They zipped past a man laboring up the hill on his bike. A few minutes later, she took a hard left turn, veering up to a gate.
“Now what are you gonna do?” Hawk asked.
Alex revved the engine several times.
He shook his head. “Don’t even think about it. This is a rental, and I didn’t buy insurance.”
She cast him a sideways glance. “Why not? You know we always wreck these things or at least get them shot up.”
“I thought we were just driving up here to have a nice conversation with Cameron Daniels, not get into a shootout with him. Besides, it’s not like he has a legion of bodyguards waiting to shoot us if we make one wrong move.”
“At least, not that we know of.”
Hawk huffed. “Look, I don’t care how hard you drive this thing, just don’t get us in a wreck. I’d rather not go through that fifth circle of hell.”
“You doubt my abilities, don’t you?”
“Honey, you know I think the world of you. But the problem is we’re in front of a thick, locked gate and—”
Without warning, the gate swung open slowly, allowing them access to the neighborhood.
With his mouth gaping, Hawk stared wide-eyed. “What the—”
She glanced at him and winked before holding up a small black box. “Works every time.”
“What is that thing?”
“It’s a special automatic opener,” she said. “This bad boy reads the gate and then determines the universal code before entering it in. A matter of seconds later, it’s flinging open for the world to see.”
His eyebrows shot upward. “Impressive.”
“Well, as much as I’d like to take credit for this,” Alex said as she held up a small black box, “Mia made this for me.”
Hawk gestured toward the road. “Take us in, Number One.”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You know how much I hate Star Trek.”
“I hear there’s a Bollywood knockoff version that might interest you.”
“No,” Alex replied curtly. “Not even Bollywood can save us from that sci-fi disaster.”
“Now you’re just trying to press my buttons.”
She gave him a coy look before revving the engine and roaring inside.
Alex pulled up to the curb in front of Daniels’s house. Hawk leaned forward, attempting to peer inside.
“There doesn’t appear to be anyone home,” he said.
“That shouldn’t be surprising,” Alex said. “Daniels’s wife left him after he decided to part ways with Falcon Sinclair. According to one article I read, she was pissed that he made such a stupid decision. They could’ve been multi-billionaires instead of just raking in a nine-figure salary every year.”
“Priorities,” Hawk said.
They both sat there for a few seconds before a man rolled up on a bike. He darted toward the garage. After pulling inside, he put up his bicycle on a rack hanging from the ceiling before striding toward them. Daniels wore a tight-fitting pair of shorts and a shirt that accentuated his bulging chest.
“By the way he’s walking, I think he wants to fight,” Hawk said, opening his door and climbing out.
“Honey, be nice,” Alex said. “I doubt he really wants to start something.”
Hawk heard her, but he wasn’t interested in taking her advice.
If this requires some hand-to-hand combat, I’m ready for it.
“Hello,” Daniels said. “What’s this all about?”
He gestured toward Hawk and Alex’s car.
“We use this new-fangled mechanical contraption to get around these days,” Hawk said. “Perhaps, you should try one. You wouldn’t be nearly as winded after returning to your house each time.”
Daniels chuckled. “Believe me, if I could figure out a way to stay in shape that didn’t involve overexerting myself up these Alpine mountains, I’d do it. But the truth is, it’s not that easy. Gotta tax different muscle groups to beef up.”
Alex climbed out of the car and stared at his chest. “And you need to do that because why?”
Hawk sighed. “Look, what my wife is trying to say is that you appear to be in shape for a man of your age, and—”
Alex huffed. “I didn’t put any such stipulation on my comment. I meant what I said. He looks good.”
Daniels smiled. “Well, I don’t care if it’s flattery or not. Why don’t the two of you join me inside for a cup of tea and we’ll talk about why you’re really here. What do you say?”
Alex wasted no time in making her intentions known, taking a few steps in the direction Daniels pointed.
“Fine,” Hawk said. I’ll go along with this.”
“Excellent,” Daniels said as he rubbed his hands together. “Let’s start with why you’re here.”
Once they were inside, Alex initiated the conversation.
“We’re from Covington Investments and want to discuss a project we’re wondering if you’re interested in.”
“Of course,” Daniels said as he refilled his water bottle. “What do you have in mind?”
“We know your non-compete expires in about three months,” Hawk said, “and we were interested in talking with you about starting up a space tourism company that would go head to head with Falcon Sinclair. We have over ten billion pledged as startup capital and surely more on the way if you would be willing to contribute your intellectual property to the venture.”
Daniels studied Hawk for a moment before responding. “So, who are you guys really? Because I’ve never heard of Covington Investments, and if a firm had that kind of money on hand, I would’ve heard about it long before right now.”
With a blown cover story, Hawk figured the best way to attempt to earn back Daniels’s trust was to be straightforward. The entrepreneur’s inquisition caught Hawk flat-footed, but he just wanted to establish a connection with Daniels and make him refuse their request. Daniels’s well-established feud with Sinclair led Hawk to believe there was still a good chance Daniels would agree to help.
“We’re with a secret black ops unit of the U.S. government, and we want to eliminate Falcon Sinclair as a threat to the country,” Hawk said.
Daniels’s gaze bounced back and forth between the two agents before a smile spread across his lips. “This is the best prank I’ve seen
