Hawke suddenly was all business. “Professor Bayar, you just told us you know what kind of a man Sheng is, and now you know he is doing everything he can to track down that missing chapter. If you care about anything or anyone at all, you have to tell us where the temple is.”
Bayar studied them for a long while, thinking through the options. After several minutes he leaned over his desk and slid a piece of paper over to himself and began writing. “You have honest eyes, Mr Hawke,” was all he said.
After watching Bayar leave the complex and drive away, Hawke and the others made their way toward the exit. They now had the location of the Temple of the Golden Light in their hands, but it was a long way and they had no time to waste.
Then, as they made their way to the exit in the near-empty complex, they heard a voice.
“Just hold it right there!”
The voice was behind them, but before Hawke had a chance to turn around, he heard the familiar sound of a safety catch being flicked off an automatic pistol.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The man stepped out of the shadows, a gleaming Sig Sauer P226 in his right hand. He had suspicious eyes, a wide jaw, and a crooked smiled which spread to reveal a gold tooth.
“And who the hell are you?” Scarlet said, sighing.
The man held up his hand to signal they should keep away from him. “The name’s Bradley Karlsson and I’ve been watching you since Hong Kong — and don't even think about getting any of those shooting irons out.”
Hawke placed his accent as American, probably California. He was well over six feet tall and built like an industrial refrigeration unit. His hair was cropped low but looked dark blonde. He looked like he’d have made a pretty solid nose guard back on the college football team.
“Since Hong Kong?” Scarlet said. “Impressive.”
Karlsson nodded. “Gee, thanks honey.”
Scarlet raised an eyebrow.
“You lie!” Lexi said.
Hawke stepped forward. “Whoever you are, tell us what you want and why you’re pointing a gun at us.”
“I’m happy with that. I’m CIA, originally a Navy SEAL. These days I work for a small covert unit run by a man named Eddie Kosinski. I know you’ve heard of him.”
Hawke’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. The last time he’d seen Kosinski was on the side of a mountain in Switzerland when he flew away with the contents of Poseidon’s tomb. “I know Kosinski, but how the hell did he know where we were?”
“Not hard for a man like Kosinski. He tapped Eden’s office with a laser and that’s how we worked out you were going to Hong Kong. From there it was a piece of cake to tail you to the airport.”
“But how did you know we were in Ulan Bator?” Lea asked. “I know no one followed us to the private airfield.”
“We didn’t follow you to the airfield. In fact, I was waiting for you in Ulan Bator before you even landed. That’s when I hired Altan — you broke his jaw by the way and he says hi.”
Scarlet took a step closer to Karlsson. Hawke noticed she appeared to be evaluating his biceps. “You’re not a magician, darling. So out with it — how did you know we were coming here?”
“The answer is simple, but I’m not at liberty to tell you at this time. Perhaps when we know each other better.”
“Dream on, suntan,” Scarlet said flatly.
Karlsson smiled. “All I can tell is you is that we have assets all over the place and you’re not alone in the fight against Sheng.”
“So we were betrayed by someone, then?” Lea cast a derogatory glance at Lexi Zhang.
“You were not betrayed, and you were not followed, but that’s all I'm saying right now. We have work to do.”
“We?” Hawke asked. “How’d you work that out?”
“Look, Kosinski isn't the villain you think he is. He’s serious about bringing Sheng down and has been ever since he got hold of your little Greek treasure trove…”
“Yeah, about that…” Scarlet said. “When do we get our cut?”
Karlsson laughed, but dodged the question. “Certain elements within the US Government are now of the opinion that what you located in Greece is only half the story, and that the other half is in real danger of being secured and controlled by Sheng Fang.”
“We’d worked that out a long time ago,” Lea said. “Good to see you guys finally caught up.”
Lexi flicked her hair back. “But if you think we’re going to trust you, then you’re even more stupid than you look.”
Karlsson scratched his jaw. “Now that’s not playing nice, honey. I can bring a lot of influence into this situation, not to mention some pretty impressive gear.”
“We’ve got what we need,” Hawke said flatly.
“Maybe, but don’t forget I was a SEAL for over ten years. I have skills.”
Hawke nodded. He happened to rate the US Navy SEALS. They were almost as good as the SBS, but not quite, he thought.
“Then you won’t mind if I do this,” Lea said, and snapped his picture with her phone. “We’ll see if that face of yours turns up on any of our databases.”
Hawke watched her send the picture while Karlsson kept everyone covered with his pistol. Moments later her phone buzzed and she read a short text. ‘He’s good — as far as we can tell. His story checks out with Eden, anyway.”
“For whatever that’s worth,” Hawke said.
Lea looked at him sharply. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” said Hawke. “Let’s get on with our job.” He walked slowly to Karlsson and squared up to him, ignoring the gun. They were about the same size, but Hawke had confronted enough SEALS to know he would get the final word in any disagreement. “Listen, Karlsson. For now, I’m going to trust you, but any funny business and we’ll have words, got it?”
“I think he likes me!” Karlsson said to the others, laughing.
Sheng Fang held the candle in his hands while he lowered himself to the floor. He smiled as he considered how close he was to achieving his destiny and finally fulfilling the prophecy of the Thunder God. No one understood what it meant except him, and he alone would pursue it until he brought the world to its knees.
Now, sitting alone in the dim light, the room filling slowly with the scent of pungent incense, his mind was as clear as a mountain lake, and his focus sharper than ever. Things were going well. It was true the Lotus had disobeyed him in Paris, and perhaps she would pay for that, but now was not the time to dwell on such things.
Neither was it the time to let his mind wander to Mr Luk, his right-hand man. It was also true that Luk sometimes frightened even him, and that was not an easy thing to do. Luk was unpredictable and dangerous, but Sheng was certain he could control the monster hiding behind the man. All men had such a monster, he considered, but Luk’s was fiercer than most.
He thought about the Russian, now on his way from his dacha on the outskirts of Moscow. Could he be relied upon to deliver the awesome destruction he had planned? Yes, he was confident he could. He could be very persuasive when the occasion called for it. When the Russian completed his mission, the people of the target city would be the first to pay, and they would pay a very heavy price, Sheng thought, smiling in the candlelight.
A quiet knock on the door.
Sheng’s eyes narrowed, and he cursed under his breath.
“Who?”
“The professor is here.”
It was the Lotus’s voice. She had brought him news.
“He may enter.”
The Lotus opened the heavy door and an overweight, middle-aged Western man stepped nervously inside the darkened room.
“You have something to tell me?”
The man nodded. “Yes, sir. I have finished translating the Reichardt Papers.”