“Aw.” Faina pouts. “I almost feel bad for you.”
“Thanks.” Stepping deeper into the shade, Faina steps closer to me as a crowd suddenly exits the port and pours toward the taxi. “Bad news, I’m afraid.”
“Hit me with it,” I say, fanning myself harder. “I’m ready.”
“The Serenity was docked here but it left over three weeks ago heading for Australia. He’s long gone.”
“What?” A knot forms in my stomach. Catching Hawk here was a long shot in itself but after countless setbacks, I was hoping this was finally our shot. That we’d finally catch a break in this long investigation. Instead, we’re faced with yet another wall. “That fucker. He must have thought we’d come looking, or at least Interpol would, and he made it look like he was sitting pretty enjoying life here.”
“Yeah,” Faina sighs, placing one hand on her hip while she deflates a little. “I’m sorry. Judging by the timing, he must have sailed from here back when we were first arrested by Interpol.”
“So he’s just in the middle of the ocean somewhere?”
Faina nods. “If he’s heading for Australia, then with a yacht as powerful as his and assuming he takes a direct route, he’ll be there in a few days.”
Australia. Basically the other side of the damn world.
I close my eyes and bite back a deep, bone-creaking sigh until Faina cups my face and runs her thumb over my stubbly jaw.
“Come on,” she says when I open my eyes. “Let’s get a drink.”
We find a local bar not far from the port. Faina orders a jug of fruit juice after seeing that it comes with crushed ice. I settle for a Scotch. We sit together on the decking overlooking the ocean, but what was once a beautiful sight now just feels like it’s mocking me with its vastness.
Hawk is out there in the middle of the fucking water and he’s too far away for me to do anything but curse his fucking existence.
I’m tired.
Maybe it’s because of the heat, but exhaustion hits me like a brick. It’s different from tiredness that rises from a lack of sleep. Every bone in my body feels like lead, every muscle is as weak as my left leg, and the desire to continue chasing Hawk across the world is slowly dying.
Months I’ve been doing this. Months I’ve been chasing him.
And what do I have to show for it?
“Talk to me,” Faina murmurs as she sips her iced drink. “You look furious. Let me help.”
“You can’t help,” I mutter, slightly harsher than I intend. After a sigh, I glance across the table at her. “I’m tired. Two more months and it’ll be a year since…” The words catch in my throat. I wash them down with a drink. “What are we doing? How did I think I could take down someone like Hawk?”
“Just because he has money and tech doesn’t mean he gets away with everything he’s done,” Faina replies gently.
“Doesn’t it? I miss when my biggest problem was a missing weapons shipment or someone was stiffed on a drugs payment. That world feels so small in comparison now, but I miss it. It was a simple life but it was better than this.”
“Don’t you like the travel?” Faina spoons some crushed ice into her mouth and hums while it melts. “This is my first time in Egypt.”
“The travel isn’t exactly enjoyable on top of everything else.”
“What about the yacht? That was fun.”
“Was it? All I could think about was Hawk.”
Faina murmurs softly and shakes her head. “I’m trying to find some positives but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand. Look… from everything we’ve seen, Hawk is exactly like us. So he chose international cyber crime over drugs and guns and girls, but so what? At its core, it’s all the same. He’s a Mafia boss and he’s driven by the same thing most of us are. Arrogance and cockiness.”
“I’m not arrogant.” I hold Faina’s gaze for a few seconds, then we both laugh.
“I’m impressed you said that with a straight face.” She scoffs. “Look, we must be close. Four months ago, we knew nothing about this guy. Now we know how he travels the world, how he cares little about his people, that he deals in heavy weapons and prefers to sail rather than fly. At the rate we’re going, he’ll be dead soon and we’re going to make sure of it.”
“Are we?” Draining my glass, I set it down and turn my attention back out to sea. “How can you be so sure?”
“Because I’m stubborn and I’m tired of that fucker affecting my life and the lives of those I care about. For all I know, everyone I care about is dead too and I’m not going to let him get away with it. So I’m going to hunt him down and you’re going to help me.”
