Brady Hawk 10 - Into the Shadows Read online

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  Heisman: The Man Behind the Trophy

  Other titles by R.J. Patterson

  Brady Hawk series

  First Strike

  Deep Cover

  Point of Impact

  Full Blast

  Target Zero

  Fury

  State of Play

  Seige

  Seek and Destroy

  Into the Shadows

  Hard Target

  No Way Out

  Cal Murphy Thriller series

  Dead Shot

  Dead Line

  Better off Dead

  Dead in the Water

  Dead Man's Curve

  Dead and Gone

  Dead Wrong

  Dead Man's Land

  Dead Drop

  Dead to Rights

  Dead End

  James Flynn Thriller series

  The Warren Omissions

  Imminent Threat

  The Cooper Affair

  Seeds of War

  INTO THE SHADOWS

  A Brady Hawk Thriller

  R.J. PATTERSON

  For Blake, a true gentleman

  and an even greater man

  CHAPTER 1

  The Al Hajar Mountains, Oman

  BRADY HAWK ADJUSTED THE STRAPS on his backpack and then glanced over his shoulder at the Australian couple lagging behind him. The man fumbled with his water bottle, while the woman stopped to take another picture of a goat herder guiding his flock toward a pasture with more vegetation. With the sun arching high above them, Hawk figured this was as good of a time as any to stop and eat lunch.

  “You guys hungry?” Hawk asked.

  “I thought you said there was a great place to eat near a waterfall,” the man said, a scowl rippling across his forehead.

  “We can press on,” Hawk said. “It’s your dime. I just thought because you both keep stopping to rest so often, it might be good to put something in your bellies so we can finish the hike.”

  The man, who went by the name of Liam Turner, glared at Hawk.

  “What exactly are you suggesting?” Turner asked.

  The woman, Lily, shot Liam a sideways glance.

  “Do you have to take everything everyone says as some kind of slight toward you?” she asked, continuing on without waiting for a response. “You do this all the time when we’re at home. I make one little comment and you would think that I just insulted your entire ancestry for the last thousand years. Just get a grip. Are you hungry or not?”

  Hawk tried to hide his smirk. Lily’s fiery response reminded him of Alex, whom he hadn’t seen in almost nine months when he thought it was prudent to disappear. In a second, he was whisked away to a memory of when Alex stood up to one of the feistier foes they encountered while in Somalia. Engrossed in his recollection of the event, Hawk had let his guard down and was grinning ear to ear.

  “Hey, asshole,” Liam said as he stormed toward Hawk. “You think that’s funny?”

  Hawk snapped back to reality just in time to avoid Liam’s right hook. Acting on instinct, Hawk ducked before going low and putting Liam on his back. Hawk was about to pummel the snarky Aussie’s face before thinking better of it. Instead, Hawk hopped up and offered his hand to Liam.

  Swatting dismissively at Hawk, Liam climbed to his feet unassisted.

  “Is that how you treat all of your clients?” Liam asked with a snarl.

  “Only the ones who try to throw a punch at me,” Hawk said. “Now, I’ll ask again. Would you like to eat here or wait until we reach the waterfall two hours from now?”

  “I think I’m ready to go back,” Liam said.

  “I’m starving, Liam,” Lily said as she stuffed her camera back into her bag. “Let’s eat now.”

  “No, I want to go back right now. If we stopped, this jarhead would get to eat as well. He doesn’t deserve a break after what he did to me.”

  She shook her head. “Liam, you were the one who was about to—”

  “Save it, Lily. Let’s get going, Mr. Smith,” Liam said as he sneered at Hawk.

  Hawk spun toward his two clients and walked back down the trail. Serving as a trail guide for Al Hajar Outfitters seemed like a good cover several months ago when Hawk needed to find a way to prevent the drain on his resources. If he had gone much longer without a job, he calculated he’d be destitute by the end of the year. But he also needed to go somewhere that not even Michaels would think to look. Hawk decided to go somewhere he never anticipated going himself. And the mountain region in Oman struck him as an ideal location to hide.

  For the past few months, Hawk had lived simply, staying in a communal home supplied by his employer. In his short time there, he’d seen several other guides come and go—some warded off by the physical demand of climbing Al Hajar’s steep a
nd rocky trails, others by the oppressive restraints that go with living in a predominantly Muslim culture. Alcohol, if one could find it, was rare. Speaking openly and critically of the government could land you in jail. But mostly, the comforts of home were what people missed most—familiar food, television they could understand, music they appreciated, friends they loved.

  Hawk longed for all those things, but he recognized the reality of his situation: if he ever wanted to go home in the future, laying low was imperative. The most powerful man in the free world had placed Hawk at the top of a list nobody wanted to be on. And he knew there was only one way people got off that list. But Hawk hadn’t given up yet. Trudging up and down Al Hajar had given him plenty of time to think about another approach, one that could get his name erased from such a list without getting personally rubbed out.

  “Would you mind slowing down?” Liam said. “You military people think you have to prove to everyone else just how tough you are.”

  Hawk stopped and turned around. He strode toward Liam before halting less than a meter away.

  “You seem to have a problem with the military,” Hawk said. “What makes you think I was ever in anybody’s military?”

  Liam huffed through his nose. “Are you kidding me? It’s obvious. You’ve got Marine written all over you.”

  “Is that so?” Hawk said with a sarcastic smile. He wanted to put the snarky punk in his place but resisted the urge.

  “Yeah, the way you talk, the way you march, the way you think you’re the boss of me instead of realizing that I’m the one paying your salary.”

  Hawk chuckled. “Guess I’m not gonna get a tip today, am I?”

  “I’ll give you a tip instead,” Liam said. “Stop being such a hard ass and thoughtfully consider the people you’re supposed to be leading. Not everyone cares to be treated like we’re foot soldiers in your army. Not everyone—”

  “That’s enough,” Hawk said.

  “See, you’re doing it right now,” Liam said, putting his finger into Hawk’s chest.

  Hawk glanced down at Liam’s index finger and then at Liam.

  “If you don’t remove your finger, I’m going to take you down again—and I promise you won’t get up so easily this time.”

  “Is that so, Mr. Tough Guy?”

  “Liam,” Lily called, stamping her foot. “Cut it out.”

  Liam spun toward her. “If you speak to me like that again, you’re going to regret it.”

  Hawk then grabbed a fistful of Liam’s shirt and pulled him close.

  “That’s not how we treat ladies,” Hawk said. “Now, I suggest you apologize to your lady.”

  Hawk released Liam, who stumbled a few steps down the path. When he regained his balance and stood upright, he glared up at Hawk.

  “My patience has run out,” Hawk said. “Now apologize and let’s keep moving, or else I’m gonna leave you here.”

  Liam mumbled something to Lily before they resumed their hike, keeping pace with Hawk. They all walked in silence for the next hour. Hawk enjoyed the peace and quiet as well as the steady pace. Once they returned to the Al Hajar Outfitters office, Hawk took the couple into the back and introduced them to his boss so they could air their grievances.

  “Did we have a problem today?” Abdul Majjeed asked the couple.

  “It was great,” Lily said with a smile. “Mr. Smith was a wonderful guide.”

  Majjeed turned to Liam. “I take it you didn’t feel the same way.”

  Liam shook his head. “Disaster is a more appropriate way to describe today’s hike.”

  “How so?” Majjeed asked, his eyebrows arched.

  Hawk slipped out of the office and sat down on a chair in the hallway, listening to Liam’s biased account of their interactions. According to Liam, he claimed he was assaulted by the military “goon” serving as their guide. He was ruthless and caustic—and unapologetically so, according to Liam.

  Majjeed poked his head outside the office to find Hawk.

  “Did you hear all of this?”

  Hawk nodded.

  “Is this true what this man is saying?” Majjeed asked.

  “I don’t know how you say it in Oman, but back home, we call people like him a ‘prima donna,’ someone who demands to get their way in all circumstances with no regard for others.”

  “That sounds like what he’s accusing you of,” Majjeed said.

  “That’s how they all do it.”

  Majjeed took a deep breath and nodded knowingly, as if he’d encountered such people before.

  “Were you in the military?” Majjeed asked finally. “You never mentioned that to me before. That would’ve been important.”

  “Don’t trust that fool,” Hawk said. “He would’ve died on a marked trail if I hadn’t helped him out.”

  “That’s not answering my question.”

  Hawk shrugged. “I already answered it when I filled out my application to work for you. Besides, is it really that important?”

  Majjeed returned to his office, but Hawk didn’t move. He listened in on the entire follow-up conversation, which drove his next response.

  Majjeed spoke in a hushed tone, but Hawk heard enough of the conversation.

  “Did he really do these things to you?” Majjeed asked.

  “Yes,” the man answered, his head nodding furiously. “Every word of it’s true.”

  “And you think he’s ex-military?” Majjeed’s voice softening again.

  Liam nodded again. “No doubt about it.”

  Hawk didn’t wait around to hear the rest. If Majjeed had an inkling of belief that Hawk was ex-military, there’d be an officer at his door to arrest him within an hour. He rushed home and crammed all his valuable items into a pillowcase, doubling as his suitcase. Without saying goodbye to even the closest of friends he’d made during his time at the outfitters, Hawk stole off toward the bus stop and caught the next bus headed for Muscat.

  Hawk didn’t look back either. Spending what felt like years of his life on the run gave him an odd comfort as he struck off for the big city. He needed a change of scenery, a fresh start, a place to hide. He needed a place to hatch his scheme for revenge on President Michaels.

  * * *

  HAWK SWALLOWED HARD when he heard the click of a gun from behind the door.

  “Who is it?” the man on the other side asked.

  “It’s me, Brady.”

  “Hawk?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Look up at the camera.”

  Hawk followed the instructions and flashed a toothy grin followed by a wave. But the door remained bolted shut.

  “If it’s really you, tell me what was my prized baseball card.”

  “That’s easy, Ray—your Bo Jackson rookie. You even had it signed.”

  The deadbolt clicked before the door swung open. Instead of a joyful embrace, the man poked his head out into the hallway and glanced around before grabbing Hawk by his collar and yanking him inside.

  Ray Green slammed the door behind him and secured the deadbolt before rearming the alarm system on the pad next to the door. He started to place the gun back into his shoulder holster before deciding to keep it out. He then gestured toward the living room with his weapon.

  “Goodness, Ray, is Muscat that dangerous of a place?” Hawk asked. “This place looks like a fortress.”

  “I had two guards down there. What’d you do to them?”

  Hawk raised his hands in a posture of surrender.

  “Now, I know what this must look like to you, but I swear I’m on your side. I don’t mean you any harm.”

  “It’s been a few years, Hawk, and I haven’t heard a word from you. Yet, you suddenly just show up on my doorstep, somehow eluding the two men patrolling the grounds.”

  “Come on. You know it couldn’t have been that challenging for me. Besides, I didn’t hurt them. Hell, they didn’t even see me.”

  “What do you want?”

  “I need your help.”

  “
That’s a pretty bold request, given what happened the last time I saw you. We needed your help that night too, but you went MIA on us.”

  “If you want an explanation, I can give it to you.”

  “Save it. Just tell me what you want so you can get on with it and get the hell out of my house.”

  Hawk eased onto the couch but remained hunched over, seated on the edge.

  “I’m afraid my request isn’t a small favor. I need your help to get back on my feet because I’m in a real bind.”

  “What kind of bind?”

  “The kind of bind that being at the top of President Michaels’ kill list will get you.”

  “What’d you do?”

  “In short? Nothing—aside from saving his life. But I’ve also tried to expose his corruption, which is only me trying to uphold my oath to serve this country.”

  “Spare me the moral platitudes, Hawk. You lost that high ground when you abandoned us that night.”

  “Come on, Ray. We all make mistakes and—”

  “Mistakes are leaving your meat on the grill too long. Leaving your brothers in the middle of battle? That’s not a mistake. That is a conscious choice, a choice you made on your own.”

  “I don’t know what else to tell you,” Hawk said. “I probably should’ve never joined up when I did. I was going through a lot. I was young and foolish.”

  “And you’re different now?”

  Hawk nodded. “I know what I’m fighting for now. Besides, the Seals obviously weren’t for you either. I mean, a private security contractor in Oman? You’re not exactly in a place to lecture me.”

  “I’d still be there if they hadn’t forced me out.”

  “What’d you do?”

  “I don’t want to get into it,” Ray said with a sigh. “Now, will you tell me what you’re doing here?”

  “To be blunt, I need a place to lay low—along with a job.”

  “With all his money, your dad can’t find you something? Especially with all your experience—”

  “He’s not really my dad, but that’s a story for another night. Even if he could get me a position with his company, I need one that keeps me off the radar. But Tom Colton has no idea what it means to go off the radar.”