“You know you can influence him to do this, even if he’s stubborn.”
“This agent must be very important to you. I’d expect you to act this way about Hawk, but I didn’t realize you were so fond of Black.”
“We need him,” Blunt said. “He’s proven his worth many times over, especially in the way he’s been able to penetrate Obsidian’s inner circle. If we’re going to take them down, it’s imperative that we get him back.”
“I’m sure you have other agents who are more than capable of that task.”
“I only have two field agents at the moment, and I’m not out there actively recruiting. I only deploy the most elite operatives into the field. And right now, that’s just Hawk and Black.”
“I’m sorry, J.D. I just can’t do it. We haven’t done this under my presidency, and I feel like it would set a dangerous precedent.”
“The precedent has already been set. You’d be bucking the trend by refusing.”
“Okay, I’ve heard your argument, but the answer is still no. Find another way to get him back.”
Blunt fumed inside but restrained himself. “Thank you for your time, Mr. President.”
The line went dead.
Blunt pounded his fist on his desk and let out a string of expletives as he got up and paced around his office. He thought for sure Young would be an ally. After cooling off, Blunt visited Hawk and Alex, who were studying their computer screens.
“I just got off the phone with the president,” Blunt said as he entered the room and shut the door behind him.
Hawk and Alex both stopped what they were doing and spun around in their chairs to face Blunt.
“And?” Hawk said.
“And he shot down the exchange,” Blunt said.
“You still haven’t asked Fortner, have you?” Alex asked.
“I know Fortner, and he has a hard and fast rule about negotiating with terrorists. His policy is that agents shouldn’t get caught in the first place. And they know the consequences if they do.”
“You’re sure he won’t budge, even if the request comes from you?” Alex asked.
Blunt shook his head. “Fortner would do just about anything to help me and my agents, but this is a line I know he won’t cross.”
“So what are our options now?” Hawk asked. “We can't just forget about Black and move on. We know he's alive. You have to press this further. Besides, I've been thinking about this whole situation, and I have an idea of how we can leverage this exchange to an even greater advantage for us.”
Blunt settled into a chair next to Hawk’s desk. “I’m listening.”
“Well, do you remember the agent who vanished from the U.N. who’s still on the lam?”
Blunt nodded. “Go on.”
“The only picture we had of him was with Evana Bahar,” Hawk said. “So, what if we agreed to the exchange but told her that the terms were she had to be there?”
“She’d never go for that,” Blunt said.
“Maybe, but it's a negotiation. We say without her there, no deal.”
Alex shook her head. “You’d be risking Black’s life on a hunch that she’d agree to be there. You can’t do that.”
“I don’t think it’d be much of a risk, to be honest,” Hawk said. “She wants Ramin back so she can fund future operations. Acquiring him from the U.S. would earn her an immense amount of favor with Ramin’s father, resulting in a huge windfall of cash. Without that, she’s going to be living hand to mouth, which isn’t exactly the best way to become relevant as a terrorist organization.”
“And what if she refuses to cooperate with you when you get there?” Blunt asked.
“I will be very persuasive,” Hawk said.
Blunt pulled the cigar out of his mouth. “That’s not what I asked.”
“I have a plan for how to handle that situation. She’ll talk. Trust me.”
Blunt nodded. “Okay, I’ll make a call, but you better be right.”
“I don't know about all this,” Alex said. “Tying Black's fate to a decision like this seems rather frivolous as if we're playing with his life.”
“It was Black’s frivolous decision to run down the mountain that put us in this situation,” Blunt said. “I’m sure he’s had plenty of time to think about the repercussions.”
Alex sighed. “Fine. I just want the record to show that I’m not a fan of this move.”
“Duly noted,” Blunt said. “Now, if you two will excuse me, I need to have a chat with our good friend Al White.”
Blunt trudged back to his office and closed his door. He returned to his chair and dialed White’s number.
“We talked it through,” Blunt began. “And we see a big opportunity here to not only secure one of our best agents but also to make some headway in another operation we’re working on.”
“Okay,” White said. “Their exchange offer was presented to us as a quick swap.”
“And I want you to go back with a counteroffer. I want you to tell them that Evana Bahar has to be the one to make the exchange.”
“I doubt she’s going to be interested in having some protracted conversation with one of your agents while there are snipers all around.”
“We can set up parameters to put everyone at ease,” Hawk said. “The bottom line is that we’d be fools to pass up an opportunity to question her. If she can help us—”
“What makes you so sure she'd be willing to talk if she even decides to show up?”
“I have a very persuasive agent.”
White chuckled.
“That’s the same reaction I had,” Blunt said. “But I’ve learned to stop questioning my agents when they’re willing to risk everything to get what we need.”
White sighed. “I’ll make contact with Al Fatihin and see if Evana Bahar will agree to these terms. But I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.”
Blunt hung up and leaned back in his chair. All he could do now was wait for a response.
CHAPTER 4
Undisclosed location, Afghanistan
EVANA BAHAR STROKED HER silky smooth locks while staring
