R Patterson - The Shadow Hunter

“L.A.’s less political,” she said. “There aren’t a hundred bureaucrats running around, sticking their nose in all your business.”

“Fair point,” Hawk said.

She nodded. “You ready to go?”

“Let me grab my things.”

Morgan followed Hawk into the house, making small talk along the way. Once they got inside, they found Alex presiding over breakfast, coaxing John Daniel to eat his cereal.

Morgan shook her head. “Unbelievable. Super Mom by day, saving the world by night.”

Alex chuckled. “Sometimes I think it’s easier to hunt down and eliminate terrorists than it is to get your kids to eat their breakfast.”

They all laughed before Hawk darted upstairs to grab his bag. He returned to the kitchen and gave Alex a long hug.

“I’ll be with you every step of the way,” she said.

“And I’m going to make sure of that,” Morgan said. “Expect a delivery of all the latest state-of-the-art technology. I’m having a Magnum tech deliver it in person so he can set everything up for you. It’ll be like you’re in the office with us whenever you’re online.”

“Thank you,” Hawk said as he shook Morgan’s hand.

“No, I’m the one who needs to be thanking you,” she said. “If it weren’t for you, we’d have no prayer at getting Eddie Tyson back.”

Hawk gave John Daniel a hug. “You’re the man of the house now, son. And I want you to be helpful to mommy while I’m gone. Can you do that for me?”

John Daniel’s lips quivered as tears streamed down his face. “I love you, Daddy. Come back soon.”

“I will, son.”

Hawk kissed John Daniel on the top of his head before grabbing his gear and heading toward the door. Morgan led him back to the SUV.

Once they were inside, the driver wheeled around and headed off Hawk’s property. He looked through the back window and saw Alex waving goodbye with John Daniel, who was wrapped up in his favorite blanket.

Morgan looked at Hawk. “I know this isn’t easy for you, but I appreciate your willingness to help.”

Hawk didn’t say anything. He wasn’t overly emotional, but he didn’t want to talk about it. If he did, he was certain he’d start tearing up. He wanted to dwell on happier thoughts. Leaving his family was about the most difficult thing he’d done in a while. But there was also an anticipation for the mission, an excitement he hadn’t felt in quite some time.

He took a deep breath and turned his gaze toward Morgan. “Tell me the truth now. How’s J.D.? Is he all right?”

“He’s still J.D.,” Morgan said. “He’s chomping on cigars and grousing about the state of politics in America today. Though there is one notable change.”

“What’s that?”

“His choice of drink now is scotch.”

Hawk’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

“You finally got to him,” Morgan said. “He’s abandoned bourbon from what he told me.”

“Did you tell him your efforts to recruit me were successful?”

Morgan smiled. “I must say I enjoyed sharing that bit of news with him.”

“I’m sure that rankled him.”

“Actually, he said he was impressed. Didn’t think I could persuade you to help out.”

“As hard as it is for me to leave Alex and John Daniel, it would’ve been even harder for me to live with myself if I could’ve done something about Tyson but chose not to.”

For the next few minutes, they enjoyed the scenery, staring at the early morning sun spotlighting the towering peaks.

Then Morgan shifted in her seat before speaking. “Hawk, there’s something you need to know about this mission.”

“And what’s that?”

“We don’t have a ton of intel on Tyson. Everything we have on him indicates that he’s still in prison, but we received a message recently that he might be out.”

“What does that mean? Out of prison and just living in Russia still?”

She sighed. “Maybe. We’re not sure if he isn’t doing this on his own volition right now, if he really isn’t imprisoned anymore.”

“That’s crazy,” Hawk said, waving at her dismissively. “I don’t think I ever met a bigger patriot than Tyson, not to mention he’d never walk out on his family like that.”

She looked out the window again, shaking her head subtly. “People can fool you sometimes.”

Hawk scowled. “Not Tyson. He’d never betray his country.”

She turned turn Hawk again. “All I’m saying is, don’t let your friendship blind you. While it’s been a motivating factor for you to volunteer for this mission, it’s also been a reason why I was initially hesitant to ask you to go.”

“And how could I possibly let that compromise this mission?”

“You need to be prepared for the possibility that Tyson may not want to come home.”

Hawk stroked his chin. “Are you suggesting that instead of an extraction, this might be more of a fact-finding mission?”

She shrugged. “Maybe both. I don’t know. But just beware that he might not be the same person you once knew. I felt it was important for me to tell you this myself before you left.”

“You should’ve told me that up front,” Hawk said.

“Does that change your mind now? I can still have this SUV turn around and take you back home.”

“No, Tyson still needs my help. And I owe it to him after what he did for me. Just next time tell me everything. No more games. Your uncle would’ve never done that.”

“If I had told you that initially, would you be sitting in this car right now?”

Hawk pursed his lips, pausing for a moment to consider her question. “Probably not—to be honest with you.”

Morgan smiled. “Then I’m doing exactly what my uncle would’ve done. He always did everything he could to secure the best person for the job.”

“Maybe, but I still don’t like it,” Hawk said. “Just promise me you won’t do that to me in the future.”

She arched her eyebrows. “The future? Are you suggesting that there might be more missions you’d be willing to go on?”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Hawk said. “I need to survive this one first.”

30,000 feet over Northeast Mongolia

HAWK CHECKED HIS COMS as he prepared to make a HALO jump. The pilot signaled that they were one minute out from the jump point. The back of the C-160 hummed as the ramp lowered, resulting in a blast of cold air. After one final equipment check, Hawk eased toward the back of the plane.

“Good luck, Agent Hawk,” the pilot said over the coms.

“Thanks,” Hawk said before he turned and leaped out of the plane.

Hawk zipped toward the ground, his face turning numb. Jumping from thirty thousand feet was never a pleasant experience for him no matter where he did it. But in the winter into frozen tundra? It was nothing short of sheer torture.

As Hawk neared the ground, he pulled his rip cord, opening his chute. In less than thirty seconds, his feet sank into the fresh coat of snow blanketing the hinterlands of Mongolia. He gathered his parachute and then dug a hole. Burying his chute was standard protocol, though he wondered if it was worth the trouble in such a remote area.

Once he was finished, he began a twenty-kilometer hike across the border and into Russia. The sun rose over the mountains, taking away a little bit of the bite from the frigid temperature. On his journey, he didn’t see a soul. The route had been meticulously plotted, providing him with unfettered access into Russia. But Hawk realized why it felt so desolate. The ground was undoubtedly too frozen to cultivate for most of the year, not to mention that in a vast region, no sane person would settle out here.

By 2:00 p.m., Hawk had reached his next destination—the banks of the Onon River. Despite the low temperatures, the Onon flowed as it did year round, winding a path through the snow-covered terrain. The river provided Hawk a faster and more direct route to his final stop, Yakutsk.