To the west, the sun was nearing its daily disappearing act. And Hawk was hoping to do the same once they were finished with Sinclair.
“How’s everything going?” Alex asked over the coms.
“Fine and dandy,” Hawk said. “And you?”
“You’ve got a green light from your crack tech crew. We’re just waiting on your signal.”
“Roger that.”
Hawk began the drive up the road that snaked through the oil derricks pumping rhythmically around them.
“Up here,” Blunt said, pointing toward a turnoff.
Hawk parked behind a set of three storage tanks towering over a small dirt field. Two derricks squeaked as they slowly pumped liquid gold from the ground. He took a deep breath as he got out and grabbed a barstool and a tripod with a video camera from the back of their vehicle.
Black led Sinclair outside, while Blunt positioned the shot.
“I think this is perfect,” Blunt said, settling the stool onto the ground. “If we shoot from this angle, it’ll be almost Oscar-worthy for best cinematography.”
Hawk chuckled. “It’s good to go out with a bang, isn’t it?”
Blunt furrowed. “You talking about Sinclair?”
Hawk shook his head. “I’m talking about you.”
“What do you mean?” Blunt asked.
“When we set all this up, I had to talk to the president. He told me you were planning on retiring.”
Blunt sighed before fishing in his pocket for a cigar and snipping off the end. “Is that a crime?”
“Of course not. I just thought you would’ve told us first.”
Black seated Sinclair on the stool. “Yeah, why tell him? He’s got no clue. Us, on the other hand, we’ve got your back no matter what. And I think the last couple of weeks have proven that.”
“Okay, okay,” Blunt said before jamming the cigar in his mouth. “I should’ve told my amazing team first. It was a mistake. I’m entitled to make one every decade or so, aren’t I?”
“All’s forgiven,” Hawk said. “I’m just curious as to why now.”
“I don’t know, Hawk,” Blunt said. “One day you wake up and realize you’re just too old for this shit any more. I’d rather be fishing and reading a Stuart Woods novel than hunting down these pukes. I’ve had a good run, and I’ve served my country to the best of my ability, and I just feel like I’m slipping, which means it’s time for me to slip away and let someone else carry the mantle.”
Hawk let out a low whistle. “I wonder what it says about me that I came to the same realization about thirty years earlier than you did.”
“You can’t quit,” Blunt said. “Nobody’s better at rounding up these assholes than you.”
Hawk shrugged as he set up the camera. “Maybe, but there’s more to life than this for me. I might just need a long break, but Alex and I have been talking about it. And since you’re retiring, there might not be a better time.”
Blunt grunted. “Hawk, you’re too valuable. Please, reconsider what you’re saying.”
Before Hawk could defend his decision further, Alex’s voice came through on the coms. “How are you boys doing? Everything set up?”
“Perfect timing, Alex,” Hawk said. “I think we just need to do a little test and launch this production.”
“Turn on your camera, and I’ll make sure everything is working,” she said.
Hawk complied with her request.
“Good?” he asked.
“We’re golden, boys. Whenever you want to start, just say the word.”
“Great,” Blunt said. “Before we begin, I need to make sure Mr. Sinclair understands what he needs to do.”
Black removed the gag and blindfold from their prisoner.
“You people are gonna pay for this,” Sinclair said with a hiss.
“Sit down and shut the hell up,” Blunt said. “I’ve got something for you to do if you want to leave this place alive.”
Sinclair then broke into laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Blunt asked.
“The best part about all of this is that you think you’re going to get away with it. But what you don’t realize is that you’re already as good as dead.”
Blunt pulled the cigar out of mouth, resting it between his fingers. He leaned over, placing his hands on his knees and getting down at Sinclair’s eye level. “So, how’s this gonna happen? You gonna spin around and put on your cape, maybe beat us to death with your powerful hands.”
Blunt walked around behind Sinclair and grabbed his hands, studying them before dropping them.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen such soft and supple hands belonging to a man in all my life,” Blunt said.
“Uncuff me and you’ll find out that looks can be deceiving,” Sinclair said.
“Let’s get on with it,” Black said. “Give him the paper.”
Blunt held up a page in front of Sinclair. “This is what you’re going to read in front of the camera.”
Sinclair studied it for a moment. “Are you out of your bloody mind? I’d rather get a bullet to the head than read that.”
Black chuckled. “We can arrange that.”
“No,” Blunt said, “we’re doing nothing of the sort. You will read this or you will die here. But not by a bullet. It’ll be a slow and painful death because we’re not leaving until we have you admitting to the world what you’ve done.”
“The damage has already been done,” Sinclair said. “All those journalists saw that footage. My words aren’t necessary.”
Blunt crammed the cigar back into his mouth and stood upright. “These words are what will keep you alive.”
“Give me a bullet, please.”
Black pulled out his gun and jammed the end of it against Sinclair’s head. The Australian businessman threw his hands up and begged for mercy.
“Okay, okay, don’t shoot. I’ll read it.”
The sun vanished into the ocean, ushering in dusk.
“Better get a move on,” Alex said. “There’s not much daylight left before the quality of the video will be corrupted.”
“Roger that,” Hawk said before turning to the rest of the team. “We need to move now.”
Blunt handed the paper to Sinclair to let him study it for a moment. When he was finished, he gave
