Rising Tiger

by Trevor Scott

  Since he was already sitting in an isolated area of the airport, Jake took the call and said, “Kurt. What’s up. I take it you got the files I sent you.”

  “Unfortunately. Where are you?”

  “Hong Kong airport.”

  “You were able to get out of Taiwan. Good. How’d you manage that? Never mind.” Kurt explained what he had found with the German files and what little he knew about the Chinese files from Taiwan.

  “This shouldn’t be such a huge surprise,” Jake said. “The defense companies have been sucking off the teat of government since our founding. They rely on conflict.”

  “I understand that, Jake, but this could be more insidious. I’ve been analyzing this data for hours—”

  “Are you drinking Scotch?” Jake asked his old friend.

  “What do you think?”

  “I think you retired too soon. That’s what I think. You’re only like sixty-five, right?”

  “You asshole. I’m fifty-five.”

  Jake laughed. “I asked you to go with me to Costa Rica bone fishing. You should have taken me up on the offer.”

  “Is that even a real fish?” Kurt asked.

  “I assure you it is. They call them bone fish because you get a boner when you catch one.”

  “Seriously?”

  “I just made that up,” Jake said. “So, what did you find out about the Taiwanese banking files?”

  Kurt hesitated and Jake guessed his friend was drinking more Scotch. Finally Kurt said, “I found the money transfer you had found for Bill Remington, but that was just the tip of the iceberg.” He went on to explain all the other transfers to various accounts around the world, and especially to those tax haven states.

  Jake gave a little whistle. “Wow. Do you still have access to the Agency computers?”

  “Not really.”

  “Would you like access?” Jake asked with a slight chuckle.

  “How do you. . .never mind. That might send up a flag somewhere. It’s better that we know before those who have taken money know we know.”

  “Good point. So we need to do this off books.”

  “What’s this we shit?”

  “Come on, Kurt. You know you’re bored stiff. I’m sure you don’t mind a little investigation. You still remember how to do that, right?”

  “Bite me.”

  Jake glanced around the airport terminal, and a Chinese man had just sat down a little too close to him. “Gotta go.”

  “Wait. Is there anything I can do to help you?”

  He thought for a moment and then said softly, “Yeah. Two untraceable Austrian nines with plenty of extra punch. Preferably from someone at my next location who hated our old friend.”

  “I’ll work on that,” Kurt said.

  Then Jake turned off his phone and stuck it into his pocket. He checked his watch and saw that his flight to Singapore would be boarding in a few minutes. He also thought about how long Kurt had been analyzing the files Jake had sent his old friend. Wow, the man had to really be bored to find out what he did in such a short period of time.

  Jake got on a plane from Hong Kong to Singapore using his Austrian passport. Once he got to Singapore he would use his Canadian passport to check into his hotel.

  ●

  The Asian man pulled out his phone after the man left his chair and headed down the concourse.

  Shangwei answered on the first ring. “Did you find our man?”

  “Yes, sir. I believe so. There are not a lot of single western men with his description who recently flew in on a chartered business plane from Taiwan.”

  “How many could there be?”

  “Just one. But this man has short hair.”

  “Hang on. I just sent you a text with a photo from the security camera at the business terminal in Taipei.”

  He turned his phone and waited for the text to come in. Although the photo wasn’t exactly clear, it was better than the useless photo from the Shilin Night Market taken by that concerned citizen. Without a doubt it was the man he had just sat next to.

  “That’s him, sir.”

  “Great. Keep your distance. He’s extremely dangerous.”

  “I understand.”

  “Do you know where he’s going?”

  “Yes, sir. He’s getting ready to board a plane to Singapore. Should I follow him?”

  “No. I’ve got that covered. Thanks.”

  The Asian man shrugged and stuck his phone back in his pocket. A hundred U.S. dollars for that? He wished he worked for Shangwei every day. He got up and wandered back down the concourse, dropping his unused one-way ticket to Guangzhou, China in the garbage can, a small price to pay for access to the secure area.

  8

  Singapore

  The island city-state of the Republic of Singapore sat at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula. Its position so close to the Equator gave it a constant temperature near ninety degrees, a sweltering heat that made it impossible to keep a shirt dry. Jake had been to Singapore a number of times, mostly just passing through on his way to another mission, and he found that the only change in the city was with the skyline. In fact, to Jake the place could have been anywhere in the world. It was just another big city with a diverse population of Chinese, Malaysians, Indians and European and American ex-pats. He knew that Singapore was one of the most important centers of business in the world. Most international companies had a Singapore office.

  Jake had gotten off his flight from Hong Kong and took a taxi to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino. This hotel was one of the most unique places Jake had ever seen—three fifty-five story buildings topped off by what looked like a cross between an airplane fuselage and a snake.

  As the taxi pulled up to this monstrous structure, the sun had already set and the building was lit up like a Vegas strip hotel. On the drive Jake had switched passports from Austrian to Canadian again. He got out and slung his backpack over one shoulder, confounding the bell captain at the door, who relied on tips for much of their income. Jake tipped the guys to go away and let him carry his own damn bag.

  The front desk had a line of some of the most beautiful women Jake had ever seen, all eager with smiles to check him in.

  “Before you assign me a room,” Jake said. “Please check to see if my wife has already checked in.”

  The pretty young woman asked, “What is her name, sir?”

  He thought for a second, hoping she had taken his advice. “Alexandra Kline.” He spelled the last name for her.

  She typed away at her keyboard and said, “Yes, sir. Room fifty-five twenty-five.”

  “The top floor?”

  “Yes, sir. It’s a suite. Very nice.”

  “Wonderful.” He got the key card, instructions for breakfast, and a password for the internet, before taking off for the bank of elevators.

  “Sir, would you like help with your bag?”

  Jake turned and smiled. “No, thanks. I’ve got this.”

  He rose up the elevator and thought about the case so far. Although he was no closer to finding Bill Remington than the day he left Costa Rica, he was beginning to understand the complexity of the case. The Chinese were obviously making bold moves to increase their power and influence in the world. And the best way to do that was to knock down the current leaders.

  Jake got to his room and hesitated at the door. He wasn’t sure if Alexandra would be sleeping. When the door suddenly opened, Jake couldn’t help checking her over from top to bottom. Her hair was a bit more full than he had ever seen it. Her red, white and blue T-shirt from the Montreal Canadians hung down to her bare legs. It appeared to be the only thing she wore.

  She let him in and locked the door behind her.

  Jake set down his backpack and turned to her. She immediately embraced him in a tight bear hug, her right hand moving up to his hair and feeling the stubble.

  “What did you do?” she asked.

  He pulled away and looked at her expressive eyes. “I had to cut it in
Taipei. Someone took a picture of me with the banker just before he was killed. It was a lot easier doing this without everyone with cell phone cameras.”

  Alexandra went over and sat on the bed, her shirt riding up higher on her bare legs. “I agree. I’m beginning to hate the damn things.”

  “So. . .the Habs?”

  She was confused.

  “The Habs,” he repeated. “The Montreal Canadians hockey team. You’re wearing their jersey.”

  “This?” She pulled it out from her body at both breasts, making the shirt even shorter. “What’s a Hab?”

  “Nobody knows.”

  “It’s French,” Alexandra said. “Short for the word Habitant, or an Inhabitant of Montreal.”

  Jake let out a sigh.

  “I picked up the shirt at the Montreal airport on my way here. I had to ask the clerk what the H stood for.”

  He wasn’t sure about their current relationship. Part of him wanted to rip that shirt off her and discover anew her wonderful body. But on the phone they had agreed to be partners. Did that mean strictly business? Or something more? Perhaps a regression to their former status as lovers.

  “Are you all right, Jake?”

  He scratched the short hair on his head. “Yeah. Just a little tired.”

  She got up from the bed and lifted the shirt over her head, exposing her firm naked body, her large breasts pointing right at him, the nipples hard from the air conditioned room or excitement. “I hope you aren’t too tired.”

  Without answering, he stripped down and the two of them went at it like high school kids expecting their parents at any time. When they both finished, the two of them lay in bed, their naked bodies pressed together as one, Alexandra behind him, her fingers curling through his chest hair.

  “Thank you,” she whispered into his ear.

  “You don’t have to thank me for that,” he said.

  She slapped his chest. “Not for that, although that was wonderful. I meant for taking me on as your partner. I really need this, Jake.”

  He turned his head and kissed her cheek. “I’m happy you’re with me.”

  “What have you found out so far?”

  Jake turned his body to her and said, “I downloaded your files to my laptop. You were right about Kreuzwelt Industries.” He explained how he had sent a copy of the files to his old boss, Kurt Jenkins, who had done a quick analysis. “They were stupid to keep all of their skeletons on that computer. It makes sense that they wanted to keep you out.”

  Alexandra put her hand to her mouth and a tear came from the edge of her right eye.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked her.

  “I was attacked at my apartment just before I left. I was forced to kill three men.”

  He checked over her body and found the bruise on her left arm. “Are you all right? What’s this?”

  “I quickly put in an IV and sprayed my blood all over my apartment.”

  “Jesus. Your Service will think you’re dead. Or at least kidnapped. Who were they?”

  “I don’t know for sure. They all wore masks, but they were Asian. Probably Chinese.”

  “How did they find you?”

  “That’s my problem, Jake. I shed no tears for those I was forced to kill. I’m concerned about how they tracked me down. I was very careful. I was set up with a car, an apartment, an entire identity. And I made damn sure nobody followed me to my real apartment after I got the information.”

  Jake sat up and then put on his underwear. He turned to Alexandra and said, “You’ve got a problem at BND. Someone sent those killers your way. How many people knew you were undercover at Kreuzwelt Industries?”

  Alexandra stood up and thought about that, with Jake having a hard time not ravishing her again. God she had a beautiful body, he thought.

  “It’s a short list,” she said. “My boss there. Perhaps a couple more people. I set up my own apartment and car, buying it with cash from a dealer. Of course our techs who make our credentials would know my name and address, but nothing more. They wouldn’t give out my real address.” As she talked, she quickly put on her undergarments and then sat back on the bed while she pulled on her pants. “Where are we going? It’s almost ten.”

  “Before we do anything in Singapore, I have to see a man about a horse.”

  She laughed. “Do you remember the last time you told me that?”

  “France, I think. But we actually found some horses in Montana.”

  “Good memory. But what are we really going to get?”

  “Two Glocks and some extra magazines.”

  “From who?”

  “I know a guy.” Well, he knew a guy who knew a guy.

  The two of them spent the next two hours traveling around the city, picking up various taxis, city buses, the MRT metro system, and simply walking along the river paths, until Jake was damn sure they were not being followed.

  Now they stood against a railing in relative darkness, away from the restaurants and bars in Singapore’s Clarke Quay region, where tourists rode slowly in boats below on the river.

  “Why all the caution?” Alexandra asked.

  Jake wasn’t entirely sure about that. “You know me. I like to be thorough. I picked up a tail at the Hong Kong airport.”

  “How is that possible? I thought you flew there on a business charter.”

  “I did. But someone must have caught me getting on that flight in Taipei.”

  She moved closer to him, like a lover snuggling for warmth, despite the hot, muggy evening. She whispered, “Who do you think it was?”

  Jake shrugged. “Probably one of Remington’s Agency assets.”

  “You think he knows you’re after him?”

  “That’s what I’m hoping,” Jake said. “There’s no other way to find the man.”

  Alexandra gazed into his eyes with concern. “And you still trust this contact providing guns?”

  Wrapping his hand at the small of her back, Jake said, “I think so. There are a number of factions within the Agency. Some are obviously still loyal to Bill Remington, and others are associates of Kurt Jenkins.”

  “And this is one of Kurt’s guys?”

  “Yeah. A young officer with no ties to Remington.” Jake checked his watch. It was ten minutes after midnight. They guy was late.

  “Based on the photo you showed me on your phone, young is the correct term,” she said with a slight laugh.

  The way the two of them stood, the river to one side, she could look over his shoulder in one direction and Jake could observe anyone coming from the other way. Finally, Jake saw the young officer approach. He wore dark clothing and carried a man-satchel across his shoulders. But he was limping like a wounded animal, a grimace of pain on his face.

  “Here we go,” Jake said, pulling away somewhat from Alexandra.

  Then Jake saw the man’s left leg had a wound, with blood leaving a trail behind him.

  Jake closed the distance on the guy, his eyes instinctively scanning for danger. “What happened?” Jake asked the man.

  The Agency man stopped and glanced behind him. “Sorry I’m late. It’s nice to meet you, Jake. I’ve heard so many good things.” He was definitely in extreme pain. But something had compelled him to complete his mission.

  “What happened?” Jake repeated.

  “I followed protocol,” he said. “Doubled back numerous times. Took all precautions. But someone caught up with me coming through Chinatown.”

  Alexandra closed in, but she kept her distance to protect Jake’s backside. “Gunshot or knife?” she asked.

  “Gunshot. Small caliber. I’ll be all right. It was an Asian man. He used a silencer.” His words were clipped and painful. He took off the satchel and handed it to Jake.

  “We need to get you to a hospital,” Jake said.

  “No. You need to get going,” the Agency man said vehemently.

  “We’re not going to leave you here alone,” Alexandra said.

  “Who is she?”
>
  Jake didn’t answer. “Who knew you were coming here?”

  “Nobody. I got the call directly from Mister Jenkins.”

  “And you told no one?” Jake asked.

  He shook his head.

  “Well someone found out.” Jake looked back at the trail of blood and knew that was trouble. Then he saw the Asian man appear from the side of a restaurant. “He followed your blood trail.”

  The man instinctively turned to see who Jake was looking at.

  Jake reached into the satchel and felt two guns, along with a number of extra magazines. Just as he pulled one gun from the satchel, the Asian man raised his gun and started shooting.

  By the time Jake got his new Glock up to a firing position, two bullets had already struck his Agency contact, dropping him to the pavement.

  Jake fired twice and the man vectored to his left behind a tree.

  “Go,” the Agency man yelled.

  Alexandra had found the other gun and then strapped the satchel over her shoulders. “We’ve gotta go, Jake. We’ve got more company.”

  Jake hated to leave the Agency man bleeding on the sidewalk, but he had no choice. He now saw another man coming from behind Alexandra. Then a woman lurked in the darkness from the third angle, a gun at the side of her leg. They were not only outnumbered, but they were outflanked.

  Just as the pursuers raised their guns, Jake grabbed Alexandra and rushed toward the railing. Knowing they had no other choice, the two of them grasped the railing and flung themselves over and into the river.

  When Jake hit the water, he was sure to hold onto the gun with all his strength. Before rising to the surface, he could hear muffled gunshots. As he kicked and rose to the surface, Jake aimed toward the sidewalk, firing twice at the man at the rail. One of his bullets hit the guy, dropping him like a sack of rice.

  The flow of the river pulled him downstream in a hurry. He swiveled around searching for Alexandra but couldn’t see her anywhere in the darkness. Within a minute he was downstream and out of range of those who had shot at him. But still there was no sign of Alexandra.

  Jake tried his best to stay out near the middle of the river, not wanting to get caught up in anything along the edge of the high walls on each side.