R Patterson - The Shadow Hunter

“Until the bribe was paid, no doubt.”

“He never got a dime from me,” Hawk said. “That happened to be once in Romania. I told the guard that if he didn’t, when I got out I would hunt him down and he’d never get to use the money anyway. I guess I spooked him because he let me go in the morning.”

“So what’s your plan this time?”

“I need to talk with Mia,” Hawk said. “Can you patch me through to her?”

“Give me a second.”

Hawk heard a series of clicks before Mia’s smooth voice came through on the other end.

“Agent Hawk, I’m glad to hear you’re still alive after all your misadventures in Siberia,” she said.

“Whatever you’re hearing, it’s all a bunch of lies,” Hawk said.

“Even the part about you single-handedly dismantling an entire drug operation run by a Russian oligarch?”

“No, that part was mostly true,” he said.

“ Mostly ?”

“All right, that might be a small embellishment.”

“ Small embellishment?”

“Okay, okay,” Hawk said, conceding. “That’s an outright lie, but I doubt my wife is making up stories about my exploits here.”

“She thinks rather highly of your skills, though those of us who’ve been in the field with you know the truth.”

Hawk chuckled. “And on cue, I have a question about some tech because I lost all my gear, and I have no idea how I’m going to create a makeshift device that will help us learn where Tyson is at the Yakutsk prison.”

His voice continued rising, the tension clear to anyone listening.

“Calm down, Hawk. I’m going to get you taken care of. It’s not that difficult.”

“Not that difficult?” he asked as he stared at the water stains in the corner of the ceiling. “If it doesn’t require me shooting someone from a kilometer away or punching them in the face, I’m not your guy.”

“False humility is so unbecoming,” Mia said. “You’re more than capable of making this little device, especially if you still have that watch Morgan gave you before you left.”

Hawk looked at his wrist. “Believe it or not, I still have it on—and even more shocking is the fact that it still works.”

“Excellent,” she said. “That’s going to make this simple for you.”

Mia proceeded to rattle off a list of supplies Hawk needed to purchase before he could put together a small device on the fly. She explained that if he did it right, he’d be able to connect his watch to the device that would enable her to gain access to the prison computer system. Once inside, she could help Hawk determine where Tyson was being held and scheme a way to get him out. That is, if Tyson was still alive.

Two hours later, Hawk had assembled the device and tested it on the motel’s computer system. In a matter of minutes, Mia discovered that Ivan Antonov was staying two doors down from Hawk and had the room rented for just an hour.

“That ought to let you know what kind of place I’m staying in,” Hawk said.

“Swanky,” Mia said. “I can only imagine how tasty that gourmet breakfast is every morning.”

Hawk eyed a rat darting across the hallway near the closet containing the meager computer system.

“This little gadget works fine on this piece of junk, but do you think it’ll work on a more complex system?” he asked.

“As long as the information is getting relayed to your watch, this is all I need. I’ll be able to hack in and tell you what size underwear the warden wears.”

Hawk sighed. “You people scare me.”

Mia giggled. “You should be very afraid, especially when you set ‘I hate Tech nerds 45%’ as your password.”

“Now, why would you take offense at that?” Hawk asked as he disconnected the device. “I can see you getting upset if it’s like eight-five or ninety percent. But forty-five? That’s less than half. Nobody is going to get mad about that.”

“I know one hacker who drained a ninety-two-year-old woman’s bank account for the password ‘HackersStink2’. You gotta remember, these were the kids who got made fun of and bullied years ago. Now, they can use their skills to capture any little piece of information about you that they want. You really should be mortified—and never use a computer again.”

“Case in point—what we’re about to do at the Yakutsk prison,” Hawk said as he unlocked the door to his room.

“Exactly,” Mia said.

“So now the fun part,” Hawk said. “How am I going to get inside without having to get arrested?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” she said.

THE NEXT MORNING, Hawk crouched behind a dumpster in a back alley, waiting for the Federated Uniforma van driver to emerge from the building before sunrise. After about ten minutes, just as Mia had promised, a young man shuffled to the door. Hawk grabbed him from behind, placing him in a sleeper hold. Once he was out, Hawk shoved the man into the van. When they arrived to their motel room, Hawk fastened the man to a chair, blindfolding and gagging him.

Hawk proceeded to drive to the prison, taking over the man’s route. His first scheduled stop was at a bakery on the outskirts of town. After he’d gathered all the dirty linens from there, Hawk drove to the famed Yakutsk prison. It was known for its remote location, making escaping an exercise in futility. Even if someone managed to break out, there wasn’t anywhere to go. And Yakutsk wasn’t big enough to hide forever. Eventually, someone would report the escapee to the authorities and earn a large bonus in the process.

When Hawk arrived at the prison, he flashed the man’s badge and was waved through without even a second glass. His hat was pulled down low across his face, his profile darkened by the shadow cast by the cap’s bill.

Once he pulled up to the loading dock, he was greeted by one of the prison staff, who rolled a large basket teeming with uniforms. Hawk was prepared to enter but not to handle an interloper that could spoil his operation. With the window of opportunity closing, Hawk realized he had to act fast.

“Excuse me,” Hawk said in Russian. “The warden said he had a special garment he wanted us to pick up for him. Can you fetch that for me?”

The man nodded before turning around and lumbering down the hallway.

Once he’d disappeared around the corner, Hawk entered the prison and hustled down a long corridor until he reached the server room. The area was packed with wires connecting various servers to each other, while a large bundle of wires ascended into a small hole cut out of the ceiling.

Hawk whipped out the device and attached it to the wire. After activating his watch to initiate the connection, he called Mia.

“Are you in yet?” Hawk asked.

“Almost,” she said. “Give me three more seconds and … done.”

Hawk peered into the hallway to see if anyone was heading toward him. He eased the door shut and waited for Mia to perform her magic. He leaned against the wall and strained to listen to the approaching footsteps outside. By the pace and heavy footfalls, Hawk determined it was the staff member who’d just helped him, likely returning with the news that the warden didn’t have anything to collect.

“Come on, come on,” Hawk said.

“Still looking for it,” she said.

“Just hurry it up, will ya? If you don’t, I’m going to be the one in here on a more permanent basis.”

Hawk heard the man in the hall calling for him. The footsteps became more harried and frantic. Instead of lumbering, he was sprinting up and down the corridor.

“I’m not seeing it,” she said.

“He may be under a different name,” Hawk suggested. “Try matching a picture to Tyson.”

Hawk heard the man start checking every door and calling for him. “And make it snappy. I’m about to get caught.”