Hawk scowled. “You’re not a fan of the Stones?”
“Not my kind of music, man,” Big Earv said. “I like my rock more like Lenny Kravitz, if I listen to that style at all. Jazz is more my speed.”
“How about I join you at a jazz club if you go with me to hear the Stones?”
Big Earv shook his head. “Not at Central Park. Too many people. I’m done with large crowds, especially after all the campaigns I worked on. I hate those things.”
“Fair enough,” Hawk said. “But I’ll still join you at a jazz club.”
“Sounds like a deal,” Big Earv said.
Hawk scanned the area in front of the building again, noting that only one of the panhandlers remained.
“Okay, I’m back and set up,” Alex said over the coms. “Keep your cameras on, and let me know if you need any help.”
“Roger that,” Hawk said.
Hawk and Big Earv cut down an alley and eased around to the back of the building. They spied a small parking lot as well a ramp leading down to a loading dock located below street level. But there weren’t any guards in sight.
“I’m beginning to think those panhandlers were real and not some bodyguards in disguise,” Hawk said.
Big Earv nodded. “If this place is ground zero for an attack on New York City today, they’re either extremely confident that they aren’t going to get raided here or they’re a ragtag outfit that doesn’t stand a chance at launching an operation.”
“I’m fine with either of those scenarios,” Hawk said.
He surveyed the area one final time before signaling that it was time to investigate further and take action.
“Hawk,” Alex said over the coms, “you might want to hold back a moment. I just saw two guys with guns hustling past the van and heading in your direction.”
Hawk put his hand on Big Earv’s chest. “Let’s wait.”
They crouched low near the corner of an adjacent building and watched for the gunmen Alex had seen. But after a few minutes, nobody had even gone close to the building, much less in or out.
“Did you happen to see where they went, Alex?” Hawk asked.
“I lost them near one of the shops,” she said. “Maybe I was wrong.”
“From where we are, we haven’t seen anyone near the front of the building, but we don’t have the clearest view of the front door.”
“I’ve been watching, but I haven’t seen anybody go in either.”
“Roger that,” Hawk said. “We’re moving in now.”
Hawk and Big Earv darted up to the building and peered inside. The windows that weren’t boarded up had been painted over to prevent people from looking inside. However, there was a small portion on the glass panes of the back door that had been scratched off. With just enough daylight before the sun dipped below the skyline for good, Hawk could see inside.
“What’s in there?” Big Earv asked.
“It looks empty,” Hawk said. “But I’m not leaving until we’ve thoroughly investigated the area. This would be a great cover for an operation.”
Hawk jiggled the knob on the door, but it didn’t open.
“Let’s try through the loading dock,” Big Earv said. “I think I saw a way we can get in.”
Hawk followed Big Earv down the ramp. He approached a rickety wood door that had a padlock on it.
“Did you bring your bolt cutters?” Hawk asked.
Big Earv grinned and shook his head. “Don’t need ‘em.”
He drew back and kicked at the door. The wood splintered, crashing into the building.
“So much for the element of surprise,” Hawk said.
Big Earv ripped away enough of the wood to create a large opening they could ease through. Once inside, they split up and started searching the rooms on opposite sides of the hall.
“Clear,” Hawk whispered in his coms.
“Clear,” Big Earv answered.
When they reemerged into the hallway, Hawk caught movement in the shadows and signaled for Big Earv to go back into the room. Using the doorjamb for cover, Hawk peered around the side and saw two men with military-grade machine guns.
“Two hostiles,” Hawk whispered as he glanced at Big Earv. “You ready?”
“Ready.”
Hawk and Big Earv poked their guns into the hallway and started shooting in the direction of the two hostiles. They responded with a hail of bullets, shredding the walls of the corridor. Hawk reached into his rucksack and retrieved a flashbang.
“Fire in the hole,” Hawk said as he pulled the pin. He tossed the device toward the men and waited. When it went off, the shooting stopped. Hawk and Big Earv assumed prone positions, ready to strike when the smoke cleared. However, when it finally did, the two terrorists were crawling around on the floor.
“Cover me,” Hawk said to Big Earv before rushing down the hall.
Hawk kicked the men’s weapons away from them as they struggled to regain their equilibrium.
“Please, don’t shoot me,” one of the men said in a thick New Jersey accent. “We were told to scare you.”
“Who told you to scare us?” Hawk asked.
“Just some guy we know. Said he’d pay us a grand each to come down here and just shoot at a couple of thugs trying to break in to his property. We were only trying to scare you. We don’t want any trouble.”
Hawk kept his gun trained on the man. “Pointing your rifle at me is a sure way to ask for trouble.”
“Look, man. I’m sorry. We’ll leave you alone.”
Hawk reached into the man’s back pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Arnold Thurman,” Hawk said into his coms. “You got that name, honey?”
“Yeah,” Alex said.
Then he proceeded to read off his address before repeating the routine with the other man.
“Now, if you truly don’t want any more trouble, go tell your contact that you scared us off. Tell him that you hit one of us, but that we got away. If I find out you said anything differently, I’ll hunt you down myself. Am I making myself clear?”
“Yes,” one of the men said.
“Crystal,” the other muttered.
“Now get the hell outta here before I have Big Earv rip you apart
