R Patterson - The Shadow Hunter

“Are you awake?” she asked.

“I had to pee-pee, Mommy,” he said.

“That’s fine, sweetie. You go back to sleep now.”

“Okay.”

She closed the door, upset at herself for feeling the urge to peek inside. That brief conversation could’ve awakened him enough that it would be hours before he would go back to sleep. In five more minutes, she expected to hear more pitter-patters coming down the hallway toward her room.

Alex checked all the doors one final time before heading off to bed. Just as she was about to close the door, she heard the floorboard creak again. She sighed, exasperated that she’d disturbed him so, unsure if she’d get any sleep herself. Not that it’d matter since she hadn’t slept well since Hawk left.

She ventured into the hall and made a straight line for John Daniel’s room. When she got there, she whispered to him.

“John Daniel, were you in the hall just now?”

He didn’t answer. He didn’t even stir.

Alex growled as she marched to the kitchen to check in on Kyle and Xander. Using the small device placed on the corner of the counter, she made the outdoor cameras scan around the property where the two guards were supposed to be.

“Kyle? Xander?”

No response. And in the darkness, she couldn’t see either of them. She fiddled with the camera for a moment until she switched the image to night mode. A grainy black and white picture appeared. The only things moving were branches swaying with the wind.

“Kyle? Xander? Are either of you there? I hope you’re both not taking a leak this time.”

She waited a little bit longer, but still nothing.

Her heart began to pound in her chest when she heard another creak, this time coming from the direction of the living room.

Sonbong, North Korea

HAWK PASSED THE TIME by redressing his wounds. With everything that was at stake, he functioned on adrenaline, almost oblivious to the pain. But now he could feel every little inch of pain spreading throughout his shoulder. He cleaned the blood around the edge of the entry point and used a phone to take a picture of the back of his shoulder.

Hawk studied the image before pondering what had happened earlier with the ambush. The Reaper had an American flag tattoo that spanned his entire back and another one with the first few lines of the Constitution on his right bicep. If he wasn’t a dyed-in-the-wool American, he was definitely an American dipped in red, white, and blue ink.

A foolish man would’ve thought he was lucky, but Hawk knew better. If the Reaper had wanted to kill Hawk, he’d be dead. But he was alive. Why was the question haunting Hawk. Was their brief relationship while serving with the SEALs enough to avoid a kill shot? But then why did the Reaper’s team kill everyone else?

However, even more perplexing to Hawk was why the Reaper was even there? Who told him? And why would they want to stop North Korea from obtaining a nuclear weapon?

Hawk’s mind was spinning, trying to conceive a hypothesis for everything. The diversion was a welcome one, anything to keep him from worrying about Alex.

With the sun rising higher on the horizon, Hawk gathered his pack and scurried deeper into the woods. He maintained visual with the water but also found a spot where he could remain out of plain view in case any patrols revisited the area.

Hawk picked up a cell phone and dialed Alex’s number again. Still no answer. He checked his watch and realized how late it was. If he woke her, he’d feel guilty, but he was desperate to hear that she and John Daniel were still safe. But it didn’t matter. He told himself that they were both probably sleeping soundly and not to be concerned about it.

Hawk was lost in thought when he heard a voice that startled him. He turned slowly and looked behind him but didn’t see anyone.

“Hawk, it’s me,” a man said.

Hawk peered through the woods, trying to locate the figure.

“Over here,” the voice from Hawk’s left.

He turned and saw a familiar face. “Big Earv, boy, am I glad to see you.”

“I got your message, and I got here as soon as I could,” Big Earv said. “I had to swim to shore, which took quite a bit of time. Did you finish the mission?”

Hawk nodded. “It was easy with this shoulder.”

Big Earv scowled as he eyed the area Hawk pointed to. “What happened there?”

“Friendly fire, in a manner of speaking.”

Big Earv scanned the area. “Where’s the rest of the team I brought?”

“Dead,” Hawk said. “We were ambushed.”

“The North Koreans knew they were coming?”

Hawk shook his head. “Someone else did. And before you ask me who, I can only tell you that it was a group of mercenaries—at least that’s what I hope it is.”

“Americans?”

“Yeah.”

Big Earv stroked his chin. “Did you know any of them?”

Hawk held up his index finger. “One guy. A former Navy SEAL buddy.”

“There was a Navy SEAL involved?”

“I’m guessing they were all Navy SEALs, but I didn’t get a good look at some of the other men. There was only one I recognized.”

Big Earv’s eyebrows shot upward. “You recognized one?”

“Yeah, a guy named Doug Mitchell, who we all called the Reaper.”

“Did he say anything to you?”

Hawk glanced at his shoulder. “He did this to me, which I’ve been trying to figure out why he didn’t aim for my head. Because if he misses, it’s only because he wants to.”

“What happened exactly?”

“When Wilson got here with the team, we were ambushed almost immediately. Before I knew it, all three members of the team were dead. I probably would’ve been too had the North Korean military not rolled up on us. As they were coming into the area, the Reaper took one final shot, a clean one through my shoulder.”

“You think you can swim out to the boat?” Big Earv asked. “We’ll have to lay low until dark to do it, but it’s anchored out there.”

“Don’t have to,” Hawk said as he nodded toward a spot of fresh dirt piled up a few meters away. “The SEAL team buried their gear there, including their diver propulsion gear. All I have to do is hold on.”

Big Earv squinted as he studied Hawk’s shoulder. “From the looks of things, that might be a challenge, too.”

“I can make it,” Hawk said. “Just help me dig these out and we’ll be out of here before you know it.”

The two men uncovered the gear from one of the SEALs before heading down to the water. Hawk squeezed into a wet suit, while Big Earv, who was already wearing one, prepped the rest of the gear.

“Accounting for the current, I think we’ll be able to get to the boat in about twenty minutes as long as we don’t run into any trouble,” Big Earv said.

“Adding that qualifier doesn’t make me feel any better,” Hawk said as he shook his head slowly. “You know you’ve just jinxed us, right?”

Hawk and Big Earv hustled into the water and took off for the latter’s boat. After arriving at the boat without incident, Big Earv raised the anchor and turned eastward into the Sea of Japan.

Hawk relaxed below deck in the small galley. He used Big Earv’s cell phone to try to contact Alex. The phone rang again, but she didn’t answer.

It was late, but he knew she’d be waiting for another call from him.

Where is she?

Bridger, Montana

ALEX JUMPED WHEN she heard the voice coming from the living room.

“Mommy, I’m thirsty,” said John Daniel, standing in the living room clutching his stuffed dragon. “Can I have something to drink?”

She put her hand on her chest and exhaled. “Oh, of course, buddy.”