“Why don’t you tell us,” the man next to Hawk said.
“Who are you?”
“Lester Sanders, FBI,” the man said as he displayed his badge. “Those men are Special Agents Baker and Underhill. And we know who you are.”
Hawk sighed. “I doubt that because if you knew who I was, you wouldn't dare try to interfere with what I'm working on and would stay the hell away.”
“We took a picture of you and ran it through the federal database,” Sanders said. “Apparently, we don’t have access to your file, but we know you’re in there.”
“My identity needs to be kept a secret,” Hawk said. “I’m sure you can appreciate that.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that you’re treading into our territory here,” Baker said.
“I’m only going to warn you once more,” Hawk fired back. “I’d hate for you gentlemen to be caught up in the crossfire.”
“There’s no crossfire here,” Baker said. “You’re just screwing up our operation.”
“And what operation is that?” Hawk asked. “Because whatever it is, I can guarantee you that it’s not nearly as important as the one I’m on.”
“Smuggling,” Sanders said. “Or more specifically, smuggling women across the border and selling them to traffickers.”
“We’ve been following this woman for months and almost have enough on her to put her away for years and put an end to this illegal ring,” Baker said.
“That is until you butted in earlier today,” Sanders said with a snarl.
Hawk shook his head. “Look, I know you think what you’re doing is important and that it’s the right thing—and it might be. But I swear that if I told you what I was doing—which I can’t—you’d abandon your stakeout in a New York minute and let me proceed with what we’re doing with Mrs. Templeton.”
“All our work will go down the drain if you try to pull this stunt on us,” Sanders said. “You have to at least try and see things from our perspective.”
“I could try, but it’d be a waste of my time and yours,” Hawk said. “The reality is we’re talking about millions of people dying if you pull me off this operation.”
“Sorry, Slugger,” Sanders said. “We’re going to put you on the sideline until tomorrow at noon when we bust that old lady’s trafficking ring.”
“Sorry,” Hawk said. “No can do. You can have her after I get through with her tomorrow morning. What we’re doing doesn’t even really involve her but her son, but I can’t tell you anything more.”
“Doesn’t look like you’re in a position of leverage, now does it?” Sanders said. “And if you’re not going to cooperate, we’re going to make sure that you do.”
“And how’s that?” Hawk asked.
“We’re going to detain you at one of our black sites,” Baker said.
Hawk shook his head. “That’s not a good idea.”
Sanders chuckled. “Whatever, mystery federal agent. We’ll take our chances.”
Hawk eased his hands, which were tied behind him, over to the seatbelt latch and slowly depressed the button. Once he was free, he put his shoulder into Sanders and drove him against the SUV door. For good measure, he smashed his head into the window twice, rendering him unconscious.
Baker, who was sitting in the passenger seat in the front, didn’t react quickly enough. Hawk smashed his hands over a sharp portion of the console in the front, breaking his hands free. Then he grabbed Baker’s seatbelt and yanked hard against it, pinning him against his seat.
Underhill went for his firearm, but Hawk reached down with his free hand to pull Sanders’s gun out of its holster. Hawk clicked off the safety.
“I suggest you keep your hands on the wheel where I can see them and just drive to the black site,” Hawk directed.
Underhill eased his hands back onto the steering wheel and drove on for several minutes until they reached the old warehouse.
“You put that gun where I can see it,” Hawk said.
Underhill slowly complied.
“That’s it,” Hawk said. “Nice and easy. We don’t need to make a mess out of things over jurisdiction, especially since you’d lose.”
Sanders moaned and was starting to regain consciousness before Hawk pistol-whipped the FBI agent in the head, knocking him out again.
Hawk led the two men inside and secured them with zip ties to a pair of weight-bearing poles a good ten meters apart from each other. While Hawk never wanted to disparage federal agents, he didn’t appreciate getting tasered by Sanders. Instead of kindly hoisting the man over his shoulder, Hawk wanted to drag Sanders through the gravel parking lot before tying him to a tree.
But that was too far, despite Hawk’s feelings of being disrespected and condescended to. Hawk picked up Sanders and carted him into the warehouse before setting him down at the base of another nearby pole. Once Sanders was secure, Hawk searched all three of the FBI agents. Satisfied that they weren’t going anywhere, he paced around the room.
“Believe me when I say this,” Hawk started, “because it is with all sincerely I confess that I didn’t want to do this. However, you forced my hand. And as a result, you can thank me later. Now, I must be off, but I promise you that the moment I am through conducting my operation, I’ll notify someone of your location and have you cut free.”
Hawk hustled back to the SUV and returned to Mrs. Templeton’s bungalow. He pulled to a stop behind Black’s vehicle. Stooping down, Hawk tapped on the window, gesturing for Black to unlock the door.
“Where have you been?” Black asked. “I thought something happened to you. I tried raising you on the coms and everything.”
“Unlock the door, and I’ll tell you what happened.”
Black complied and stared wide-eyed at Hawk. “Take a tumble there, big fella?”
“More like a rumble with some federal agents.”
“Are you kidding me?”
Hawk shook his head. “I wish I was. Apparently, Mrs. Templeton isn't the saint she portrays herself to be. And based on what those agents said, she's involved in some sort of human trafficking ring by smuggling illegals over the border.”
“A National Forest is
