“Affirmative,” Blunt said.
“I just want to state for the record that I don’t like doing this,” Hawk said. “Keeping secrets from Alex is something I loathe.”
“That’s only the seventh time you’ve gone on record as saying that during this trip,” Blunt said. “I think that fact is abundantly clear now. But the truth is, you’re both spies and you’ll always have some secrets that must be kept from each other.”
Hawk held up his phone and acted as if he was talking on it. He detested people who walked around with Bluetooth ear buds and carried on conversations like it was normal. Despite doing it often on missions, Hawk wanted to avoid the appearance of looking like Mr. Businessman who acted as if he was cooler than everyone else because he was on an important phone call.
“I don’t have to like it,” Hawk said.
Blunt chuckled. “After a while, secrets become burdensome. They’re also lucrative, which is why you’re over there in the first place—to make sure Littleton doesn’t fork over secrets just so he can cash in with a big payday.”
“I still think you’re being overcautious in keeping Alex in the dark on this,” Hawk said as he walked into the lobby and waited for the elevator. “She’s loyal to her country over her family.”
“That’s an assumption you shouldn’t make.”
“I hope she’d choose me over country,” Hawk said.
“That’s not what she signed up for—and you either,” Blunt said.
“It’s hard to go against human nature.”
“But that’s why you’re such a good agent, Hawk. You defy natural instincts and do what’s best for the mission and your team, holding it all in light of what’s the right thing to do in terms of national security. Don’t ever change.”
“I don’t think you’d let me,” Hawk cracked as the elevator doors swung open and he stepped inside alone.
Hawk hit the button for the terrace. That was the supposed location of the meeting between Andrei Orlovsky and Shane Samuels, Alex’s half brother.
“Good luck, Hawk,” Blunt said.
Hawk reached into his pocket and applied the mustache to his face. Next, he put on a pair of dark sunglasses. Upon entering the restaurant, he requested a newspaper and scanned the room for Orlovsky and Samuels. They were seated in the far corner up against the large plate-glass window overlooking the water. Hawk asked to be seated in the opposite corner against the wall.
Once Hawk was situated, he turned on his directional mic. He placed it stealthily between the paper, which was positioned on the edge of the table and aimed toward the two men.
Tying the audio feed into the coms, Blunt listened in as Orlovsky and Samuels exchanged pleasantries and talked about inane things like the weather and recent sporting events.
“What does Samuels look like?” Blunt asked.
Hawk watched as the man who had once served with the old Firestorm team dined with one of the most notorious arms dealers in the world. Samuels shifted in his seat, constantly checking over his shoulders. He had already downed one glass of what appeared to be bourbon in the short time since Hawk started observing. Perhaps as a nervous tic, Samuels dabbed the corner of his mouth after every pull on his glass.
“He looks jumpy to me,” Hawk said, holding his phone up to his ear again. “He keeps looking around the room as if he’s expecting someone to arrive.”
Blunt chuckled. “He’s waiting for you.”
“I could give him what he’s looking for and just toss the traitorous bastard through the window,” Hawk said.
“Hawk, simmer down. You’re only on an intel-gathering mission. We’re just fortunate that this is going on at the same time as Littleton’s shenanigans.”
“Two birds, one stone,” Hawk said. “That’s the J.D. Blunt way.”
“Efficiency is a highly underrated skill. That’s why we can do so much with so little.”
“Are you trying to make me mad with that insult?”
Blunt grunted. “Since when did you become such a snowflake, Hawk?”
“When I found out it grates on your nerves,” Hawk said with a grin.
“You’re smiling right now, aren’t you?”
“Can you hear it in my voice?”
“One day I’m going to hurl one of those bourbon bottles you get me right back at you.”
Hawk laughed softly. “I’ll be getting you alcohol served only in soft wineskins from now on.”
When the waiter returned with another drink for Samuels, Hawk sat up in his seat. “I know good and well that these two didn’t come here to talk about sports and the weather. This ought to get interesting if Samuels can stay sober.”
Hawk focused again on the conversation happening just across the room.
“I think you can provide me with a valuable service,” Orlovsky said. “I’m missing an entire piece of the market due to Americans’ reluctance to purchase these weapons. The seeds of chaos are sown by men determined to see change and who expect to reap a harvest of peace.”
“If you replace the word peace with power, you might have just nailed what most of those groups are really about,” Samuels said.
“And you and I will reap the greatest rewards available—financial prosperity.”
“I’m not looking to get rich,” Samuels said. “I’m looking to disappear forever.”
“That’s something you can only do with enough money. And you’re going to need lots of it, my friend.”
“I’m confident that I can work with these groups to purchase your products. However, I want to make sure there are no ties to me. Can you assure me that I won’t be linked to your operation?”
“Of course,” Orlovsky said. “We try to keep our digital footprint to a minimum, so in the unlikely event that someone does steal information from us, they’re not going to end up with anything valuable. I have a decryption key that keeps most everything neat and tidy.”
“I do have one final question,” Samuels said.
Orlovsky gestured for his new potential business partner to continue. “Go ahead. Better to get it all out now.”
“How do you intend to get these weapons into the country without being detected? Our ports are some of the most strenuously patrolled in the world.”
Orlovsky laughed. “There
