AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And what makes you think we would allow anyone to take over from Asher?”
“Because you’ve done it before,” he quickly replies.
I know he’s referring to Gerrick Alexandria, but us turning a blind eye to Gerrick’s dealings is different. His actions go against everything we stand for as agents, but he is no terrorist. Gerrick may benefit from the information he gives us, but because of his sister, he has disassociated himself from much of his father’s seedier business investments.
When I remind him of the good the Alexandria family has done recently, he accuses me of being a hypocrite, and deep down, I know he is right. For every lead or snippet of intel Gerrick has shared with us, he has gradually and progressively increased his stronghold in the drug trade in Brooklyn.
“You can accuse me of being a hypocrite, Patrick, but at the end of the day, what you are doing is far worse than anything I have ever done.”
“You have no idea what I have done,” he hisses.
“Then tell me,” I snap back.
Laughing, he begins by telling me that he has been in Christopher’s employ longer than any of us can imagine. He will realize that I have no means of tracing his call, which is why he indulges me in small talk. Behind me, though, while I listen to Patrick, Em texts Antony to make him aware that Sean has been kidnapped.
The year before Sumner’s attack, both of Ant’s children were taken captive by a serial killer we were chasing. According to Patrick, he started sniper training with the agency around that time. He’d approached Director Erikson, Charlie’s father, to allow him to begin the training so that he could better assist the team. With everything that was going on at the time, Bear, as Ant and I used to call him, agreed.
Thinking about it, our work has always placed the ones Antony and I love in danger. First, my wife and daughter, then Sarah, Sophie, and Sean. Sean’s quick wit at the time was why he and Sophie escaped, and I pray that it serves him again this time.
Without allowing me to talk at all, Patrick continues by admitting Christopher was the one who helped him with his training. Nobody noticed his absence because we were all preoccupied, and then when Christopher approached him about working alongside him in Afghanistan, he thought, why not. It was easy money, and all he needed to do was ensure the arms shipments made it onto a ship bound for Afghanistan.
“Everything was running smoothly until Director Erikson discovered what we were doing,” he admits.
I recall when Sarah, Ant’s wife was in the hospital after we rescued Sophie and Sean. Bear phoned Antony to check in on his family and discuss a leak within the team. Before either of us could find out what Bear meant, he was murdered.
“Did you kill Director Erikson?” I accuse.
Laughing, Patrick confesses he was asked to but didn’t have the balls to do it at the time. He does admit, though, that he was in the room when Christopher shot Bear. His admission should shock me, but we always believed Bear’s murder was an inside job; we could never prove it, though. I don’t know how they managed to do it, but all evidence was removed, leaving it unsolved … until now.
“I was also given the assignment to take out Charlie, but her husband thwarted my every attempt.”
His distaste for Jackson and his team also becomes evident when he reveals that he is part of the sniper team that shot Jackson in Afghanistan. They’d already eliminated one of the team, Aaron, but Jackson was getting too close, so Christopher ordered Patrick and another to eliminate him. It was the first time Patrick attempted to take an innocent's life and only managed to hit Jackson in his abdomen. The other sniper fared just as poorly, hitting his shoulder and leg.
“You know he will kill you when he finds out you are the reason for him nearly dying.”
“He has to find me first, Hawke,” Patrick taunts.
Has he forgotten how relentless we are?
“We will find you, Patrick, that I can promise you.”
A loud burst of laughter erupts down the line.
“And I will be waiting,” Patrick promises in return.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE
Hawke
The truths divulged by Patrick will bring closure for Jackson, Mark, and Charlie but not until he is found and has been dealt with. When I phoned them after Patrick ended our call, Jackson was beyond angry, his rage evident in his tone.
Not dismissing what happened to Jackson, it’s Charlie who I am concerned about the most. For years she has wondered why Christopher would want to hurt her father, and now she knows. None of us should be surprised, yet it’s had more impact than anticipated.
For Antony and I, our lack of awareness over Patrick’s actions and movements is worrying. We have spent our careers completely self-absorbed in our missions that we never stopped to become aware of what was happening around us.
By the time Em had reached out to Ant, he already knew his son was being held hostage by Patrick, and he had heard the news from his daughter-in-law upon his arrival in Brooklyn. Ant advised Em that Hadley would make her way to Sarah to drop Grace off before following Ant to Brooklyn to find her husband.
During my call with Patrick, he mentioned aligning with the Alexandria family to continue laundering the money he received for selling the arms he was smuggling into Afghanistan. He would be a fool to think Gerrick would help him once he knows he is holding his brother-in-law hostage. That’s the one thing I respect the most in Gerrick, his loyalty to his sister and her family.
