Chapter
3
HONG KONG
Catherine slammed the door of the elegant suite Chen Lu had assigned her. The young servant girl jumped to her feet and smiled at her. “I’m Susan Mei. How may I—”
“I don’t need help.” She had forgotten that Chen Lu always supplied her guests with servants. She had to get rid of her quickly. She only had forty-five minutes before dinner. “Thank you. You may go. I’ll tell Chen Lu that you did everything splendidly.”
The girl’s smile faded. “Perhaps I could run your bath? I’ve already laid out your caftan. I thought that ivory with the gold would be—”
“That will be fine.” Chen Lu always supplied her guests with what she deemed suitable evening clothes. “No, nothing more.” She smiled. “Perhaps another time.” She opened the door. “I’ll ask for you if I need you.”
The girl reluctantly left the room, and Catherine closed the door.
The next moment, she had pulled out her phone and was dialing.
“How is Chen Lu?” Venable asked when he answered. “A delightful woman. I always wondered if she and Hu Chang were—”
“How do you know I’m at the Golden Palace? Did you have me followed?”
“No, I had Hu Chang followed. You’re bound to be with him, and that’s where he took the boy today.” He paused. “Why are you calling? Let me guess. You’ve found that Hu Chang is going after Erin Sullivan. Tell me, did you persuade him to let you go with him?”
“No,” she said curtly. “You know better than that. Hu Chang doesn’t change his mind.”
“That’s right, and you have no intention of going on this mission anyway, do you? You made that clear.”
“Stop being smug. I’m mad as hell. You’re using Hu Chang and Luke to back me in a corner.”
“No, I have nothing to do with that happening. Those chess pieces were all on the board before Erin Sullivan was taken. I just recognized an opportunity. I needed you, and you were vulnerable.”
And she couldn’t deny that was true no matter how frustrating it was to her. “This isn’t what I wanted. I may still refuse the damn mission.” She paused. “But I need to know details, so that I can judge my chances of coming out of it alive and the amount of time I’d have to be away from Luke.”
He was silent. “Details are sketchy.”
“Which means I could end up dead.”
“I have faith in you.”
“Bullshit. Give me what you have. Who took Erin Sullivan?”
“We believe she’s being held by a mercenary by the name of Paul Kadmus. He has over fifty men under his command and runs roughshod in the villages in the interior. Actually, he calls himself General Paul Kadmus. If he could get away with the title of emperor, he would. He has a gargantuan ego and a king complex. He’s been operating in the mountains of Tibet since Vietnam and thinks he owns them.”
“Vietnam?” She stared at him in shock. “That’s been over for something like forty years.”
“It takes a long time to establish a dynasty for the emperor,” Venable said sarcastically. “Kadmus was only a kid when he was captured by the North Vietnamese. He was in prison for over two years and became very bitter against the U.S. When he finally got out, he went to Tibet and set himself up to run his own show. Theft, murder, torture. Governments came, governments went, but as long as they paid him, he got the job done.”
“And no one sent soldiers into the mountains to capture him?”
“They found it economically and militarily disastrous. No one knows those mountains like Kadmus. They decided to pay tribute instead. He has fingers in several pies around the country, both criminal and legitimate. He’s become one rich bastard.”
“You could have sent a hit man in to get him.”
“Yes.”
“But he made you an offer you couldn’t refuse.”
“Several offers. Tibet is a difficult country, and Kadmus was useful on occasion.”
“Until he snatched Erin Sullivan. The publicity probably made him too hot for you to handle.”
“It wasn’t the publicity. She’s an American citizen. No one can be allowed to victimize an American citizen.”
And he believed every word he was saying, she realized. He was both cynical and a master manipulator, but he had a code, and he stuck by it. It was the only reason she had been able to work with him all these years. “And is he victimizing her? Why did he kidnap her?”
“We don’t know.” He paused. “We believe she has something he wants. Is he victimizing her? Yes, there have been reports of torture.”
She went still. “You didn’t tell me that.”
“You weren’t ready. You’d have accused me of playing on your sympathy to keep you from being with your son.” He added grimly, “But we’ve got to get her out of Tibet pretty damn quick, or it won’t be in one piece.”
“Unless she gives him what he wants.”
“I don’t believe that’s an option. She’s held out this long.”
She changed the subject. “Where is he keeping her?”
“Utset Province. Daksha Mountain, an ancient palace deep in the mountains. It was taken over by the monks when the local royal family was killed off by a warring neighbor. Kadmus moved in and kicked out the monks a couple years ago. It’s practically inaccessible from the outside.”
“Then how would you get me in?”
“A helicopter that will let you out on the left slope of the mountain. You’d have to climb up to the plateau from there and find your own way into the palace. I can give you a map of the location of Kadmus’s troops within the gates and the outside sentries. There’s a drainage pipe that we thought would be a possible way in, but we’ve crossed that out now.”
“Why?”
Venable didn’t speak for a moment. “A young village boy used it to try to get in to rescue her. He was killed, and the pipe may have been discovered as an entry source.”
She felt sick. “A young boy…”
“So you’ll probably have to climb the compound wall and come in through the roof of the palace.”
“And how am I supposed to get her out?”
“That’s up to you.”
“Thank you.” But she’d probably prefer it that way. Planned exits had a habit of going to hell when you were on the spot. “The helicopter?”
“The pilot can stay in the area if you don’t alert Kadmus’s men. If you do, he has orders to leave. Kadmus has missile launchers.”
“My alternative?”
“There’s a village on the mountain, but it’s controlled by Kadmus. You’ll have to leave the area and head for one of the other mountains. The closest one is Milchang Mountain. Sullivan might know a village that will shelter and hide you until you can get out of the country. Otherwise, you trek across the mountains until you get to a place where we can set down a helicopter.”
“Time?”
“Best-case scenario, you’re in and out in three hours with Sullivan in tow. Worst-case scenario, you’re hiding in the mountains for four to six weeks until we can get to you.”
“It had better be a best-case scenario.” She paused. “How soon can you get me there?”
“You’re going to go?”
“I didn’t say that. How soon?”
“I could have a man pick you up on the dock in three hours. I have a helicopter ready, packed with all the emergency equipment you’ll need at a heliport in town. You’ll be in Utset Province in four hours if the weather holds.”
“Is there a chance it won’t?”
“There’s always that chance. High altitude, misty snow when it’s not a blizzard, freezing temperatures. Kadmus had a reason for establishing his headquarters there.” He added quietly, “And a reason why Erin Sullivan’s chances are going down the tube with every passing day. Are you going to help improve those chances? She deserves it, Catherine.”
“We all deserve it.” But some deserved the chance to survive a little more than others. Erin Sullivan had earned that preference when she had saved all those victims in the earthquake. There was such a thing as payback. “It had better be that best-case scenario, Venable.”
“Yes.”
“And you get me out of here without Hu Chang knowing that I’ve gone, or it’s no deal.”
“No problem.”
“Liar. I can see big problems from start to finish. I’ll be on the dock in three hours.” She hung up.
She was an idiot. She should not be worrying about anything or anyone but her relationship with Luke.
You told me once that being CIA is something like being a soldier. Isn’t it your job?
Yes, it was. She had made the decision which way she wanted her life to go a long time ago. For a person of her background in Hong Kong, there had been only two paths, and she had turned her back on the corruption that would have been the easy choice.
And besides Erin Sullivan, there was Hu Chang, who would be going after her if Catherine did not. She would not be able to stay on the sidelines and worry about his running up against a bastard like Paul Kadmus.
All right, decision made.
She got to her feet and headed for the shower. She had this evening with Luke, and she would forget everything else and live for the moment. It was how she had always tried to deal with every adversity, and this one might be shaping up to be one nightmare of an adversity.
Just live for the moment and hope for that best-case scenario.
* * *
“Catherine is lighting up my garden tonight,” Chen Lu said to Hu Chang. Her bemused gaze was fixed on Catherine and Luke, who were going down the steps of the terrace to the garden after dinner. “She was tired when she arrived, but she seems to have made a rapid recovery.”
“Perhaps too rapid.” Hu Chang lifted his wine to his lips. “We’ll have to see.”
“You’ll have to see,” Chen Lu said. “I have nothing to do with the complicated relationship you have with Catherine. It sometimes bewilders me, so I prefer to not think about it. You’re the one who analyzes and studies. I just enjoy.”
“I know.” Hu Chang smiled faintly. “That’s a great and wonderful gift. And may you continue to enjoy it for the foreseeable future.”
“I intend to do that.” She laughed as she reached over and touched his hand with affection. “With the help of my friend.” Her gaze returned to Catherine. “That ivory brocade is magnificent on her. I thought I preferred her in color, but that caftan makes her dark hair and gold-olive skin seem to burn in contrast. She’s truly beautiful, isn’t she?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “And you’re right, she seems extremely high-voltage tonight.” He paused. “I’m going away tomorrow morning. Before dinner, I talked to Garret Flannan, your head of security. I told him to put on extra personnel and assign special security to Catherine and Luke while they’re here. They don’t go anywhere alone.” He met Chen Lu’s gaze. “See to it.”
Her smile faded. “Trouble? I suspected as much.” She grimaced. “Tell me I’m not going to have to plant another new garden. I was most upset when you let it be destroyed by that terrible man who came after you, Hu Chang.”
“Just a precaution.” He smiled. “And there will always be terrible, troublesome men who come after me. If you want to avoid the problems I bring to your doorstep, you could always throw me into the streets.”
“Not likely,” Chen Lu said. “I’m not that kind of fool. What’s a paltry garden or two compared to the gift you bring me?”
“You still have no regrets?”
“Not yet.” She was silent a moment. “When I do, I’ll come to you and beg one of those poisons that you sell for so much money.” She lifted her chin and smiled. “Or perhaps for old times’ sake, you’ll give it to me for nothing.”
“Perhaps I will. If I’m still around.”
Her smile faded. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
“Life moves quickly and changes every minute. One can never be sure.” He rose to his feet. “I have a few preparations to make for my trip. I believe I’ll go and say good night to Catherine and Luke.” He crossed the terrace and started down the steps. “You’ll remember to make sure Flannan does as I told him?”
“Don’t be ridiculous; of course I will.” Her Irish accent deepened with emotion as she added, “And I’m not going to like it one bit if you’re stupid enough to get yourself killed. What would I do without you? I like the idea of a choice.”
“I’ll remember that,” Hu Chang said. “And I’ll do my utmost to oblige.”
* * *
“Hu Chang is coming.” Luke was looking over his shoulder. “I thought I heard his footstep.”
“Heard?” Catherine looked down at him. “He’s yards away, and how would you know it is him?”
“He taught me,” Luke said. “It was fun, like a game. We worked all day in the lab, but after dinner, we would sit outside the shop. He would point to someone in the crowds in front of the other shops or the market and tell me to concentrate, listen to the sound of that person’s footstep so I’d recognize it if I closed my eyes.”
“Why?”
“He said it might be useful.” He shrugged. “Besides, it was fun. It was a puzzle. It took a long time, but I got pretty good at it.”
“And what else did Hu Chang teach you?”
“All kinds of things,” Luke said vaguely. “He knows a lot of stuff. But you know that, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. But he never taught me anything like that.” She turned as Hu Chang caught up with them. “What have you been teaching my son?” She made a face. “Besides creating miracle fertilizers and heaven knows what other concoctions?”
“To concentrate and use his six senses.” He nodded at Luke. “Or any others that he might discover. I detest wasting a skill. He’s exceptionally good at focusing.”
“I was telling him that you never taught me anything like that.”
“You were my friend, not my apprentice. One must let a friend decide for themselves.” He said to Luke, “Though sometimes an apprentice can become a friend as long as the respect remains. We will consider that possibility when I return.”
Catherine stiffened. “You’re leaving?”
“Not until morning. I only came to say good night.”
She tried to hide her relief. “But I’ll see you in the morning?”
He nodded. “It will be early. About four, I think.”
“But I’ll be able to talk to you.”
He smiled faintly. “Talk. Not persuade.” He glanced back at Luke. “You will guard her?”
Luke frowned. “If you think I should.”
“Always,” Hu Chang said. “It is your duty and your privilege.” He turned away. “Sleep well.” The next moment, he was walking away from them.
She wanted to go after him. She felt sad … and wrong. She had never lied to him even by omission.
Luke was watching him, too. “You said he wouldn’t go.”
She nodded. “And I meant it. He won’t be leaving you, Luke.”
“But he just said that—”
“It will be all right.” She started back toward the palace. “I told you, I’ll take care of it.”
* * *
Two hours later, spray mist was striking Catherine’s cheeks as Agent Les Caudell guided the speedboat through the harbor. He was a small, fiftyish man with gray-streaked hair and compact, muscular body who hadn’t smiled once since he’d picked her up fifteen minutes ago.
“Is everything ready? When I called Venable back, he said that you’d also be flying the helicopter.” Catherine’s gaze was fixed on the lights of the city in the distance. “I want to be out of Hong Kong within the hour.”
“You’re in a hurry. You won’t be so eager once we cross into Tibet,” Caudell said dryly. “That area where I’m going to drop you is hell on Earth. Just substitute ice for flames.”
“You’re familiar with it? Good.”
“As familiar as I can be. I’ve been assigned to Kadmus for six years.”
“What do you know about him?”
“Not much. He likes it that way. He makes sure that the villagers don’t talk to outsiders.”
“How?”
“They disappear, and when they’re found, they lack body parts.”
“That would be effective. Who’s Kadmus’s chief enforcer?”
“They come and go. Kadmus has a nasty temper. At the moment it’s Peter Brasden, a South African mercenary. I asked Venable to e-mail you photos of both Kadmus and Brasden. Brasden walks very carefully around Kadmus, but he likes power, too, and might be lured to sell him out.”
“I don’t intend to be around long enough to lure him to do anything. Venable said that my best bet would be to get into the palace through the roof. Is the roof guarded?”
“No, but you’ll have a hell of a time getting through the guards in the courtyard. Brasden keeps them in tip-top shape, and he doesn’t tolerate carelessness. He knows it could be his neck if he did.”
“Where does Kadmus keep Erin Sullivan?”
“She’s allowed the run of the place, but he’s given her quarters in the south wing.”
“Run of the place? Are we sure that she’s a prisoner?”
“We’re sure,” he said grimly. “I think he likes the idea of making her feel that no matter what she does, she’s totally in his power. She tried to escape twice and paid a high price.”
“How do you know?” She gazed at him shrewdly, then guessed. “You bribe someone in the palace. Can he help me?”
“No, I wouldn’t ask him. I’ve worked too hard to establish a connection.” He added, “But I can give you a map of the palace and the times the guard changes.”
“Don’t be too generous,” she said sarcastically. “How much will a map of the palace help me?”
“Very little. It’s kind of a small palace. Only nine or ten rooms and scantily furnished. Kadmus would probably be more comfortable evicting the monks from the bigger monastery on Milchang, the next mountain over, but he likes the idea of living in that moth-eaten grandeur.” He gave her a cool glance. “And I’m giving you what I can afford to give. I’m not sacrificing one contact and certainly not my life to make it easy for you. Venable thinks you’re some super-duper agent who can whisk down and pull Sullivan out of that hellhole. You’re a legend here in Hong Kong, but legends die just like anyone else.”
She stared at him in surprise. “You’re angry. Why?”
He was silent, then finally said, “It’s stupid sending you in alone. A Special Forces team might have a chance. You’re going to get her killed.”
“No, Venable is right. I might get myself killed, but I represent less threat to Kadmus than an attack force. Venable would get another chance if I screw up.” She smiled crookedly. “Maybe he’ll send you in, Caudell.”
He didn’t answer.
Then she understood. “Why, you wanted to be the one who went after her,” she said softly. “Did you offer?”
“Yes,” he said curtly. “Venable turned me down.”
“Why? You have the connections, you know the country. You’ve got to be good if Venable assigned you to Kadmus.”
“But I’m not a legend.” He paused. “And he thinks I’m too emotionally involved to function efficiently.”
“Really? Because you hate Kadmus? Or that you’re overly sympathetic toward Erin Sullivan?”
“Both.”
She looked at him thoughtfully. “But you never wanted to go and fight that scumbag on his own turf until Sullivan came on the scene.”
“Dammit.” His voice was suddenly harsh. “I like her. Okay? I’ve been in Tibet for six years, and I’d heard about her, watched her, as she traveled to the villages and monasteries on stories.”
“Did you ever meet her?”
“No, that wouldn’t have been according to recommended procedure. You know we don’t hobnob with the media unless we need to use them.” He paused. “But I watched her at the earthquake zone. She was … something else.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“And did they also tell you what that son of a bitch has been doing to her?”
“Only that it’s bad, and we have to get her out right away.” She stared him in the eye. “And I will find a way to get her out, Caudell. That stuff about my being some kind of legend is pure bullshit. I’m just a damn good agent, and I’m probably the most stubborn woman you’ve ever met. That works pretty well sometimes. I’m not going to ask you to give up your contact. We’ve got to give Sullivan an escape hatch if it doesn’t work well this time. But I’ve got to know if your resentment is going to interfere. I can’t afford to let that happen.”
He was silent. “You get her out of that place, and I’ll stay on that ledge until they bring out the big guns.” He grimaced. “No, maybe even a little longer.”
“No, this isn’t going to be a suicide mission. I’ll need you later. You leave us on our own and get out of there if you have to do it. What kind of equipment do you have for me aboard the copter?”
“Cold-weather protective gear for both you and Sullivan, Emergency equipment, first-aid pack, radio, usual weaponry. Have you ever been on your own in conditions like that?”
“Not in those mountains. I’ve been working in South America lately. Four years ago, I was on a mission in Mongolia. I nearly froze to death before I got to the rendezvous. Not pleasant.”
“You’ll find it less pleasant to be stranded in Kadmus’s little kingdom.” He docked the speedboat at the heliport. “You’d better hope you get out of there in time for a pickup.”
“I haven’t been hoping anything else since I told Venable I was on board.” She jumped out of the boat and followed him to the cream-and-tan helicopter. “What info does Kadmus want from her? You must know something.”
“He wants to find a man. He thinks she knows where he is.”
“Find whom?”
“How the hell do I know?” he asked harshly. “I told you, she won’t tell Kadmus. But he won’t give up.”
“No names?”
“No names.” He opened the door of the helicopter. “If you get her out, you can ask her yourself.”
“I will.” She got into the helicopter. “Because, unless I kill him, Kadmus is just going to go after her again if he still thinks he can get what he wants.”
Who the hell was the man Kadmus wanted to find?
And what was his value to the son of a bitch?
A friend asked me to bring her out, Hu Chang had said.
Why? Because he was the same man for whom Kadmus was searching? Was he was afraid Erin Sullivan would break and reveal his location?
Or maybe Hu Chang’s friend was just some charitable philanthropist who had been touched by Sullivan’s plight.
He’s probably the most dangerous man either of us will ever meet. That didn’t sound like anyone who might be driven by humanitarian aims.
Guesses. With Hu Chang, one never knew.
“Let’s get moving.” What she did know was that Hu Chang was not going to be pleased when Chen Lu handed him her note in the morning. By that time she had to be deep in Tibet.
GOLDEN PALACE
Hu Chang recognized Catherine’s handwriting at the first glance. Forceful, scrawling, every stroke finished but impatient and brimming with vitality.
“Catherine gave the note to her maid last night and told her to give it to me at breakfast,” Chen Lu said. “And you’re not to scold the poor lass. She just obeyed orders.”
“I would never be so rude. Obedience is a fine quality.” He tore open the envelope. “One that Catherine has never developed.”
“And you would be disappointed if she did.” Chen Lu poured tea into a cup. “You like her just the way she is.”
“Not entirely.” He quickly scanned the note. “She still has much to learn if this is any sign.” He kept his face totally expressionless as he tossed the note on the table. “Where is Luke?”
“In the garden. I thought there might be a disturbance, so I sent him on an errand with the head gardener.” She met his gaze. “Is there a disturbance, Hu Chang?”
“Oh, yes. On the scale of an earthquake.” He rose to his feet. “I think that I will go and make adjustments to accommodate it. Tell Luke I will talk to him soon.”
He moved quickly down the hall toward the library. Keep control. Don’t let emotion interfere with intellect. Do not think of Catherine at Daksha Palace.
Not possible. He could do that with anyone else but not with Catherine. She was too much a part of him to block her out.
He sat down in the executive chair at the desk and reached for his phone. He quickly dialed Venable. “Where is she now?” he asked bluntly. “Has Catherine contacted you since she left here?”
“You sound a bit upset,” Venable said. “My, my, and you’re usually so serene.”
“I told you that she was not to be involved in this. Have you heard from her?”
“They should be arriving at Daksha Mountain at any moment. My pilot will contact me when she starts for the palace.” He paused. “And I will not cancel the mission, Hu Chang.”
“As you wish, but all actions have consequences.”
“Threats?”
“Statement.”
“I take it that you just found out about it. A note?”
“A very brief and concise note.” He quoted, “‘I’m on my way to get Sullivan out. It shouldn’t take long. Take good care of Luke, or I’ll never forgive you.’”
“Not exactly touching or sentimental. Typical Catherine. She stated her purpose, then tried to tie your hands and protect Luke at the same time. Did she do it?”
He didn’t answer. “Does she have a chance?”
“Catherine always has a chance. It’s at least fifty-fifty. I’d give her better odds if she wasn’t on her own once she reaches the palace. If she gets back to the helicopter in one piece, she’ll be home free.”
“You will call me the minute she takes off from the mountain.” He paused. “You threw too many ifs into that answer. I do not like ifs, Venable. I will not tolerate the idea that poor planning or rashness would cause me to lose her. You would not like my response to that possibility.”
“Threats, again? This is Company business. We’ll do what we have to do.”
“And so will I.” Hu Chang hung up and leaned back in his chair. Stifle the anger unless it was needed. Difficult. Very difficult. Anger was burning inside him, and he wanted to embrace it. Anger against Venable, against Kadmus, against a world that had created a special creature like Catherine, then tossed her into an existence where she could be destroyed at any moment.
Accept.
Release.
Consider consequences and look beyond the present to how to save the situation if it became necessary.
Catherine should have landed by now and be on her way to the palace.
The chances are fifty-fifty.
The muscles of his stomach clenched.
Banish fear. Look beyond.
And summon help.
His lips twisted as he looked down at his phone.
Modern technology at its best.
And not worth anything to him at the moment.
He closed his eyes.
Concentrate.
Look beyond.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Beyond …
He was there.
Cameron!