by Dirk Patton
“The demands and the threats. You’re here to recover the money, so what are you waiting for? No girl friends and you decided to make a new one?”
Angela’s eyes opened wide in amusement.
“My. You are what my dear grandmother would have called a spitfire!”
“I’m not giving you the money.”
“That’s good to know,” Angela said. “But I don’t remember asking you for it.”
“Then what do you want? Why am I locked to this chair?”
“Because circumstances have changed. My employer has something he wants that’s more valuable than what you stole.”
Katarina frowned, not liking the thought of what a drug cartel boss could want from her.
“Relax, sweetie. It has nothing to do with you.”
“Then, I don’t understand. If it’s not about me, why am I here?”
“All in good time. I expect this to all be resolved in a few hours. In the meantime, I thought we’d discuss our mutual piece of man-candy.”
Katarina stared at her a moment before shaking her head.
“Fuck off.”
“Really? You aren’t the teeniest bit curious about what he was like?”
“I’m not interested in anything you have to say. And I’ve got to pee, so how about unlocking me.”
“Go in your pants,” Angela said sweetly. “I could care less. I once spent a week interrogating an Al-Qaida commander and he never once left the chair he was chained to. If I can deal with that, a little pee-pee in your jeans isn’t going to bother me.”
“I can see why he divorced you.”
“Actually, sweetie, it was the other way around. I’m as understanding as the next girl, but when I found out he was screwing another woman I packed my shit and got out.”
“He told me,” Katarina said, earning another amused look. “And I can also see why he found someone else.”
“Really? What did he tell you?”
Katarina shook her head and looked away. Didn’t understand why she’d allowed herself to be drawn into a conversation about Liam.
“Let me guess,” Angela continued. “He said he was under cover and I left him because he’d had an affair. Something along those lines, right?”
“I don’t care!” Katarina snapped, no longer able to hold her tongue. “So, you divorced him. Big fucking deal. Happens all the time.”
Angela threw her head back and laughed.
“Did he also tell you that he fell for the little puta?”
“Whatever,” Katarina said, shaking her head. “It doesn’t matter anyway. You’re still in love with him.”
She’d intended for the comment to sting a little and hopefully rattle Angela. It apparently did neither.
“Yes, I am. He’s a hard man not to love,” she said with a shrug. “But I suppose none of that really matters any longer. You see, he’s going to be given a choice today, and we’ll find out how important you really are to him.”
A sense of impending doom settled over Katarina.
“What are you talking about? What choice?”
The soft chime of a cell phone drew Angela’s attention and she answered.
“Help me!” Katarina screamed at the same instant.
Looking at her with a bemused smile, Angela held the phone towards her.
“Go ahead. Get it all out.”
Katarina glared at her then looked away in defeat. After a beat, Angela brought the phone back to her ear and had a brief conversation.
“Things are progressing as I expected,” she said with a self-satisfied smile.
“What things?”
Angela leaned back in the chair and took a moment to brush a stray strand of hair from her face.
“Well, I wasn’t going to tell you, but since we’re getting along so well, I think I will. Liam’s coming for you. You must really be something special. He crossed the border a little over an hour ago. Hopefully, he’ll see reason and we can all just get on with our lives.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Oh, honey,” Angela said with mock concern. “Don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll cooperate and I won’t have to put a bullet in your pretty little head. Now, I want you to tell me all about that big hunk of chocolate candy.”
“What?”
“Baldwin, I think his name is,” Angela said, smiling.
Fifty-Nine
“Don’t like this,” Baldwin grumbled.
He and Liam were standing on the eastern shore of Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver. Like a downturned thumb, it jutted into the Burrard Inlet that linked Vancouver Harbor to the east with the Strait of Georgia to the west. Two hundred yards across open water was the palatial estate of Gregory Lin. Even in the darkness of early morning, it was brilliantly lit and impossible to miss.
“What’s not to like? Easy shot.”
“As long as you’re outside or on the beach, sure,” Baldwin said, eye to the rifle’s scope. “And I’ve got about half the Great Room visible through the windows. They take you anywhere else, I won’t be able to see.”
Liam considered the problems Baldwin was detailing, finally shrugging.
“There a better option?”
“Just try and maintain control,” Baldwin said with a shake of his head. “Otherwise, you’re on your own.”
“Just don’t start playing with yourself and fuck up the shot.”
Liam grinned when Baldwin flipped him off.
“They’re going to come for you hard when they see the laser.”
“Let ‘em,” Baldwin said, gesturing around them. “Couple hundred acres of old growth forest. They won’t be the ones doin’ the hunting.”
Liam slapped him on the shoulder and headed for the SUV. Sliding behind the wheel, he took a steadying breath and started the engine.
It might have only been a two-hundred yard shot from where Baldwin was positioned, but he drove more than a mile to exit the park and follow Marine Drive to the heavy iron gates that guarded the entrance to Lin’s home. He pulled to a stop with the front bumper nearly touching them.
Two Asian men appeared on the other side of the gates in the spill of the SUV’s lights. Compact, automatic weapons were visible beneath their jackets and he had no doubt they’d be able to bring them into use in the blink of an eye.
A heavily muscled man who had been melted and poured into a black suit suddenly appeared at his window, staring with a scowl on his face.
“Private property. You go!”
Moving deliberately but cautiously, Liam opened and extended his ID case.
“Agent Macleod, DEA, to see Mister Lin.”
The man squinted at the credentials and Liam realized he was unable to read English.
“American?” he asked, still frowning at the badge and ID card being held out.
“Yes. The American DEA. Tell Mister Lin I’m here.”
“You go! No in America! Canada!”
Liam sighed and looked the man in the eye.
“Look, Bluto. Your boss is going to want to see me. You send me away, he’ll have your ass on the next boat to Shanghai, if you’re lucky. Comprendes?”
The man’s face screwed into a mask of confusion. Liam was expecting to be rebuffed when there was the soft squawk of a radio transmission. The guard stepped back and brought a compact handset out from inside his jacket, answering the call.
An unintelligible string of Chinese came from the tiny speaker and the man’s eyes shifted onto Liam before he answered. He reached into his pocket, then the iron gate began trundling aside on a track embedded in the concrete.
“Go house,” he said, gesturing for Liam to proceed.
The two visibly armed guards stepped aside, and he slowly passed between them as he followed a long, sweeping driveway. Four more men, all wearing black suits and openly holding weapons in their hands were waiting for him at the home’s main entrance.
He shut off the SUV and stepped out to be searched. The pistol and spare magazines
were taken and his ID was thoroughly examined. The guard performing the inspection finally handed his creds back and motioned for him to follow.
The house was like nothing Liam had ever seen, and this was far from his first time in a home paid for with drug money. Opulent didn’t do justice to the interior, but he was more focused on the slim Chinese man who stood waiting for him. He was wearing an ornate silk dressing gown and seemed wide awake despite the hour.
“Agent Macleod of the DEA,” he said without a trace of an accent. “To what do I owe the honor of your most unexpected visit?”
Liam recognized Lin from photos and didn’t waste time.
“You have someone I want. I’m here to negotiate for her return.”
Lin’s face was impossible to read as he stared at his guest, then a smile appeared and he gestured for Liam to follow. They moved into the Great Room, then much to Liam’s relief, out onto a sprawling patio with a spectacular view of the water and the glittering city beyond.
Lin stood watching him and held up a hand without breaking eye contact. Seemingly from out of thin air, a woman in traditional Chinese dress appeared and placed a lit cigarette between his fingers. Without acknowledging her presence, he raised it to his mouth and took a deep drag.
“I had hoped to meet you, Agent Macleod.”
“Really.”
“Yes. You see, I have a proposal. A business relationship not at all out of line with what you had hoped to accomplish by coming here at such an unseemly hour.”
Liam was surprised but hid it by lighting a cigarette of his own.
“I want Agent Daniels back. Unharmed.”
“That can be easily arranged,” Lin said with a light laugh of condescension. “But you came here prepared to offer something in return?”
Liam stalled by taking a drag of his cigarette. This was the moment of truth. The moment that would either bring Katarina back to him, or seal both their fates.
“Have you checked your bank accounts this morning, Mister Lin? And your various business interests as well?”
Lin paused with the cigarette to his lips and a shadow passed across his face.
“It would be unwise for you to have done something rash, Agent Macleod. Very unwise. Agent Daniels’ continued good health is in my hands and you would not wish to anger me.”
Liam didn’t respond and didn’t break eye contact. After a brief, tense silence, Lin snapped his fingers and an older man came running. Orders were spoken in rapid Chinese and he scurried away. Turning his back, Lin stood watching the Vancouver skyline as two guards moved to bracket Liam.
Twenty minutes passed in silence before the older man returned. Liam could tell he was frightened as he leaned in to whisper in Lin’s ear. He spoke for nearly five minutes before he was waved away and Lin turned to look at Liam.
“You are playing a very deadly game, Agent Macleod. But I appreciate a man who is willing to do what is necessary to achieve his goals. I am assuming you are here to tell me that you will restore my accounts and business holdings if I return Agent Daniels to you.”
“Unharmed,” Liam reiterated. “And drop the whole idea of revenge or making an example of her. Your cash will be returned, every penny, and we will never see each other again.”
Lin remained quiet, then extended an empty hand. The woman magically appeared and deposited a freshly lit cigarette.
“I have an alternate proposal,” he said, inhaling deeply. “One I was planning to make, but now that I have seen your tenacity and resourcefulness, I believe it only fitting to enhance my offer. I want you to work for me, Agent Macleod. From inside the DEA.”
Liam stared in surprise before barking a laugh.
“There’s not a chance in hell of that happening.”
“In exchange,” Lin continued as if Liam hadn’t spoken, “Agent Daniels will be released, unharmed, and will be allowed to keep the money she stole. There will be no retributions. Additionally, I will deposit one million US dollars into an offshore account of your choosing, every year that you are in my employ.”
Liam stared in a mild degree of shock. He’d been prepared for many reactions, but not an offer of complete forgiveness and a hefty bribe to go along with it.
“I’m not working for you. And until you release Katarina, you don’t have any money. Your businesses can’t operate.”
“Do you really believe my people cannot undo what you’ve done, Agent Macleod? All shall be fully restored before I have finished my breakfast.”
“I don’t think so,” Liam said, dropping a cigarette on the polished travertine tile and grinding it out underfoot. “At the moment, all of your assets are simply locked. Think of it as ransomware. But if I do not have Katarina back, without so much as a scratch, by noon, everything you have will vanish. Permanently.”
Lin inclined his head and the two guards immediately grabbed Liam’s arms.
“One thing about the Chinese, Agent Macleod,” Lin said as he stepped closer. “We perfected the art of interrogation long before you filthy westerners first crawled out of your caves. Before your deadline of noon, you shall be begging to tell me how to undo your ransomware.”
A bright red dot suddenly appeared and held steady on Lin’s dressing gown. It was directly over his heart. Liam felt the guards tense and one of them said something. Lin glanced down, freezing when he saw the laser. After a beat, he looked up and stared toward Lighthouse Park, but there was no way he could see Baldwin.
“One thing about Americans, Mister Lin,” Liam said. “We always bring a sniper to the fight. If you try to leave the patio before I do or hinder my departure in any way, lost assets will be the least of your problems.”
After a beat, Lin gestured to the guards and they released Liam.
“Noon, Mister Lin. I’ll call you at eleven fifty-five for your answer.”
Sixty
Angela chattered incessantly while they sat in the dingy room and Katarina was ready to do anything to get the woman to shut up. She’d tried sarcasm and being as disrespectful as possible, all to no avail. Angela was impervious and the insults simply rolled off. Before long, Katarina simply ignored her, refusing to even look in her direction. Finally, she fell silent.
Letting her mind drift, Katarina thought about what had happened in the mountains. Zophiel’s prompting had released a flood of memories that, if she didn’t know better would have thought they meant she had lost her sanity. But as she carefully examined each one, understanding flowed through her and she knew what to do.
“Please,” she said to Angela. “I’m dying here, and I really don’t want to wet myself. Just one hand? Leave the other locked to the chair. There’s no way I can escape.”
Angela stared at her and Katarina could tell she was going to refuse.
“I’ll tell you about the time I slept with Baldwin if you’ll let me pee,” she said in a rush.
Angela’s eyes lit up at the prospect of a juicy conversation and after a long moment’s hesitation, stood and looked down with the cuff key dangling from her fingers.
“If you try anything, I’ll hurt you first, then I’ll dose you again. Understand?”
“I promise!” Katarina said with a grateful smile. “I won’t try anything.”
Another hesitation, then Angela leaned down to unlock her left hand. The instant she came close enough, Katarina tightly grasped her wrist. Angela raised her free hand to hit her, but the blow was never delivered.
***
The two women stood in a bombed-out city beneath a sky choked with smoke and ash. Fires burned all around them and screams were loud in the darkness. Angela looked about frantically then whirled to face Katarina.
“What did you do?” she shouted.
Her hand fumbled for the holstered pistol, but it wasn’t there. A demon’s scream rent the night and she spun in the direction of the sound.
“What the hell was that?”
“Shhh,” Katarina said in a calm voice. “You keep yelling, you’re going to d
raw them right to us.”
“Them?” Angela asked, her voice cracking. “Where the hell are we? What’s out there?”
“Them.”
Katarina pointed at a pair of demons who were pursuing a man. He was running for all he was worth, but the rubble strewn landscape hampered his footing and slowed him. Moving easily, the two creatures flowed over obstacles. With screams of pleasure, they fell on their hapless prey and shredded his body with powerful swipes of their talons.
“What is this?” Angela whispered, backing up until she bumped against Katarina.
Spinning about in surprise, she stared at her with terror in her eyes and grasped her upper arms.
“This isn’t real! What happened to me?” Her grip grew tight enough to hurt and she thrust her face forward. “What did you have on your hand?”
“This is very real,” Katarina said, shrugging Angela off. “I didn’t have anything on my hand and you’re not hallucinating. This is what’s coming for us. All of us.”
“Coming? What the fuck does that mean?”
“Uh oh,” Katarina said softly.
Angela spun to see what she was looking at. The two demons had finished reducing the man’s body to nothing more than bloody ribbons of flesh. They’d heard Angela’s panicked voice and were staring at the two women. In perfect sync, both charged directly for them.
“We have to go!” Angela screamed, moving behind Katarina and turning to run.
“Don’t run or you’ll die!” Katarina said firmly. “You’re safe behind me.”
The demons were coming fast, screams of anticipation at the sight of fresh prey coming from their hideous mouths. Katarina could hear the other woman’s terrified breathing from behind as she looked down. Bending, she picked up a twisted piece of metal and held it in front of her at arm’s length.
“Are you crazy?” Angela shrieked, then bolted.
Katarina was instantly after her, moving easily. She caught the other woman by the collar and pulled her to the ground.
“This is what matters,” she said, standing over Angela and pointing at the demons who were almost upon them. “Stopping them before they consume our world.”