole entrance into the clearing. When the Firestorm team learned about the proposed arms deal from U.S. Army intelligence, the exchange was schedule to occur at 23:00.
Two more minutes.
General Van Fortner had notified Firestorm head J.D. Blunt about the deal almost immediately after receiving the intel. While U.S. troops held a constant presence in the Colombian jungles aiding the South American nation in ferreting out drug lords, Fortner wanted to more than eliminate the threat of Al Hasib volleying a missile at an east coast metropolis. Fortner wanted a prisoner. And prisoners complicated matters when official military action was undertaken. But Firestorm? There was nothing official about them, still identified as Project X on the Department of Defense’s line item budget.
Hawk understood how critical—and dangerous—his mission was to the overall success of putting an end to Oberfelk’s activities on the illegal weapons market. Without an arms seller, many of the terrorist cells would resort to more desperate measures to seize weapons, forcing the usually hidden enemy into the open for easier removal.
“How do things look on your end?” Alex asked.
“Still waiting for Al Hasib.”
“You won’t have to wait long. I’m watching them on satellite now. They’re about thirty seconds away, so get ready.”
“Roger that.”
Hawk pulled out his rifle and peered through the scope. Swinging from left to right, he put in his sights Oberfelk’s half dozen guards and refrained from pulling the trigger. To do so might have made sense under normal operational procedures, but this mission was anything but normal. Hawk caught the glint of headlights through the trees just ahead of an entourage of trucks lumbering up to the semi holding the ICBM.
Hawk watched as representatives from the two groups approached one another and shook hands. They exchanged some papers before walking over to one of the Al Hasib trucks and opening up their laptops. They set their computers on the hood, and Hawk watched one of the men hammer away on the keyboard. Seconds later, he was hammering away on the fender with his fists.
“Something’s wrong,” Hawk said with a hint of satisfaction. “Did you do that, Alex?”
She chuckled. “Of course I did. What’s happening now? It’s hard to make out details from my view.”
“Someone just pulled out a sat phone and is handing it to someone in an Al Hasib truck. Is that—” Hawk stopped, holding his breath as he strained to make out any more identifiable features.
“It’s him, isn’t it?” Alex said, breaking the silence. “Karif Fazil came to the exchange.”
“Did I make it that obvious?”
“The only other person I could imagine you’d react like that to is dead, so I guess it was. Have you got him in your sights?”
“Sneaky bastard isn’t letting me get a clean shot,” Hawk said. “He’s hiding behind the door, acting quite dodgy.”
“Think he’s nervous?”
“I know he’s pissed. He’s got one clenched fist, and his other hand is holding a gun.”
“I’d guess that he just found out he doesn’t have any money to buy that missile and realizes we’ve dried up another one of his money streams.”
Hawk flinched as a gunshot erupted in the night air, setting off a series of shots. Without hesitating, Fazil had raised his gun and fired a bullet at point-blank range into the head of Oberfelk’s negotiator.
Guards from the two sides fanned back, taking cover behind their respective vehicles.
“I came prepared,” Hawk said, studying the action through his scope. “But I didn’t foresee anything like this happening. These fools are going to leave some serious carnage behind if anyone survives.”
“You better make sure at least one of Oberfelk’s men lives, that is if you don’t want Fortner ripping you a new one.”
“I got this,” Hawk said. “I might even get a three-for-one if Fazil will move into view.”
Hawk slung his rifle back over his shoulder and decided on a better course of action when considering his number one priority—eliminate the threat of an ICBM. Hustling down the tree, Hawk pulled the rocket-propelled grenade launcher off his back and took aim at the missile. The two sides continued their back and forth while Hawk prepared to take his shot.
Three, two, one . . .
He squeezed the trigger and braced himself for the kick that came from the launcher as the grenade went hurtling toward the missile.
The blast rocked the ground and set off a jarring explosion. Guards from both sides hit the jungle floor and looked up in awe as flames lapped high into the night sky. However, Fazil remained upright and took advantage of the situation, eliminating three of Oberfelk’s men behind the cover of his truck.
Hawk scanned the area through his rifle’s scope, cautiously optimistic the explosion hadn’t outed him as a party crasher. Lying prone, he studied the field in front of him with the two sides continuing to exchange fire.
“Looks like you scored a direct hit there, Hawk,” Alex said. “Congratulations.”
“And bonus points for doing it anonymously,” Hawk said. “I don’t think they know I’m here yet.”
“You do know how to announce yourself.”
“Apparently not well enough, which is fine by me in this case.”
Hawk slithered across the field toward the warm glow that lit most of the clearing. However, his heart sank when he watched the final two of Oberfelk’s men crumple under a hail of bullets.
“There aren’t any of Oberfelk’s men to get since they’re
