“Oh, it isn’t what you think. She’s my aunt, the one I told you about who is high up in the States. She’s been in the system so long she knows the ins and outs of their international networks better than the chief of the CIA,” Dilaver boasted. “And she’s my aunt. Cool, huh?”
“Dynamite,” Hawk said dryly, knowing that would bring a guffaw out of Dilaver. There was a certain ironic humor in knowing that by the time his SEAL brothers caught up with Dilaver, the brutal Slav would be speaking like a regular surfing dude.
“Let’s go out late, around tenish. Why don’t you go and do those exercise you love so damn much while I conduct some business here? It’s going to be a long night, with tons of partying. Maybe, now that Amber has gotten you all hot, you’ll take some action with a girl tonight, eh?”
Hawk got up from the sofa. He had planned a long night ahead but not in that way. “Later, then,” he said.
Back in his room, after a series of stretches, he changed into his warm sweats, knowing that he wouldn’t have any company if he went jogging. Some of Dilaver’s men had accompanied him at first, but they had given up when they’d realized he was a serious runner. And he had the training to run for a long, long time. He had a good excuse, too; he needed to keep in shape as a guide and Dilaver had seen outright how good a guide he had been, so no suspicions there.
He wanted away from the vicinity of Dilaver for a while. Meditation could only take one’s mind off the dirtiness of his situation for so long. Sometimes, good physical pain did a better job. And he was going to need a good dose of fresh air before venturing back into one of thosekafenastonight. He knew it would be a rough one; Dilaver’s drinking meant an orgy of abuse—breaking and taming girls, as he had called it.
He nodded to one of the many armed guards as he headed down the stairs and out the front door. No one bothered him. He was, after all, their boss’s guest.
“You’re crazy,” Zeti said at the doorway. “It’s cold outside! And you want to run around in all that melted snow? Wait till tomorrow, when it’s warmer.”
“What kind of freedom fighter are you?” Hawk mocked back. “What if you’re called right now to go out and fight?”
“That’s different. You’re talking about running around and around like an idiot, not doing anything.” Zeti showed his weapon. “With this and a few grenades and a Jeep, now, that gives me a reason to go out.”
Hawk smiled and shrugged. “That’s why you’re a freedom fighter and I’m a guide, I guess,” he said. “See you soon.”
“A sniper will get you one of these days.”
It was a fair warning. There was very little safety in these parts. But Hawk needed the fresh air. “I’m a guide. I’m good at evasion,” he explained lightly, and nodded at Zeti before going out the door.
A cold blast of air welcomed him. He took a deep breath, then started at a steady pace.
To avoid the topic that would stir the swirl of emotions in his soul, he mentally went through his assignment and what he had to achieve for it to end. He was in Phase Three of a long operation that had taken years to come to this point. He couldn’t afford to let his emotions get in the way; many people depended on him, and there were the high stakes of the loss of military lives if he should fail.
The last few months, while “recuperating” under Dilaver’s care, his job was to get close to the kingpin and earn his confidence. He had done that. He needed to get certain information, but so far, Dilaver had just been showing off his “kingdom,” going from province to province, different states that used to make up Yugoslavia to check on his sex-trafficking and drug business. It didn’t help—although Hawk approved—that someone was targeting that part of the Slav’s business. That had meant less focus on what Hawk was after—the weapons that Dilaver had hidden.
Hawk had to accompany him everywhere, of course. It was a way to map out Dilaver’s routes, even though he couldn’t tell whether these were where the weapons were located. He had memorized the different airports and roads, making mental connections between each city, from Belgrade in Serbia, to Sarajevo in Bosnia, to Pristina in Kosovo, and now Velesta, Macedonia. And at every stop, he had seen enough human degradation to last him a lifetime.
He clenched his fists and ran faster. No, he wasn’t going to think about that. He must set his mind on the operation.
Get the locations. Find out about the hidden weapon silos. Then find out the last dropoff location. That was his target. He needed to get that. Once he had achieved this, he was to get his guide to take him there.
His guide. He still couldn’t believe his guide came in the form of a petite blonde who looked as if she should be shopping in Saks rather than running around the Macedonian countryside. But he had already experienced some of her skills, so he knew she had hidden talents. Besides, Jed had picked her and had told him she was the best for the job at the moment.
However—Hawk wiped the sweat dripping from his chin with the back of a hand—how the hell was she going to keep up with him? He wasn’t big-headed, but no matter how skilled a woman was, unless she had trained every day to be a Navy SEAL, her chances of keeping up with him while he tried to outrun Dilaver and his men were slim to none. Especially when Dilaver and his men would be gunning for Hawk once they found out he’d betrayed Dilaver. This was a problem.
And it wasn’t the only problem. Jed had warned him not to trust her all the way. How did one do that? He had spent his military career trusting his teammates when they were together, especially during a battle. He was so close to Jazz, they had been accused of being able to read each other’s thoughts. There was never any question of loyalty in his group. Now, on top of watching his own back, he’d have to watch the woman at his side, too. He now understood his cousin’s dilemma.
Steve had been in love with someone he thought was an assassin. At one point, he had to try to find out who she was planning to off, and just like Hawk’s situation now, he had to pretend to be what he wasn’t. But Steve fell from lust straight into love. Hawk grimaced out a smile as he sped up some more. Love and lust. He was straying back into emotional territory.Stay the course, McMillan.
He had known this operation would be very tough, precisely because of the lack of action in the beginning. He had to take the time to be friends with Dilaver. That meant actually talking to the man and watching him at work and at play. But he hadn’t counted on this growing fury that ate at him. He had nowhere to target his own frustrations and hatred of that monster.
He started to run at full speed, aiming for a tree in the distance. He needed to stop thinking and feeling. Needed to clean his insides out. Pain in his lungs. Good. Pain in his chest. Good. Unable to stop fully, he missed slamming into a low branch by inches. He finally halted, bending over to take deep breaths.
Turn around and repeat, this time steady and slow, McMillan.Then he would be ready for Dilaver’s festivities.
By the time he was showered and rested a few hours later, Hawk felt recharged. All this preparation, as if he were going into battle, when in reality it was more like sitting around and being unable to do anything that he wanted. He looked at his watch. It was almost time for his instant message session.
It had occurred to him that Amber might not come out to play. Well, there was only one way to find out.
He retrieved his small laptop, sat on the bed, and turned it on. After checking to make sure all the safeguards were activated, he opened the shadow drive. He didn’t quite understand it, but just seeing her little icon made him smile. It was green, meaning she was there, waiting.
He typed in her handle.Ambrosia.
