“Look, we just want to talk,” Hawk said.
“I should’ve finished you off, Hawk,” Reaper said. “I didn’t want to have to kill you, but I figured you would’ve received the message.”
“All I want to know is who’s sending you those messages you’re so desperate to pass along.”
Reaper huffed a soft laugh through his nose. “You’ve got a lot of nerve trying to track me down. And I must admit that you almost had me. But I started thinking that maybe I saw you at the pool.”
“I’m lousy at disguises,” Hawk said before nodding at Reaper. “But your outfit, on the other hand, was pretty damn good.”
“Flattery won’t get you anywhere,” Reaper said. “I’m going to kill you and then make it look like a robbery.”
“No one will buy it,” Hawk said.
“What makes you so sure?” Reaper said.
“Because it’s not going to happen,” Hawk said.
Reaper trained his weapon on Hawk. “That’s where you’re wrong.”
CHAPTER 40
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
AS REAPER PULLED THE trigger, Hawk dove to the ground. The bullet ricocheted off the cinder block wall right to the right of Hawk’s shoulder. When he glanced at Reaper, Hawk saw the gun lying a few feet away and the muscular soldier collapsed in a heap with Alex standing over him. She held a syringe in one hand, signaling a thumbs up to Hawk with the other.
“Impeccable timing, dear,” Hawk said.
She grinned. “It wouldn’t have been nearly as close if we didn’t need him alive.”
Alex sneered at Reaper before kicking him in the ribs. “Mess with my husband again, and next time I won’t be so kind.”
Reaper’s eyes remained closed, the injection already doing its job.
“Let’s get this punk into the van,” she said.
Hawk scrambled to his feet and then helped Alex and Mia lug Reaper’s large body into the back of their van parked along a nearby street. They drove straight to the clinic, preparing the interrogation session.
When Reaper came to a few minutes later, Hawk and Alex had secured the mercenary to a chair. He opened his eyes and scanned the room, groggily muttering something Hawk couldn’t quite make out.
“Well, hello there, Sunshine,” Hawk said, waving his hand in front of Reaper’s face. “Nice of you to join us today.”
“What’d you do to me?” Reaper asked as he winced. “My head. My neck.”
“You better be thankful that your heart’s still beating,” Hawk said. “Hell hath no fury like a woman who almost watched her husband being gunned down in a back alley.”
“I already told you that it’s nothing personal,” Reaper said.
“Likewise,” Hawk said. “I appreciate you not killing me in Sonbong, though I’m sure you’re regretting that decision at the moment.”
“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.”
CHAPTER 41