“She’s certainly not an operative, if that’s what you mean,” Blunt said. “However, I happen to know Fortner was in a relationship with her, something he kept very secretive.”
“But you knew,” Alex said.
Blunt winked. “I know everything about everyone in this town. Good luck trying to keep a secret from me.”
“Maybe this address book is worthless then,” Black said.
“I wouldn’t jump to that conclusion just yet,” Blunt warned with the wag of his finger. “It could be a mix of people associated with Obsidian as well as people who might be willing to hide him out for a few days when he’s on the run.”
“He’s slippery,” Black said. “If he’s this well connected around the world, we’re going to have a hard time pinning him down.”
Blunt shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. If there’s anyone he’ll tell what he’s up to, it’s Kitty Tiller.”
“Think he’s there now?” Hawk asked.
“There’s only way to find out,” Blunt said. “I’m sending you and Black on a stakeout of her apartment tonight. So go home and get some rest and then plan on spending the night together drinking coffee and keeping each other awake with your most imaginative stories while you keep an eye on her place.”
“Sounds like barrels of fun,” Hawk said.
Alex laughed. “So sorry I have to miss out on that, boys. I’ll think about you while I’m in my bed and snug asleep.”
“Not so fast, Alex,” Blunt said. “I want you to analyze all this information that Black brought back from New Orleans. See if you can find market correlations with world events on those days. We need to find out exactly how Obsidian is manipulating the market.”
Alex saluted Blunt. “Aye, aye, Cap’n.”
“This is not how I envisioned spending my evening,” Hawk said.
“Are you complaining, Hawk?” Blunt asked.
Hawk shook his head.
“Good, because if you are, I’ve got an undercover assignment I can give you that requires you to wear high heels and makeup,” Blunt said with a grin.
“No, sir, I’m good. Black and I will have a fabulous time tonight.”
Blunt stood and clapped. “Well, let’s get to it. We’ve got a world to save, people.”
* * *
ALEX CREATED A SPREADSHEET with dates that corresponded with spikes in A Hand Up’s financial fortunes. One column listed all the large donations and the dates they were made. Another column was reserved for major world events, such as terrorist attacks and suicide bombers. It didn’t take her long to realize that each spike was about a month to the day after each incident, confirming what Black suspected from reading Obsidian’s white paper. She wondered if it was even possible to reverse the organization’s fortunes. And even if it were, what would the collateral damage be? More people losing their retirement savings in the stock market? Creating worldwide financial instability? The better option seemed like a systematic elimination of the people behind this power grab.
Alex cobbled together some reports and printed them out. She was tired and ready to go home when she received a notification that the printer required more paper.
Just when I thought I’d get home at a decent hour . . .
She trudged off to the supply room and found an open ream of paper. After grabbing a handful, she noticed a body camera on the shelf. She usually processed all the video captured from Hawk’s mission but hadn’t been given any footage from his trip to Dubai. Curious as to how the operation looked when she lost contact with him, she grabbed it to look at while the spreadsheets finished printing.
Alex removed the chip that recorded all the action and slid it into the slot in her computer. A few seconds later, she was skimming through Hawk’s mission. First the spill on Littleton’s suit followed by the incident in the bathroom. It all appeared just like it was reported. However, she furrowed her brow when she heard Hawk talking about how the connection was bad. Her voice sounded crystal clear in the footage, which was taken straight from Hawk’s coms. Then Hawk’s response seemed to be cutting in and out, but the ambient background noise wasn’t.
What the?
She skimmed ahead in the video and found Hawk communicating with Blunt and talking about cutting Alex out of the loop. Moving ahead, she saw Hawk’s perspective as he sat in another restaurant and watched her half brother Shane Samuels dine with Andrei Orlovsky.
Alex fumed over the fact that not only had Hawk hid this extra part of his mission from her but that he conspired with Blunt to keep her in the dark. While she wasn’t sure how she felt about Samuels, she hated being deceived, especially by the two people she trusted the most.
She made a screenshot of Samuels and Orlovsky eating together and printed it out.
“We’re going to have a little word about this,” she said as she snatched the picture off the printer.
CHAPTER 8
HAWK WARMED HIS HANDS with his cup of coffee as he eyed the entrance to Kitty Tiller’s apartment. He glanced over at Black, who was seated behind the steering wheel and wore a faint smile.
“What are you so happy about?” Hawk asked. “We’re stuck in this car for who knows how long, staring at a building. Don’t you have other things you’d rather be doing?”
Black’s grin grew wider as he shook his head. “You’re an old married fogey, Hawk, with a beautiful bride waiting at home. Catching the bad guys is what I’m hitched to for now and probably the foreseeable future.”
“I doubt Alex is up waiting for me. She’s probably still at the office, poring over all those documents you collected in New Orleans.”
“Maybe you’re losing your fire for this job,” Black said. “We’re this close to catching Fortner and starting to peel back the layers on Obsidian.”
“I’ve still got plenty of passion when it comes to serving my country, but watching the apartment of some Washington madam isn’t exactly
