“It looks like I’ll have to trust your judgment,” Samuels said.
Orlovsky smiled and opened his arms wide. “I’m still here, aren’t I? If the CIA could eliminate me, I’m sure they would’ve by now.”
Hawk stifled a snicker. “Are you getting all this, Blunt?”
“Loud and clear. That asshole has no idea that we’re using him to remove all his clients one by one.”
“I like how this is playing out,” Hawk said.
He watched as the two men returned to their banal banter once their food arrived. However, just when Hawk didn’t think anything else interesting was going to be said, Samuels wiped his hands on his napkin and leaned back in his chair.
“I know some potential targets if any of your clients are searching for some,” Samuels said.
“Looking to make a little extra money?” Orlovsky asked. “What do you Americans call that? A side hustle, is it?”
Samuels laughed. “We all must do what we can to make ends meet.”
“If you’re able to secure clients for me, you won’t have any problems paying all of your bills and then some.”
The waiter drifted by and asked them if they wanted any dessert before leaving the check. Orlovsky took the bill and slapped several bills on top of it before rising.
“I will be in touch,” Samuels said.
“I look forward to working with you,” Orlovsky said.
With that parting comment, the Russian arms dealer strode toward the exit and then pocketed a handful of chocolate mints from the hostess stand on his way to the foyer.
“They’re all wrapped up,” Hawk said. “Want me to nab this traitorous piece of garbage? I could beat some sense into him.”
“Leave him alone, Hawk,” Blunt said. “We found out what we needed to know.”
“Did we? He was spying on Firestorm, and now he’s offering to give up target information to Orlovsky. You know he’s talking about us.”
“But he doesn’t know where we are now,” Blunt said.
“Can you be sure of that?”
“Can you be sure that he does?” Blunt fired back. “We need to let this play out. If Samuels is going to contact Orlovsky on a regular basis, we’ll have a much better way of keeping tabs on all his illegal activity than if we simply bring in Samuels.”
“He betrayed all of us,” Hawk said.
“That’s part of the job. Don’t let it affect your overall mission.”
“We brought him in like he was family—and we later found out he was. But then we learned he was spying on us. And we’ve never been given an explanation why. It’s an unforgivable offense.”
“Just stay focused, Hawk. No one is ever straightforward with you in our business.”
“Doesn’t matter. He was Alex’s half brother, and now he’s threatening to give up our location to anyone who wants to attack us.”
“Simmer down. Once we’re done using Samuels, I’ll let you bring him in and ask him all the questions you’d like to ask. Just get back to Carson and help him.”
“He doesn’t need me. Carson can handle Littleton on his own.”
“Hawk,” Blunt said, drawing out the name as his voice went higher, “I’m warning you to leave Samuels alone. We’ve already got our hands full.”
Hawk didn’t say a word. He set his jaw as he watched Samuels walk out of the restaurant. But Hawk was determined not to let the former operative get too far.
“Hawk, are you still there?” Blunt asked.
Still silence.
“Hawk, don’t be screwing around on this one. Leave him a—”
Hawk turned off his earbud and followed Samuels out of the restaurant.
Staying far enough back not to get made, Hawk used the people milling around in the lobby as a sufficient cover. His disguise likely would’ve sufficed, but he didn’t want to take any chances, especially since Blunt was adamant about leaving Samuels alone.
Hawk watched as Samuels slid into a dark sedan that sped away. Searching for a cab, Hawk was shut down when he was directed to the back of the line by the concierge at a taxi stand. Unable to go any farther, he put his earbud back in and tried to reach Blunt over the coms.
“You still there?” Hawk asked.
“I swear if you have Samuels—”
“Don’t get your knickers in a knot. He’s gone and didn’t see me.”
“Get your ass back to Washington, pronto,” Blunt said. “We’ve got more important matters to attend to than your personal vendettas.”
CHAPTER 4
Washington, D.C.
BLUNT PINCHED THE BRIDGE of his nose as he gnawed on his unlit cigar. He’d been poring over a series of files received earlier that morning and was awaiting the arrival of his team to discuss next steps in the multiple operations the Phoenix Foundation was running. In the two days since Hawk and Black were both in the field, Blunt had amassed a treasure trove of intel related to a hunch he was chasing down related to Obsidian.
Alex appeared in the conference room, sporting a flowing navy-blue dress with her hair tightly cropped in a bun. She whistled a tune that Blunt couldn’t place but was sure he’d heard before.
“What song is that?” Blunt asked.
“I doubt you’ve ever heard it.”
“Try me.”
“Pehli Baar Dil Ye from the Bollywood film ‘Hum Ho Gaye Aap Ke’.”
Blunt stared at her blankly. “You’re right. I’ve never heard of it, never seen it, never will.”
“Not enough things blowing up for you?”
Blunt chuckled. “I know you think that I live to make things explode, but I enjoy period drama pieces too.”
Alex’s eyes widened. “Period drama pieces? You?”
“Yeah, dramas from periods of war like ‘Tora, Tora, Tora’ and ‘Enola Gay’ and ‘The Dirty Dozen’.”
“Might I suggest you broaden your horizons sometime?” she asked. “Hawk and I have an extensive collection of Bollywood films.”
“I’ll pass. I can’t read subtitled movies. Makes my head hurt.”
“We have a few that are dubbed,” she said with a wry grin.
“Hard pass on that one too. Those Kung
