“Hold on,” Hawk said.
“Is it him?”
Hawk squinted, trying to make out the source of the activity in the brush. When the image became clearer, he sighed.
“It’s just a bird,” he said.
“I say we get out of here,” she said. “We don’t want to be compromised. If he didn’t think he could make it to the designated location on time, he should’ve told us so somehow.”
“I agree,” Hawk said. “But I don’t want to abandon him just yet.”
“You’re a saint, honey. But I’m getting more worried as each minute ticks past.”
A rustling in the bushes arrested Hawk’s attention. He placed his binoculars up to his eyes and searched the forest just on the other side of the water one final time.
No bird sounds like that running through the woods.
“Get the boat ready,” Hawk said over his coms as he stood and met Timmons’s gaze. “I’ve got the asset.”
“Roger that,” she said, followed by the sound of the boat engine roaring to life in the background.
As Timmons raced along the shore, he shook his head, eyes wide with fear.
“Move it,” he shouted.
Hawk didn’t wait for a second plea, spinning on his heels and dashing into the forest. Timmons had almost caught up with Hawk before a hail of bullets rained down on their position. Without hesitating, he dove to the ground.
Timmons, however, staggered to the forest floor, collapsing face down in a pile of leaves.
“Stay with me,” Hawk said as he rolled Timmons over.
“They’re coming,” Timmons said, holding up his hand. “There’s no time.”
Hawk helped Timmons to his feet. “I’ll get you out of here.”
The back of Timmons’s shirt soaked up blood leaking from the bullet wound about three inches below his shoulder blade. Timmons staggered to his feet and limped forward.
After they jogged a few feet, Timmons crashed to the ground again, this time landing on his knees.
“I can’t do it,” he said as he gasped for air. “They’ll catch us both if you don’t go on.”
“Who’s they?” Hawk asked.
Timmons dug into his pocket and handed Black a flash drive. “Obsidian. It’s all on there, but it’s encrypted.”
“What’s the password?” Hawk asked.
Before Timmons could say another word, a barrage of bullets peppered nearby. Hawk hit the ground.
“I’m gonna get you out of here,” Hawk said.
He turned and looked at Timmons, who was bleeding from a shot to the head.
Hawk let out a string of expletives before scrambling to his feet and racing through the woods.
“I’m coming,” Hawk said over the coms. “And I’m coming alone.”
“Alone?”
“Timmons is dead—and I’ve got some security personnel on my tail.”
“How many?” she asked.
“I have no idea. Just get the boat ready because we’re going to need to leave immediately.”
Hawk hit the beach thirty seconds later and sprinted up to the dock. He didn’t look back as he raced across the wooden planks, waving his arms at Alex.
“I hope you’re ready to go,” he said.
She cursed as she stared in his direction.
“What is it?” Hawk said, refusing to glance over his shoulder.
“There are three hostiles, and one of them has a rocket launcher,” she said. “Hurry.”
Alex ripped the rope off the cleat and hustled back to the wheel where she slammed the accelerator forward. The boat lurched as the propellers churned through the water.
Hawk leaped off the end of the dock just as the boat started to gain momentum. He slammed hard against the side but managed to hang onto the railing before throwing himself inside. He rolled back over and pulled his gun, providing Alex with the cover she needed to guide the boat farther out to sea and out of harm’s way.
However, Hawk couldn’t do anything about the man with the rocket launcher foisted onto his shoulder.
“Alex,” Hawk shouted.
Alex glanced over her shoulder. “I see him.”
“Just keep driving,” Hawk said. “When he fires, bank hard in the direction I tell you. Got it?”
“Roger that.”
Hawk took a few more shots at the guards before he ran out of bullets. Then a flash of fire erupted from the man holding the launcher. Hawk had to decide quickly which side of the boat the missile was most likely to strike.
“Left,” Hawk yelled as the incoming missile appeared poised to strike the starboard side.
He gripped the railing as Alex yanked the wheel hard. The boat slowed for a moment as it turned toward the port side then picked up speed as the nose rose. With Alex pushing the throttle to the limit, the vessel sped through the calm waters surrounding the atoll.
If the brief gunfight hadn’t garnered the attention from locals on the shores, the explosion surely did, igniting a flurry of activity as people raced to the water’s edge to see what was happening.
“Is the pilot ready?” Hawk asked.
“He was supposed to be ready to take off five minutes ago,” Alex said. “But I guess we’re about to find out.”
Alex ran the boat aground, and the two agents hustled off it before breaking into a dead run across the shore toward the quiet airport.
“Where is he?” Hawk asked as he stared at the plane sitting on the rudimentary tarmac without the engines on. The steps were unfurled, but Hawk felt uneasy.
“Damn it. I told him to be ready, no excuses.”
Hawk surveyed the scene and tried to determine how to approach it. He stopped and grabbed Alex by her arm.
“Wait,” he said. “I’ve got another idea.”
* * *
HAWK EASED AROUND the front of the plane, assessing the situation. If the pilot wasn’t on board, he was in serious breach of protocol, never mind that he didn’t adhere to the directives to have the plane running and ready for takeoff.
“Kip,” Hawk called, “are you in there?”
Seconds later, their pilot, Kip Covington, appeared at the doorway with a gun jammed into his head by a bald man with a pair of dark sunglasses.
“Where is it?” the man asked.
“Whoa, whoa,” Hawk said, raising his hands in the air. “What are you talking about? Where’s what?”
“The device that Timmons gave you,” the man in
