“Classified. All I know is that the unit’s job is to squash the plot in the U.S. and deliver a KO punch against the Shadows.”
Hawkins remembered Sutherland’s report mentioning the death of Honest Abe. “I heard Abe has left this world.”
“He was killed in a DEA operation a couple of days ago.”
“Quite the coincidence.”
“Karma. He’s dead, Hawk. You can go home and forget about all this.”
Hawkins felt a twinge in his damaged leg.
“I might be able to forget that you set me up for an ambush, Murphy, and that trusting Honest Abe was just plain stupidity on your part.”
“You don’t have to get insulting, Hawk.”
“Here’s the thing. You tried to set me up a second time, and that’s unforgivable.”
“It was you or me, Hawk. I didn’t have any choice.”
“Yes, but I do. I’m going to choose not to kill you.”
Murphy puffed out his cheeks. “Damn, Hawk, I knew you couldn’t pull the trigger.”
Hawkins opened the door and stepped out. He skidded the guns under the car and tossed the ammunition as far as he could into the parking lot. “I’m sure you can get more ammo. You may be needing it. As you said. What goes around comes around.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Think about it. You screwed up. My mission was a success. I’m still alive. You said these folks don’t like loose ends. You know too much. Bang.”
“Maybe it’s time for old Murph to head for warmer climes.”
“They’ll find you and kill you, Murphy. But I may be able to help. They want something I’ve got. The deal is, you’ve got to do something for me.”
“I’m listening.”
“Tell your handlers we’ve talked, that I have what they want and will trade it for the guys who got me kicked out of the navy. Trask and McCormick for starters. I want their heads on a platter.”
“What’s in it for me?”
“I want you to be the middle-man. At the least, it will buy you time to make yourself scarce. Call my number at Woods Hole and leave a message when you hear back.”
“It’s a deal, man. No hard feelings?”
“This is a crazy business. Your words. One more question. Where does Marzak figure in all this?”
“Who?”
Murphy’s surprise seemed genuine. Hawkins told him to forget it and got out of the car.
Murphy shook his head. “You spooked me with an old Bic, didn’t you?”
Hawkins pointed the pen and pressed the trigger. There was a pop and the dart thunked into the metal just below the open window.
“Wrong again, Murph.”
Abby had been watching for Hawkins from the doorway of the Global Logistics Technologies plane. She saw him striding across the tarmac toward the jumbo jet and almost tripped in her haste to meet him at the bottom of the stairway.
Her eyes were narrowed, her jaw set and her lips compressed. She seemed to be searching for something in his face.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said. “Is everything okay?”
“You tell me, Matt. Calvin said you went into Kabul on an errand.”
“I wanted to talk to Murphy. I had questions I needed answers to.”
“I have to know, Matt. Did you kill him?”
“No, Abby. It wasn’t worth it. We just talked.”
Her features transformed from granite hardness back to flesh and bone.
“Damnit, Hawk!” she said, eyes brimming with tears. “I thought you’d gone off the deep end. You are the biggest pain in the ass.”
Unexpectedly, she threw her arms around him and gave him a kiss on the neck that sent a tingle down to his toenails.
“I’ll have to not kill someone more often,” he said. “Let’s go home.” He took her by the hand and started walking to the plane.
Calvin and Cait were already in the upper deck cabin. As Hawkins settled into the seat next to Cait, his friend hiked his eyebrows and drew his forefinger across his neck. Hawkins silently mouthed a no, which brought a wide grin from Calvin.
Abby sat next to Calvin and they all clicked their seat belts. Minutes later, the 747 was rumbling down the runway, engines at full blast as they lifted the massive plane into the skies. The sprawling city receded into the distance.
“So long, Afghan land,” Calvin murmured. “We’ll never forget you.”
Hawkins felt his leg twinge again. “That’s for damned sure.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
The Blackhawk helicopter carrying Marzak made it back to the desert fuel dump on fumes. After refueling, the helicopter continued east over the border and put down at the field near the Doctor’s house. The pilot had radioed ahead and the Doctor was waiting.
He listened to Marzak’s account of the failed mission and the death of Saleem. “A pity,” the Doctor said without feeling. “We must consider our next step.”
“I will continue to pursue the treasure.”
“My preference would be to find the treasure, but if that’s impossible, it may be best to proceed with hanging the Prophet’s Necklace around the throat of America.”
Marzak didn’t trust the Doctor. Once he had outlived his usefulness, the Shadows might decide that his continued existence might expose them to danger. There was something else. He wanted the treasure and he wanted Hawkins more than the payment for carrying out the plot.
“I will connect the strands as soon as I return to the U.S. I want to be there to follow up in case anything goes wrong.”
The Doctor frowned, verifying Marzak’s suspicion that he was expendable. “Do it as soon as possible, then.”
The Doctor gave him a manly hug, then Marzak boarded the helicopter and was flown to the military base that had been a springboard for his mission. An ISI executive jet was waiting to fly Marzak and the remnants of his mercenary team to Islamabad. The news of Saleem’s death had traveled ahead, and the professor’s cousin Mohamed was at the military airport when the jet touched down. He took Marzak aside as soon as he disembarked.
“What happened to my cousin Saleem?”
“The sheik was waiting for us with ground-to-air missiles,” Marzak said. “After his people destroyed the helicopters, Hawkins shot Saleem down like a dog.”
“Poor Saleem. I should never have sent him on the mission.”
“He fought back with everything he had, but in the end it made no difference. Unfortunately, we were unable to retrieve his body because of the intense fire.”
“Of course. I don’t blame you. Well, it’s a good thing he has no close relatives except me. What a catastrophe! How am I going to explain the loss of three helicopters worth millions?”
Marzak clamped his hand on Mohamed’s shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he said. “You’ll simply have to ask the U.S. for an increase in its military aid package.”
The comment brought a thoughtful expression to Mohamed’s face. “A good idea. In the meantime, there are other more pressing matters to resolve.”
He told Marzak that he had arranged a ride and hotel room for him. They would meet after a short rest to decide what to do next.
From the airport, Mohamed drove to a walled house in the affluent neighborhood where his commander lived. The commander was a big man with a square jaw and shoulders that filled out the tuxedo he was wearing for a party at his house. He took Mohamed into his study and interrogated him about the mission.
“I’m sorry for your cousin, but we have to keep in mind the big picture. The control of the mineral rights under Amir’s land must be placed in the right hands. Everything else is a mere bump in the road toward that goal.”
“These bumps are the size of mountains, commander.”