Rising Tiger

by Trevor Scott

  Then Alexandra got up and walked toward the bank. She sent Jake a quick text and headed toward the front entrance.

  ●

  Jake had gotten everything and more than he expected from the banker. But he did expect Remington to send someone after him at this appointment. He was disappointed that the man had not tried.

  Just as he got out the front door, he saw Alexandra approaching from around the alley. She was wiping blood from her lower lip. As she got closer, he could see she also had a bruise forming on her left cheek.

  “What?” she said. “You should see the other chick.”

  “I can’t leave you alone for a minute,” Jake said. “What happened?”

  Alexandra detailed her fight in a few seconds as the two of them waved down a taxi.

  “Thai?” Jake said. “That’s no surprise now. The banker was set up to deliver money to Bangkok.”

  As the taxi pulled up, Jake opened the door for Alexandra. Before she got in, she dropped something into the gutter grate. He followed her into the cab.

  ●

  When the Asian woman woke in the alley, she was equally happy for her good fortune to still be alive and angry for losing a battle with the taller, stronger woman. She knew that she had greater inner strength, and she should have been able to defeat that woman. Then she also realized that her favorite gun was gone. But with good luck she had at least found part of the gun in the dumpster, but it was the least important part. It would be much harder to find a new suppressor.

  Worse than anything, though, was her failure to engage the American man she had been paid to follow. A man of his stature would be hard to find now. He had practically raised a white flag by setting up an appointment with the Singapore banker.

  Now she needed to see what the banker had told the man.

  Without announcing herself, she simply walked past the receptionist and closed the door, making sure she and the banker were alone.

  She sat into the plush leather chair and simply stared at the banker. The two of them had only one language in common, English, and she made sure the man thought her English skills were marginal at best.

  “What are you doing here?” Ravi Singh asked her. Then the banker got up and went to the large windows overlooking the lobby area. He started to close the shades, but then must have thought better of it and left them open.

  The woman rubbed the side of her neck where the larger woman had choked her. But her real pain was along the left side of her jaw where the woman had hit her. “You met with American?”

  The banker came back and sat behind his desk. “Yes, of course.”

  “What you tell him?”

  Mister Singh looked nervous. “Just what I was told to tell him. What do you think?”

  “I hear this man dangerous,” she said. Actually, her employer had said the man could snap her neck like a chicken and then go out for curry and beer like nothing happened.

  The banker’s bushy brows furled. “What happened to you? Did you get in a fight?”

  “Never mind me. Did you give the man jump drive?”

  “Of course. Reluctantly.”

  “You sell it?”

  “Absolutely.”

  She nodded approval. Her employer would be happy now, even though she had exposed herself to this man’s girlfriend. But the plan would work even better if the man made it all the way to Bangkok.

  Satisfied, she got up and left the banker alone. Part of her wished her employer had allowed her to beat up that man. She hated bankers.

  11

  Jake and Alexandra got back to their hotel and settled in for the afternoon. Alexandra was obviously tired from going to bed so late the night before, and perhaps from the adrenalin rush during the fight with the Asian woman. After she washed up a bit, she crawled onto the bed and nearly immediately went to sleep.

  With her heavy breathing in the background, Jake pulled out the jump drive he had gotten from the banker, Ravi Singh. There was just one folder on the drive, and that only contained a couple of files. One file showed the original transfer of money into an account owned by Bill Remington—the money coming from the same accounts that had placed money in his friend Chad Hunter’s account in Belize, implicating him in the supposedly accidental shoot down of a Chinese satellite. But of course Jake had already disavowed that action, exonerating his old friend. Although this part of Remington’s indiscretion was already known, including the transfer of money to this Singapore account, there was some interesting data here. For instance, it showed a pattern of cash withdrawals that coincided with what Ravi Singh had told him. The banker had personally removed the money, placed it into Remington’s safe deposit box, and then delivered this cash to a tailor in Bangkok, Thailand. One of the files showed the banker’s travel tickets, where he had flown to Bangkok and back in the same day on three separate occasions in the past month. This was all before the American government had found out about the account and frozen the assets.

  He transferred the files to his laptop after encrypting the files. Then Jake got off the laptop and shoved the thumb drive into his left cargo pants pocket.

  Jake glanced at the sleeping beauty on the bed and checked his watch. He had fifteen minutes. Reluctantly he left his gun and extra magazine on the table next to the other one that Alexandra had carried. He couldn’t take it where he was going.

  As he quietly left the room on the fifty-fifth floor, he slowly made his way down to the elevators. He would be leaving Singapore in the morning and if he didn’t at least see his old friend, she would be really pissed when she found out.

  Attached to the Sands Hotel where he stayed was a massive casino. It was one of the reasons Jake had stayed here in the first place. But to get into the casino, Jake had to show the entrance security his passport and then go through an airport-like metal detector—his reason for not bringing his gun.

  Jake wandered through the casino, which at this time of the afternoon was not very busy. He wasn’t a huge gambler. The odds were always in the favor of the house. But he wasn’t there to gamble. He was there to see an old friend.

  Chang Su had been a friend of his for many years. The two of them first met when Jake was on a mission in China years ago, when he stopped the transfer of laser technology from getting into the hands of the communist Chinese government. Jake had gotten Chang Su out of China and she had lived with him for more than a year at his apartment in Innsbruck, Austria. Although they had been lovers, Jake knew that her heart was really never in it. He guessed she had been grateful for him saving her life, and over time that had worn off. Eventually the cold of Austria had become too much for her, and the pull of Asia had been too strong.

  When he saw her at one of the roulette tables, wearing a red vest over a white silk shirt, she looked. . .happy. He almost walked away. The last thing he wanted to do was get her mixed up in his current situation. Sure he had considered having her translate the Chinese parts of the data he had gotten from the banker in Taiwan. But it was better to let Kurt Jenkins handle that. Just as he thought he might let her be, she caught Jake looking at her and her eyes, her most expressive feature, brightened even more.

  Chang Su let the current ball finish bouncing, collected the chips and paid a few small payouts, and then turned the table over to another croupier.

  She nodded her head for Jake to follow her. He couldn’t help checking out her tiny body as she walked away from him. His mind went back to his apartment in Austria and a montage of times they had made love.

  When they finally reached a nearly-empty bar area off to one side, she finally turned and gave Jake a big hug. As she pulled away, she wiped tears from both eyes.

  They took seats at a table across from each other.

  He waited for her to speak first.

  “What are you doing here, Jake?” she asked. For the first time he saw the colorful braces on her teeth. If she had had one flaw, it was her imperfect teeth. But now the braces made her look like she was still in high school. S
he had not aged a day.

  “It’s business,” Jake said. “I can’t say any more.”

  She shook her head. “I understand. How long will you be here?”

  “Just tonight,” he said. He wished he had more time after seeing her again.

  “We should go out tonight then.”

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

  “It’s slow today. I could say I’m sick.”

  He wasn’t sure, but he thought she might want to rekindle what they had in the past.

  “I’m sorry. I’m with someone.”

  She looked disappointed. “It’s Toni, right?”

  “No. Toni was murdered recently.”

  Shock crossed her face, and Jake realized he shouldn’t have been so blunt. He explained what had happened to Toni, and how the two of them had never gotten back together.

  “I’m so sorry, Jake. But you were still friends.”

  “Of course.” He didn’t want to mention the fact that Toni had given birth to Jake’s son years ago and failed to tell him. Jake was still trying to deal with that recent revelation.

  “Then who?” she asked.

  “You’ve met her in Austria. Alexandra.”

  “Oh, she is very beautiful. I hope you are finally happy.”

  “Well, we’re still trying to figure things out.” He explained what he could, that Alexandra was becoming his partner. Nothing else. “How are you doing?”

  She hesitated to consider the question. “I’m happy. I like my job here. Singapore is a beautiful city. Very warm.”

  “It is that. Too hot for me.” Jake had kept his eyes open for anything unusual and when he finally saw something out of place, he knew he had to move fast to keep Chang Su safe. “I have to go. Is your number the same?”

  “You just got here, Jake,” she pled, obviously disappointed.

  “I know. I’m sorry.” He got up and left her at the table, making sure the Asian woman coming his way didn’t see the two of them together. Lowering his hat over his eyes, he vectored behind a row of slot machines. What the hell was going on? Somehow the Asian woman had found him.

  The woman who had fought with Alexandra and tried to kill the both of them last night was now on him like a heat seeking missile. It must have been because the security scanned his passport at the door. Maybe Bill Remington knew about his Canadian passport. Now Jake would have to use one of his other passports going forward.

  Jake moved along the back wall. The casino was shaped in a circle, so if he kept going he would eventually get to one of the escalators. No, she might have posted a friend at each one of those. Instead, Jake hurried forward toward a handicap elevator. As he punched the button, he saw the Asian woman checking her phone out in the center of the room among the gaming tables.

  The elevator came and he got in. He reached for his gun, but it wasn’t there. He had been forced to leave it in his room.

  When he got up one flight to the entrance level, Jake walked quickly toward the security area. He showed his passport to leave the casino and then walked out toward the casino. A lone man was against one wall talking on his cell phone, just out of view of casino security.

  Suddenly the man seemed to recognize Jake. The Asian man reached into his jacket and Jake rushed the guy, hitting the man and knocking him against the wall, his gun bouncing to the carpet out of their reach.

  Jake shoved his knee into the man’s groin, taking his breath away with instant pain. Then Jake grasped the man behind the head and drove his face into Jake’s knee, knocking him out.

  The cough of a silenced gun made Jake instinctively turn. The bullet chipped the marble wall and Jake now saw the source. It was the Asian woman and another man, who probably held her gun as she went in to find Jake. The other guy was six feet away in the direction of the Asian woman.

  Without further hesitation, Jake ran as fast as he could, rounding a corner and racing out through a set of doors. Bullets struck the door frame and another smashed the glass on the open door.

  Once outside into a mezzanine area between the hotel and the casino, Jake rushed forward. He got to the hotel elevators and lucked out, sliding right into one and punching the door close button.

  As the doors closed another bullet hit the inside of the elevator and one more struck the door as it closed.

  He punched three buttons—the fifteenth floor, the thirtieth floor, and the fifty-fourth floor. On the way up, he found his phone and tried to call Alexandra. She didn’t answer.

  “Damn it, Alexandra. Answer your phone.”

  At the fifteenth floor the doors opened and he quickly hit the close button again.

  He tried Alexandra’s phone again. Nothing.

  When he got to the fifty-fourth floor, he rushed out and ran down the corridor. As he ran he tried Alexandra one more time, but she still didn’t pick up.

  He found the staircase and shoved through it. Then he climbed up to the fifty-fifth floor and hurried out toward his room. He had his card out and then second-guessed his actions for a micro-second. If they had tracked his Canadian passport, they might already know his room number. They could have already been to his room and killed Alexandra. Now he sprinted to his room and, out of breath, slid his key card into the slot. When the green light went off, he hurried in and found Alexandra.

  She was on the floor at the back side of the bed, her Glock aimed right at Jake.

  “My God, you’re all right. Come on. We have to leave. Somehow they found us.”

  She got up from the floor. “How?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe my Canadian passport. I went to the casino and they required me to swipe it.”

  “Well, we never unpacked.” She swung her bag over her shoulder, keeping her gun free and ready to shoot. “I’m ready.”

  Jake shoved his laptop into his backpack and then slung it onto his shoulders. It was getting lighter each day, since he had gotten rid of some clothes along the way. He too kept his gun in his hand at the ready.

  Now they had to find a way out of the hotel. The Asian woman and her two friends could simply hang out at the bottom of the elevators and wait them out.

  Once they were in the corridor, Alexandra whispered, “How do we get out of here?”

  “Two choices,” Jake said. “The stairs or the elevators.” Jake stood for a moment and considered the best path. “How about operation chaos?”

  “Crap. Not again.”

  Jake smiled as he led her toward the stairwells. Just before entering the exit door, Jake pulled the fire alarm. That would do two things. The elevators should stop and automatically return to the ground level. And then everyone in the hotel would be forced to evacuate on the stairs.

  The two of them hurried to the staircase and headed down. They both had to hide their guns again. She put her Glock in her purse, and Jake shoved his into the sleeve at the small of his back, which was a problem with the backpack over it. The farther they got down the stairs, the more people that joined them. Jake guessed that the bad guys would have either been stuck in the elevator and shoved down to the ground level, or were also making their way down the stairs. Of course they would also have to consider the whole thing a ruse, with Jake and Alexandra staying in their room and waiting out the storm of activity. That only worked if the Asian woman didn’t already know his room.

  As they finally got out into the main lobby, the place was a major disaster, with people clustered everywhere and being forced out into the front of the building.

  But Jake didn’t see the Asian woman or either of her two friends. They must have been stuck somewhere in the crowd.

  Outside now and into the sweltering heat, Alexandra said, “Now what?”

  Jake took her hand and led her to the front of the row of taxis. They got in and Jake told the driver to go to the airport. As they got closer to Changi International Airport, Jake had the driver change directions.

  “I’m sorry,” Jake said. “I meant the train station.”

  ●

&
nbsp; Shangwei had recently gotten to Singapore and was following Remington’s crew to take out the American at the Sands Hotel, when he had to restrain himself from stepping in. He didn’t have clear instructions from General Wu Gang on incidental damage, but his mission at this point was to simply observe. He wasn’t great at not taking the initiative and finishing what those incompetent idiots Remington had hired couldn’t complete. It was as if that woman was trying not to kill the American.

  Now, after Remington’s people had lost their target, Shangwei pulled himself into a remote area in the massive lobby area of the hotel, sat in a comfortable leather lounge chair, and called his boss.

  Shangwei explained what had happened and how he needed directions.

  “Keep back in the shadows,” General Wu Gang demanded.

  “Yes, sir. I’m concerned about our friend’s workers.”

  The general sighed. His boss was never one to put up with failure or complaints. “Let me handle the man. I believe our friend wants to play this out on his terms.”

  “But sir, it was almost like the crew wanted to fail. They were not efficient.”

  The general laughed. “You must consider the target. This man has made many failures in the past. What seems easy is not always so.”

  Shangwei understood that concept. He started to scratch at his new tattoo, but disciplined himself to pull back and leave it alone. “What are my orders now?”

  “Just continue to follow. My patience is not infinite. But we can play with the mouse for a little longer. You will get a new location soon.”

  Thanking his boss for direction, Shangwei clicked off his cell phone just seconds after his boss cut the connection. His eyes continued to scan the lobby area, hoping to pick up his target. He had heard the man now had a beautiful western woman with him, and Shangwei had a special place in his heart for white women with big round eyes. Well, maybe not his heart, but perhaps an organ a bit lower. He smiled with that thought, and then got up and wandered across the lobby and out the main entrance.