“The president is threatening to pull the plug on the Phoenix Foundation if we don’t get him a win,” Blunt said.
“A win?” Alex asked. “We could reveal that his wife is a traitor.”
“That’s not the kind of thing he’s looking for,” Blunt said. “He needs something that’s going to turn the poll numbers around.”
“What do you need us to do?” Hawk asked.
“As much as it pains me to say this, we’re going to need to table our pursuit of Obsidian for the time being,” Blunt said.
“You’ve got to be joking,” Alex said. “We just flew to Cape Verde and—”
“I don’t like it any more than you do,” Blunt said. “But with the pressure Young is putting on us, we can’t just ignore his demands. Sometimes we must play the political game.”
“Politics,” Hawk said. “It’s ruining this country.”
“I won’t disagree with you,” Blunt said, “but it’s a necessary evil at the moment. We want everyone in this country to feel safe at night when they lay their head on a pillow to go to sleep.”
“So, what now?” Hawk asked.
“I’m going to have Andrei Orlovsky arrange a meeting for us with Evana Bahar,” Blunt said.
“You think he’s going to help us?” Alex asked.
“We’ll do our best to make him want to help us,” Blunt said. “But you leave that to me. Just go home and get ready for a flight to Afghanistan. We’re going to flush her out.”
“Sounds like my kind of plan,” Hawk said.
“Good,” Blunt said. “I’m counting on you to deliver for us. I’ll call you later with the details.”
Hawk and Alex exited the room, leaving Blunt to ponder his next move. He needed to make a good one. Not only did the fate of The Phoenix Foundation depend upon his ability to craft a plausible scenario, but so did the safety of the country.
Blunt needed another drink.
CHAPTER 10
BLUNT NEEDED TO RELAX. Each looming decision weighed heavily on him as he considered the best path forward. Preventing Obsidian from getting its tentacles into President Young appeared to be the highest priority. And if funding for the black ops program was lost, Blunt would be powerless to do anything in the future. However, he was willing to sacrifice all of it to save his niece, Morgan. He couldn’t live with himself if she became an innocent casualty in this shadow war.
Based on the information he’d gathered about how Obsidian operated, Blunt was concerned about Morgan’s treatment. He could only imagine how scared she was, especially since she probably never considered that she could be a pawn in a terrorist’s game before officially becoming part of the intelligence community. Blunt needed to get her out of there as soon as possible since rescuing her meant he could warn Young about how dangerous Falcon Sinclair really was.
With Hawk and Alex set to travel to Afghanistan, Blunt only had one other option to help with his niece: Titus Black.
Blunt called his other operative and briefed him on the mission.
“Are you sure this is something you want to do?” Black asked. “If something goes wrong, this situation won’t end well for her.”
“Do you think you’re going to fail?”
“Of course not,” Black said. “But that’s before I know exactly what this rescue will entail. You’ve told me the end game—”
“Something you aren’t to tell anyone else about,” Blunt said.
“That goes without saying, sir. You’ve told me what you want, but I still have no operational details, starting with the location of the facility and the blueprints for it.”
“I’ll have that for you in the morning. I’ve got someone working on it for me. Triangulating their exact location has been quite challenging since they’re routing their calls all over the place. They are professionals in every sense of the word, but I’m confident that we’ll be able to pinpoint where they are.”
“None of this seems ideal for an op of this magnitude,” Black said. “Knowing that this is your niece I’m attempting to save should make you more cautious, not less.”
“What choice do I have?” Blunt said, his voice quivering. “I can’t let them do this to her.”
“How did they even find out about her?” Black asked. “I didn’t even know you had a niece.”
“It’s not something I advertise, but I do have a half-sister. We were never really close, but her daughter reached out to me recently after she learned who I was. Our relationship has mostly consisted of writing letters back and forth, but I never would’ve considered anyone would target her.”
“Obsidian seems to know everything about everyone.”
“Which makes the idea of that group taking over sectors of world governments even more terrifying,” Blunt said.
“After what I’ve learned about how they function, that’s a rational fear. Whatever you need me to do, just let me know. I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back safely.”
Blunt thanked Black and ended the call. If there was one thing the Phoenix Foundation director needed, it was to strip off the shackles that Obsidian had placed on him. And that wasn’t going to happen until Morgan was home safely.
A half-hour later, Blunt’s phone buzzed.
“Please tell me you have some good news,” he said as he answered.
Mallory Kauffman sighed. “You’re always about business these days.”
“You should know as well as anyone that you never know who’s listening in on your conversation,” Blunt said.
“Of course, but perhaps you’re forgetting that I know how to get recorded conversations erased, too.”
“There are some things that are always best said in person,” Blunt said.
She chuckled. “Well, all you have to do is invite me over.”
Blunt smiled. He was surprised when he first learned Mallory’s interest in him extended beyond his professional life. And before she started giving off signals that she was interested in him, he couldn’t remember the last time that his heart even fluttered for a second over a woman. Given the fact that Mallory was a quarter of a century his junior, he never once considered her in a romantic sense despite the fact that he found her attractive. He thought that chapter of his life was closed after his wife died. But Mallory had rekindled something in him he thought had burned out long ago. He would’ve preferred to devote his spare time to their burgeoning relationship, but the timing wasn’t ideal.
“Soon,” Blunt said. “I promise.”
“Have you told your team?” she asked.
“Told them what?”
“Oh, come on, J.D. You know what I’m talking about. Have you told them about us?”
“I’m not sure what to tell them, but I don’t know when I’d do it. We’re all so busy right now figuring out a way to stop Obsidian from compromising every branch of our government.”
“Well, I guess you can add me to that list of people working tirelessly for you,” she said. “Tracking down this location for you wasn’t easy.”
“Please tell me you figured it out,” he said.
“I did. I’m going to text you the coordinates of the location. Now, would you mind telling me exactly what was so important about this call?”
“I wish I could but—”
“J.D.! If I’m sticking my neck out for you, the least you can do is let me know why.”
Blunt sighed. “You can’t tell anyone, but Obsidian has my niece.”
“They what?”
“Yeah, and they’re going to hold her hostage until Falcon Sinclair has had a chance to meet with President Young. That’s why this is so important.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I don’t want anyone questioning my motives right now or thinking that I’ve been compromised.”
“But you have and—”
“I’m handling it,” he said. “Once I get my niece back, I’ll be able to steer this situation in a more favorable direction. In the meantime, I need to
keep walking this tightrope that has my stomach in knots.”
“Okay, well if you need me to do anything else for you to help, just let me know. You can’t let this drag on much longer. There’s much more at stake here.”
“I know,” Blunt said. “But what would you do? Would you sacrifice an innocent family member? Sometimes, we have to make hard choices, but that’s not what I’m willing to make at the moment. She doesn’t deserve this.”
“And neither do the American people.”
“Of course not, but I have no intention of letting it get that far. And thanks to you, I don’t think I’ll have to. Just keep this bit of information to yourself, okay?”
“Be careful, J.D. I don’t like this.”
“Me either. And it’ll be behind me soon enough. Now, I have to go, but thanks for getting the location for me. You have no idea how truly grateful I am.”
“I’ll be in touch,” she said. “We need to get together soon, and not so we can talk about work, if you know what I mean.”
Blunt smiled. “I know exactly what you mean. And we will soon enough.”
He hung up and sank back into his chair.
I’m coming for you, Falcon Sinclair.
CHAPTER 11
HAWK CHECKED HIS WATCH as he paced around the hangar outside the airplane. The pilot flying Hawk and Alex to Afghanistan still hadn’t shown up and was now fifteen minutes late.
“Should we call Blunt and find out what’s going on?” Alex asked.
“Let’s give Captain Covington five more minutes before we make that call,” Hawk said. “I’m not interested in waking Blunt up at this time of night.”
Hawk cupped his hands together and blew on them in an effort to take the bite out of the early morning chill hanging in the air. If the pilot never showed up, Hawk figured it would be for the best, preferring to continue the Phoenix Foundation’s pursuit of Obsidian, namely Falcon Sinclair.
But with a president who was not only embarrassed over the gross breach of security but also grieving over the loss of his wife, Hawk didn’t anticipate Young having a change of heart anytime soon. The truth about Madeline, however, had the potential to change everything, though Blunt believed such news would make Young more red-faced and all but guaranteed a single term. After everything the team endured under Young’s predecessor, Hawk understood the reasoning. He just wasn’t sure he agreed with it.
In the distance, a pair of headlights flickered as a car roared toward them.
“Looks like Kip finally decided to show up,” Alex said.
“Go easy on him,” Hawk said. “He’s never been late before. I’m sure there’s a good reason for it.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Before you go nuclear on him, just remember how he saved us in the Cocos Islands.”
“Fine,” Alex huffed. “I’m just ready to get in the air and finish planning this op.”
Hawk turned his attention back toward the vehicle racing toward them. The sun still hung below the horizon, but dawn was clearly breaking. They were supposed to already be in the air, but the co-pilot for the long trip had started running through the checklist to ensure as prompt of a takeoff as possible.
Kip Covington had always been a great friend to the Phoenix Foundation team, maintaining discretion about their meetings and never asking any questions. Hawk figured if Kip ever wanted to write a behind-the-scenes book about the adventures of flying around secret agents, most people would dismiss the stories as pure fiction. Kip had experienced plenty while flying Hawk and Alex around, and just having him at the helm made Hawk feel more confident about the mission.
Kip parked his car near the gate and then trudged toward the plane, his face pale.
“Everything all right?” Hawk asked. “You don’t look so good.”
“Morning, Hawk,” Kip said in a raspy voice before breaking into a cough. “I’ve had this nasty cold I can't seem to shake.”
“Should you be flying today?” Alex asked.
“I’ll be fine. I just need to get some coffee in me and I’ll be fine.”
“Roger that,” Hawk said.
“I brought some water bottles for the trip,” Kip said. “Do you two want some?”
“Sure,” Alex said as she grabbed a couple and then handed one to Hawk.
Hawk and Alex boarded the plane while Kip completed their pre-flight checklist. Fifteen minutes later, they were airborne. For the next two hours, Hawk and Alex went over all the details from their plan to capture Evana Bahar. Blunt leveraged more comfortable cell conditions for Orlovsky to get him to comply with a request to arrange a meeting to discuss discounted weapons with the Al Fatihin leader.
“Do you think Evana is going to show up?” Alex asked.
“Orlovsky requested her specifically in the email he sent to her secret account,” Hawk said. “Based on the intel we have about her trying to scrounge up enough funds to buy some more weapons, I’d be shocked if she didn’t show.”
“Getting her there is ninety percent of this op.”
“That’s why I’m confident this mission is going to be a success,” Hawk said. “At least we’ll be able to get the pressure off Blunt and get back to focusing on Obsidian.”
“I hope you’re right,” she said. “I’m going to catch some more shuteye. We’ve got a big day ahead of us.”
“I’m with you on that,” Hawk said as he reclined his seat and fell asleep.
* * *
THE PILOT POSING as Kip Covington checked his flight path to make sure that they were squarely over Russian territory. Crashing the plane there would keep the incident off the international radar. Earlier that evening, Len Bukov had murdered the real Kip Covington and covered his body in weights, sinking him to the bottom of the Potomac. By the time anyone discovered Kip’s remains—if ever—the U.S. government would’ve likely forgotten all about the pilot for the clandestine operation.
The co-pilot remained slumped over, out cold from the syringe laced with a drug Bukov had injected into the man’s neck an hour into the flight. Easing open the cockpit door, Bukov peeked out to see if drugs had taken effect on the other passengers. He smiled as he noticed both Hawk and Alex reclining in their seats, eyes closed.
“Dead asleep,” Bukov whispered to himself. “An appropriate description.”
He would’ve preferred to shoot them both or, at the very least, remove all the parachutes. But his instructions were to crash the plane in Russia. When the bodies were returned to the U.S., Russia wanted to make sure that there was no appearance of foul play.
Bukov returned to his seat and issued a May Day call over the radio. After hearing a response from a nearby tower, he left the cockpit and locked the door. Then he strapped on a parachute. Next he ripped off the mask that enabled him to pass as Kip Covington and disengaged the voice simulator fastened to his chest.
“Sweet dreams,” Bukov said before opening the plane door and plunging into darkness.
CHAPTER 12
Miami, Florida
TITUS BLACK CROUCHED LOW as he moved along the side of the aluminum storage facility near the docks. Black craned his neck around the corner to see if anyone was near the entrance. A pelican lit on one of the pylons nearby and squawked. Seconds later, a guard poked his head out of the door and scanned the area before returning inside.
“I hate those damn birds,” J.D. Blunt said over the coms. He and Christina Shields, who provided Black with support for most of their missions, were situated in the Phoenix Foundation offices watching the scene from Black’s body cam.
“That makes two of us,” Black said.
“Three,” chimed in Shields.
Blunt’s contact at the CIA had traced the last proof-of-life call back to this warehouse in Miami, which was owned by a shell corporation operating out of the Bahamas. A few dollars to entice the right people resulted in the name of the person who actually registered the business, a known associate of Falcon Sinclair.
“How many hosti
les am I dealing with?” Black asked.
“I see three heat signatures,” Shields said.
“So, two and the package?”
“Roger that,” she said.
“Her name’s Morgan,” Blunt said with a growl. “She’s not just some random person you’re extracting.”
“No need to get in a huff,” Black said. “I treat every one of these people as if they were my own kin. It’s just a quicker way of communicating.”
Blunt grunted loud enough for Black to hear it in his earpiece. That sound was familiar, a signal that Blunt was either bemused or moving on. Either way, the topic was closed.
“You shouldn’t meet any resistance until you turn the corner of the long corridor just behind the receptionist desk,” Shields said.
“Copy,” Black said as he approached the front door. He placed his hand on it and tugged.
“It’s locked,” he said. “Wanna give me a hand here, Shields?”
“One second,” she said, the furious clicking of a keyboard clattering in the background. “Almost there.”
The door came ajar, and Black grabbed the handle.
“Your voodoo with these security systems never ceases to amaze me,” he said in a hushed tone.
He pulled open the glass door and eased inside.
“All the hostiles are congregated in a room near the back on the right side of the hallway,” Shields said. “They’ve been making the rounds every fifteen minutes or so but just finished the latest one.”
“Roger that,” Black said as he crept past the front desk.
The loud voice of a man from the other side of the room startled Black as a monitor in the waiting area flickered to life.
“Welcome to TenTrack Industries,” the man said, “where the future is today.”
Black sighed in relief as he sank down with his back against the front desk.
“What the hell is that?” Blunt asked.
“It looks like some kind of welcome video,” Shields said.
Then she let out a slew of expletives.
“What is it?” Black asked.
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