The Shadow Hunter (The Phoenix Chronicles Book 1)

by R. J. Patterson

  Alex ambled into the kitchen, where she picked up the radio and tried to raise the security team patrolling her property.

  “Kyle? Xander? How are things looking out there?” she asked.

  A few seconds passed and there was no answer.

  “Kyle? Xander? Don’t play games with me, gentlemen.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Kyle’s smooth voice emanate from the speaker.

  “We’re both here,” Kyle said. “In fact, I’m looking at Xander right now.”

  “How come he can’t answer me himself?” she asked as she heated up a kettle to make some tea.

  Kyle chuckled. “He’s taking a leak.”

  She giggled and shook her head. “When I check in and ask for a status update, whether your bladder is full or not or even in the process of being drained isn’t something I care to know.”

  “Sorry, ma’am,” Kyle said. “Just trying to remain open and transparent for everyone.”

  “It’s just a bit much,” she said.

  “Roger that.”

  “I’m going to bed,” she said. “You two have a nice night.”

  Alex took the kettle off the burner as it started to whistle and poured the water into a mug. She dunked the tea bag inside and turned off the burner. After shuttering all the blinds around the house, she shuffled back to her room.

  She grabbed a book to read and then eased into her bed, covering herself with satin sheets. Hawk hated sleeping on them, complaining about how he slipped around all night and one time slid completely off the side. But she loved the sheets. And with him gone, she pulled them out again.

  She lit a candle and started reading a book in her favorite Clive Cussler series. She sped through the pages, the tension losing some of its bite for someone who’d been through far more hair-raising adventures than Dirk Pitt. However, she was thankful that she wasn’t stuck in the cold like Dirk, mushing across the Arctic.

  She stopped and glanced at the gas fireplace in the corner of the room. A faint smile spread across her face as the flames danced behind the glass. Everything was as it should be—except for Hawk. She needed him propped up in the bed next to her while he thumbed through a gun magazine.

  A half-hour passed and she started to get sleepy. She finished the rest of her tea before returning the mug to the kitchen sink.

  As she did, she heard a creak in the floorboard and darted down the hall to look for John Daniel.

  “John Daniel?” she called out in a hushed tone. “John Daniel?”

  She was almost at his door and then just went all the way in and peeked in on him.

  “Are you awake?” she asked.

  “I had to pee-pee, Mommy,” he said.

  “That’s fine, sweetie. You go back to sleep now.”

  “Okay.”

  She closed the door, upset at herself for feeling the urge to peek inside. That brief conversation could’ve awakened him enough that it would be hours before he would go back to sleep. In five more minutes, she expected to hear more pitter-patters coming down the hallway toward her room.

  Alex checked all the doors one final time before heading off to bed. Just as she was about to close the door, she heard the floorboard creak again. She sighed, exasperated that she’d disturbed him so, unsure if she’d get any sleep herself. Not that it’d matter since she hadn’t slept well since Hawk left.

  She ventured into the hall and made a straight line for John Daniel’s room. When she got there, she whispered to him.

  “John Daniel, were you in the hall just now?”

  He didn’t answer. He didn’t even stir.

  Alex growled as she marched to the kitchen to check in on Kyle and Xander. Using the small device placed on the corner of the counter, she made the outdoor cameras scan around the property where the two guards were supposed to be.

  “Kyle? Xander?”

  No response. And in the darkness, she couldn’t see either of them. She fiddled with the camera for a moment until she switched the image to night mode. A grainy black and white picture appeared. The only things moving were branches swaying with the wind.

  “Kyle? Xander? Are either of you there? I hope you’re both not taking a leak this time.”

  She waited a little bit longer, but still nothing.

  Her heart began to pound in her chest when she heard another creak, this time coming from the direction of the living room.

  CHAPTER 34

  Sonbong, North Korea

  HAWK PASSED THE TIME by redressing his wounds. With everything that was at stake, he functioned on adrenaline, almost oblivious to the pain. But now he could feel every little inch of pain spreading throughout his shoulder. He cleaned the blood around the edge of the entry point and used a phone to take a picture of the back of his shoulder.

  Hawk studied the image before pondering what had happened earlier with the ambush. The Reaper had an American flag tattoo that spanned his entire back and another one with the first few lines of the Constitution on his right bicep. If he wasn’t a dyed-in-the-wool American, he was definitely an American dipped in red, white, and blue ink.

  A foolish man would’ve thought he was lucky, but Hawk knew better. If the Reaper had wanted to kill Hawk, he’d be dead. But he was alive. Why was the question haunting Hawk. Was their brief relationship while serving with the SEALs enough to avoid a kill shot? But then why did the Reaper’s team kill everyone else?

  However, even more perplexing to Hawk was why the Reaper was even there? Who told him? And why would they want to stop North Korea from obtaining a nuclear weapon?

  Hawk’s mind was spinning, trying to conceive a hypothesis for everything. The diversion was a welcome one, anything to keep him from worrying about Alex.

  With the sun rising higher on the horizon, Hawk gathered his pack and scurried deeper into the woods. He maintained visual with the water but also found a spot where he could remain out of plain view in case any patrols revisited the area.

  Hawk picked up a cell phone and dialed Alex’s number again. Still no answer. He checked his watch and realized how late it was. If he woke her, he’d feel guilty, but he was desperate to hear that she and John Daniel were still safe. But it didn’t matter. He told himself that they were both probably sleeping soundly and not to be concerned about it.

  Hawk was lost in thought when he heard a voice that startled him. He turned slowly and looked behind him but didn’t see anyone.

  “Hawk, it’s me,” a man said.

  Hawk peered through the woods, trying to locate the figure.

  “Over here,” the voice from Hawk’s left.

  He turned and saw a familiar face. “Big Earv, boy, am I glad to see you.”

  “I got your message, and I got here as soon as I could,” Big Earv said. “I had to swim to shore, which took quite a bit of time. Did you finish the mission?”

  Hawk nodded. “It was easy with this shoulder.”

  Big Earv scowled as he eyed the area Hawk pointed to. “What happened there?”

  “Friendly fire, in a manner of speaking.”

  Big Earv scanned the area. “Where’s the rest of the team I brought?”

  “Dead,” Hawk said. “We were ambushed.”

  “The North Koreans knew they were coming?”

  Hawk shook his head. “Someone else did. And before you ask me who, I can only tell you that it was a group of mercenaries—at least that’s what I hope it is.”

  “Americans?”

  “Yeah.”

  Big Earv stroked his chin. “Did you know any of them?”

  Hawk held up his index finger. “One guy. A former Navy SEAL buddy.”

  “There was a Navy SEAL involved?”

  “I’m guessing they were all Navy SEALs, but I didn’t get a good look at some of the other men. There was only one I recognized.”

  Big Earv’s eyebrows shot upward. “You recognized one?”

  “Yeah, a guy named Doug Mitchell, who we all called the Reaper.”

&n
bsp; “Did he say anything to you?”

  Hawk glanced at his shoulder. “He did this to me, which I’ve been trying to figure out why he didn’t aim for my head. Because if he misses, it’s only because he wants to.”

  “What happened exactly?”

  “When Wilson got here with the team, we were ambushed almost immediately. Before I knew it, all three members of the team were dead. I probably would’ve been too had the North Korean military not rolled up on us. As they were coming into the area, the Reaper took one final shot, a clean one through my shoulder.”

  “You think you can swim out to the boat?” Big Earv asked. “We’ll have to lay low until dark to do it, but it’s anchored out there.”

  “Don’t have to,” Hawk said as he nodded toward a spot of fresh dirt piled up a few meters away. “The SEAL team buried their gear there, including their diver propulsion gear. All I have to do is hold on.”

  Big Earv squinted as he studied Hawk’s shoulder. “From the looks of things, that might be a challenge, too.”

  “I can make it,” Hawk said. “Just help me dig these out and we’ll be out of here before you know it.”

  The two men uncovered the gear from one of the SEALs before heading down to the water. Hawk squeezed into a wet suit, while Big Earv, who was already wearing one, prepped the rest of the gear.

  “Accounting for the current, I think we’ll be able to get to the boat in about twenty minutes as long as we don’t run into any trouble,” Big Earv said.

  “Adding that qualifier doesn’t make me feel any better,” Hawk said as he shook his head slowly. “You know you’ve just jinxed us, right?”

  Hawk and Big Earv hustled into the water and took off for the latter’s boat. After arriving at the boat without incident, Big Earv raised the anchor and turned eastward into the Sea of Japan.

  Hawk relaxed below deck in the small galley. He used Big Earv’s cell phone to try to contact Alex. The phone rang again, but she didn’t answer.

  It was late, but he knew she’d be waiting for another call from him.

  Where is she?

  CHAPTER 35

  Bridger, Montana

  ALEX JUMPED WHEN she heard the voice coming from the living room.

  “Mommy, I’m thirsty,” said John Daniel, standing in the living room clutching his stuffed dragon. “Can I have something to drink?”

  She put her hand on her chest and exhaled. “Oh, of course, buddy.”

  He shuffled across the room in his onesie pajama before latching onto her hand. “I miss Daddy.”

  “Me too,” she said. “But he’ll be home before you know it.”

  She pulled a cup out of the cabinet, filled it halfway up with water, and then screwed the lid on tight. “Let’s get you back in the bed, okay?”

  As Alex led John Daniel down the hall to his bedroom, he gulped down his drink. Then she tucked him in before kissing him on the forehead.

  “Sweet dreams, little man,” she said.

  His eyes were already closed before she left the room, lingering just a while longer at the doorway to enjoy a peaceful moment. She welcomed the distraction from the angst she’d briefly shoved to the back of her mind. The two guards patrolling her property had yet to respond, and she was still concerned.

  After she closed the door, she glanced down the hallway and saw one of his rideable metal fire trucks sitting in the entryway. She sighed, aggravated over how John Daniel was a Tasmanian devil, whirling around the house and leaving messes in his wake. However, she stopped short and froze when she heard the floorboards creak again. And this time, she knew it wasn’t John Daniel.

  She swallowed hard as she turned around, peering through the shadows to try and make out a silhouetted figure. At first, she didn’t see anything. She crouched low and moved toward the entryway that gave her multiple exit routes. If she needed to, she could run upstairs or in any direction on the first floor. More than anything, she wanted to make sure whoever was in her house wasn’t going to nab John Daniel.

  Acting instinctively, she reached for her gun. But she’d put it away after getting ready for bed.

  She glanced down the hall leading to John Daniel’s room, but didn’t see any movement.

  Despite being hyperaware of her surroundings, she almost didn’t see the man coming until it was too late. Light glinted off the blade in his hand as he lunged toward her.

  With her back to the bannister, Alex dropped to the ground and rolled away, ending up at the foot of the stairs. Her options for escape had suddenly shrunk to one. She darted up the stairs, the assailant right on her heels.

  On the final step at the top of the stairs, the man grabbed her ankle. Alex tripped on the landing, making her vulnerable for a few seconds. She scrambled to get away, but his arms wrapped around her legs, tackling her face first to the floor again.

  Alex kicked and squirmed as the man turned her on her back. She wanted to scream, but if she was going to die like this, she wanted to spare John Daniel the horror of seeing his mother murdered.

  “Your husband threw my brother off a cliff,” the man said in a clipped Russian accent. “Now, I’m going to return the favor.”

  He pinned Alex’s arms to the floor as he straddled her. She felt the cold steel from the flat side of the blade pressed against her wrist.

  I’m not going to die like this.

  She appealed to her attacker’s ego. “A real man wouldn’t need to fight so unfairly.”

  “You think this is unfair?” he asked. “Fair or not, it’s going to end up the same way for you.”

  “Like hell it will,” she said.

  As he loosened his grip on her arms to reposition himself, Alex yanked one arm free. As he rushed to pin both her hands down again, she punched him in the throat. He released her other arm as he clutched his neck. Alex hit him in the face with a forearm as he tumbled off of her.

  With the knife still firmly in his hand, he jumped to his feet, keeping himself between Alex and the stairs.

  Alex’s mind whirred as she considered her next move. Her inability to get downstairs without getting stabbed reduced her options to jumping out of a window, though she doubted she had time to get out.

  “If you’re waiting for your friends outside, they won’t be coming,” the Russian said. “I took care of them earlier with a bullet to the head.”

  She scowled, still dancing from one side to the other as the man inched closer to her. “You shot them but you want to stab me? Seems like you’re not very good at your job.”

  “I wanted you to know why you’re going to die,” he said. “Plus, I have some other plans for us.”

  Alex decided to keep the man talking, buying her more time to think of a way to escape the situation.

  “If you’re wanting to go get drinks, you’ve got a funny way of inviting a woman out,” she said.

  “You think you’re funny,” the man said with a growl. “But you’re not. I’m going to make you pay with your life.”

  Alex could tell her goading was starting to irritate the man.

  If I just make him mad enough …

  Alex cocked her head to one side and squinted. “What did you say? I couldn’t hear that last part. Maybe it’s something in your throat?”

  She gestured toward her neck and smirked. And that was all she needed to enrage the man.

  The Russian rushed toward Alex, who’d danced around so that her back was to the bannister. He held the knife out as he moved toward her. Alex knew she couldn’t take the man in a fight, but she could use his size against him.

  As he drew nearer, Alex slid aside and grabbed the man’s wrist to protect herself from the blade. Then she used his momentum to propel him forward and over the railing. He made contact with it just below his waist, sending him tumbling over the edge. He shouted as he fell.

  But he fell quiet when he hit the ground, a sickening crack echoing off the walls. She hustled down the steps as he lay motionless. After retrieving her gun from her bedroom, she re
turned to the entryway to find the Russian lying in a pool of blood. He tried to say something, but he couldn’t get the words out. Alex wasn’t sure what had ultimately caused his head wound—the marble floor or John Daniel’s fire truck. The Russian struggled to say something while life drained right out of him.

  “I’m sorry,” Alex said as she pointed to her ear. “I can’t hear you nor do I care. You were warned.”

  The man slowly moved his hand into his jacket pocket.

  “That’s far enough,” Alex said.

  He spit at her. “Do you really want to do this in front of your son?”

  Alex held his gaze, unsure if he was bluffing. She hadn’t noticed if John Daniel had entered the entryway, but she knew better than to even look. With her eyes fixed on the Russian, she moved around the room, blocking any view John Daniel might have if he were to wander out.

  “Revenge is rarely satisfying, provided you actually get it,” she said. “Farewell, comrade.”

  She pulled the trigger, hitting him in the head. He collapsed, his eyes staring vacantly into the darkness.

  Alex reached into his pocket and took his gun. She felt for a pulse but didn’t find one.

  The radio crackled from the kitchen, arresting Alex’s attention. She rushed over to it, recognizing Kyle’s voice.

  “Kyle, are you okay?” Alex asked.

  “I’m fine, but what about you? I thought I just heard a gunshot.”

  “I had a visitor,” she said. “And I’m gonna need you and Xander to come down here right now and give me a hand getting this mess cleaned up.”

  “That bad, huh? Was it a raccoon getting into your trash?”

  She sighed, realizing that he was completely unaware of what had just happened. “No, just a Russian.”

  “A what?”

  “Just get down here and help me with this.”

  While waiting for Kyle and Xander, she peeked in on John Daniel again. He was still fast asleep.

  “Thank God,” she whispered to herself.

  She went into her bedroom to grab a housecoat when she saw a notification on her phone. It was from a number she didn’t recognize, but she saw there was also a voicemail. Certain the message wasn’t someone trying to sell her an extended auto warranty, she listened and immediately dialed the number back.