The two continued walking along Le Van Sy Street for another hundred yards or so until they reached a women’s clothing store that had just closed. There they turned right into a small alley.
When I reached the store, I peeked around the building and saw their outlines up ahead. Akil had taken hold of the girl’s hand, but it didn’t look like they were talking. I moved ahead. A motorbike zoomed by, but aside from that, the small lane was empty. On either side of the alley were typical Vietnamese homes: narrow, three-story buildings. I heard families talking, television sets playing loudly, children yelling, and the soulful notes of someone belting out a song on a karaoke machine.
I removed my knife from the sheath and held it close to my thigh, anticipating the right moment as Akil led me deeper into the residential area. He rounded another corner and when I reached it, it was much darker. It seemed like the perfect spot to ambush him and set the girl free.
But before I could make my move, someone else did.
Four men appeared from the shadows, and Akil reacted by shoving the girl into the path of the man closest to him. The collision helped Akil to avoid taking a pipe to the face and gave the girl an opportunity to run off.
I moved in quickly, striking the back of the head of the man nearest me with the butt of my knife, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious, his head making a loud thunk as it hit the pavement hard. One down. My surprise attack caused enough confusion for the other three men to stop their advances on Akil and focus on me.
The man nearest me stepped forward and swung a wild fist at my face. I jerked my head back, and he connected with air. I wasn’t planning on using deadly force, but given it was three against one, I changed my mind. I ducked to avoid his next swing and countered with a swipe of my blade cross his stomach. It cut deep enough for him to back off, clenching his stomach and grimacing in pain.
I wasted no time moving toward the man who wielded the metal pipe. He swung it down at me in a chopping motion. I sidestepped the pipe and delivered an open palm strike to his face, backing him up before following with a straight kick to the left side of his torso.
He doubled over, and I immediately struck the side of his head with my knee. His legs buckled for a second, but he kept himself upright as he wobbled from side to side. I crouched and delivered a swooping leg kick, taking his feet out from under him. He fell to his side, and I stuck the knife into his thigh. His femur stopped the blade.
I turned to face the third man. He held a knife out in front of him and randomly jabbed at me. These were novice fighters. There really was no need to kill; maiming would neutralize the situation. I dropped my defensive stance and smiled at him. “Give me your best shot.”
He accepted the challenge and lunged, knife first. I grabbed his hand at the wrist, pushed down, stepped off to the side and slammed the back of my fist straight into his face—not once, not twice, but thrice. The second punch produced blood; the third broke his nose.
He dropped his knife and used his other forearm to shield his face from further strikes. I kicked him in the groin instead and sent him to his knees. I then grabbed the back of his head and drove a knee into his face, snapping his head back and knocking him unconscious.
Two of the men were sleeping on the pavement; the other two were moaning and coddling their wounds. I yanked my knife out of the whimpering man’s thigh, but when I turned to look for Akil, he had disappeared.
Chapter 24
I continued down the alley, rounding another corner, sure that Akil hadn’t run in the direction we had come from. After ten feet or so, movement in the shadows behind two large trash containers caught my eye. Akil!
“Come out from there now!”
He didn’t move.
“Surely you don’t think I can’t see you.”
In the distance, I could hear men shouting. “Your friends have reinforcements. The way I see it, you can stay here and deal with this yourself or come with me. I’m not interested in hurting you. I just need information from you.”
“Who are you?” Akil asked.
“I’m the person who saved your life.”
The shouting got louder. “We’re running out of time here.”
He came out from behind the trash bin. “I live down this road.”
“No, they probably know where you live. Is there another way out of here?”
He nodded. “Yes, follow me.”
We ran through a narrow passageway between two buildings, hopped over a low wall and then continued for another fifteen feet or so before popping into another alley.
“Get us back to Le Van Sy Street, and I can take over from there,” I said.
“This way,” he said.
A couple of left and right turns and then a long straightaway put us back on Le Van Sy. “Where to now?” Akil asked as he nervously looked up and down the street.
I took over navigational duties and got us back to the safety of my hotel in less than ten minutes. The lobby was empty except for the young woman working the reception desk. She gave us a friendly smile as we entered, even though sweat poured down both of our faces.
“How was your evening?” she asked.
“It was fine thank you. I’ll be checking out tomorrow.”
“Okay. I’ll make a note of that. I hope your stay was enjoyable.”
“It was,” I said as we walked toward the elevator.
Once safely back in my room and with the door locked behind us, I drew my knife and confronted Akil.
“Hey, hey, you said you wouldn’t hurt me.”
“I won’t unless you give me a reason. Now listen carefully, as I don’t enjoy repeating myself. Given the situation, I need to establish a few ground rules.” I kicked the chair out from under the desk and motioned for Akil to take a seat.
“Wait, who are—”
“First rule. Don’t speak when I’m talking. Ignoring this would be a reason for hurting you. Now sit and listen.”
He reluctantly took a seat. I sensed he was still unsure of my threats and that he might test me. I had to hope he wasn’t that stupid. But stupid people can be stupid like that.
“Those men who attacked you, who were they?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“That wasn’t a mugging. It was an ambush—pre-meditated.” I wasn’t sure how long I had to remain with Akil, so I needed to know why he was attacked and whether I had to be concerned about it.
“I don’t know those men. I’ve never seen them before.”
I didn’t think he was being entirely truthful with me but I did think it was possible for him not to know them. There was also the bit about the Wolf putting a contract on his head, though that was what I found confusing. Clearly they weren’t professionals. Surely he didn’t hire them. But I had been wrong before.
“Those men should have killed you tonight, but they didn’t because of me. If you feel safe now, realize it’s temporary. Those men will continue to come after you.”
“What do you want from me?”
“I’m glad you asked. Rule number two. If you don’t help me, I won’t hesitate to kill you. Am I clear thus far?”
Akil’s posture stiffened. He swallowed hard as his eyes shifted from side to side.
“Whatever plan of escape your tiny brain is conjuring right now won’t work. If I can easily dispatch four men with very little effort, believe me, I can do the same with you.”
“I don’t know you. How can I help you?”
I quickly reminded him about that day in the clinic, how Delacroix faked the death of my baby.
“You were the woman?”
“Yes, and you played a role in that kidnapping.”
“I had nothing to do with that. I’m not a nurse or a doctor. I was hired for security.”
“Who hired you?”
“Some man, an Asian man. He said nothing about kidnapping a baby. They told me I would be guarding a very important person. That’s it. I didn’t even know you were there t
o have a baby.”
“Security. That’s it?”
“Yes.”
“Well, Akil, it seems you’re not as useful as I thought you would be.” I raised my knife.
“Wait, wait! Don’t hurt me. I can help you.”
“How?”
“The Wolf. That’s who you’re after, right?”
Up until that point, I hadn’t mentioned the Wolf’s name. “You’re withholding information from me, Akil. Not a smart thing to do. How do you know the Wolf?”
“You want him, right? Okay, then you must help me.”
“You are not in a position to negotiate with me.”
“I have information you need. If you want it, you’ll help me.”
“If you are lying to me, Akil, it will be the last lie you tell.”
“I promise. I have information. Just help me get away from those men. Help me get out of the country.”
You poor fool. “I’ll let you in on a little secret, only because you have no idea the trouble you’re in. The man behind the kidnapping, the Wolf, he’s put a contract on your head.”
“What?”
“In an effort to keep me from finding him, he’s decided to eliminate everyone involved with the birth.” I then told Akil what happened to Delacroix, Feki, and his ex-girlfriend, Yesmine.
Akil’s mouth fell open, and he stuttered aimlessly before managing a complete sentence. “She’s dead? Are you sure?”
“I watched her fall from her balcony. A professional assassin threw her over the railing, in front of her children. That same assassin also shot Midou Feki in the head with a sniper rifle. I had conversations with both of them shortly before they were killed.”
He wiped a hand over his face while his left leg bounced in quick succession. “You’re talking to me. That means I’m next. Those men who attacked me earlier…they’re assassins?”
“They could be. It’s possible they tracked you down because of me.”
“You led them to me?” Akil began to fidget in the chair and rub the top of his thighs.
“Calm down. I don’t know that. I’m hypothesizing. But if I found you, so could they.”
“You have to help me,” he said, holding his hands up as if he were about to pray.
“There’s a contract on your head. There’s nothing I can do about that. However, I can escort you out of the country.”
“Yes. Get me to Cambodia—Phnom Penh—and I’ll tell you everything I know about the Wolf.”
“Fine. We’ll take the first flight tomorrow morning.”
“No. We can’t fly. I don’t have my passport.”
I let out a dismissive breath. “What did I tell you about being truthful?”
“I’m not lying. I mean, I didn’t know. Everything is moving so quickly. It’s hard to think. I’m sorry. But we can get there by bus. It’s not far.”
“You still need a passport to cross the border.”
He shook his head. “We can bribe the immigration guards at the border. I’ve done it before. It’s not hard.”
Traveling by bus wasn’t ideal. I didn’t want to spend any more time with this piece of filth than needed. “Once in Phnom Penh, then what?”
“I give you the information.”
Chapter 25
Akil and I talked a bit longer about how we would move over land to Phnom Penh. Out of habit, I wanted to assess the situation and try to prevent any unnecessary surprises, but there was always the chance that he would undermine my efforts.
“I promise you. This is the best way to go,” Akil said. “We take a bus from Ho Chi Minh. At the border, we give the bus driver some money, and he’ll take care of the immigration officials. It’s very easy.”
“And then we continue on the same bus to Phnom Penh?”
“Yes. That’s it. Simple.” Akil stretched his arms out, palms up.
The plan sounded too easy, and easy always had a way of masquerading as impossible.
I took a seat at the foot of the bed, away from Akil, and we sat in silence. I thought about what I was about to agree to, and I didn’t like it. I shuddered at the thought of spending more time with this man. He had molested Yesmine’s daughter and who knew how many others. He had planned to do the same thing to that young girl he was with earlier. The thought of him doing the same thing to my daughter briefly entered my mind again. My stomach turned. I should have let those men kill him. He’ll never stop on his own. Death was the only true rehabilitation available for men like him.
While Akil disgusted me, I had to look at the bigger picture. This wasn’t about him; this was about finding my daughter. If helping him brought me one step closer to reuniting with her, then I was willing to make my peace with what I was about to do. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to get her back.
“I know what you are,” I said, turning my head toward him.
“Huh?” Akil shook off his thoughts. “What are you talking about?”
“I know what you did to Yesmine’s daughter. I know why you came to Vietnam. I know what you were planning with that little girl tonight.”
He waved a dismissive hand at me and I shot off the bed straight at him. My right fist connected with the left side of his face. Smack! I followed with a left and then another right. The last punch knocked him off of the chair.
He lunged forward, arms stretched out to tackle me, but instead I introduced my knee to his face. His head snapped back, and his legs buckled. I jumped onto his chest, straddling him. I had my knife drawn and pressed against his neck.
He was still stunned from my counterattack and wasn’t fully aware of how close he had come to losing his life. The way he reacted to my earlier comment angered me to no end. How could he be so matter of fact with something so sickening? I leaned in, my face inches from his. I could feel his hot breath. “Don’t ever dismiss me when I speak to you. Is that understood?
He nodded, and I pulled back.
“You are a coward who preys on the weak,” I said as I stood up.
“And what are you?” Akil still sat on the floor, leaning back on his hands. “You are like those men who are after me. You kill people. You are no better than me.”
“No, that’s where you’re wrong. I kill people who don’t deserve to live, people who contribute nothing positive to this world.”
I used duct tape I had purchased earlier to secure his hands behind his back. I then did the same with his ankles and left him on the floor while I took a seat on the bed. We stayed like that until sunrise, a little before six. Akil said the first bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh left at eight fifteen a.m.
I took a quick shower, leaving the bathroom door open as well as the shower curtain, so I could keep an eye on him. I toweled off, changed into my clothes, and then cut Akil’s hands and ankles free. “Take a shower. You smell.”
Sunlight flooded the room as I pulled the drapes open. I noticed an envelope had been slipped under the door. It was my checkout notice. I already prepaid for the night so there was nothing we needed to do but leave.
After Akil finished showering, he dressed and walked out of the bathroom. “We need to stop by my apartment so I can get a few items.”
“No.”
“But I have nothing. No clothes. No—”
“I don’t care.”
“But I—”
“I’ll give you the benefit of doubt and assume, because it’s early in the morning, that you’re not stupid enough to believe you can safely waltz right back into your apartment to pack a bag after what just happened.” I glanced at my watch. “We’ve got an hour before the bus leaves. How long will it take us to get to the bus terminal?”
“Buses heading out of the country leave from Pham Ngu Lao Street. It’ll take us twenty minutes by taxi to get there,” he said as he walked over to the window and stared outside. We were high enough that we looked over the adjacent building. Rooftops of homes and apartments as far as we could see.
I swung my knapsack over my shoulders and turne
d to Akil. That was when I noticed a flash from a rooftop in the distance. “Akil!”
I darted forward and tackled him to the floor just as sniper bullet pierced the window and lodged itself in the opposite wall.
“They’re shooting at me! I thought you said those men from last night weren’t professionals?”
“They didn’t appear to be, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t. There could be more than one assassin trying to collect the bounty on your head. We can’t stay here. We have to leave now.”
We crawled on our hands and knees and exited the room. The hotel had six floors, and I led Akil to the stairwell. “That sniper was positioned on the roof of a building about seventy or eighty feet away. You should be dead. That’s twice I saved your life. You better have information I can act on.”
“What do we do?”
“We need to get out of here. It’s too dangerous to stay here any longer.”
The stairwell led to a crowded lobby. A group of Chinese tourists were milling around the lobby, most likely heading out on an organized tour.
“Miss Bouchon,” said the lady behind the reception desk.
“Yes.”
“Will you need transport to the airport?”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Are you sure? The hotel has a free shuttle bus.”
“We not heading to the airport. Thank you.”
We joined the group of Chinese tourists and followed them out of the hotel.
“Bouchon? Is that your real name?” Akil asked.
“That’s of no concern to you,” I said, dismissing him quickly. Up until that point, the information I had given Akil was limited, and my name wasn’t a part of it.
I kept my eyes peeled, but the truth was I had no idea what the person who shot at us looked like or if he had eyes on us. If it were me at the other end of that rifle, I would have moved in after my first shot missed the target. I had to assume he was on foot.
The Chinese tour group headed toward a large tour bus about twenty feet away. There were a couple of taxis parked in front of it. “Follow me,” I said.
We stuck with the group right up until we reached the bus and then peeled away and hurried into the nearest taxi. A few seconds later, the taxi drove out of the hotel parking lot, and we were on our way.
Contract: Sicko (Sei Assassin Thriller Book 2) Page 8
