“All I had to do was invite you.”
“But I didn’t even know you. We only recently met at my wife’s—”
Young stopped as he started to extrapolate out the potential implication of this revelation.
“Stop reading too much into my explanation,” Sinclair said. “I was only trying to give you an idea that my team here has been working tirelessly to show you something that’s going to change the world, one way or another.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Young asked.
“You’ll see what I’m talking about soon enough,” Sinclair said before he leaned toward a console and spoke into the microphone.
“Do you know what he’s about to show us?” Young asked Karelin.
He shook his head. “But whatever it is, I want it.”
Sinclair pressed a button on the panel in front of him and addressed his workers one more time. “The time has come. Initiate the launch protocol.”
CHAPTER 19
Two Hours Earlier
Off the coast of
Rutland Island, Indian Ocean
HAWK DIDN’T MOVE as the dive instructor began his spiel about how to operate the oxygen tanks. The boat rocked back and forth just off shore. The man stormed over to Hawk and leaned down, getting in his face.
“This is the most important thing I will tell you all day,” the man said. “If you don’t listen, you may die.”
Hawk eyed the man before standing up, towering over him. “I’m not diving.”
“You’re not what?” the man asked, his eyes widening. “You paid two hundred dollars for me to guide you on a dive.”
“None of us are diving,” Hawk said, nodding toward Alex and Mia. “I’ll pay you a thousand dollars to beach this boat over there.”
The man scowled as he looked at Hawk. “We don’t have a permit.”
“You can leave us there,” Hawk said. “We’ll find our way back.”
“I can’t do that, I—”
“Two thousand dollars,” Hawk said.
“Okay, okay. I’ll do it.”
The instructor hustled to the back of the boat and raised the anchor. Moments later, he was steering the vessel toward the shore.
Hawk handed the man a stack of cash. “There’s an extra thousand in there for keeping your mouth shut. If you talk, I’ll know it.”
The man nodded as he took the money. “Not a word, my friend. Good luck on the island.”
Hawk, Alex, and Mia lugged all their equipment off the boat and trudged across the sand. They found a shaded spot just beyond the shoreline and set up camp.
“Are we sure this is the spot?” Mia asked.
“If you decoded that flash drive properly, it is,” Hawk said. “If not, we’ve gone out of our way to spend an odd day at the beach.”
“No, this is it,” Alex said. “When I entered in the coordinates to check out the location from the NSA’s satellite feed a few hours ago, there’s no question that this is the place.”
“So, what’s the plan?” Mia asked. “Or more to the point, why am I here?”
“We need your hacking skills,” Alex said. “If Falcon Sinclair is going to demonstrate that new weapon of his, we need to be in position to shut it down. And I’d rather have one of the world’s best hackers working with me than not.”
“I’ll do whatever you need,” Mia said. “After I saw what that weapon can do, I’ll do anything to stop it.”
“Good,” Hawk said. “That’s the kind of attitude we need to get the job done.”
Alex finished setting up her remote satellite dish, enabling her to communicate with the NSA’s computers as well as get online and utilize their com links. Hawk set up a perimeter alarm in case they had any unwanted visitors. While he didn’t like the idea of Alex working on a remote island with unknown inhabitants, he didn’t have much of a choice given the situation.
Once they were done, Alex logged on. Her mouth gaped as she stared at her screen.
“What is it?” Hawk asked.
“It looks like Sinclair is preparing to demonstrate the weapon. They are moving rockets to the launch site.”
Hawk let out a string of expletives as he paced around the tent. “Can you stop them?”
“Not unless I have a direct connection,” Alex said.
“And how are we going to do that?”
“We need to change our plans,” she said. “Storming the facility and sabotaging the missiles isn’t going to work now. It’s too late.”
“What do you suggest?” he asked.
“I need you to plant a transmitter on the rockets,” Alex explained. “If you do that, I should be able to hack into the weapon’s mainframe and divert it before we witness a brazen attack.”
“You really think Falcon Sinclair would aim these missiles at a highly populated city?” Mia asked.
Hawk shrugged. “I sure as hell don’t want to find out the hard way. This guy is already controlling so many market sectors that we’re all subject to him whether we realize it or not. If he’s able to become a confidant to the U.S. president, we’re all in trouble.”
“Can’t argue with that reasoning,” Mia said.
Hawk crammed the com link device into his ear and then looked at Alex. “I need you to guide me to the rockets.”
“I’ll do my best,” she said. “Better get going. You don’t have any time to lose.”
Hawk took a few steps toward the tent door before he turned around and marched back over to her. He gave her a hug and kissed her.
“Get a room,” Mia said after the prolonged lip lock.
Hawk pulled back and then smiled before glancing at Mia. “Trust me. I fully intend to once this whole ordeal is settled.”
He winked at Alex before darting outside and into the rain forest that covered the island. After starting with a swift jog, he increased his pace. Upon breaking into a full sprint, his lungs burned. His quads ached as he extended his stride.
“You’re making good time,” Alex said over the coms. “Keep it up. You’ll be there before you know it.”
Hawk wanted to respond, but he needed to save his breath. He pumped his
