She scanned a page she'd saved and searched for a group of repeating numbers. The fact that she noticed it wasn't unusual. Hackers often embedded plenty of hidden messages inside their code, sometimes for their adoring fans, sometimes as a big middle finger to cybersecurity experts. But this was different.
Where are you?
Her eyes processed the digits as they rolled down her screen.
“What are you doing?” Alex asked. “We need to get out of here. You may not realize this, but Evana Bahar knows where we are. She dumped a dead body outside our front door. You can bet that one of the missiles from a drone is heading right here.
Mia blew away a wisp of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes. “I hear you.”
“You obviously don’t. We need to evacuate right now and prepare for what’s about to happen.”
Then Mia stopped and put her finger on the monitor. “There you are.”
“What are you doing, Mia? We need to leave now.”
“Look,” she said as she pointed to her screen. “I found something.”
“It’s not going to matter when a missile rips through this building.”
“Someone is trying to send me a message,” Mia said. “It’s GPS coordinates. I know that’s where they are.”
Alex stopped her pleading and took a deep breath. “Where who is, Mia?”
“Where Evana Bahar and the team is. We still have time to stop them.”
“Give it to me,” Alex said. “We don’t have much time.”
CHAPTER 38
7:40 p.m.
HAWK RACED DOWN the sidewalk, Titus Black trailing by at least ten meters. The apartment buildings just one block off the National Mall provided one of the best views of the area. And according to Mia, that’s where Evana Bahar had chosen to work. From that vantage point, she could watch the city burn.
“I count ten stories in this building,” Hawk said. “How are we going to find the exact address?”
“Good question,” Alex said. “I already asked Mia that. She said she almost misinterpreted the string of numbers as GPS coordinates because there were extra numbers and letters at the end. But she interpreted that to be the floor and room number.”
“She better be right,” Hawk said. “Otherwise, hundreds upon hundreds of innocent people are going to die tonight.”
“I think she’s well aware of the stakes,” Alex said.
Hawk’s lung burned as did his legs. He wanted to push himself even harder, anything to arrive at the Al Fatihin command center faster than he could. As he ran, he went through all the possible scenarios he could think of. A hostage situation, a dead man trigger, a dummy headquarters, a booby trap. But there was no way of knowing what awaited him, especially as to what Evana Bahar’s mental state would be. Going from euphoric to depressed in a matter of seconds could trigger her to do something dangerous. She was just as volatile as any potential weapons hanging from the wings of a Shadow drone, yet far more unpredictable.
“We need to go in there together,” Black said over the coms.
“Then try to keep up,” Hawk said, adrenaline pumping through his veins.
When Hawk reached the building, the door was locked, requiring a keycard. But he didn’t hesitate, pumping a couple of rounds into the window and shattering it. He kicked in the spidered glass and eased through it. Black followed him, and then the duo raced up the stairs to the sixth floor.
“Are you sure this is where Evana’s team is?” Hawk asked. “There’s no do-overs here. If we’re wrong, we might very well miss her.”
“Mia’s sure,” Alex said. “Full speed ahead.”
When Hawk and Black reached the floor, Hawk didn’t hesitate to kick down the door. He only needed two jabs in order to gain entrance. The door jamb splintered and the hinges separated as Hawk burst into the room with Black just a few steps behind. With their weapons drawn, the pair glided through the apartment.
As they went from empty room to empty room, Hawk wondered if Mia was overconfident in her interpretation of the coordinates tied to the coding.
Mia could be entirely wrong.
Hawk pressed ahead, clearing each space before giving a knowing nod to Black. When they finally reached the entrance to the master suite adjacent to the living room, Hawk was prepared to find another empty area. Instead, he found gunfire when he opened the door.
Hawk darted behind the corner of the wall as he assessed the situation from the brief glimpse he took of the room.
“Talk to me, Hawk,” Alex said. “What’s going on?”
“I didn’t get a great look, but I think there are at least nine hostiles.”
“Nine? Dammit. All armed?”
“Not sure at this point,” Hawk nodded at Black, who was crawling across the room to maintain cover.
“Flush ‘em out,” she said. “I can’t get you any support before the drones get within range. You have to disrupt the hackers.”
“Roger that, but send them anyway. We don’t know what might become of this situation.”
“I’m on it,” she said.
Hawk clenched his jaw and then locked eyes with Black. In one smooth movement, Hawk pulled the pin from a smoke bomb canister and tossed it into the suite. The act was initially met by gunshots from within the room but quickly morphed into coughing. Black, who was lying prone around the corner, waited for people to exit. The first armed man staggered into the hallway before collapsing under a couple of shots from Black. Hawk grabbed the man and yanked his body, sliding it into the living room. Seconds later, another guard followed and was riddled by bullets. Hawk piled that body on top of the first one.
A third man came out with his hands raised. “I don’t want any trouble. Please don’t shoot.”
Hawk surprised the man with a head butt and then dragged him around the corner and out of sight. After Hawk hustled back to his position, he issued a warning.
“Anyone else want to die tonight?” Hawk asked. “Come out with your hands up if you
