The grin returned to Li’s face.
“You have planned and executed a day beyond my wildest desires,” Li said. “One Kilo sunken and one captured! A coup I could never have imagined. Much as you would like to deny its existence, I have a conscience. I must pardon you from all shortcomings of your past.”
Li laughed and extended his arms into the sky.
“You have turned the fortunes of this war!”
“And all but solidified you the permanent role as the Defense Minister,” Renard said.
“The young must replace the old.”
Although Renard disliked Li, he recognized his abilities and knew he’d make a competent Defense Minister.
“There is more work to be done,” Renard said, “but I am honored to have served your nation. I’m confident that Commander Ye can lead the Hai Lang adequately enough to—”
Li tugged at the breast of his three-piece suit.
“You don’t get off that easily, Renard,” he said. “I’ve received a call from Admiral Khan, your friend from Pakistan. You and the Hai Lang have more work to do.”
“I’m sure Khan paid you a hefty fee to lease it.”
Li reached within his suit for a cigarette and lit it.
“Enough to offset much of the overage we paid for the submarine when we bought it,” Li said, “and a hefty enough sum to fund many more blockade runs.”
Renard had seen Khan’s request coming, but with thoughts of returning to his family, he had hoped Khan would not need him.
“How long would I have the Hai Lang?” he asked.
“For a one-month contract with an agreement to negotiate if needed longer,” Li said.
“One month is how long it would take the Hamza to reach the Straits of Malacca from Ningbo,” Renard said, “if it were conserving fuel to reach India and trying to transit submerged and undetected.”
“I take it by your willingness to accept this mission that Khan has also offered you a hefty fee to command it.”
Touché, Renard thought.
“When do I leave?” he asked.
“Tomorrow at dawn,” Li said. “I will have waterfront support handle most of the reloads to give your crew time to celebrate their victory.”
“My crew?” Renard asked. “Who are they now?”
“The same you just led,” Li said. “After that victory, you should have little trouble influencing them to stay with you. During your inbound transit, I asked Ye to find extra hands for the extended operation. After today’s results, I predict no lack of volunteers.”
“I begin to sense the camaraderie,” Renard said.
“Let your crew enjoy a little liberty,” Li said. “It will be short but well-deserved. If you need a bar or other establishment in the city opened for your crew, you need only call me.”
Renard probed Li for his perspective of the danger he faced from the CIA.
“You know I cannot leave the protection of this base,” he said. “I’m certain that the CIA has mentioned they know of my presence here.”
“That offer to celebrate did not include you or your American colleagues,” Li said. “The CIA has not threatened action, but you are safer behind the base’s gates.”
“How did the CIA approach you?” Renard asked. “About Slate, the lady, and me?”
“A CIA courier brought disks to my office and insisted that I forward it unseen and under top military security control to the lady on the Hai Lang.”
“Did you admit to the presence of the lady?”
“I don’t play charades with the CIA,” Li said. “I volunteer all relevant military data with candor. It pays off with the intelligence they offer in return — selective as it is. But since I did not know about CIA officer McDonald at the time, I could not admit to it.”
“You know her name and identity?” Renard asked.
“Commander Ye verified her name and presence before you deployed. As for her role in the CIA — past, present, or future — I have enough evidence to speculate she is associated with them, but I don’t care. If she’s your version of an intelligence specialist rider on the Hai Lang and will help you with your mission, then I accept her presence.”
“You will protect us, then?” Renard asked.
“How so?”
Renard stepped closer and could smell Li’s cologne.
“I have a family with whom I wish to be reunited,” he said. “I don’t want to risk my life again only to be incarcerated upon my return. You have the power to hold the CIA back while I’m on your soil.”
“The CIA will not bother you or your colleagues while you are on any of my bases,” he said. “But I cannot offer you asylum indefinitely.”
Li tossed his cigarette to the concrete and stamped it out. He ducked into the limousine and Renard called out.
“Your word, then,” Renard said. “I want your word that you will protect Slate and my family upon our return to Taiwan and that you will provide us military transport to a nation of our choosing.”
Li closed the door and rolled down the window.
“To a nation of my choosing,” he said. “You will have to trust my judgment.”
“Agreed,” Renard said.
Li lit a cigarette and blew smoke out the window.
“Okay, Mister Renard,” he said. “You have my word.”
The limousine rolled away.
Their heels tapping the concrete waterfront, Ye and Slate approached.
“What was that about?” Jake asked.
Renard explained the new mission of the Hai Lang. Neither Jake nor Ye appeared surprised.
“I’m sure my crew will join you,” Ye said and walked from the pier.
“You don’t want to ask them now?” Renard asked.
“It can wait until morning,” Ye said.
When Ye stepped out of earshot, Renard turned to Jake.
“I believe he’s becoming confident,” he said. “Almost arrogant.”
“Remind you of anyone we know?” Jake asked.
“Perhaps two people we know.”
Renard shared a laugh with Jake and shouted to Ye.
“Where are you going, my friend?” Renard asked.
“My wife,” Ye said as he yelled over his shoulder. “I will return tomorrow morning. Perhaps at eight, but maybe later. Don’t bother calling.”
Renard opened his mouth, but Jake cupped his shoulder.
“Let him go, Pierre,” Jake said. “He’s earned it.”
CHAPTER 26
Renard stood in the grass outside the Keelung officers’ club and held his wife and his son.
“I know this is impossibly difficult for you,” he said, “but there is nothing I can do. I must deploy again tomorrow. Let us enjoy dinner with our guests, and we will have private time later this evening.”
When he finished talking to Marie, he joined his companions on the dining floor. Jake, Olivia, and a surprise guest, Lieutenant Sean Wu, accompanied Renard and his family.
“You have chosen the most interesting company available to you,” Renard said, “but certainly you could have found more lively companionship with your shipmates.”
“The married ones are with their wives,” Wu said. “And the rest are getting drunk and trying to get laid. I have a serious girlfriend.”
Wu slid a forkful of shrimp cocktail into his mouth and glanced around the table. He appeared to realize that no one would make a peep until he gave more detail.
“In Hawaii,” he said. “She’s Hawaiian. We met at UCLA. We’ve been dating almost three years.”
“That’s difficult,” Renard said.
“I used to see her every month or so. The flight isn’t that bad. At least it wasn’t until the war. Then airline prices shot up. You pretty much need to be on executive business keeping the economy running if you plan to fly off the island.”