Coit Tower (Abby Kane FBI Thriller - Chasing Chinatown Trilogy Book 3)

by Ty Hutchinson

  “You managed to find it on your own the first time we took it.”

  Sei didn’t respond. I watched her casually stroll over to the window as if my presence posed no threat. I could see a seven-inch blade strapped to the outside of her left hip. That’s it? Just a knife? She also wore some sort of utility belt that had three small pouches positioned around her lower back. More weapons? A small black backpack held what I guessed was the rest of her assassin equipment.

  She placed her right foot on the windowsill and gracefully lifted herself up into a crouched position with no noticeable effort. I shimmied forward on the bed until the balls of my bare feet touched the linoleum floor.

  “Moving off that bed would be a grave mistake,” she said, her voice low and steady.

  I held my position even though it was clear that she was about to bolt from the building. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Hmmph. Yes, your question. I came here to warn you.” She placed her hands on either side of the window frame and repositioned her body so that she faced outward.

  “Warn me about what?” I straightened up, eager for her answer.

  She looked back at me. Her eyes disappeared as she tilted her head down slightly. Our stare down seemed to go on for an eternity. And then she leaped, disappearing into the gray—but not before uttering six words that punched me directly in the chest.

  “Your children are in danger. Hurry.”

  Chapter 36

  After landing on the fire escape directly below the window, Sei maneuvered across a thin railing before leaping over to the fire escape of the adjacent building. From there, she slithered up a metal drainage pipe and pulled herself onto the roof, all in a matter of seconds. Thanks to the heavy fog blanketing the city that night, she knew Agent Kane would have lost sight of her at that point.

  She hurried across the flat rooftop, executing a dance of one-handed vaults over a maze of air ducts until she reached the edge of the roof and the end of the block. From there, she performed a series of two-handed drops along a couple of window ledges before shinnying across a horizontal pipe and finally dropping down into a small alley. She darted across Clay Street and into another alley. Hugging the brick wall, she moved through the quiet night until she reached a small metal doorway. A knocking sound followed by a squeak signaled that she had opened the door and entered the building.

  She stared down a dark, narrow hallway with a low ceiling. The cool air was damp and clung to her as she moved forward. Her footsteps were light and quick along the cement flooring, masking her presence. She slowed her advance and listened. Yet even with silence in her favor, a figure stepped into the hallway near the end and knowingly waited for her approach.

  The figure spoke first. “Is it done?”

  “Yes,” Sei replied. “Still, I don’t know why you asked me to do that. None of the players are aware of the family’s location.” Sei had gotten lucky that night at Kane’s house. She had overheard one of the agents mention the name of the B&B during a phone conversation. A few days later, she had ID’d Kane’s children and her mother-in-law at the location.

  “I am not paying you to question my orders, only to execute them.”

  Sei said nothing more.

  “The teams. What news do you have for me?”

  “There are only two active teams in town: Team Kitty Kat and Team Balkan. However, neither has attempted a move on the agent.”

  “What about the other teams?”

  “Unless they show up in the city, I can’t know if they have plans to continue with the game. I cannot be everywhere at the same time.”

  The mastermind had disabled most of the app’s functions with the change in the game dynamics to prevent the FBI from further using the game for its investigation.

  Until that point, the mastermind had allowed Kane to continue to access Chasing Chinatown out of sheer entertainment. It was added joy to see how things would play out with little fear that it would become a liability to the game. But with the change in the gameplay, it could pose problems. Unfortunately, disabling most of the app prevented the mastermind from tracking each team, short of messaging them for information. Sei’s job was to keep an eye on them. She was to do what the app had done so well and more.

  “I think it’s safe to say the other teams have forfeited,” Sei said.

  “What makes you say that?” the figure asked.

  “It’s winner take all. Timing is now an element to consider. If the other teams were serious contenders, they would already be here.”

  “What’s taking the two teams so long to strike?”

  “Probably her relocation to the tong. There’s only one entrance into that building. I know what you’re thinking, and those teams are not me. Secondly, there are five other agents living there with her, not to mention the others that show up during the day. Thirdly, the media encampment outside the building. Fourth, the increased SFPD foot patrols in Chinatown. Shall I continue?”

  “Your sarcasm has not gone undetected. I suggest you seriously work on controlling it.”

  Sei shifted her weight back to one leg. “Don’t think for one second that I am afraid of you.”

  “And don’t you think for one second that I cannot have you killed, even with all of the skills I have helped you to acquire.”

  A few moments of tense silence followed as the two stared at each other in the dark. Sei knew she could easily dispose of the mastermind, but that wasn’t what gave her pause. The repercussions that would follow captured that honor. She might be able to escape the city. She might be able to hide, but the inevitable would happen. The mastermind’s network of trusted mercenaries would come after her. And they wouldn’t stop, either, not until she was dead. A life spent looking over her shoulder wasn’t something she coveted.

  She swallowed her pride. “I think both teams are capable of figuring out a way to get to the agent,” Sei said. “It’s only a matter of time.”

  “What assurances can you give me?”

  “I can give no such thing,” Sei said, letting out a dismissive breath. Sei really had no interest in the outcome. She only cared about doing her job and collecting the remaining half of her fee.

  After dismissing Sei, the mastermind remained behind. Kane had made a move on the chessboard that the mastermind had not seen ahead of time, and it had proved to be problematic. However, there was one other play that could be made, one that could counter Kane’s latest antics—one that had already been decided on.

  The mastermind had a number of mercenaries who were extremely loyal beyond the money. At any moment, the mastermind could tap in to those killing machines. While Sei had been contracted to help with the operations of the game, the mastermind had put another assassin in place in the event things went south—an insurance policy.

  The mastermind had spent years developing the game. It brought pride, it brought joy, but most of all, it brought endless entertainment. But what the mastermind had never figured on encountering was a person like Abby Kane. How could someone single-handedly cause so much disruption? The game was supposed to be unbreakable and unstoppable. And yet the mastermind was about to do the unthinkable: discontinue the game. Because of her.

  The smartphone cast a white glow as the mastermind opened the Chasing Chinatown application. The animated dragon in the intro brought forth a smile, even though a final winner would never emerge. Returning to normal gameplay had been out of the question.

  The mastermind had considered going out with a bang, orchestrating some sort of fantastic killing brouhaha, but after much consideration, it simply wouldn’t suffice. No, there was really only one way to even the score. Kane had killed the mastermind’s baby. It was time to return the favor.

  Mastermind: Terminate the children.

  Agent Lin: Roger that.

  Chapter 37

  A surge of emptiness filled my belly as I took a step back from the window. Sei’s last words played on a loop, causing my legs to give way. I collapsed ont
o my knees. My hand released its grip on the window frame and flopped to my side. Tears bubbled and crested, streaking my face. I gasped louder with each breath as my chest tightened. I was the target, not my children. They should be coming after me. Only me. Keep it together, Abby.

  I tried. I really did.

  But the reality of the situation had wrapped its arms around me and begun to squeeze. Guilt scrutinized my decision making. Fear battered my will. Images of Lucy and Ryan populated my head. Their smiling faces, the sounds of their laughter—I watched them fade, slowly disappear. With all I had done, with all the precautions taken, this was the punishment for failure. Every hurdle cleared only prompted another to appear.

  My children were in Napa Valley. I was in the city. I couldn’t magically teleport there. There was no genie offering me three wishes. But I could still try. I could dig out from under that mountain of hopelessness that was crushing me. I could get up off that floor, shed my last tear, shake off that empty feeling, and do what I do best.

  Never give up.

  Sei was gone. She had disappeared into the blanket of fog. All I had to work with was her message. It was clear yet confusing. Why turn on my family? Had the game changed again? Was I suddenly no longer the target? It made no sense. I was the thorn that had punched the holes in the mastermind’s game. I was the one he should have been angry with. Or was this simply some sort of sick twist to the game, a way to test my will and my ability to save my children? I shook my head. Finding the answer to all those questions didn’t matter. This was about saving my children. Could I get to them first?

  Sei’s message implied there was immediate danger, not something to come in the following days. If a hit had been ordered on them, the clock had just started. I had to move.

  “Knox! Copeland!” I called out as I hurried down the stairs. “Get up!”

  I quickly brought them up to speed on Sei’s visit and departing message.

  “Wait. Hold on,” Knox said. His eyes shifted back and forth between Copeland and me. “We’re not completely screwed here. There are two agents with your family, right? They can at least secure the place until we can get there.”

  I nodded.

  “Napa Police—we should alert them,” Copeland said.

  “There’s risk with that. I highly doubt they have the experience to handle a situation like this. We’ll use them another way. Have them set up roadblocks. Maybe we can catch Sei before she reaches the B&B.”

  “Abby, what was she wearing?” Copeland asked. “Tell me everything so I can brief NPD on who they’re looking for.”

  I thought briefly about what Knox had said. Could we really stop her from reaching the B&B? Was it even possible?

  “Abby?” Copeland’s voice sounded louder this time. “We don’t have time here.”

  As I scrolled through my address book for Castro’s number, it hit me. “It’s not Sei,” I said.

  “What do you mean it’s not her? You just told us—”

  “She wants us to think it’s her, but it’s not.”

  Knox shook his head and let out a breath of frustration. “I’m not following you.”

  “The threat is already there.”

  “Wait, are you saying it’s the owners of the B&B? Because if you are—”

  “It’s not them. It’s one of our own.”

  <><><>

  Castro sat on the edge of his bed in his dark room. He put his smartphone down, the light still visible on the screen. He had his orders, but things were moving fast. He’d barely had time to process what Kane had said; there was a hit on the kids, and Lin was the threat. The mastermind had infiltrated the FBI.

  Kane hadn’t had time to get into a lengthy explanation of how and why but asked that Castro not question her and get Po Po and the kids out of there. Time was of the essence. It was an hour’s drive from the city to the B&B in Napa Valley. It would make no difference if agents were dispatched from the Oakland office; they were no closer. He was on his own for at least an hour.

  From the second Castro had received the message, he had cycled through a number of scenarios, all of which were theoretically viable. But he could only choose one. And it had to be fast. And quiet. He thought through the option of demobilizing Lin, the one thing Kane had stressed that he not do. “He’s too dangerous.” Without knowing the full scope of the situation, Castro relinquished the thought.

  He grabbed his weapon and double-checked the magazine. He pocketed another just in case before holstering his weapon and picking up the keys to the black Suburban parked outside.

  He moved over to the door and placed his ear against it but heard nothing. Castro’s bedroom was located on the second floor of the three-story building. A total of four rooms were available. His floor housed three double rooms, while a family-sized room/apartment took up the entire third floor. That was where Ryan, Lucy, and Po Po were staying. The suite had a fairly large living area and two separate bedrooms, each with its own full bath. The Fultons lived in a bungalow behind the B&B.

  Castro exited his room and moved into the hallway. The entire building was constructed mostly of wood, including the flooring. Creaks were unavoidable. He walked slowly down the hall, his weapon held close against his thigh and out of view. Lin’s room was at the far end, past the staircase. He paused slightly, listening, before turning right and heading up the half-landing staircase.

  The stairs led directly to a decorative paneled door. Castro knew the door would be locked, and it didn’t matter, because when they first arrived at the B&B, part of his security requirement was that the Fultons provide him with a key to the suite.

  He removed the key ring from his pocket, inserted one of the brass keys into the five-pin cylinder of the deadbolt lock, and turned the key. The bolt slid out of the doorframe, emitting a clacking sound. With the knob turned, he pushed the door open. As usual, the fog had rolled in that night, masking most of the moonlight that would have shown through the windows of the suite, but his eyes had fully adjusted at that point. Castro slipped inside, stopping just short of shutting the door behind him. He had heard a faint but unmistakable sound. A floorboard had creaked on the second level. Lin!

  Chapter 38

  “We need to be right on this, Abby,” Knox said. “Lin is an agent. Are you sure it’s him?”

  “Look, the Triads control the game. If they were able to get a guy on the inside, he most likely would be Chinese. They’re wary of outsiders. They like to deal with their own.”

  Yeah, I racially profiled, but with good reason. Lin had never given me any indication in the past that he was bad. He seemed courteous, professional at all times, and by all accounts, he seemed to be a nice guy. But if what my gut told me were true, then that would have made perfect sense. The most dangerous enemy is the one that is never considered.

  We quickly geared up with bulletproof vests and extra magazines for our handguns. I had found my weapon on the counter near the bathroom. Copeland grabbed the two assault rifles we kept on the premises, and we exited the tong.

  “It normally takes an hour to get up to Napa, but I’ll do my best to get us there in forty-five minutes,” Knox promised as we headed toward our vehicle.

  I wasn’t able to put a call into Kang until we were already packed into the SUV and heading out of the city. We were moving as fast as we could.

  “Lin? Sheesh. I’m on my way, Abby. Do you want me to alert Napa Police?”

  “Copeland is already on it. We’re having them set up checkpoints a half mile away from the B&B.”

  “Good idea. We’ll need all the help we can get.”

  My next call went to Reilly to keep him abreast of the latest developments and to see if there were agents we could tap into who might be closer than we were.

  “I’m unaware of any agents that live in the Napa Valley locale,” he said. “Agent House is in Oakland, but I would guess the distance is about the same. I’ll still ask her and a few other agents to assist. Abby, I’m sorry this is happening.
”

  I appreciated Reilly’s concern, but a part of me resented him at the same time. I should have been there with my family. I knew what had happened wasn’t his fault, but it angered me. I felt helpless. What kind of mother works a job that puts her family in harm’s way? Apparently me.

  But let’s be honest here: I hadn’t been thinking about children when I decided on this career path. Kids just weren’t part of the equation. I doubted I even would have considered it had I known I would be raising them by myself. But I fell in love with a man who already had two children. At the time I thought, We can do this. We’re a team. But six months later when he was murdered, that partnership ended, and suddenly I was a single mother with an unforgiving job. That was the hand I had been dealt, and all I could do was deal with it the best I could. Don’t get me wrong; it wasn’t easy. In the beginning, there were days I wanted to give up and walk away. But I didn’t. It’s easier now, but those thoughts still creep back into my head every now and then. I try to remember that every day forward is an opportunity to be better as a mother. Every parent is learning, not just me. At least, that’s what I tell myself.

  From the time we left the tong until we arrived at the B&B, I had been in contact with my mother-in-law via text message. Before I alerted Castro about the threat, I had called her and given her specific instructions. “Do not open the door for Agent Lin.”

  “Abby, I don’t understand. What’s happening?”

  “He can’t be trusted. Just get over to the kids’ room and lock the door. Keep them quiet. Don’t wake them if possible. Wait for Agent Castro. I’m on my way now.”

  I told Po Po only what she needed to know, not wanting to scare her any more than I already had. Fortunately, the kids were still sound asleep, oblivious to the danger just outside their bedroom door. After that call, she kept me updated with text messages.

  The Fultons’ B&B was located about a half mile south from where Highway 12 intersected with Highway 29. NPD had already set up two checkpoints but hadn’t much to report. What little traffic passed through were locals the officers personally knew.