Page 13 of Cheating the Devil
CHAPTER 11
“Jase, this is Brad and Cameron,”Carter said, keeping the introduction brief in his three-room suite at the resort. “It’s their women who are missing.”
Over the past two hours, they hadn’t learned anything more, but did change their minds about filing a missing person’s report on both women. As expected, though, the local cops weren’t much help. While Brad and Jordyn were able to convince the detective they spoke to that Avery and Lori had been in the wrecked taxi, the man’s hands were tied without any witnesses. The driver was still unconscious at the hospital and the detective would interview him if he woke up. Other than that, the cops were currently useless to Brad.
Cameron stepped forward and held out his hand. “Thanks for coming.”
“You’re welcome.” Jase Atwood accepted the handshake and then another one from Brad, before clapping his friend’s shoulder. “Where’s Jordy? If I’ve got to stare at your ugly mug, I need her beauty to counteract the effects.”
“Here I am.” Jordyn exited the bedroom, where she’d changed into black leggings, a T-shirt, and sneakers—definitely not an “I’m on vacation in the Caribbean” look. It was more of an“I’m an assassin on the hunt” look. “And you know better than to call me that. It’s bad enough Carter does, buthim, I have to put up with—you, I don’t.” Despite her words and annoyed tone, she walked up to Jase and gave him a friendly hug and a peck on his cheek. “Didn’t think we’d be seeing you again so soon, but I’m not complaining. Welcome to the party.”
“Thanks for the invite. All right, fill me in.”
As they took seats around the suite’s dining table, Brad studied the newcomer. In his midthirties, he stood about six one and carried around two-hundred pounds of solid muscle. Dressed in cargo shorts and a T-shirt, he blended right in with the island’s tourist population. His light- brown hair was just long enough to skim the neckline of his T-shirt, and his mocha-colored eyes didn’t seem to miss a trick. From what Carter had told him, the man was a mercenary of sorts and a contract agent of Trident Security, a Florida-based company comprised of bad-ass operatives, most of whom had come from the US military’s special-ops community. They also had other employees who’d come from the varying alphabet soup agencies employed by the government, such as the FBI, ATF, DEA, NSA, etc. Trident was one of the best private-security companies in the US, and their multiple governmental contracts and successful mission rates were a testament to the fact. Brad and Avery had met one of the two brothers who owned the company at the party when Frisco had proposed to Haven. Ian Sawyer was a sarcastic son of a bitch, and Brad had liked him immediately. Sawyer was a bit of a legend in the Navy SEALs. Although most of his missions were classified, it was a good bet most of the rumors about his remarkable actions, leadership, and heroics on some hairy missions were probably true. Several of his SEAL Team Four teammates had followed him and his brother Devon into the private sector, having no doubts the new company would be a success. If Trident employed this guy, Jase, and Carter andJordyn were also vouching for him, that was good enough for Brad.
As they finished filling Jase in with what little they knew, Carter’s phone rang, and he answered it after a quick glance at the screen. “Reardon, tell me you got something.” He paused then snapped his fingers and gestured that he needed a pen and piece of paper. Jordyn slid both toward him, then started typing on the laptop in front of her. “Repeat that name ... Uh-huh.” He jotted down the information he was receiving, and Jordyn glanced at it, before returning to her computer. “Address ... Aliases? Relatives?”
“Got the photo Kenny sent me,” Jordyn announced.
Brad, Cameron, and Jase got up and stood behind her, looking at the image on the screen. Jordyn glanced up at Brad. “Recognize him?”
Staring at the older Asian man, Brad shook his head. “Never seen him before in my life.”
“Me neither,” added Cameron. “Who is he?”
Carter disconnected his call. “Lin Chao. A man with a huge axe to grind and nothing more to lose other than his life.”
“I’ll be happy to take care of that last item for him if he’s got Avery and Lori,” Brad said with a growl. Strangely the man’s name tickled his memory. He’d heard it before but couldn’t grasp where.
Folding his arms over his chest, Carter read from the paper he’d written on. “Sixty-four years old. Former Chinese national. His empire, built on illegal trade, crumbled in the aftermath of his son’s death.”
Paling, Brad got a queasy feeling in his gut. “Oh, shit.” Everyone looked at him, but his horrified gaze was pinned on Carter. “You mean his son’s assassination.”
The spy frowned and nodded. “Yes. Avery’s last mission.”
As Brad ran a hand down his face, trying not to throw up, Carter’s phone trilled again. This time he put it on speaker and set it on the table, so everyone could hear. “Gene, you’re on speaker.”
Director McDaniel, the man in charge of Deimos, responded, “Good. Colonel Barton, you have my sympathy and full support. We’ll do everything we can to help get Avery and your daughter back.”
Taking a seat, since his knees where shaking, Brad nodded even though the other man couldn’t see him. They’d never met but had spoken on the phone several times during and immediately after the joint mission between Deimos and his Delta teams when he and Avery had met. “Thank you, Director, but I’d like to know exactly how we’re going to do that.”
Before the man could answer, there was a knock at the door, and he apparently heard it. “That should be your backup now.”
Carter strode over, checked the peep-hole, then swung the door open, allowing two men to enter. One was blond, the other dark-haired, but both looked like they could kill someone in a variety of ways, then disappear into a crowd without anyone knowing what they’d done. Average height, average build, and no outstanding features helped greatly when working as an undercover agent. Carter shook hands with both as, over the phone, McDaniel made the introductions. “Colonel, this is Kell Brennan and Troy Dartmouth. Men, Colonel Barton is from the Army’s Delta. He’s in charge of the mission. Do what he says to get the women back, then hightail it back to your assignments.”
Both men shook hands with Brad and nodded when he thanked them for coming, before Carter introduced them to Cameron and Jase. After the necessary pleasantries were taken care of, McDaniel said, “As Reardon and Caldwell told you, this is Avery’s last mission coming back to bite us all on the ass. After Lin Delan was dispatched, his father, Chao, was devastatedto the point his competitors were able to take advantage. Before he realized it, his empire had fallen. Those he’d had in his back pocket had newer and bigger worries.”
“Why wasn’t Chao taken out too, if he was such a problem?” Jordyn asked.
“The head of China’s Ministry of State Security at the time knew all about Chao and Delan’s activities, unfortunately his wife and Chao’s wife were cousins. It was a family honor thing that kept him from ordering the death of either man, yet he was all too happy to let another government do his dirty work. Instead of being charged for his crimes, Chao was exiled under the conditions he would never attempt to return to China or enter the US and never go after the agent who’d killed his son. That last part was a purely political demand for reasons I’m not going to go into; they’re classified and not relevant to what’s going on now. Chao had reluctantly agreed with the terms of his exile, knowing the alternative was another assassin’s bullet. However, one of Delan’s men had taken photos of the embassy people in the area immediately following the kill. After greasing the right palms, Chao learned which of them had executed the hit. It was one of the reasons I green-lighted Avery’s field resignation.” Brad knew the other but wasn’t going to repeat it. “In addition to son number one, Chao had a second—Lin Zheng. He was eleven at the time. In the aftermath, he was sent to live and study under a Shaolin monk. After that, he went to university and studied business. He now owns a resort on Aruba, and, from what we’ve been able to tell, although his father’s money was used for the startup, he’s the complete opposite of the old man. Zheng is apparently an upstanding citizen with no skeletons in his closet other than his blood relatives. Whether he’s now involved with his father getting revenge, I don’t have that answer.”
“So where do we find Chao?” Brad asked.
“He’s got no properties in his name. Everything is under Zheng, so your best bet is to start with him at the Trade Winds Resort.”
He stood. “Let’s go.”
Carter’s hand on his arm stopped Brad’s beeline to the door. “Let me and Jordy deal with Zheng. You going in there looking like you’re going to kill the man might not be the best way to deal with him, or even gain access to him. While we’re talking to him, the rest of you can check out the other properties. Reardon said there’s three more—a warehouse and two estates.”
