“Pointless? What do you mean?”
“Even if we get Alex back, the damage might already be done. Even if we somehow survive this ordeal, our lives as we know them could be destroyed.”
“That doesn’t sound like you, Hawk. Sure something else isn’t bothering you?”
Hawk seethed as he drove, incessantly checking his mirrors to make sure they weren’t being followed.
“It’s Big Earv,” Hawk said. “He should’ve stopped this. And I can’t believe I haven’t heard from him by now.”
“Maybe he got hung up or didn’t know what was going on,” Samuels said.
“No, even if he was on duty, he would’ve heard over their secure channel what was happening. Two agents wouldn’t have acted on their own and just grabbed Alex.”
Samuels shrugged. “Perhaps. Or maybe the president ordered them to capture her. Don’t rush to judgment.”
Before Hawk could say another word, his phone buzzed.
“Who is it?” Samuels asked.
Hawk shot a sideways glance at Samuels and answered the phone.
“It’s about time I heard from you, Big Earv,” Hawk said.
“Hawk, I’m sorry about all this,” he said. “I was on break when he gave the order.”
“And you didn’t hear what was going on?”
“I did, but it was too late,” Big Earv said. “I couldn’t just run in there like a cowboy and snatch her away. If I’m going to avoid drawing suspicion, I have to follow protocol.”
“And what kind of protocol is it to arrest an innocent young woman?” Hawk asked.
“You’re using the wrong word. We don’t arrest anyone; we detain them. President Michaels does it all the time. It’s how he manages to keep all his affairs discreet.”
Hawk chuckled. “So, the president talks with a beautiful woman and then moments later has her detained—that doesn’t look suspicious to anyone?”
“I don’t make the rules,” Big Earv said. “And if I want to continue to be your eyes and ears here and shut this maniac down, I need to make sure I’m not creating suspicion by following orders as long as I can.”
“I understand, but you know as well as I do that we can’t let this thing drag out. The longer Alex is in custody, the longer Michaels’ minions have a chance to trump up some charges against her.”
“We better get to work then.”
Hawk’s phone buzzed with a call from an unknown number.
“I’ve got another call I need to take. An unknown number. These calls rarely have good news.”
“Call me back.”
“Roger that,” Hawk said before answering the incoming call. “This is Hawk.”
“How pleasant to hear your voice, Mr. Hawk,” said Katarina Petrov.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?”
“It seems that I’ve found one of your friends—and we need to make a deal.”
Hawk drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.
“Who is this friend?”
“Mr. Blunt,” she said. “I just so happened to catch him in Scotland recovering from a most unfortunate injury. And now his condition has been upgraded to critical.”
“I don’t know what kind of sick game you think you’re playing, but I can assure you that it won’t end well for you.”
“Perhaps, but I’m going to have to adjust your friend’s condition to fatal should you choose not to play. Meet me at my offices in Istanbul if you ever want to see him alive again. Be prepared for a trade—you for your friend.”
“I need proof of life before I’m going anywhere.”
“Fine. Suit yourself. Mr. Blunt, there’s someone who wants to speak with you. And no funny business.”
A few seconds later, Blunt came on the line.
“Hawk,” he said. “Don’t come. It’s a trap. Just get your old van and get out of town. She’s going to—“
“That’s enough,” Petrov said as the rest of Blunt’s words grew muffled.
“Satisfied, Mr. Hawk?”
“He better not be hurt,” Hawk said.
“You have forty-eight hours.”
The line went dead.
Hawk pounded his fist on the dashboard.
“What is it?” Samuels asked.
“I’ve got forty-eight hours to get to Istanbul and trade myself for Blunt,” he said.
“We better not waste any more time then.”
Hawk called Big Earv and told him the timeline needed to be moved up to as soon as possible. They made plans to meet in half an hour and discuss how they would break Alex out of Secret Service custody.
“Don’t worry,” Samuels said. “She’s going to be okay.”
“You don’t know that,” Hawk said. “If Michaels learns who she really is, he’ll use her as bait for me before killing all of us.”
“You’re right. I don’t know if she’ll survive—or if any of us will. But I know we’ll all give them one hell of a fight.”
“Damn right,” Hawk said.
CHAPTER 20
ALEX TWISTED HER WRISTS in an attempt to assuage the itching and the burning caused by the rope used to confine her to the chair. Her arms had almost fallen asleep and she was thirsty. While she wasn’t in the mood to give out compliments, she admired the precision that Secret Service agents worked with. They behaved like consummate professionals in whisking her away from the event. Despite being alert for the entire trip, Alex had no idea where she was.
She glanced around the room, which was stark and dimly lit. There were no windows and only one entry point. The cinder block walls were unpainted and the floor was concrete. Her best guess was that they were in the basement of a building.
After Alex sat alone for a half-hour, one of the agents walked into the room and asked her who she really was.
“I already told the last guy that I am Christina Harper,” she said.
The agent paced around the room before stopping directly in front of Alex.
“Yes, but this time I want the truth,” he said.
“I don’t understand what’s going on or what I’ve done.”
“I’m the one asking the questions here,” he said. “Now, what’s your real name?”
Prior to Alex’s decision to participate in the operation, Hawk emphasized the importance of sticking with her legend should she get caught and talking as little as possible.
“Well, Christina Harper, I noticed you have quite an impressive resume online.”
“Thank you. Now will you please untie me?”
The agent narrowed his eyes. “But it’s too impressive. I didn’t believe this for one minute. It’s obviously some fabricated cover if I’ve ever seen one.”
“My name is Christina Harper, I swear.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were some sort of computer savant. You set up a company website and a fake resume. I’m guessing you had some help on the inside to secure a ticket to the fundraiser because all the attendees are thoroughly vetted. Am I barking up the right tree here, Mrs. Harper?”
“I’m sorry that you find my accomplishments so unbelievable,” she said, fully embracing her legend. “Most men feel threatened by strong women, especially in the marketplace. You’re probably feeling threatened right now.”
The agent laughed and shook his head.
“I’m afraid you’ve got it all wrong, sweetheart,” he said. “You’re the one who should feel vulnerable right now—because you are. I could make you disappear in an instant. And you know how I could do that?”
Alex remained silent and kept her gaze fixated on the wall in front of her.
“I could do that because Christina Harper doesn’t exist. Nobody will come looking for a woman who is a figment of your imagination. So, save all your feminist talk for someone who cares. It doesn’t intimidate me. I’m going to find out who you really are. And when I do, it’s not going to be good for you.”
The agent glared at her and shook his head.
“Now, why don’t you make it easy on all of us and start talking, you little impostor?”
Alex continued looking forward and resisted the temptation to talk.
“Suit yourself,” the agent said before punching her in face.
Alex’s head rocked back due to the blow. The powerful punch stung and her face burned. Before she had time to fully comprehend what was happening, the agent delivered another hit to the other side of Alex’s face. She teetered to the side in her chair before all four legs landed on the ground with a thud.
“Enjoying this, sweetie?” he asked.
Alex felt blood oozing from the corner of her mouth. She used her shoulder to temporarily stop the flow, brushing it against her face.
“There’s a lot more where that came from,” he said with a sneer.
“Bring it,” she said. “You’re only going to end up with a giant lawsuit on your hands when this is all over with . . . if you survive.”
The agent stared at her. “Are you threatening me, little lady?”
“Damn right, I am,” she said. “You’ll be lucky to survive this ordeal if you’re not careful.”
“And who’s going to stop me? You?” he asked mockingly.
“I’d be careful if I were you.”
The man threw his head back and laughed. He then recoiled and slammed his fist into the side of Alex’s face again. Alex regrouped from the blow as the agent broke into a maniacal laugh. He drew back and prepared to dish out another punch.
Then the lights went out.
CHAPTER 21
Istanbul, Turkey
BLUNT COULD FEEL ALL the blood draining from his arms as he hung suspended six feet in the air. A searing pain persisted around his ribs from his earlier injury. With his hands bound and tethered to a metal pipe attached to the wall, he glanced around the room and was certain he wasn’t the first person to experience similar treatment from Petrov. He wondered how many of Petrov’s enemies had taken their last breath in the room before considering the odds that he would do the same.
While Blunt had utilized government channels and legislation during most of his time working with Petrov, he knew she was prone to exert more direct means of pressure when necessary. She asked him to engage some black ops units in the past when traditional methods of achieving her objectives had failed. Blunt had been leery of complying, but on more than one occasion he obliged her. Those decisions were some of the few he’d come to regret during his time with The Chamber. Blunt considered how hanging in a painful position for long stretches of time had a way of making him reevaluate his life—or at least particular decisions he’d made.
But there was nothing he could do about any of it now. He concluded that regret was a worthless emotion when stuck in a helpless situation. Instead, he decided to turn his thoughts toward more hopeful ones, imagining how Hawk might be able to rescue him. It wasn’t likely given the circumstances. He could only hope the secret message he tried to pass along was received and understood by Hawk.
An hour ticked slowly past before the door swung open and a streak of bright light flooded the room. He didn’t have to guess whose silhouetted figure darkened the door and proceeded to march toward him.
“Nice of you to join me, Katarina,” Blunt said. “I saved a spot for you up here.”
“Ever the gentleman, J.D.,” she said. “But I think I’ll decline your invitation. We have some pressing matters to discuss before I trade you for your little soldier boy.”
“Trade?” he asked. “You’re really going to follow through on your promise?”
“As long as the exchange doesn’t get messy, and there are no guarantees that it won’t.”
Blunt shook his head. “You’re going to turn this into a blood bath, aren’t you?”
“It doesn’t have to be. You tell me what I need to know and it’ll just be a single sniper shot to his head. Very clean and quick. He’ll be dead before he hits the ground.”
“You think it’s going to be that simple to kill Hawk?” Blunt said, breaking into a laugh. “You really are delusional.”
“One person’s delusion is another person’s reality. Besides, the reality is you’re not going anywhere unless you tell me what I want to know.”
“I doubt I’ll be able to pass along any useful intel to you. It’s hard to think when your hands are hanging above your head.”
Petrov walked toward the wall and pressed a button. A small pulley motor began to hum, lowering Blunt to the ground. Petrov grabbed a chair that was against the wall and used her foot to slide it to him.
“Have a seat and collect your thoughts,” she said. “Your life depends on it.”
Blunt sat down and moaned. He took a few deep breaths and threw his head back, grateful for a respite.
“All better now?” she asked.
Blunt nodded. “Thank you, Katarina. Kindness is very becoming on you.”
She narrowed her eyes and glared at him before pushing the button on the wall. The motor sputtered to life again and hoisted Blunt back to his previous position.
“It didn’t have to end this way,” Petrov said. “We could’ve been doing this together.”
Blunt situated himself again and struggled to get a deep breath before speaking.
“When I agreed to join The Chamber, this was never the mission.”
She laughed. “Oh, you poor naïve man, J.D. This has always been the mission. But like any good leader, the soldiers only need to do their job to accomplish the overall objective. The bigger picture isn’t of consequence to them.”
“I thought The Chamber was going to be a force of good in this world, a last line of defense against ruthless dictators,” he said. “Never did I dream for a minute that it was actually a vehicle for creating a totalitarian regime.”
“In the annals of history, it won’t matter what you thought. All that anyone will ever remember about J.D. Blunt was that he was a traitor to his country. Because if I go down, you will go down as well.”
“So, you have a dead man’s switch? Clever.”
She smiled and nodded. “You know me. I always think of everything. Three days after I die, someone from my office will anonymously release mountains of documents on all of the people involved in The Chamber. My legacy will remain heroic within the Russian border, which is all I care about. You, however, will be viewed quite differently after your death.”
“I doubt anyone will care that much about me after I die. Hell, no one probably even cares if I’m alive or dead.”
“Brady Hawk cares, which is the only reason you’re alive right now—and quite possibly the only reason you’ll survive, if I decide to let you.”
“You better kill me now because I assure you that if I live, I’ll do whatever I can to make sure that you won’t live to see the end of the week.”
She shrugged. “By that point, everything I was assigned to do might already be completed. You’ll only be feeding your rage and anger.”
“No, I’ll be getting justice, justice for all the terrible things you’ve done.”
“J.D., I’m disappointed in you, trying to claim some moral high ground like that. You know that everything is relative and highly subjective according to your perspective. One man’s traitor is another man’s hero.”
“You’re no hero, Katarina.”
“I suppose the Russian history books will differ with you and thus prove my point. So, you cling to your hope up there, but you’ve done nothing to persuade me to change my mind. Hawk is going to die.”
“Aren’t you even going to attempt to interrogate me?” Blunt asked. “Maybe I’ll give you what you want to know.”
She shook her head. “No, you’ve made it very clear where you stand on everything. And I’m a big fan of not wasting everyone’s time, though you arguably have more to waste than I do at this point. So, consider this an act of grace that I don’t treat you like you deserve right now.”
“I’m so grateful,” Blunt sneered.
“I’m in
the position of power, not you, J.D. Your angry words and threats ring hollow as you hang up there. Enjoy what time you have left. Your mind will torture you far more brutally than I ever could.”
“I doubt that. My conscience is clear.”
“Don’t be absurd. In how much denial do you have to be to even believe such a statement like that? Your conscience is clear? What a ridiculous claim. We both know the truth. Pakistan, Yemen, Libya, El Salvador—you mean to tell me you have a clear conscience about what you did on each of those operations?”
“I wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t kill innocent people and their families just because they got in my way.”
“And that’s why I’m standing down here and you’re hanging up there,” she said as she turned out the lights. “Sweet dreams, J.D.”
Blunt summoned all his strength to draw another deep breath as he watched her silhouette vanish down the hall before the door closed behind her.
Hurry up, Hawk.
CHAPTER 22
HAWK EASED HIS WAY along the darkened corridor in the bowels of the Library of Congress. The four buildings that comprised the world’s largest library were interconnected through a series of tunnels. And while the library was closed to the public, employees worked through the night to fulfill requests and shuttle books back and forth between the various reading rooms. As a result of the graveyard shift staff, Hawk exercised caution as he moved toward the target.
Samuels was fulfilling Alex’s role, watching the security feeds and warning Hawk about any potential dangerous situations lurking around the next corner. Big Earv, who’d filled Hawk and Samuels in on the Secret Service’s clandestine holding facility just a few blocks away from the White House, took up his position just outside the doors to prevent any suspicion being cast on him. If video cameras showed he was overcome by Hawk, no one would suspect Big Earv’s involvement.
Hawk reached the entry point into the interrogation room, which was well disguised by a stairwell door. Big Earv had explained that one floor below the bottom basement level was a secure holding area for people that the President wanted detained for whatever reason. While the facility remained Secret Service lore to the public, Big Earv confirmed what Hawk had long believed to be true.
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