“What is this for?” the man asked, cutting his eyes to the side at his bound hands.
“I’m simply taking precautions,” Hawk said. “For all I know, you could be a plant left behind to kill me.”
“Hiding in the bushes without a weapon?” the man asked. “You think that’s how we’re taught to ambush?”
“You can never be too careful. Now, come on, let’s get moving. We’ve got a flight to catch.”
Hawk nudged the man forward, and they continued along the path for several minutes. After a while, Hawk called Alex to update her on the situation.
“Where have you been?” she asked. “I was starting to worry about you once you left my screen and entered the jungle.”
“I had to get out of there,” Hawk said. “But on the positive side of things, I made a new friend.”
“You made a new friend? What’s his name?”
“To be determined, but he’s one of Fazil’s men. Found him hiding in the forest. He’s not one of Oberfelk’s guys, but, hopefully, he’ll be a nice consolation prize for Fortner.”
“Hustle back,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
CHAPTER 2
Washington, D.C.
THREE DAYS LATER, J.D. Blunt hobbled into the Pentagon meeting room and took a seat near the head of the table next to General Van Fortner. Hawk and Alex joined them before one lone straggler, an aide to President Noah Young, slipped into the room and shut the door before sitting down opposite Fortner.
“I appreciate everyone coming here today,” he said, kicking off the meeting. “As you all are acutely aware, we are in some difficult times. And because of the work of the Firestorm team, things are a little less difficult and the world is a little safer.”
“For now,” Blunt grumbled.
“Exactly,” Fortner said, pointing at Blunt. “For now. We dodged a bullet thanks to some great intel, but I shudder to think what might happen the next time Karif Fazil approaches an arms dealer about purchasing a long-range missile. He seems to be getting closer to making a breakthrough that would devastate this country.”
“With all due respect, sir,” Hawk said, “we’re not going to let that happen.”
“While I want to believe you, it’s foolish to make such claims,” Fortner said. “One wrong move and we all could be looking at a smoldering mushroom cloud over New York or Washington or Chicago or L.A.”
“But at least we have a member of Al Hasib to extract information from,” Alex said.
Fortner nodded. “Yes, at least we have that, though we haven’t got much out of him yet. But we’re working on it.”
“I’m glad we caught the little bastard before the election,” the aide chimed in. “If James Peterson were to win the presidency, there’s no doubt the terrorist would receive a hero’s welcome and be sent back to the Middle East with reparations for his time in U.S. custody.”
Fortner sighed. “I know you’re saying that in jest, but that might not be too from the truth. Part of the reason we need to work so hard to gather intelligence now is so we can force Fazil back into the open before the election. As much as the recent revelation about Peterson’s alleged interaction with Al Hasib has damaged him in the polls, we all know how reliable polling numbers can be. All it takes is one story in the eleventh hour to change the minds of the American people.”
“Well, let’s give them a story that will make everyone have faith in Noah Young’s leadership,” Hawk said. “The head of Karif Fazil on a platter will do wonders for Young’s popularity—as well as decimate Al Hasib.”
“Agreed,” Blunt said. “As strong of a tactician as Fazil is, his greatest strength is his charisma and ability to recruit able-bodied men to fight for him.”
“So, what do you want us to do?” Hawk asked.
“I want to know what you need from me to make your job easier,” Fortner said. “Access to tech, weapons, transportation, anything—you name it.”
Hawk’s eyes widened. “This might be a first in the history of the government.”
Fortner flashed a quick smile. “Remember, you’re not actually working for the government. That’s why you’re so successful at keeping terrorists at bay.”
A polite, collective chuckle filled the room but quickly ended when Blunt groaned. He clutched his stomach and bent over slightly.
“Are you okay, J.D.?” Fortner asked.
“I’m fine,” Blunt said. “Just a little stomach ache.”
“Are you well enough to continue?” Fortner asked.
Blunt waved dismissively. “Go on, go on. We’re all listening.”
“The reason I ask about what you might need is because it’s going to get increasingly more difficult to find Fazil now that his money supply has been cut off,” Fortner said. “With most of his assets frozen, our ability to track him has decreased considerably.”
“I didn’t initiate that,” Blunt said as he grimaced.
“I know you didn’t,” Fortner said. “Some stupid bureaucrat suggested it to Noah without running it by me first. We were able to learn more about his movements through tracking his money, even keeping tabs on his business associates and those loosely affiliated with Al Hasib through their fundraising efforts. But no longer.”
“So what now?” Alex asked.
“From what we’ve been able to discern, Fazil has gone underground again,” Fortner said.
“What if Al Hasib’s funds were released?” Alex asked.
“That wouldn’t matter,” Fortner said. “He’s going to lay low for a while, which might mean we don’t have to worry about him for a period of time. But that also means we’ll be in the dark about what he’s planning—money or no money. He’s not going to resurface until he’s ready to act. And by then, it might be too late.”
A knock at the door interrupted their discussion.
“Come in,” Fortner said.
One of Fortner’s aides poked his head inside the room. “Sorry to bother you, sir, but there’s an urgent message for Senator Blunt.”
Blunt furrowed his brow. “What is it?”
“A board member from Colton Industries
