Extreme Measures (A Brady Hawk Novel Book 20)

back. “The dark web is bad enough, but you want to wade through the muck and mire of the worst of it?”
“Sadistic, I know, but there’s something going on there that I find very troubling.”
“And what’s that?” Blunt asked.
“Over the past few months, several black hat hackers who have quite the following on the dark web have disappeared.”
“As in kidnapped?”
“I’m not sure yet. I just know they’ve gone dark, pardon the pun.”
“Maybe they’re just lying low.”
Quinn shook his head. "These aren't the kind of people who get scared of government agents trying to set a trap for them. They have legions of admirers by how they taunt even the best cybersecurity experts by planting destructive viruses, some that the general public never even hears about. Quite frankly, it's terrifying what these people can do if they really want to put their skills to use at something other than skimming money off bank transactions or siphoning cash from businesses without them even noticing."
“So, they’re all financial sector black hat hackers?”
“Some of them are, but some of them aren’t.”
Blunt crossed his arms and pondered the facts. “Have you identified a common thread in their work? Because that might give you a clue as to what they’re up to.”
Quinn nodded. “Nothing that’s readily apparent. Hell, we don’t even know if these folks are doing something voluntarily or against their will. It’s all a big mystery.”
“What’s your hunch?”
“I’m hesitant to say anything about this because it sounds so blatantly partisan and like I’m some conspiracy nut,” Quinn said, “but I wouldn’t put it past Collin Radcliffe to attempt some kind of stunt before the general election that would cast Young in a bad light.”
“What better way to embarrass the president and get lowlifes on your side than to hire them to take down your bitter political rival. Radcliffe would be so far removed from them that it’d be virtually impossible to pin on him. We’re talking about people who would be able to eliminate any paper trail, virtual or otherwise, even if they did get caught.”
Blunt exhaled as he shook his head. “What do you want me to do about this?”
“You’ve got contacts with people who’ve run in those circles, don’t you?”
“You know I don’t tell you who I work with,” Blunt said. “That’s part of how this deal is structured.”
“Am I wrong?” Quinn asked.
“I might know some people.”
“So, you’ll make some calls? See what you can find out?”
“What’s the end game here?” Blunt asked. “Are you only trying to catch these hackers?”
“Anything you can find out would be a big help. If we can get one step ahead, we might be able to prevent a disastrous financial event.”
“You think they’re trying to crash the stock market, don’t you?”
"If there's any way to strike fear in the heart of Americans, make them think they're all going to lose their precious money through some cyber threat. We'd have an unprecedented run on the banks in this country. In less than a week, our economy would be decimated."
“That certainly wouldn’t be good.”
“No, it wouldn’t,” Quinn said. “Can I count on you to stop this?”
“I’ll tell you what I tell the president.”
“And what’s that?”
“I’ll do my best, but I make no promises regarding the results.”
“Sounds good to me.”
The waiter eased up to the table and placed plates in front of the men. Blunt closed his eyes as he hovered over the food, inhaling the steam as it rose.
“You’re gonna love this meal,” Blunt said. “And I think you’ll be pleased with my ability to get the best people for this assignment. If we happen to fail, it won’t be because I had the wrong people for the job.”
Quinn picked up his knife and fork. “Then let’s eat.”
* * *
AFTER DINNER, Blunt sat in his car and scrolled through his contacts before fingering the one he was searching for.
“Mia, this is J.D. Blunt from the Phoenix Foundation. I was wondering if you might be interested in helping us on a small project.”
“Mr. Blunt, it’s so nice of you to call. I didn’t figure you would want me again after our last venture together.”
“Nobody’s perfect, Mia. I also happen to think you’re the perfect person for the job.”
“I’m game,” she said. “What’s the job?”

CHAPTER 5
Piraeus, Greece
HAWK AND ALEX returned to the port the next morning in disguise. Mitch Chubb, their CIA contact, worked with one of his friendlier contacts at the country's security defense department to set up a walkthrough, posing as customs agents for the port authority. Since Hawk and Alex had appeared at the Nicolo Logistics office the day before, they now went heavily disguised. Hawk wore a mustache and kept a hat tugged low across his forehead; Alex sported an auburn-colored wig and pantsuit while toting a clipboard.
Before they entered the warehouse, Hawk looked at her and chuckled. “This was a lot more fun for you when you were the star reporter.”
Alex tugged at her pants. “Regardless of who’s in charge, we know who still wears these around here.”
Hawk stifled an outburst as the Greek agent Atticus Lykaios ushered them inside the building. A floor foreman met them at the door. Lykaios introduced his companions as American diplomats conducting a joint inspection of shipping facilities that transport products to the U.S. The foreman shrugged, apparently unbothered by the intrusion into his day. He didn’t hesitate to allow a search of the shipping containers and crates.
“What do you typically ship?” Hawk asked.
“There’s nothing typical about transporting special commodities,” the foreman said. “Furniture, office equipment, parade floats, race cars, grains, power plant parts—it’s everything you could imagine and more.”
“And you know what’s inside everything you ship?” Hawk asked.
“As much as we can. We don’t look inside everything we send out. Mostly we rely on the description listed on the packing slip. But if something seems off, we investigate.”
Hawk nodded, glancing at Alex, who jotted down a few notes. "And does that happen very often?"
“It’s rather rare.”
The trio marched around the warehouse