Reggie was back at his hotel when his phone rang. The news was as he’d expected. Jun was staying in a cheap tenement near the river, but it wasn’t cinderblock, so that wasn’t where the woman was being held — which made sense. She’d been captured in the jungle, and there was no reason to move her to an urban setting. Still, they’d had to rule out the easier option.
So they were back to waiting for the reconnaissance plane to score a hit. Once it did, depending on the location, Reggie would lead a group of commandos in to rescue the girl. A jet was already on its way, scheduled to arrive the next morning, with a dozen of the toughest special ops fighters in the world; hence the need for a delay. The plan was for Reggie to stall again at the end of the day, citing an issue with the bank, and arrange a later meeting so the team would have time to retrieve her.
Nobody believed that Jun would actually deliver Christine. Instead, it was a virtual certainty, given Red Moon’s reputation, that Reggie would be ambushed and killed, the money stolen, and the girl sold into prostitution. Red Moon were ruthless, comprised of a new generation for which no abomination was unthinkable; they had risen to power by slaughtering their foes, including whole villages in their territory, without hesitation.
Reggie would be picked off by a sniper as he made his way to the rendezvous, the analysts predicted, and a motorcycle rider or the like would snatch his payload and vanish before he’d hit the ground. It was just the way things operated in the region, and Reggie didn’t question the intel. Now all he could do was wait for the call that would tell him where Christine was being held prisoner, so he could mobilize and bring the war to her captors.
Something he would relish.
Chapter 44
Drake stood in the sunshine, palm fronds stirring around him as the phone acquired a satellite and the signal bars lit. He dialed Collins’ number and was relieved when the man answered in seconds.
“Collins.”
“It’s Drake. Allie and Spencer have been captured by one of the local gangs. An outfit called Red Moon.”
“What? How?”
“The temple was a bust, but it had a bunch of guns and heroin in it. They didn’t like us nosing around, so they came after us, and now they’ve got them — and one or both are wounded.” Drake described the blood and the shoot-out. When he was done, Collins was silent for several moments.
“This group is the same one that has the girl. Our agent has been working another lead, and they’re offering her to us for ransom.”
“Where are they holding her?”
“We’ve located a facility in the deep jungle on the Myanmar side, which looks to be their headquarters. There are a lot of men around, heat signatures from generators, and a small dirt airstrip.”
“Then you can go in and get them.”
“That’s the plan. But it won’t happen immediately. That’s not how we operate. We want to be successful, not lose the girl to a hurried mission. We have personnel on their way.”
“What about Spencer and Allie?”
“Obviously, they’ll be a priority.”
“When are you going in?”
“To be determined, but probably tomorrow.”
“That’s too late. My contacts on the ground say they’ll be questioned and killed. Red Moon have no reason to hold them.”
“I understand your concern, and we’ll front-burner this. But there are logistical issues. It’s not like we pull the trigger and guys are parachuting in the next hour. That only happens in movies.”
“You got them into this.”
“I realize that. I’ll call you when I know more.”
“Where exactly is this facility located? Maybe I can nose around…”
“That would be a bad idea. If you’re caught, it could jeopardize everything.”
When Drake hung up, he was angry at the cavalier manner with which the CIA man had dismissed his concerns. He suspected Collins didn’t particularly care whether Spencer and Allie made it — his objective was, and always had been, Christine; and anything else was a distraction.
Drake strode over to where Uncle Pete and Joe were sitting beneath a tree and relayed the substance of the discussion. When he was finished, Joe frowned. “You never told me you were working with the CIA.”
“We weren’t working with them so much as keeping our eyes open and tipping them off if we found the plane,” Drake deflected.
“But you have the private number of someone you can reach at any hour of the day and night,” Joe stated flatly.
“Joe, it’s not relevant, okay? Who cares who got our permits for us? That’s all it was.”
“It matters to me. I hate the bastards. They’re responsible for more misery than any other group in history.”
“It was just a convenience. I’m not with them. I’m a private citizen. So are Spencer and Allie. We just agreed to help them out.” Drake sighed. “But it doesn’t sound like they’re going to be able to do much for the time being.”
“They’ll be dead by the time they get around to doing something,” Joe said, his voice low.
“Right. You already said that. But what can we do?”
“Tell me again about where they think this place in the jungle is?”
“Near the Mekong. South of us. Why? What can the two of us do? He said there was a small army there.”
Joe nodded and rose. “Come on. Let’s make tracks. Time’s a-wasting.”
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m betting that our friend the colonel would love the opportunity to take out his greatest rival in a surprise attack.”
“The Shan?”
Joe smiled. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
“You serious?” Drake asked doubtfully. “You really believe he’d risk it?”
“Dead serious. He’d have single-handedly eradicated the biggest threat to Shan dominance in the area. I just need to convince him.”
“And why would you risk it?”
“You and your girlfriend owe me over a hundred grand. Hard to collect if she’s dead, am I right? And you look like you’re stupid enough to try to find this place on your own, so we can make that you’ll be dead too. So, simple: I want my money.” Joe spit again and glanced up at the sky. “Now we going to sit here jawing all day or get busy? Sooner we make it to the Shan camp, sooner we can come up with a plan.”
Drake handed the phone back to Uncle Pete, who removed the battery and slipped the phone into his backpack. Uncle Pete hadn’t said a word during the exchange, and now seemed to be having trouble meeting Drake’s eyes. Drake raised an eyebrow. “What do you think?”
Uncle Pete looked down. “Think they dead soon.”
Joe nodded and made for the brush. “Come on. Nothing ventured…”
Three hours later, the first of the Shan outposts spotted them and radioed ahead. Colonel Leng was waiting for them when they entered the camp, his face hard. He growled questions at Joe, who did his best to explain what had happened, and after a tense discussion, he and Joe moved out of earshot, leaving Drake and Uncle Pete to replenish their water stores. Drake helped the Thai guide with his bottle, his injured arm still out of commission, and by the time they were finished, Joe had returned.
“Well?” Drake asked.
“He wasn’t happy he lost two men, but he got over it pretty quickly when I told him I had the solution to his Red Moon problem.”
“What does he propose?”
“He’ll give us men, armed to the teeth, as well as AKs, RPGs, grenades, the works. In exchange, he takes over the factory and the trade. Simple deal. Oh, and I promised him a cash bonus from you since the temple was a big fat nothing.”
“Right. But we don’t know exactly where the headquarters is, and they’re likely to have guards posted, aren’t they?”