Forged in Honor (1995)

by Leonard B Scott

  Youngblood and Josh picked up Dorba with the chair, carried him into the kitchen, and dropped him by the sink. Kelly doused the San Chu's face to keep him conscious and wash away the teeth fragments, blood, and drool. Kelly kept spraying him as he leaned over and raised Dorba's chin. "Look at me! I hope these lessons are getting through to you. We're letting you live so you'll tell your Triad scum they'd best not mess with us again. See, you thought you could come to our country and hide behind our laws. Sorry, asshole, but cowboys don't play by the rules. They see a wolf or a snake and they don't think twice about killing it. We don't care about laws when it comes to people like you. Time for another lesson."

  Stephen walked into the kitchen with a large plastic bucket. He turned on the garbage disposal and lifted one of Dorba's prized koi out of the plastic container. He dropped the fish into the drain headfirst. The disposal's whining became a loud, grinding roar. Stephen looked into the swollen eyes of the old man and felt no sympathy. "You have taken those we loved. If you do not cease operations, you will lose much more than your fish." He picked up another flopping fish, deep red in color, and began to lower it into the sink.

  Dorba cried out through his broken teeth and tried to get up, but Kelly held him back. Stephen dropped the fish into the grinding hole and picked another red one from the bucket.

  "These are your favorites, I see. Good." He set the flopping fish on the old man's lap. "You will watch this one die."

  Kelly leaned over again. "The last lesson is coming up. In just a minute you won't feel any more pain-for a while.

  Look at me. No matter what you do, we'll find you if you stay in the United States. If you order one more hit, sell one more nickel bag of heroin, or so much as spit on our sidewalks, we cowboys will know it 'cause we'll be watching every fucking move you make. Tell the Triad to get out. If they don't, they're gonna go down, and hard. You live-this time.

  We killed none of your people-this time. Next time you die, asshole. This cowboy is gonna personally drill you between the eyes after I shoot your kneecaps, your wrists, and your balls. You don't know who I am and you never will. And you know the funny thing? There are 270 million of us cowboys in the U S of A-remember that."

  Youngblood stepped forward and handed Kelly a syringe.

  He pushed out the air bubbles in front of Dorba's wide eyes and nodded. "Yep, this is the good stuff. It's going to make you fly just like the junkies do. We're gonna hide a kilo bag in the kitchen and leave a note on the door saying 'Stay out of our territory.' It's for the cops, ya see? We cowboys figured you oughta get a chance to use your big-buck lawyers to try and spring you. See, after we leave we're gonna call the cops and tell 'em we heard there was a territory fight over the heroin action, and you lost. When the cops get here, they'll think you were hit by a rival dealer who was teaching you a lesson. Of course, they're gonna find you high, and your security men high, and the. stuff. You're gonna go to jail, my man. Ain't that some shit?"

  Kelly held the needle against Dorba's arm. "Don't forget our lessons. As the cowboys always say, this town ain't big enough for the both of us." He plunged the needle in and nodded. "Shiny dreams, asshole!"

  Chapter 23.

  "... ashes to ashes and dust to dust, we commend these souls to ..." The pastor's words echoed softly across the gently rolling garden of stones. Josh and Stephen stood hidden within a stand of oaks fifty yards away from the crowded graveside service, watching the family of Detective Chick Cummings being put to rest. The three bronze caskets gleamed in the sun as the MPD honor squad raised their rifles.

  "Ready ... aim ... fire!"

  The volley's echo was joined by the sorrowful sound of "Taps" as played by a lone bugler on the hill. The city of Washington, D. C., had given full honors to the detective's family. The mayor had proclaimed that all of the families had been on the front line when struck down in the line of duty, supporting. their husbands or fathers. It was a kind gesture, for the entire city was mourning its dead. In every cemetery in every district and every town within twenty miles, thousands gathered in black to pay their respects to those killed in the bombings.

  Standing by the grave, Kelly put his arm around Cummings's shoulder as the detective tossed a handful of soil first on his wife's casket, then on his two daughters'.

  As the crowd of mourners walked back to their cars, the department captain stepped away from his wife and walked up alongside Kelly. "Where were you last night, Terry? We had a hell of a night. I tried to get you at your wife's mother's to see if you could help us out."

  Kelly winced as he took a breath. "Sorry, Cap. I checked myself back into the hospital last night. I think I pushed too hard too early. I heard a big-timer went down. Territory fight?"

  "Yeah, a bigwig Chink lost. Is Cummings going to be okay?"

  Kelly's eyes misted. "I don't know. I keep asking myself how he can go home after this. I don't have the answer."

  The captain nodded. "Once Alvarez's family is buried tomorrow, we'll have to work hard to get past this. It'd help if we could find the bastards that did it." He patted Kelly's back in consolation, seeing he was taking it hard. "Take it easy, Terry. You can't let it get to you. See ya in a couple of days."

  Minutes later, when the last of the mourners had left the cemetery, Josh and Stephen walked down the knoll and joined Kelly, Youngblood, Hanson, and Alvarez. Still standing by the grave of his wife, Cummings slowly turned and faced the six men who were waiting for him. His tear-filled eyes settled on Kelly. "I heard Dorba is out on bail. Why do we even try?"

  Kelly shook his head. "You heard only half of it. His lawyers and two of his doctors convinced the judge they should release him from County General to go to Mercy Hospital, but he never made it. They took him to the airport instead.

  He skipped bail and flew out with eight of his men on a private jet. We won, Chick. He's history."

  "And the others?" Cummings asked, looking into Kelly's eyes.

  "Woo has given the DEA the names of Dorba's key players here in town and all the leaders in the other East Coast cities. Like I said, we won this one, but you know as well as I do somebody else will come along to take his place. We ain't out of a job." Kelly took the detective's badge from his jacket pocket and tossed it to him. "Here, Chick. You ain't a cowboy anymore-you're a cop."

  Cummings caught the badge and ran his trembling fingers over its shiny surface. "I'm not sure I make a difference anymore, Kelly. We win a few battles, but never the war."

  Kelly nodded toward the three mounds covered with flowers. "They thought you made a difference. It ain't gonna be easy, but we gotta keep trying. There are a lot more people out there who need us."

  Cummings rolled back his shoulders, took a deep breath, and faced his family. Raising his head, he whispered, "Goodbye, kittens. Daddy is going to miss you. Good-bye, Linda.

  You made it worth living. Take care of them. I love you all."

  Kelly watched as his detectives walked to their cars. He turned and put his hand out toward Stephen. "Good-bye, Stephen. I pray things work out for you in your country.

  You've made a difference here. Thank you."

  Stephen's eyes became distant. "Like you told your friend, I have to try. Good-bye, Terrance."

  Kelly's gaze shifted to Josh. "Come by my mother-in-law's after you hand Stephen off to the Agency. Mary wants to thank you again with a dinner."

  Josh smiled grimly. "I'm going with Stephen. Keep an eye on Stefne for me until I get back."

  "Wait a damn minute! What do ya mean, you're goin'?"

  Josh shrugged. "It's just somethin' I gotta do."

  He turned to walk up the hill but Kelly grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. "What the fuck are you talkin' about, 'gotta do'? You don't have to do shit!"

  "Drop it, Kelly. This is personal. Like Dorba was personal for you. Okay?"

  Seeing Josh's look, Kelly realized there was nothing he could say to make him stay. "Take care, huh? I ..." He threw his arms around Josh and hugged hi
m. "Take good care of yourself. Mary would be real pissed off if somethin' happened to ya."

  CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia Jennings entered the office having come from funerals for two of his department chiefs who had been killed at the conference. He lit a cigar, then shifted his gaze to the two men seated before him. "You finish up your business?" he asked, obviously already knowing the answer.

  Neither of the men spoke. Jennings blew out a blue cloud of smoke and focused his eyes on Stephen. "I have a debriefing team ready to hear and record what you told me at the boathouse. Afterward I've scheduled some briefings for you to bring you up to date on the last month's events in your country. One particular upcoming event is also very important. General Swei has sent invitations to the world media inviting them to a press conference in Rangoon on July 19, Martyrs' Day. He will then announce the opening of the country and probably the loan guarantees you told me about.

  I'm telling you this because once he makes those announcements, our best guess is that most countries will formally recognize his new government."

  "After what he's done to the people?" Stephen snapped, not believing what he was hearing.

  "Stephen, the simple fact is that nobody knows what happened. No outside press has been in Burma to report what went on over the years, and Swei has killed or imprisoned anyone who could speak out against him. The people who watch CNN on July 19 will think they see a man trying to help change his country for the better. He will be a hero to many of them."

  "When do I leave?" Stephen asked impatiently.

  "In two days," Jennings replied. "We've got to get you a passport and paperwork made and-"

  "Count me in too," Josh said matter-of-factly.

  Jennings's eyes widened. "I didn't think you wanted to go back."

  "I'm in."

  Stephen put his hand over Josh's. "You've done enough for me, Joshua. You should stay. Go back to Stefne and your boat. You've found happiness, brother."

  Josh shook his head. "I'm going."

  Jennings said, "Hawkins, under the circumstances I have to agree with Mr. Kang. His father intends to strike Swei too soon. We believe such an undertaking is doomed to fail. We hope that when Stephen returns he can reason with Xu Kang and convince him to take the time to recruit and train a proper force."

  Josh's jaw muscles twitched as he stood up and walked to the window. "No, Xu Kang is right-he has to attack soon."

  He turned toward Jennings with an icy, accusing stare. "The U. S. will be one of the countries to recognize Swei's government, won't it, Mr. Director? You know they killed our people at the embassy, and you know what they've done to the Burmese people, but we will recognize his government, won't we?"

  Jennings lowered his eyes. "Probably. An open Burma means new markets. There are those in our government who believe we have to live with Swei to help American companies get into the country before the Japanese . Or the Germans.

  I've argued against it for the reasons you've stated, but they won't listen without solid proof. Industrial competition for markets is another kind of war, and America's businessmen don't like to lose."

  Josh knew Jennings was not the enemy, so he simply shrugged. "I'm going, Mr. Director."

  Jennings nodded slowly in resignation. "We'll help you in any way we can, until the nineteenth. I'm sorry, Hawkins.

  I'm truly sorry."

  "... so do just like last time. Keep an eye on Stef and keep the business running."

  Bob's eyes were fixed on his boss. "And you can't tell me why or where you're going?"

  "Like I told ya on the phone, it's all legit. I asked Glenn to bring you over here so I could take care of things before I go. Take this. It's a letter of instructions if-"

  "Christ; Hawk, don't do this to me. You're worlds' for the CIA, aren't you?"

  Josh handed him the letter. "You're a smart guy, Bob. You know better than to ask me that. But no, I'm not working for the Agency. It's just something I have to do. Trust me. Don't tell a soul about my leaving except for Stef. She's not going to like it, but she'll understand. Tell everyone else I'm still recovering from my wounds and the location is being kept secret for security reasons."

  Bob lowered his head. "I still don't like it, Hawk. I don't like bodies on the pier and those four agents getting killed in the motel. I don't like it that Meg is in the hospital and that Stefne is worried sick about you. This is out of control and it has to stop. This isn't life-this is hell."

  "I know. But you have to trust me," Josh said. He stood and stuck out his hand. "Take care of her, Bob. It makes it easier for me. Do me one more favor, huh? Look in on Meg for me, and have one of the guys throw popcorn out for the sparrows now and then."

  "And the hunt?"

  "That's up to you. Just-"

  "I know. Leave him for when you get back," Bob said, trying to smile.

  Josh walked him back to the car where Grant was waiting.

  She looked into his eyes and said, "I don't like this, Josh. A few nights ago, I said you couldn't always stay in your little world, but I was wrong. Please don't leave. I don't want you to go."

  Josh leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks for bringing Bob. Go on. I'll see ya when it's over."

  She didn't move. "Josh, please listen to me. It's gotten too political. There's no guarantee the promises Jennings gave you will be fulfilled. It's out of his hands now. It's not worth it anymore."

  Josh said firmly, "It is to me." He broke into a jaded smile.

  "You're learning, Colonel. To them it's never as simple as right or wrong-it's what's good for the country. The problem is, none of us get to vote on what we think is good. The Burmese people know, and so do I." Josh gave her a last, lingering look, then turned and walked away into the darkness.

  Josh walked past the guard into the bedroom, where Stephen was sitting on the bed staring vacantly at the far wall with tear-filled eyes. He spoke in a whisper. "As I watched the detective's wife being buried this afternoon, I thought of Mya. There was no funeral for her, Joshua. She deserved ... she ..."

  Josh sat down and put his arm around Stephen's shoulder.

  "You have Jacob. Mya will always be with you through him like Jill is for me in Stefne."

  "Joshua, please don't come with me. You might never see Stefne again. I couldn't bear that."

  Josh closed his eyes and could hear the Shaduzup mission bell. Clang! Clang! Clang! He heard the people screaming as machine-gun bullets ripped through the air. The single gunshots and then the terrible silence, broken only by the last peal of the bell. No one was left to hear it-except him.

  Josh's jaw muscles rippled as he squeezed Stephen's shoulder. "I'm not going because of you. I'm going for me."

  PART II

  Chapter 24.

  Northwest Airlines Flight 434 landed in Bangkok at 16:55 P. M. Minutes later Josh and Stephen walked past the baggage area and headed directly toward the Customs and passport-control booth. Both men had no checked luggage, only carry-on bags. After showing their Agency-made American passports, they were headed for the terminal when a man stepped up behind Josh and said with a grin, "About time you got your ass here."

  Josh recognized the voice and turned around to face his previous operation commander, Buck McCoy. "You again, huh?" Josh said with a grin of his own.

  "The director thought you'd like to see a familiar face."

  McCoy turned to Stephen. "Speaking of faces, how's yours, Mr. Kang?"

  Stephen didn't speak but looked to Josh for an explanation.

  Josh motioned to the Agency man. "Stephen, meet Buck McCoy, our contact."

  "A pleasure, U McCoy. Thank you for helping us. Have you any recent news?" Stephen asked as he offered his hand.

  "Yeah, but not here. We need to move it." McCoy turned and gave a short nod to two other Caucasians wearing sunglasses and flowered shirts. One raised a small radio to his mouth, and the other walked through the door used by employees and scanned the sidewalk for possible threats.


  "Let's go," McCoy said. Josh and Stephen followed him outside to a new Mazda van parked by the curb. A mile from the airport McCoy finally turned around in the front passenger seat and looked at his passengers. "Sorry about the escort, but we're taking no chances. The DDSI has people in town. I'm taking you to a safe house where you can rest until tomorrow afternoon. We're gonna fly you within forty miles of the border, then Jeep you into Xu Kang's camp."

  "You said there were changes," Stephen said.

  McCoy lowered his eyes, indicating it was bad news.

  "Stephen, your father collapsed from exhaustion two days ago. He'd been working day and night for weeks and finally just keeled over."

  Stephen showed no emotion other than nodding his head once. Then he asked, "And my son?"