“He got bashed in the head, LT,” Slade reported. “We’re getting him up, then starting to you.”
Adler and Novak came running from behind the plane, seeing the three men walking slowly toward them. Without waiting, the two raced across the lot. “Doc! Where’s Kwan?!” Adler asked anxiously.
“Kwan,” Stalley said trying to focus his eyes. “He… he’s got his gun.”
“Oh Jesus!” Adler said. He turned to Garrett. “Matt, help Doc get in the plane. Everybody else — spread out! Find that bastard!”
“You’re makin’ a mistake, Kwan!” Grant said over his shoulder. “Where the hell do you…?”
Kwan shoved Grant forward. He looked around, seeing an old Quonset hut. “Just keep walking straight ahead!”
He let Grant get a few paces ahead of him, being cautious, not wanting to give Grant a chance to strike him. “Go around back!” he ordered. They stepped through high grass and weeds, when Kwan said, “Hold it! Get rid of that gun, then put your hands behind your head!”
Grant unsnapped the holster, slid his .45 from it, then dropped it next to him. He raised his arms, locking his fingers behind his head.
Once they were behind the building, Kwan shoved Grant hard, knocking him off balance, making him fall against the building.
Grant looked down the barrel of the Norinco, held rock-steady in Kwan’s hand. His original suspicion and gut feeling about Kwan had been right. Maybe too late — but right! Although, not for the reason he suspected.
“You know the Team is probably on the hunt for you,” Grant said through clenched teeth.
“Let them look.”
The man facing him now was very different from the man he first met. Grant’s eyes narrowed. “Who the fuck are you?”
“You’re finally wising up.”
Grant spread his legs apart slowly, getting himself into a solid stance, preparing for the right moment.
“My name’s Shen Gao. I guess you can say I do for my country what you do for yours.”
“Bullshit! You’re a mercenary, selling yourself to the highest bidder. Aren’t you?” Gao nodded and left it at that. With his next question, Grant pretty much knew what the answer would be. “Where’s Kwan?”
“Hard to say. There’s probably pieces of him everywhere. I found it most helpful that he set the explosives around his hideout.”
“You fuckin’ bastard!” Grant took a half step forward, starting to bring hands from behind his head.
“Don’t even think about it,” Gao said, as he took a step back, motioning with his gun.
Whatever was about to happen, Grant needed answers before it did. “How did you manage it? How the hell did you become ‘Kwan’?”
“As far as our appearance, we were very similar. That was purely by chance.
“The people I work for lucked out and picked up a transmission when Kwan talked about the plutonium that had been stolen. I was sent in with his approximate coordinates. It didn’t take long for me to find him.
“While he was making one of his daily ‘deliveries,’ I placed a ‘bug’ in his house, then just sat back and listened to very interesting conversations. His last one was about your upcoming mission to locate and rescue your two Navy men.”
Just during these last few minutes, Grant surmised Gao was one of those people who needed recognition, and liked attention. So he let him talk.
“I waited for him to return from one of his trips, then took him captive in his own house. For someone who was trained as a CIA operative, he was an easy target. He never checked the house for ‘bugs.’ He never varied his routine. And more importantly, he gave up information rather easily.”
“You got him to spill his code name.”
Gao smiled. “Among other things. But again, it was easy. My only problem was when you and your men showed up. After that, you always seemed to be one step ahead of me, and always in my way.”
“Except for Bridge House,” Grant said. “Somebody else got there ahead of all of us.”
“Correct.”
“So every time you hauled ass, you were…?”
“Making contact with my people, or questioning Kwan.”
Grant thought that since this guy was being so talkative, he’d continue asking questions as long as he could. “And how come you knew so much about the area around the Consulate? How’d you know we’d stake it out?”
“I didn’t, but I’d been ‘requested’ to check it out over a week ago. I never questioned why. I just did what I was asked.”
“I suppose you’re gonna tell me it was Kwan who described Ang to you?”
“He did… a bit reluctantly, but he did. Finding those other men dead at Bridge House left me puzzled, I will admit.”
“Okay, but why the hell did you help my men get to the boat?”
“I still didn’t know where the canisters were. You left me behind at that surveillance house. Remember? When I finally found your two men, they’d already set the charges on the explosives. They never mentioned having the plutonium, so for all I knew, you could have taken the canisters. I had to stay with them — and you — until I was certain. Of course, there was the possibility they left the plutonium.”
“Do you actually think we’d allow that to happen, release plutonium on the population?!”
“As I said — there was a possibility.”
Grant just shook his head. “You were outnumbered, outgunned aboard the boat. I still can’t believe you were planning to pull this caper off by yourself. Did you think you’d get away with it?”
“Maybe I only had one gun, but I had the radio on board. And my way out? There was a helicopter with my ‘support’ team waiting close by for my call. Those two little canisters meant a lot of money, to many people.”
Grant said, “And with a shitload of gunboats after us, it didn’t give you much of a chance to make your escape, did it?”
“Disappointing,” Gao said, “but the canisters were still on board, so… ”
“Guess your little plan backfired when I handed them over to the gunboat crew,” Grant interrupted.
“I’ll admit that was a compete surprise. So there I was, stuck with you, having to board an American warship.”
“That must have been a real treat,” Grant smirked. “Where’d you learn to speak such good English?”
“Let’s just say I had good instructors, and they were most helpful in other important matters. It was because of them that I’m very good at what I do.”
“I’d have to disagree there,” Grant retorted. He was certain the Team had to be getting close to finding him. Could he stall for more time? “Is that your Norinco?”
“I ‘borrowed’ it from Kwan. I guess it was CIA issued,” he answered with a slight wave of the gun. “I prefer a Makarov, which I had to leave behind.”
“Good weapon. I’ve used one myself on several occasions.”
It was time to move the conversation along. “So, here we are.” Grant looked overhead as if searching for something. “I don’t see your chopper.” He lowered his eyes, staring again at Gao. “You do realize there’s no way in hell you’ll get off this base… unless you want to come along with me. I’ve got a plane waiting.”
Gao’s facial expression suddenly changed dramatically. “What makes you think you’ll be on that plane?”
Uh-oh, Grant worried. Idle conversation appeared to be over. He had to act now.
He leaned his head very slightly to the left, taking his eyes from Gao, acting as though he spotted someone. The second Gao moved, Grant lunged at the shorter man. The weapon discharged, sounding like a cannon.
“Oh Christ!” Adler spit out, as he swung around. “Over there! Behind that hut!”