“Don’t apologize to me,” Hawk said. “This isn’t your fault. Fazil is the one doing all this.”
“I loaded you up with some of our best tech, stuff that hasn’t even hit the market yet. I hope that helps.”
“Between that and some special forces General Fortner has in place, that should be enough to get the job done.”
Colton offered his hand, which Hawk gripped firmly and shook. “Good luck, son.”
Hawk shot him a sideways glance but didn’t say anything.
“Sorry, old habits are hard to break. For what it’s worth, I still think of you that way.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Hawk muttered. “And I’ll take all the luck I can get.”
Hawk boarded the jet, and within a matter of minutes, they were airborne. During the flight, he reviewed all the tech gadgets Colton left. Some of the items seemed helpful—a laser cutter the size of a keychain that could rip through steel—and others not so much, like the wifi microphone pen that could capture conversations and beam them to an Internet server anywhere in the world. Hawk couldn’t imagine a need for the latter on this mission, though he figured it might come in handy for a future operation.
The flight to Erbil took just over eleven hours, most of which Hawk slept. As the plane taxied, he checked his phone for messages, which included several from an unknown number and corresponded with several voice messages left by Fazil. All of them were angry and threatening.
Once Hawk deplaned, he grabbed the appropriate devices supplied by Colton and headed toward the parking lot, where Fortner had arranged one of his special forces agents to get Hawk into position.
“Major Aaron Matthews,” said the man standing in front of a tan Humvee. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Hawk nodded and shook Matthews’s hand.
“Delta Force,” Hawk said, his eyes widening as he noticed Matthews’s squadron patch. “And here I thought the general was just sending me some run of the mill Rangers.”
Matthews chuckled. “I tried to convince General Fortner and my squadron commander to let us handle this mission without you, but they insisted there wasn’t anyone more perfect for the job than you. You must be one hell of a soldier.”
“I’m familiar with Fazil and his protocols, which I need to brief you on during our trip,” Hawk said. “And speaking of which, we need to get moving.”
During the trip, Hawk relayed everything he had learned about the Al Hasib hideout from Kejal, including the most viable exit points. If Hawk hoped to rescue Blunt and Alex from the prison, he would need help, the kind of help that could redirect him should the situation demand a new course of action. Hawk figured the more Matthews knew, the better.
About an hour out from the location, Hawk’s phone rang again. The words unknown caller flashed on his screen. Hawk surmised that either Fazil or Young was on the other end.
“This is Hawk.”
“It is past time you answered,” Fazil said. “I have been trying to reach you.”
“I hope you’re not upset with me about your agent’s failed attempt to shoot down Air Force One. I gave him everything he needed to be successful, but it’s not my fault that you sent an incompetent operative. Though, I can’t say that I’m sorry he missed.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Hawk. Upset isn’t the word I would use to describe my feelings right now. Livid and outraged are two far more appropriate words to describe my state of being at the moment.”
“Then you remember that I had nothing to do with it and only did everything to help your agent succeed during the operation. I directed him to the prime location to take a shot. I supplied him with takeoff times and Young’s entire schedule for the day. It was foolproof.”
“Nothing is foolproof, especially when you prey upon a young operative like Youssef, may Allah give him comfort.”
Hawk furrowed his brow. “You can spin this any way you wish, but deep down you know that he was incapable of finishing the job. Perhaps that was your plan all along—send a man you know will fail in order to coerce me to actually do what your men are incapable of doing.”
“I hope you realize your attempts to persuade me that you had nothing to do with Youssef’s misfire have failed,” Fazil said with a growl.
“What more could I have done? Pulled the trigger for him?”
“President Young was not on the plane, making your argument moot. Even if Youssef blasted the jet as he was trained to do, all that effort would have been for nothing—and that is all because of you.”
“You still would have had the best recruiting video footage in the history of terrorism,” Hawk countered. “Air Force One disintegrating in the sky after one of your agents fired a missile at it in Washington, D.C.? The beheading of a thousand government officials from the United States wouldn’t be able to surpass such a glorious image.”
“But Youssef missed. So for the moment, I am left with footage of an incompetent fool who had an easy shot but missed. Who will see that and be compelled to join?”
“Maybe someone who can actually make that shot. Maybe someone who you won’t have to spend hours training. As much as you like to think you’re different than the American government, you’re exactly the same. You’ll spin the outcome in a way that benefits you and your bottom line. Don’t kid yourself. I’m sure you’ve already dreamed up these scenarios.”
“No matter what I have planned next, none of it will make up for the way you sabotaged my plans with my shooter. I hope you know there will be consequences.”
“And there will be consequences for you, too. Do I need to remind you that you’re not running the show here? You’re simply throwing rocks at a tank that’s about to run you over.”
“You talk tough, especially for a man who is at my mercy when it comes to the lives
