The plan consisted of Big Earv relieving the current guard on duty before Hawk would stage an attack and subdue his accomplice. However, the guard was still at his post when Hawk slipped into the hall. He hid behind a cart loaded with books as he waited.
Big Earv strode up to the man about a minute later and Hawk watched intently.
“You’re relieving me of my duties?” the guard asked.
Big Earv nodded. “That’s what I was told. Here’s the text I received right here.” He showed his phone to the other guard.
“How come I wasn’t notified about this? You know protocol.”
“Check again,” Big Earv said. “Maybe you missed the message.”
Hawk grew uneasy with the situation.
“Samuels, did you forget to send a text to the guard on duty?” Hawk whispered over the coms.
“Just sent it again,” Samuels said. “I’m not sure what happened.”
“Try not to let that happen again,” Hawk said. “We’re counting on you.”
Hawk turned his attention back toward the guard post.
“Oh, there it is,” the guard said after scrolling through his phone for a few second. “Sorry about that, Big Earv.”
“No worries. It happens. Have a good night.”
“You, too,” the guard said with a wave as he spun and walked toward the exit.
Big Earv assumed his position and looked imposing. Hawk waited for a couple of minutes before taking a deep breath and sprinting toward his friend. After the altercation ended with Big Earv on his back, Hawk deemed their performance was Oscar worthy. He took the keys off Big Earv and entered the stairwell.
He maneuvered down the steps and determined to follow Big Earv’s advice about killing the lights. Hawk was about to turn them off when he heard cries coming from the interrogation room down the hall. He crept up on it and saw an agent draw back before striking Alex. Hawk felt the blood rush to his face.
That bastard is gonna pay for that.
Hawk hustled back down the hallway and killed the lights. He waited for a few seconds before easing into the room. He slipped on his infrared glasses and located the man who’d hit Alex. However, he wasn’t the only man in the room. Two other agents were also nearby. They were both groping against the wall in search of the light switch.
Perfect.
Taking two of the guards by the back of their shirts, Hawk slammed them into one another. Unable to see who hit them, they both started swinging wildly. Hawk then turned his attention to the agent who’d been striking Alex. While Hawk considered how unfair the fight was for a moment, he justified it since it was as fair as the agent torturing an innocent woman bound to a chair.
Hawk’s first punch was straight to the man’s throat. The next was a swift kick to his midsection. Hawk followed that with a series of blows to the man’s face, finishing him off by placing him in a sleeper hold.
Glancing at the other two guards, Hawk watched as they continued to blindly fight one another.
Hawk pulled out his knife and began to cut through Alex’s bindings.
“Sorry about taking so long to get here,” he whispered after the blade severed the rope. “Let’s get out of here.”
He led her toward the door.
“Wait here for just a minute.”
Hawk rushed over to the two men and delivered a pair of haymakers, knocking them both to the floor. He ran back to Alex and grabbed her by the hand.
“Let’s go. We don’t have much time.”
They hustled up the stairwell, stepped over Big Earv’s body, and raced toward the exit.
“How are we looking, Samuels?” Hawk said over the coms.
“So far so good,” Samuels answered.
Hawk yanked Alex close as they rounded hard into a corridor on the left. Within a few seconds, they’d both reached top speed.
“Hold on,” Samuels said. “You’re about to have company.”
Hawk threw his hand out to slow Alex as he tried to stop. But it was too late. A security guard roaming the halls stepped into the hallway and saw both of them. The guard fumbled for his nightstick, but he wasn’t able to get a good handle on it before Hawk kicked it free. After two vicious punches, the man toppled to the ground unconscious. Hawk grabbed the man’s radio and resumed running toward the exit.
“What are you trying to do, Samuels? Get us arrested again?” Hawk asked.
Samuels was slow to respond.
“Samuels? Samuels? Are you there?” Hawk asked.
“I’m here. Sorry about that. I’m still new to this whole monitoring thing.”
“Don’t worry,” Hawk said. “Just be a little more vigilant until we get out of here. And then I’m going to permanently relieve you of that duty.”
A few minutes later, Hawk and Alex were climbing into the van with Samuels.
Samuels rushed over to Alex, giving his sister a tight hug.
“Thank God you’re okay,” he said. “What happened?”
Alex sat down and buried her head in her hands before she began to cry softly.
“I didn’t think I’d ever see either of you two again,” she said. “How did you find me? Big Earv?”
Hawk nodded as he cranked the van and started driving.
“The most important thing is you’re okay because we need our entire team running on all cylinders if we’re going to be successful on our next mission.”
Alex dried her eyes and took a deep breath.
“So, what’s next? Back to protecting Justice Williams?”
Hawk shook his head. “No, Justice Williams is on her own now.”
“We can’t just leave her alone,” she said. “Michaels is obviously unhinged. He’s going to kill her tonight if he thinks she’s going to vote against him.”
“From the news reports I heard, she did a pretty good job of tipping her hand. She appears to be voting in lockstep with the president. Besides, we have a far more important operation ahead of us.”
“More important than making sure the U.S. doesn’t adopt Petrov’s one world currency plan?”
Hawk nodded. “Petrov kidnapped Blunt. She wants me to trade myself for Blunt in less than forty-eight hours. If not, she’s going to kill him.”
“Saving Blunt is more important than saving the justice? Hawk, you know what Blunt would want us to do—and saving him isn’t it.”
“We’re going to put an end to this thing once and for all.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?”
“I’m going to kill Petrov.”
CHAPTER 23
ON THE PLANE RIDE to Istanbul, Hawk worked with Alex and Samuels to develop a plan to infiltrate Petrov’s compound using information off the thumb drive Polat had sent them. Hawk insisted on going over every piece of intel Polat had sent them and found a few hidden gems.
“Polat gave his life to get these plans to us,” Hawk said. “Let’s make sure it doesn’t go to waste.”
As she dug through the files, Alex found a blueprint that contradicted what was officially on record with Istanbul’s planning website.
“Would you look at that?” she said.
Hawk leaned over her shoulder and studied the plans carefully.
“What am I looking at?”
Alex pointed at the screen. “See this hallway right here?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s not on the originals. I’ve combed through all of these plans, and this is the only area that deviates from the official ones.”
“Think this is where they’re holding Blunt?”
“I’d bet my life on it,” Alex said.
“Great,” Hawk said. “So, how do you recommend we sneak into this room?”
Alex scrolled through several pages before answering.
“Right here,” she said. “The ventilation shaft on the second floor runs all the way down to this room. It’s your best bet at sneaking into The Chamber’s offices without getting caught.”
Hawk stood up and stroked his ch
in, his eyes still roaming over every inch of the screen.
“And how do you suggest we penetrate their state-of-the-art security system?”
She smiled and pounded out a few keystrokes on her computer.
“You’re going to have to access this passageway from inside the building—right here.”
Hawk’s eyes widened as he drew a deep breath.
“That’s a suicide mission, Alex,” he said. “I want to get Blunt out of there alive. And I’d like to join him.”
“What makes you think you can’t get inside without them noticing?”
“For starters, I’m sure she has her security team on high alert for me. Her guards probably have contour on my face memorized by now.”
Alex turned toward Samuels, gesturing in his direction.
“Enter the Magic Man.”
Hawk glanced at Samuels. “Do you have some skill you’ve been hiding from me?”
Samuels smiled and winked at Hawk.
“Not a hidden skill, but a hidden piece of tech,” Samuels said, opening a briefcase. “This will make you look like someone else entirely.”
Hawk hovered over the briefcase and studied the machine.
“What does it do?”
“It creates a mask that so alters the outside of your face that even the best facial recognition software will be fooled by it.”
“You’d bet your life on it?” Hawk said.
“Absolutely,” Samuels said. “And to prove it, I’m going to join you on this operation.”
Hawk shook his head. “No, I need you helping Alex in case things go sideways.”
“She can handle herself. I think she’s proven that to us time and time again. But you’re going to be outgunned and outmanned. Without me, you don’t stand a chance.”
“Maybe, but this is the kind of mission where not everyone comes back alive. Think you can handle that?”
“I’ll take my chances.”
“Fine,” Hawk said. “Let’s do it. Any idea who we should look like?”
“I’ve got just the face for you,” Samuels said.
Hawk retreated to the back of the plane to place a phone call. He was sure he understood a secret message Blunt was trying to pass to him. When the man on the other end answered, Hawk knew he’d interpreted the message correctly.
* * *
Once they landed, they went straight to a hotel, where they finalized their plans. Hawk asked everyone if they felt confident about their roles in the operation, which was met with assured nods.
“Excellent,” Hawk said. “Let’s get some rest before we head over this afternoon. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night.”
“Agreed,” Alex said. “But before we do, I want to check the news. The Supreme Court was supposed to render its judgment by now.”
She re-opened her computer and started to scour news websites. In a matter of seconds, she found the story she was looking for blaring in large type across the front of one of her favorite news sites.
“Scarborough recuses himself, court split on revoking Federal Reserve Act,” she read.
“What does that mean?” Samuels asked.
Hawk watched Alex’s eyes speed back and forth across the screen.
“It means that the efforts to rule the act unconstitutional are dead—for now,” she said. “And that means that Justice Williams’ life is in grave danger.”
“Not yet. Michaels will need to regroup before going back in front of the Supreme Court and asking it to review its ruling.”
“So, you’re saying that she’s safe?”
“Not indefinitely, but it means that what we’re doing tomorrow has grave consequences for our own country as well as Justice Williams,” Hawk said. “If we can finally put an end to Petrov and her attempts to dupe the world’s financial leaders into signing up for her scheme, Michaels won’t care anymore. It’ll all be moot at that point.”
Alex continued to hammer away on her keyboard.
“What are you doing now?” Samuels asked.
“Michaels must be livid,” she said. “I’m sure he’s scrambling and trying to figure out a way to get what he wants by some other means.”
“Time to see if that watch works,” Hawk said.
“Exactly what I was thinking,” Alex said. She continued typing until she accessed the feed and heard Michaels’ voice.
“Worked like a charm,” Samuels said.
Hawk smiled. “Turn it up.”
Alex adjusted the volume and the Firestorm team listened in, getting a rare live account of the inner workings of the president’s office. Hawk appreciated the voyeuristic nature of taping Michaels. All they needed was one mistake out of the president and they would be able to safely return to the U.S.—if they survived their impending clash with Petrov.
Michaels’ voice was silent for a few moments before it came back on and he started talking. Based on the nature of the call, Hawk could tell it was a phone call. Then Michaels said he was going to place her on speaker phone. When the other voice became audible, the entire team gasped.
“Petrov,” Alex said.
They listened for another minute before the pair created a new plot.
“Can you believe that?” Alex asked, her mouth agape. “The public is going to go berserk if they hear this.”
“Just what I’m counting on,” Hawk said.
CHAPTER 24
Istanbul, Turkey
TWELVE HOURS BEFORE PETROV’S imposed deadline, Hawk and Samuels entered The Chamber’s headquarters, posing as computer repairmen and donning their masks. They stopped at the front desk and spoke with a receptionist, who wasn’t eager to let them enter.
“Who are you here to see again?” she asked.
“You’re there to see Ms. Ibrahamovic in accounting,” Alex said over the coms.
“A Ms. Ibrahamovic in accounting,” Hawk said, parroting back the instructions.
“Ah, just one moment,” the receptionist said. “Let me try her office.”
She dialed the number and Alex intercepted the call, posing as the accountant on the other end.
“Are you expecting some computer repairmen?” the receptionist asked.
“But of course,” Alex said. “Send them on through.”
The receptionist looked up at the men and unenthusiastically waved them inside.
“Follow those signs to the elevator. She’s on the second floor.”
“Thank you so much,” Hawk said.
Hawk and Samuels followed suit, confidently striding down the hallway toward the elevators. Less than a minute later, they were both standing on the second floor and ready to get to work.
Samuels served as the lookout on the floor, while Alex was watching through The Chamber’s security feeds.
“Make it quick, Hawk,” she said. “Two employees about ten seconds from coming around the corner.”
Hawk nodded slightly to acknowledge her comment and continued working on the lock. After a few tense seconds, he managed to gain access. He and Samuels eased inside and proceeded to the next part of their plan.
Hawk and Samuels worked quickly to open an access panel to the ventilation shaft. Once they unscrewed the door, they climbed inside.
As planned, Hawk went first and was to drop down and rescue Blunt. Samuels was to stay put and hoist them back up. Only in the event of an emergency was he to leave his post.
Hawk crawled slowly through the shaft until he reached the one that dropped down into the hidden basement. Easing his way down, Hawk applied pressure against both sides of the aluminum structure to slow his fall. Samuels stayed at the top and secured a cord with a winch. Once Hawk reached the floor, he listened for a moment in an attempt to determine if anyone else was in the room. The only sounds Hawk heard were Blunt’s moans.
Hawk kicked the vent door open and dropped to the floor. A rope followed quickly behind him. Looking up the shaft, he flashed the thumbs up sign to Samuels.
Hawk ripped off his mask. He rushed
over to Blunt and started to untie him.
“You made it,” Blunt said followed by a groan as Hawk worked feverishly to release his boss.
“You didn’t think I was going to leave you here, did you?” Hawk asked.
“No, but I was afraid you might try to trade yourself for me.”
Hawk chuckled. “I wasn’t born that long ago, but it wasn’t yesterday. Petrov would never let you live if I did that.”
“Good boy,” Blunt said as his hands finally came free and he dropped to the floor. He hit the ground hard and moaned as he tried to clamber to his knees.
“Are you okay?” Hawk asked while rushing over to attend to the elderly man.
“You’ll have to be more specific,” Blunt said. “I’ve got some broken ribs from a previous incident, while my arms feel like they’ve been yanked out of their sockets. I’m dehydrated and I’m not entirely sure I can run. Other than that, I’m feeling just dandy.”
“Well, let’s get you out of here,” Hawk said, helping Blunt to his feet.
“I hope you have a good plan for escaping this fortress.”
Hawk nodded and looked upward.
Blunt waved dismissively at the rope hanging from the ceiling.
“If you think I’m climbing up that thing, you’re crazy,” he said.
“Samuels has a winch,” Hawk said. “He’ll pull you up.”
“A guard will be back in ten minutes to check on me,” Blunt said. “No way we’ve got enough time to get out that way.”
“Got any better ideas?” Hawk asked.
“There’s a door in that corner over there that might be easier for us to get out of and onto the street.”
“And what about Samuels?”
“Tell him to get his ass down here and join us. It’ll give us the best chance,” Blunt said.
“Did you hear that, Samuels?” Hawk shouted up toward the shaft.
“Roger that,” Samuels said over the com.
Blunt followed Hawk over toward the door and reached to open it. But the door crashed open and a dozen armed guards rushed inside. Hawk turned toward the back door and took a few steps before it flung wide and another dozen guards flooded the room.
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