R Patterson - The Shadow Hunter

“When I get out of here, I’ll rectify that situation.”

Hawk shook his head. “Such bravado up till the very end.”

“You’re not going to kill me,” Reaper said. “If you wanted me dead, I’d be pushing up daises already. So, let’s not waste time with any more bullshit. What do you want?”

Hawk paced in front of Reaper for a few seconds and then stopped. “Are you willing to talk? Because I’d rather make this as painless as possible for the both of us.”

“Ask something specific,” Reaper said. “I can’t read your mind.”

“Who sent you to North Korea?”

Reaper sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“So you want me to believe you just got on a plane and magically appeared in Sonbong at the same time three other Navy SEALs on a black ops mission were there?”

“That’s not what I’m saying. I don’t know who sent me.”

“You take orders from anyone, even if you don’t know them?”

“I take orders from anyone who pays me. That’s the definition of a mercenary. I’m just a soldier for hire.”

“Even against your own country?”

Reaper shrugged. “I’m a man without a country these days, so my loyalty stretches only as far as my bank account.”

“I have to admit that I admire your bravado.”

Reaper narrowed his eyes as he stared at Hawk. “Am I on trial here or something?”

“In a manner of speaking, you are. I need some information from you, and if you can’t give it to me, I’m going to pronounce you guilty.”

“Again, be specific.”

“Okay,” Hawk said as he set his jaw, “what is the name of the person who told you about the mission in North Korea?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know or you won’t tell me?”

Reaper closed his eyes and grunted. “I don’t know it. I just get jobs and I do them. I don’t ask questions and I don’t know who’s responsible for originating them.”

“You want me to believe that you saw an assignment for taking out a Navy SEAL team and didn’t question where it was coming from?”

“That’s correct.”

“What happened to the Doug Mitchell I knew in Navy SEAL training?”

“He’s long gone,” Reaper said, “battered by the realities of black ops life. If you think you can shame me into telling me something—something I don’t even know—please continue. I’ll warn you that it’s not going to work, but you can still try.”

“I’ve answered everything you’ve asked me as truthfully as possible,” Reaper said as he started to struggle against the bindings keeping him seated in his chair. “I have a guy who offers me jobs. I take almost all of them and perform as well as possible. Then, I get a lump sum deposited into my account. I don’t ask questions. I don’t dig deeper. I just do the job. And your team in Sonbong was the job.”

“But you didn’t kill me?”

“I thought serving with you earned you at least the decency to have a fighting chance against the North Koreans. I see now that decision was wrong.”

“I knew you’d come around,” Hawk said.

“I’m not agreeing with you. I’m just telling you what’s what. It’s not always the best decision to kill your enemies when you can extract information from them.”

“That’s the smartest thing you’ve said all day,” Hawk said. “It’s also why you’re not going to die right now.”

“How kind of you,” Reaper said. “Do you want me to bow down and kiss your feet?”

“I want you to tell us everything.”

“I am,” Reaper said. “You know everything I did.”

Hawk knocked on the door leading to the interior. “Somehow, I just don’t believe that.”

A handful of CIA agents poured into the room, cuffing Reaper and toting toward him to a van waiting outside the back of the building.

“I don’t know anything, Hawk,” Reaper said. “You’ve got to believe me.”

“I wish I could,” Hawk said as he watched Reaper forcefully constrained by a trio of CIA agents.

“You’re going to regret this,” Reaper said.

Hawk shrugged. “Maybe. But I can promise you that you’re going to regret not helping me more than I’ll regret anything about this conversation.”

The man holding Reaper froze and looked at Hawk.

“This is your last chance,” Hawk said.

“If you don’t believe me, you can go to hell,” Reaper said with a sneer.

Hawk nodded at the men, who resumed wrestling with Reaper. After a brief struggle, they subdued him and placed him in the van.

Hawk looked at Alex. “At least we tried.”

Mia, who’d been quiet while taking in the scene, shook her head and grinned wryly. She held up Reaper’s phone. “We’re not done trying yet.”

Bridger, Montana

HAWK PLACED JOHN DANIEL on a hay bale and gestured for him to jump. The boy crouched low, wrapping his arms around his legs and refused to move. Hawk held his hands out wide and coaxed his son to take the leap.

“You jump off everything else, son,” Hawk said. “Why are you afraid all of a sudden?”

“You promise you’ll catch me?”

Hawk nodded. “Of course. When have I ever not caught you?”

John Daniel stood, took a couple of steps back, and leaped into his father’s arms. Hawk spun his son around a few times before placing him on the barn floor.

“I need your help feeding Tucker and Dusty,” Hawk said. “Think you can help me carry this hay bale over to their trough?”

John Daniel nodded as he rushed around to the other side of the bale. He placed his hands in the air and did his best just to maintain contact with the hay. Once they reached the fence, Hawk cut the bale and filled the trough. He whistled at the two horses, who quickly galloped over and began eating. Hawk tousled John Daniel’s hair as they watched the animals munch on their food.

After a few moments of silence, John Daniel looked at Hawk. “Dad, did you get the bad guys when you were gone?”

“I guess you could say that.”

“Good,” John Daniel said. “I don’t want any more of them coming around here.”

“Well, if they do, they’ll have to deal with me and your mom. She’s tough, too.”

“And pretty,” John Daniel said with a grin.

Alex called for them, causing the pair to turn their heads in the direction of her voice.

“Better go see what she wants,” Hawk said.

When they reached the house, Hawk ushered John Daniel to his room and warned him not to come out.

“No more bad guys are coming here, are they?” he asked.

Hawk knelt so he was at eye level with John Daniel. “Now, why would you ask a question like that?”

“I don’t like bad guys.”

“Me either, son. I’ll come get you when it’s time to come out of your room.”

Hawk shut the door and returned to the kitchen where Alex was fiddling with her laptop on the table.

“You ready?” she asked.

Hawk nodded and hesitated. “Did John Daniel see anything when Orlovsky’s goon attacked you?”

“I don’t think so,” she said. “I checked on him after everything, and he was fast asleep. Why do you ask?”

“He just said something to me that made me wonder if he’d witnessed any of your fight. He’s worried about the bad guys.”

“Like father, like son,” she said before typing a password on her computer.

Seconds later, they were connected with the Magnum team for a video meeting.

“How’s Montana?” Morgan asked.

“Still cold, but beautiful as ever,” Alex said.

“Well, in that case, I won’t tell you about the seventy-two degree weather here in Los Angeles today,” Morgan said with a wink.