“Fine,” the man said after mulling the question over for a few seconds. “I plan on using an RPG-18e.”
“Oh, state of the art,” Hawk said. “You Al Hasib boys don’t skimp on anything, do you?”
“Are you familiar with the weapon and its range?”
“I’m more than familiar with anything manufactured by Colton Industries. But that particular missile launcher is one I’m very acquainted with. I think I used it once to take out several Al Hasib strongholds on one mission I was on.”
Hawk cut a sideways glance at the man to see if he would be distracted by the not-so-subtle jab. He wasn’t.
“The guided missile system gives me an accuracy range of up to 2,000 meters, maybe even more.”
“I figured you would be using a weapon with a distance somewhere in that vicinity. So, I took the liberty of marking a spot for you on the map for where you’ll want to be in order to get the best unobstructed shot.”
“And where is that?”
“There are several hangars near the end of the runway where Air Force One would lurch skyward. The target would be in plain view.”
“What if I wanted to shoot him while the president was still on the ground?”
“You could probably do that, too, if you so desired. But I wouldn’t recommend it. No guarantee of death. You miss by just a little bit, you’ll never get another shot. With the plane, on the other hand, you only have to hit any part of that giant bird and you are going to get what you came for. There’s no way anyone could survive a fall from that height.”
“Thank you for your advice, but I like to keep my options open. You never know when things might change and you will need to come up with a different plan.”
“From the sound of things, I think you’ve done this before.”
The man didn’t stop to bask in Hawk’s faint praise. “I know I’ll only get one shot. If I succeed, I will die. If I fail, I will die. I would prefer to be remembered as a success.”
“In that case, you’ll need to listen to my advice. Your credentials are inside the envelope, and you won’t get near the base without them. In fact, you will look very suspicious trying to get on base without them. And if they sense something is off with you, they’ll pull you out of your car and interrogate you. You’ll be powerless to stop it. So keep your head up and act like you belong.”
“Is that all I need to know?”
“I would recommend going to the base tomorrow and planting your weapon in one of the hangars. Carrying a weapon onto the base the day the president is flying out on Air Force One will also draw unwarranted attention.”
“You make it sound so simple,” the man said.
“Believe me when I say this, but it will be anything but simple. The kind of good fortune you’re going to need just to get off a shot is rare, though possible. And then to actually hit the plane when the pressure is on—that will be up to you.”
“I trust my weapon, especially the missile guided system that enables me to make such long shots from great distances. I once hit a squirrel’s nest from fifteen hundred meters. I’m confident hitting Air Force One will not be a problem. I will get revenge, that I am sure of.”
Hawk shook his head and sighed. “I would say good luck, but we both know I wouldn’t mean it.”
With his final salvo, Hawk stood and walked away, refusing to look back at the man. His image was burned into Hawk’s memory. And Hawk wasn’t about to forget his face—until the Al Hasib assassin was dead.
CHAPTER 17
Washington, D.C.
NOAH YOUNG HAD A CHARMED political existence, which explained why he struggled with how to handle the blackmailer. When Young first decided to enter politics, he ran unopposed for the Texas state representative position for Oldham County, a rural county in the northwest part of the state. During his second term, he struck up a friendship with George Miller, who was a rising star in state politics. When Miller became governor two years later, the two worked closely together on various legislation initiatives. However, Young’s big break didn’t come until Pip Haskins, the eighty-two-year-old U.S. senator from Dallas, dropped dead of a heart attack near the end of his sixth term.
Miller ignored his party’s recommendations on replacing Haskins with a retread politician with a strong name brand among the base supporters. Instead, Miller said he wanted to shake things up and send some fresh ideas to Washington in the form of Noah Young. Young had a little less than a year before a special election was scheduled to determine if Miller’s appointment would be more permanent or outright rejected by the people.
Young viewed his appointment to the U.S. Senate as the opportunity of a lifetime. In true Texas fashion, he seized the bull by the horns, making the most of his time in Washington. His charismatic oratory skills earned him a reputation as one of the most inspiring speakers among either party and often earned invitations to address various groups in non-partisan settings. In three months’ time, Young’s star was not just shooting but skyrocketing. And when Conrad Daniels sought out a running mate, Young’s name landed at the top of the list.
If young were forced to admit it, the fact that he’d landed in Washington at all was a stroke of good fortune that he couldn’t cajole into happening ever again, even if he wanted to.
Right place, right time.
Young marveled at the fact that he was on the precipice of winning a presidential election, the first one he would’ve won against someone from an opposing party for the first time in
