“Alex,” Hawk said, “is Mia still around?”
“You need her?”
“Ask her if she can hack the lab and get me into an elevator.”
“Roger that.”
Hawk waited anxiously until he received an affirmative reply from Alex. “She said give her three minutes.”
“Tell her to make it two,” Hawk said. “I’m not sure we can wait that long.”
Hawk considered what he might face when he ran up against Evana. After their earlier encounter, she was wounded. And like most animals behaved after sustaining an injury, Evana was sure to be dangerous. Killing thousands at the National Mall would've been a major triumph. But sending a dirty nuclear bomb across Washington, it’d be her greatest achievement, accomplishing something her cousin Karif Fazil had once tried in New York City. He’d failed due to Hawk’s action, and he was determined that she’d suffer the same fate.
When the doors opened, Alex laughed. “How’s that for service? Only sixty seconds.”
“Just get me to the basement,” Hawk said as he darted inside.
“Going down,” Alex said.
A few seconds later, the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid apart. Hawk peered around the side to make sure he didn’t get ambushed. Once he was certain that he could safely exit, he headed down a long corridor until he reached a pair of double doors that opened into a large open space. He yanked on the handle, but it was locked.
“Alex, I need a hand again.”
“Roger that.”
After a brief moment, the light on the wall clicked green, releasing the magnetized lock. Hawk entered the room and scanned the dimly lit area for Evana. He didn’t need long to find her.
Against the far wall, Evana sat on top of a missile. As Hawk moved closer, he could see she was wearing a suicide vest.
“That’s far enough,” she said. “And this time, you can see I’m holding a dead man’s switch.”
“It’s a novel idea,” Hawk said, his gun trained on her. “You’ve thought of everything.”
“That’s right,” she said. “This is exactly how I’ve always wanted to die. I go screaming into paradise after killing thousands of infidels.”
“You’ve wasted your life on revenge. That’s quite an achievement to be proud of.”
“I know you’re being sarcastic, but I’m deadly serious. I’m going to kill us both in just a matter of seconds.”
Hawk took a deep breath—and then a gamble with his life. “I don’t think you are.” He edged closer, walking toward her but increasing his pace every few steps.
“Did you hear me?” Evana said. “I will kill us both.”
Hawk spoke in a hushed tone so only Alex could hear him. “She’s got a bomb. You know what to do.” He then addressed Evana. “What are you waiting for? If this is how you want to do it, be my guest.”
She slapped the side of the missile. “I said stop.”
“You don’t want to die today, Evana.”
“Says the man with the gun.”
He shrugged. “You’d rather see the fruit of your labor than simply trusting that you accomplished what you set out to accomplish. And if you blow yourself up right now, you’re not going to set off some dirty bomb like you think you are.”
“Take another step and you’ll never find out.”
Hawk marched toward her. “The truth is there isn’t any nuclear research taking place here, contrary to what all the conspiracy theorists say. This lab is just about animals. And that missile you’re sitting on isn’t the kind that blows up people. It’s a probe used for exploring deep ocean trenches.”
“Don’t think you can lie to me like that? I know what this is.”
“You think you do, but if you killed yourself right now, you’d go down as one of the dumbest terrorists in the history of the world. And I’d make sure of it.”
“You’re going to be dead,” she said.
“People are listening in right now. They’ll spread the story of your infamous blunder far and wide, decimating Al Fatihin and making your organization the laughing stock of the Middle East.”
She pulled a phone out of her pocket. “I think you’ve underestimated me, Mr. Hawk. I always have a backup plan.”
She dialed a number and started to run for cover. Hawk didn’t move. She dove behind a wall and waited. Nothing happened.
Hawk walked over to her, his weapon trained on her.
“It’s the end of the line for you, Evana,” Hawk said. “You’re done terrorizing this country.”
Alex screeched in his ear. “Hawk, don’t kill her.”
“Why the hell not?”
“President Young just contacted our office,” Alex said. “He wants to see Evana.”
CHAPTER 41
11:15 p.m.
Undisclosed location
THE CIA SAFE HOUSE in the woods was lit by a single porch light, piercing the thick vegetation. In the distance, fireworks still exploded as people celebrated in the holiday’s waning hours. Hawk checked his rearview mirror for Evana as they bumped along the dirt driveway and shot a quick glance at Black. She wore a sack over her head, hands and feet restrained with cuffs.
“What a night,” Black said. “We can always count on Evana to keep it interesting for us.”
Hawk stroked his chin before shifting the car into park. “Well, this was the last time. Let’s get this over with.”
Hawk and Black marched Evana up the steps and inside before removing her hood. She opened her eyes and looked straight ahead. Hawk stood in her line of sight.
“Here are the ground rules,” Hawk said. “You don’t speak unless you’re spoken to. You don’t make any sudden movements. If you act in any threatening manner, I’ll take you out. Is that clear?”
She shrugged. “I guess so. But just remember, I didn’t ask to be here.”
Black ushered Evana Bahar to a chair across from President Young. A pair of Secret Service agents stood flanking him. Hawk recognized one of the men as Agent Alvin Hickman. Young took a long pull on his glass of bourbon and then set it down deliberately. After smacking his lips, he shook his head and eyed Evana cautiously.
“Finally, we meet on my terms,”
