“Each branch had ties to a prominent financial guru in each of those countries,” he said. “So, I called in a few favors with one of my friends at the NSA and asked him to compile a dossier about each one of those men. And what he found was something that reaffirmed my suspicions.”
“What was that?” Alex asked.
“Each one of those men made a fortune on the stock market on days coinciding with different tragic events worldwide,” Blunt said. “It’s almost as if they all knew about it in advance and adjusted their portfolios accordingly.”
“Want me to delve deeper into this guy running the New York City branch?” Alex asked.
Blunt shook his head. “I want you and Hawk to go there and investigate on site. Hack their financials and find out what’s going on.”
She nodded. “Sounds better than the last time we went there to diffuse a dirty nuke.”
“Just think of it like this,” Blunt said. “Your last trip made this trip possible.”
“And are you sending me to Bourbon Street?” Black asked.
“Just in time for Mardi Gras,” Blunt said. “Just stay focused.”
“Roger that,” Black said.
Blunt dismissed the team and waited until Alex was at the door before asking her to come back in for a short word.
“What is it?” Alex asked as she eased into the seat next to Blunt.
He hunched over and spoke softly. “Have you made any headway into your investigation of Richard Joseph, the pro-tem of the Senate from Virginia?”
“I’m still putting together a profile of him, but I’m finding it difficult to dig up much stuff. He must have one hell of a cleaner swabbing the deck of his digital misdeeds.”
“He does, but keep working on it,” Blunt said. “I have a feeling he might be more important than we know.”
CHAPTER 5
HAWK STRAIGHTENED HIS designer sunglasses and adjusted his tie once he settled into his seat in the limousine. His stylish suit was one Black had recommended. Looking the part of a multi-millionaire real estate mogul who split his time between New York and Los Angeles required a little extra attention to detail. He glanced at Alex, who wore a stunning red dress with a fur coat, accented with a diamond necklace and dangling earrings.
He gave the driver directions and leaned back.
“You look great,” Alex said as she patted him on the knee.
Hawk sighed. “If truth be told, I’d rather be racing around the desert, shooting terrorists. This isn’t the life for me.”
She smiled. “Why am I not surprised?”
“Are you seriously into this?”
“I’d probably get tired of this after a while, but I don’t mind living a posh lifestyle, even if it’s only for a few hours.”
Hawk leaned forward. “You know what I wouldn’t mind doing? Burning this suit after this is all over with.”
“It’s not a straightjacket,” she said. “Besides, I think you look rather dapper.”
“I look more dapper when I’m holding my gun.”
Alex shrugged. “If you say so. I just don’t want to hear any more bellyaching about what you have to wear or that you have to ride in a limo.”
Hawk grunted. “I’d rather be driving.”
“It’s New York City, hun. I think we’d both rather not be here at all.”
He flashed a smile and held Alex’s hand. She understood him like nobody else and was on the same page as him, even if she did enjoy dressing up and pretending to be filthy rich.
A half hour later, they arrived at the offices for A Hand Up. They were located in a towering office building in Manhattan. Hawk and Alex took the elevator up to the fortieth floor and entered the lobby. A woman with dark hair tightly cropped against the side of her face and wearing a headset greeted them.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“Yes,” Alex said. “We’re here to meet Mr. Reese.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“I called yesterday about making a sizable contribution to your organization. We’re the Davenports.”
“Ah, yes, Alistair and Claudia,” the receptionist said. “Just one moment. Let me get Mr. Reese.”
Hawk and Alex sat on the couch and waited for a moment until the head of the New York office emerged with a smile on his face. He strode over to them and shook their hands.
“Milton Reese,” he said. “It’s so nice to meet both of you.”
Hawk nodded. “Likewise, Mr. Reese.”
“Please, just call me Milton. Now back this way.”
He led them to his office, which was situated in the corner and overlooked a portion of New York’s sprawling concrete jungle.
“Beautiful view, isn’t it?” Reese asked.
Hawk nodded. “It’s majestic. How on Earth do you ever get anything done?”
Reese shrugged. “That’s the million-dollar question. But the truth is I have Becca, who welcomed you up front. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t know what I’d do.”
“I’m sure you’d figure out a way to manage,” Alex said.
Reese smiled and gestured toward the small couch positioned across the room next to a pair of chairs. “Do you mind if we sit over her and talk? I prefer to discuss these matters as if we were in my own home. But my home doesn’t have a view even close to being this spectacular.”
Hawk and Alex complied as they sat cozily on the small sofa with Reese taking a chair across from them.
“Now I must confess that until you called yesterday, I’d never heard of either of you,” Reese began. “But I am impressed with what I learned about you since then.”
“We do like to keep a low profile,” Hawk said. “I’m sure you understand.”
“Of course,” Reese said. “The moment anyone learns that you have money, you’re being hounded by everyone for your last nickel. I’m sure that’s tiresome.”
“More than you know,” Alex said as she turned up her nose and rolled her eyes. “I’d rather just write them a check for a hundred thousand if they promise never to return.”
Reese’s eyes widened. “Well, I certainly wouldn’t want to come across like that. However, I am curious about why you’re so interested
