First Target

by Robin Mahle

  “Have you seen how crowded this city is?” He smiled. “No, well, I guess you haven’t. Sorry about that, Merrick.”

  “You know, you can call me Lacy. I’m not one of you guys.”

  “What do you mean, one of us guys?”

  “I’m not an agent or anything. I just do civilian work for the Bureau.”

  “Oh, I see. Here I thought you were the one who risked her life to make sure the world knew exactly what happened last summer. In my book, that makes you ‘one of us,’ Merrick.” He squinted through the rays of a late afternoon sun. “That’s it. Up ahead. We’re almost there now. Just a quarter mile or so and we’ll be home. There will be Beijing Police in front.”

  She snapped her head toward him. “What?”

  “Head down, Merrick.”

  “Sorry.” She shed her gaze once again toward the sidewalk and her every step.

  “Unfortunately, they’re a recent addition,” Shaw continued. “Mostly plainclothes, so we won’t see them.”

  “Why would they be guarding the US Embassy? Because of the sanctions?”

  “They aren’t guarding it so much as they’re keeping their citizens from entering the compound to claim asylum. See, a few years ago, a Chinese police chief ran inside a US Consulate to do just that. Shortly after, several police closed off the road to the consulate. It was a giant clusterfuck, pardon my French.”

  “Why would he have done that?”

  “The truth? No one knows. Rumor has it he was going to be charged with corruption or something. I can’t recall exactly. Anyway, it’s known that the Chinese now place a few plainclothes cops near the entrance just in case. They don’t want another embarrassment like that happening again.”

  “Okay. So what if they recognize me?”

  “They won’t. Not if we’re just strolling in. They won’t approach us. I don’t think they will, anyway.”

  A strange sensation crawled up her spine and the hairs on her neck stood. She gripped Shaw’s hand and caught his attention. “Someone’s coming up on us.”

  Shaw didn’t look back. “Just keep walking. I’m sure it’s nothing. Stay calm. We’ll make it through.”

  On a small, clay airstrip, the Cessna touched ground, rolling and bumping over the divots and minor potholes on the runway. With only an hour to get into place, and the sun falling farther behind the horizon, they needed to move quickly.

  Caison turned on his cell and waited for a sign that Lacy had made it to the embassy. And as the signal provided service, there was nothing. No email, no voicemail, or text message. “Should we try her or Shaw?”

  Axell glanced at Caison’s phone before checking his own. “No. Not just yet. They might’ve had their phones confiscated if they’re talking to a member of the embassy. We’ve got to do what we came here to do. That has to stay at the forefront of your mind. Lacy can take care of herself. And so can Shaw.”

  “Okay. Listen, there was something I wanted to propose.” He waited for Maddox to emerge from the cockpit. “Is it worthwhile to get a confession from him?”

  “From Yang?” Maddox began. “You mean, ask him to admit he’s getting money and resources from the CIA to plan an attack in Beijing? You can’t be serious, Caison? Even if we did get a confession from him, you really think he’d survive long enough to make it back to the US? There are plenty case officers here, unaware of the operation, who would be more than willing to take care of him for Handley. There’s no point in considering that scenario. Because if they, the director, the president, and anyone else involved, discovered we had Yang’s confession, they won’t stop at him. They’ll take all of us out. Without hesitation.”

  “I’m sorry, Caison, but we have to stick to the plan,” Axell said. “It’s the only thing we can do to stop this.”

  “For right now. What about a year from now? The president just began his second term. He’s got three more years to accomplish his goal.”

  “Yes, he does. And I can’t say with any certainty this will end today. It might end for Yang, but not for us. That’s something we’ll have to consider afterwards. Not right now.” Axell began to emerge from the plane in the dusky light.

  Maddox patted Caison on the back. “I know where you’re coming from, and believe me, I’ve been in your shoes before. Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do to prevent something worse from happening. Today is one of those days.” He continued down the steps and joined Axell. “Are we going to be able to rely on him to have our backs? There’s no telling what we’re going to come up against once we get there.”

  “He’ll come through. I have no doubt.”

  An old minivan waited nearby. The driver appeared to be another CIA beneficiary. It astounded Caison all the money they had access to. Here he was, always watching the FBI’s pennies and these guys made it rain for whoever would do their bidding.

  They stepped inside the van with Maddox in the front seat. He nodded to the driver. “Let’s roll. We’re on the clock now.”

  Caison looked to Axell. “I hope we’re doing the right thing.”

  “So do I.”

  “Don’t worry, boys. This is for the good of the country,” Maddox replied.

  “Which one? Ours or theirs?” Caison asked. “How far is it?”

  “Minutes. We’ll be there soon.”

  He wasn’t far off the mark, and inside of thirty minutes, they’d arrived on the outskirts of Kashgar, the village where the beginning of a revolution was about to take place with the US government in the shadows, conducting the orchestra.

  “I just got confirmation,” Maddox peered at his cell phone. “Yang’s due to arrive within the hour. Let’s get into place.” He emerged from the van as the sun had almost disappeared behind the mountains.

  Caison and Axell stepped outside in the air that had turned much colder since they left Chengde. Kashgar was the region’s oldest city and housed a large mosque where the head of that mosque was killed last year by members of the Party. Since then, tensions in the region had continued to rise, and this was what Yang had counted on.

  “Here, put these on.” Maddox handed them the hats.

  “What are these?” Caison asked.

  “Doppas. The traditional hats worn by the Uyghurs.”

  “I hardly think we’ll pass for Uyghurs,” Axell replied.

  “No doubt, whitey. But in the dark, wrapped in a coat, it’ll offer some camouflage. It’s all I’ve got.”

  “Fine.” Caison put on the triangular, pointed hat and pulled up the collar of his coat. “Really wish I’d grown a beard right about now.”

  “Wouldn’t matter. The Party outlawed men with large beards from riding public buses and since most of these people don’t have their own cars, they had no choice but to shave. So you’re not that out of place.”

  “Jesus. Really?”

  “Yeah. Really. The Chinese government has brought this on themselves. They’ve banned nearly everything related to the Islamic religion for these people. Look, I ain’t got no sympathy for terrorists, believe you me. Nor this shit commie government, especially after what they did to ours. But they’ve turned these people into extremists, some of them anyway. And this is the price they’ll pay for it.”

  “Isn’t that what we’re here to stop? An attack?” Axell said.

  “It is. But this won’t be the last attempted uprising. Just hopefully the last one funded by good ol’ Uncle Sam. We don’t need that shit hanging over our heads. That much we can agree on. I came here to keep these Chinks from stealing our tech and keeping tabs on their nukes. This terrorist bullshit? Not my thing.” Maddox closed the sliding door on the van. “Time to go. We’ll need to split up. I’ll head to Fatima’s joint. You two go to Mehmut’s. I can’t be sure where he’ll go first. But it will be one of these two places.” He tossed them walkie-talkies. “When you have eyes on the target, let me know and I’ll do the same. Get your shot and take it. Once that happens, we’ll meet here.” He held out a map. “Two clicks in
either direction. Bust your asses back to this point and the van will pick you up. He won’t wait, so once you give me the signal, you best be on your way back.”

  “Better start hoofing it now,” Axell said.

  The team split up, heading in opposite directions as Caison peered over his shoulder, ensuring they weren’t being followed.

  “Tell me he’ll follow through and make sure we get the hell out of here.”

  “If you’re having doubts now, Caison, you’re a day late and a dollar short. Don’t second-guess. Just do what we came here to do. If we don’t make it, then so be it.”

  “Copy that.”

  Chapter 25

  The echo in Lacy’s ears stemmed from her labored breathing as she tried to keep focus on her steps. Everything around her, all the noise, the traffic, and people, she tuned out and listened only to the footsteps behind her. And how they seemed to escalate.

  Shaw must have picked up on it too as his pace quickened, but not so much that it drew attention from anyone except perhaps the person who now followed them. “We’re almost there.”

  His words were faint as her pounding heart replaced the shallow breaths reverberating in her head.

  The iron gates of the embassy loomed large as Lacy and Shaw made their approach. On the inside, Americans stood watch. Whether they were armed, Lacy couldn’t tell, but assumed they had firearms strapped to their waists beneath the heavy overcoats. Given the recent tensions between the two countries, she wasn’t surprised by the presence of the guards. Relations had deteriorated rapidly in the past few months as sanctions took hold. In fact, what had surprised her was that the embassy was still open. But there were many Americans who lived and worked here, though for how long would largely depend on the success or failure of Trevor and Will’s mission.

  “Okay, Merrick. Keep moving forward. I’m going to have to come in with you,” Shaw said.

  “You can’t.”

  “Just go.” His grave tone meant this was not a request.

  At any moment, the person following them could rip her from his grip. Lacy had to keep moving, knowing that Shaw was now risking exposure. “Okay.”

  “Good.” Shaw moved closer to the entrance, holding Lacy’s hand as he had the entire way. “Get your passport out of your pocket and step in front of me.”

  Shaw fell back only slightly while Lacy retrieved the document. He had positioned himself between her and the person who followed. But as they drew nearer, the steps seemed to fall back a little. Both now held their identification as they approached the guard gate.

  “Good evening. How can I help you?” the guard asked, seemingly oblivious to whoever followed them.

  “We need to replace my companion’s travel visa. Seems she dropped her passport in a puddle of water and it’s become difficult to read.” He nodded for her to display her passport and managed a brief glance behind them.

  “I see. You know we’re about to close up for the night.”

  “I understand, but we’ve been travelling most of the day in hopes of arriving before that happened. Do you think we could go in, please?”

  The guard studied the two of them.

  Lacy grew uncomfortable at the length of time he was taking to make a decision and she instinctively cast a brief glance over her shoulder, immediately regretting the decision. The person behind them had fallen back some, but she knew he wasn’t on their side. He had to have been the police, or worse.

  “Ma’am? You looking for something?” he asked her.

  “No, sir. Just felt a bit of a chill. It’s getting quite cool out.”

  Shaw looked to her with an tentative glance. “It is cold.”

  The guard began to nod. “That it is. You can go in. But I don’t know how much you’ll accomplish today. They might make you come back tomorrow.” He began to step aside while another released the lock on the gate.

  Lacy’s hackles raised as she felt the man from behind reach for her arm. “Hey!”

  “What the hell are you doing?” Shaw said as he tried to pull her from his grip.

  The guard reached for his gun. “Back off. They’re Americans.”

  “We’ve been ordered to take her into custody. Now.” The Beijing police officer refused to release her.

  They found her and were about to take her away. She wanted to run. Pull away from this man and run inside the gates. They were so close. The gates were partially opened. “Let me go! I’m an American. This is my embassy. I have a right to go in.”

  The guard reached for his radio and called for assistance after motioning for the guards on the inside of the gate to approach. “You’d better explain yourself, officer,” he said.

  In his fractured English, the officer continued. “She is to be remanded into our custody.”

  “For what reason?” Shaw’s voice raised in the growing chaos. “She’s done nothing wrong. You have the wrong person.”

  “Okay. You need to let this woman go. Now!” The guard brandished his weapon. “She’s a US citizen on embassy grounds. You’re in violation of the China-US Consular Treaty. Stand down!”

  Several patrol cars arrived, screeching to a halt in front of the embassy. The officer’s eyes remained fixed on the guard. And as more US guards approached, the situation escalated. If this man didn’t release Lacy, things were going to go from bad to worse and Lacy and Shaw would be in the crossfire.

  The officer finally released Lacy’s arm. She yanked it away and tried to steady herself because beneath her coat, she trembled.

  “Go in. Now.” The guard continued to hold aim on the Beijing officer until they were both inside the gates. “Close ‘em!”

  “We’re okay. We’re inside now. Everything’s okay.” Shaw turned to see the scene that had erupted. A scene he thought he was prepared for, but in the end, had turned much uglier than he’d anticipated.

  Lacy gasped for air and tried to slow her breath. “Oh my God. What the hell was that?”

  “He must’ve recognized you. My God, if we’d been just a few more feet away. I don’t know that we would’ve made it.” He reached for her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  “I will be.”

  “Good. We’d better get inside while we can. There’s a shit storm brewing out here.”

  Axell held up his hand. “This is the place. Hang back.” He stepped behind the corner of the building beneath a dark grey sky. The fading light made it all the more difficult to continue.

  Caison followed as the two waited and checked the time. “Ten minutes,” he whispered.

  “Assuming he’s on schedule,” Axell replied in the same hushed response. “We’ll just have to sit tight.”

  “You know how good I am at doing that.”

  He peered back at Caison. “About as good as me.” With gun at the ready, he returned to position. “Hang on. I see headlights coming. Pull back a little.”

  “That’s got to be him, right, Mehmut?”

  “Could be Yang’s guy.” Axell peered at the approaching car. This was the moment he’d waited for. Justice. He would finally get justice for Keith Colburn. It was Yang who brought him down. He knew it and this was how he would handle the problem. Take him out on his own turf. Axell was doing this for no one else but Colburn. And if it meant preventing greater loss of life, good. But that wasn’t his first priority. Not by a long shot.

  “They’re getting out. Two men, I think.” Caison studied them, but the absence of light caused his vision to suffer. “Yeah. One of them is Yang.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure. I’d recognize the son of a bitch anywhere.”

  Another car approached.

  “Who the hell is that?” Caison asked.

  “I don’t know. We weren’t counting on the whole damn group to show. Shit.”

  “We’ll be outnumbered. Do we pull back? Get Maddox over here?”

  “Give me a minute.” Axell waited until those inside the second car exited. “It’s her. Fatima. I’m sure of it.
”

  “Oh no. What about Maddox? Should I try him on the radio?”

  “No. You might draw attention. Damn it. I don’t know who the other one is. Now we got four.” He watched as they walked into the building several feet from their current location. But just as he was about to pull back again, the trunk on the second car popped open. “What the hell?”

  Caison leaned over Axell’s shoulder for a better look. And as they watched, it didn’t take long to realize who had emerged. The man crouched down low and began walking away from the vehicle.

  “Holy shit.” Axell turned back. “That son of a bitch hid in the trunk.” He smiled and shook his head. “Crazy son of a bitch.”

  “Maddox,” Caison said. “He must’ve seen what was going down. That Yang showed up at Fatima’s first, but he couldn’t get a shot.”

  “Good thing for us. I’m starting to feel better about our odds.” Axell watched as their colleague approached, hunched over, and kicking up dirt from the road. “What the hell?”

  “Figured you guys might need some help.” Maddox returned upright once he’d joined them. “Hope you don’t mind.”

  “What happened?” Axell asked.

  “Yang showed up. She started talking about Mehmut, and shortly after, he took off with another guy. And since I didn’t want to expose Fatima, Yang told the other guy and her to follow them here. That he was going to get to the bottom of whatever was happening. So here we are. You got any bright ideas, Axell?”

  “They’re heading into Mehmut’s place. We’ll have to get a look inside. I have no idea how many are there. And there’s a chance we could get off a shot while he’s inside,” Axell said.

  “Sure. If you don’t mind dying tonight. I, for one, would rather get back to Beijing in one piece.” Maddox took the lead. “We’ll get a look-see inside and maybe pick up more intel on when this crazy ass attack is supposed to go down.”

  The embassy doors opened.

  “Go on. We’re safe here.”

  “You’ve risked your cover. It’s not too late for you to turn back. I can handle it from here.”