Chapter 52

  On the third day after her return home, Kim walked out on the balcony to meet Shawn, who was having his breakfast and reading the morning paper.

  "You look beautiful this morning, Kim," Shawn said genuinely.

  She looked at him skeptically and said, "Okay, how long did the doctor give you to live?"

  After a moment of silence and a slight chuckle, Shawn said with some indignity in his voice, "What, can't I give you a compliment without you doubting my sincerity?" Pretending to be hurt.

  "Okay, I accept your compliment. Thank you. That was very sweet. Now, just give me a second to check my astrology calendar to see if it's a blue moon."

  Shawn eyed her and smiled, "Will you stop? I'm just trying to be nice."

  Kim bent down, placed one hand on his cheek, and gave him a big kiss, then started to walk back to the house in her tall silver pumps. Just before she reached the glass doors, she turned and said, "You need a shave, big boy," then she smiled and walked back into the kitchen.

  As Shawn struggled on his next course of action, Kasem walked out and sat beside him with a cup of tea. Neither man said anything for five minutes. Kasem knew something was bothering him. It wasn't like him to just sit there staring out at the sea for so long without being hung over. He knew it wasn't Kim, or at least he thought it wasn't.

  Finally, after finishing his tea, Kasem asked, “I know that something’s bothering you. Is there anything I can help you with, boss?”

  “No, Kasem, but I appreciate the offer.”

  “Master Chong just passed through the gates; what shall I tell him?” Kasem asked softly.

  “I have too many things to do today. Tell him to come back tomorrow, and I will pay him for today.”

  “Oh, I’m sure he’ll like getting paid for drinking tea again, and I was so looking forward to you kicking his ass today,” Kasem said in a light-hearted tone.

  “Just tell him to come back tomorrow, smart ass.”

  Kasem laughed and said, “Whatever you say, boss.”

  With no further banter, Kasem got up and headed for the kitchen.

  *****

  The simple diversion took just long enough to give the attackers the element of surprise. A man shoved the barrel of his pistol into the side of Addison’s neck before he could alert his boss; seconds later, the three-man team headed up the stairs leading to Tim Choi’s office. One by one, the men slowly made their way down the narrow, short hallway until they reached Choi’s closed door. The leader held up his forearm with a closed fist to stop the advance. He could hear a man speaking in Thai through the closed door. The leader took out an electronic device, typed in a message, and then hit the send button. The reply was almost immediate. A man across the street was looking through a thermal imaging scope from a third-floor apartment building whose owner wasn’t home at the time.

  "Target is alone and hasn't moved. He's still sitting in a chair close to the window," the team leader heard through his earpiece.

  There was a slight problem, though. Choi's door had a pane of opaque glass with his agency's name on it, and the door handle was on the other side of the door. If he was looking, he would see movement across it. The team leader crossed under the glass panel and came up on the opposite side. Slowly, he tried the door and was pleased to find it unlocked. He motioned to the other members that the door was open and that he was about to enter. The man waited for the phone conversation to end, then he turned the door handle and quickly entered the office, followed closely by his two companions. They all had their weapons pointing at Choi the second they entered.

  *****

  Choi finished his call and slipped his cell phone into his pocket. Next, he closed his laptop and pulled out the power supply jack, for he was planning to leave the office. That's when the unscheduled visitors entered his office.

  "Mr. Choi, please leave your hands in plain sight," the leader said in Choi's native tongue as he cautiously made his way to the front of Choi's desk.

  Although the man standing before him spoke perfect Thai, Tim knew he was definitely not a native. The man was Caucasian and appeared to be an American or a Brit. The other two looked Russian or from one of the Eastern Bloc countries. These two were dressed like Euro-trash. One of the men had a face that looked like he had been in a car accident, and his injuries never quite healed right. This man concerned Choi the most. He looked like a killer who took pleasure in his work. His eyes were empty and as black as coal. It appeared that he was utterly devoid of any soul. All three men looked to be in their late twenties or thirties and very dangerous. Choi didn't pay too much attention to the leader. He was more concerned with the ugly bastard. After looking them over thoroughly, he finally addressed the man.

  "Please come in and have a seat," Choi said as he pointed to the family heirloom.

  Mr. Smith was curious about Choi's seemingly cavalier attitude and wondered if he had somehow underestimated the man. In his long career, most men were not so casual when confronted with a silenced 9mm. He eyed Choi very carefully, then looked at the chair. He reached down, picked it up as if it weighed nothing, and threw it against the wall, where it disintegrated on impact.

  "I assume you prefer to stand. You seem to have me at a disadvantage in more ways than one. You know my name, but I don't know yours." Choi said casually and undisturbed by the sight of his chair that was now a pile of junk.

  The man looked amused, "Very well, you can call me Mr. Smith if you like."

  "And what do I owe the honor of your visit…Mr. Smith? If this is a holdup, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place. I don't have any cash, although I do have a very nice fake Rolex that doesn't work half the time. You might consider it some consolation since you've gone through all this trouble." Tim said without a hint of trepidation.

  Mr. Smith's face remained austere, "that's very amusing, Mr. Choi. Now, I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I want you to answer them. It's as simple as that."

  “Shoot…oh…I mean your questions, not your very expensive-looking pistol that's about to scare me to death." Choi said, smiling.

  The man cracked a thin smile and said, "Someone hired you recently to find several people in the U.S., and I believe his name might be Shawn Harris. One of the men you were tasked to find was Colonel Paul Bennett and the other was Jesse Taylor. Is that a correct statement, Mr. Choi?"

  Choi said nothing.

  Smith watched the man with keen interest and got nothing from his stone face. After a moment of silence, he asked. "I want to know where I can, Mr. Harris. I just need to ask him a few questions. That's all, Mr. Choi. If you give us this information, we will be on our way, and you can keep your watch," the man said pleasantly.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  "Can I ask who sent you?"

  The big, ugly Russian began to laugh while Mr. Smith remained stoic.

  "You can certainly ask," Smith said.

  Knowing no answer was forthcoming, Choi said, “Before I answer any of your questions, I have one of my own.”

  Mr. Smith seemed rather put out, “And what is your question?”

  “Is my associate downstairs unharmed?”

  Mr. Smith shook his head and said mockingly, “What do you take us for, Mr. Choi… a bunch of thugs? Your man is just, shall we say, incapacitated at the moment.”

  Choi looked sternly at Smith and finally said, “You know, I’m just like an attorney or a doctor; I can’t just give out information about my clients without their consent. I have a fiduciary relationship with all my clients, and I’m afraid I can’t break that trust. However, I do have a consent form somewhere in my office; if you will, just take a few minutes to fill it out. I’m sure I can have an answer for you in, say…about a week. I hope you understand my position.”

  Mr. Smith just stared at him with a stern face.

  Chio shrugged his shoulders and said, “I take it that’s something you don’t care to do at this time. Now, is there anything else I can help you, gentlemen, with? If not, I have a lot of work to finish today.”

  As Choi was speaking, he tucked his left leg around one of the front chair legs and eased back in his chair slightly, keeping his hands on the desk. At the same time, he raised his right foot into a position under his desk that was hidden from the men.

  "I was hoping this was going to be easy. But now I see I'll have to convince you to cooperate with me." Smith quickly raised his silenced 9mm H&K automatic and pulled the trigger.

  *****

  Choi saw the gun come up, and at the very same instant, he depressed a button that was hidden under his desk with his right foot. All three men instantly looked up as they heard the trap door pop open above their heads. A split second later, a canister dropped from a concealed box in the ceiling and landed on the floor between them. Smith’s eyes grew wide as he recognized the falling object. Before any of the stunned men could react, the flash-bang grenade exploded with a deafening roar.

  As the grenade was falling, Choi had only a split second to react. As all eyes were diverted to the grenade, Choi grabbed his laptop and vanished into thin air.

  *****

  Choi was involved in an investigation three years prior that sent a Bangkok man to prison. Sometime later, two of his associates came by to pay their respects and to exact a little revenge. Even though Choi was much older than the two attackers, he was able to defend himself and put both men in the hospital. He felt he was fortunate that day and vowed not to be in that situation again. He had no idea his precautions after that incident would someday help him escape from some very unsavory and extremely dangerous men.

  *****

  The bright flash temporarily blinded all three men, even though Smith knew what was coming. The loud explosion wreaked havoc on their inner ears, causing confusion and disorientation. Smith finally regained his sight, although he was a little uneasy on his feet. He looked for the bastard that outfoxed them, but he was nowhere to be found. Upon further examination, Mr. Smith found only a splash of blood and a bullet hole through the chair and window pane.

  The trap door under his chair had worked perfectly, and Choi found himself one floor directly below his office, which he also leased. As planned, he had been pitched backward and landed on a soft mattress after completing a 180-degree backward flip. The chair returned to its original position, and it would appear to anyone in the office that he disappeared without a trace. Choi turned over and looked at his shoulder where the 9mm slug had cut a furrow through his soft tissue. Never being shot before, he was surprised that it didn’t hurt as bad as he thought it would. Then he looked up at the ceiling and saw that the chair was back in its original location.

  Choi climbed off the bed and headed for the door. It was only a matter of time before Smith and his friends would figure out what happened. He decided he needed to get the hell out of the building before that happened. He went to the back door of the building and opened it slowly. He looked to see if anyone was waiting for him, and to his surprise, no one was. Choi made his way out of the alley and was a block away when he jumped into the back of a Tuk Tuk that was dropping off a passenger. He rode in the back of the uncomfortable public transportation for several blocks while making sure he wasn't being followed before he finally got off and decided it was safe to call Shawn.

  *****

  Shawn looked at Choi's photo on the screen and hit the answer button. "What's up, Tim?"

  "Oh, not much besides getting accosted by three tough-looking goons in my office this morning and taking a 9mm round in my shoulder for not selling you out, old buddy."

  "What… are you kidding me?"

  "I wish I was."

  "You said you were shot. Are you all right?" Shawn said with deep concern in his voice

  "I'm fine; the bullet just grazed the side of my shoulder. It's just throbbing now, and most of the bleeding has stopped."

  "I'm glad to hear that, but why did they shoot you, and what do you mean by not selling me out?"

  "They wanted to know who hired me to find Bennett and Taylor, but I told them to go fuck themselves in so many words."

  "They used those names?" Shawn seemed surprised.

  "Yes, they did, but that's not all. They asked if you hired me."

  "What?"

  "They asked if I was hired by Shawn Harris, although the way they asked it, I think they were fishing." Shawn was taken completely by surprise. He hadn't heard his real name used in years. Very few people knew his real last name, and Choi was one of them. Fearing that he would be tracked down for the murder of his stepfather someday, he purchased some credentials that gave him a new name shortly after he arrived in Thailand. Shawn never used that new name. He simply went by Mr. Shawn. With this new information, the questions started to spin in his head. He was brought back to earth when Choi asked.

  "Shawn…are you there?"

  Finally, he blurted out. "Did you tell anyone about our conversation?"

  "Of course not… I'm sorry, Shawn. They must have tracked me through the e-mail I sent David, but I never used your name. I only told him that I had a client who was looking for the list of people I gave him. So, how they came up with your name is a mystery to me. I still can't believe anyone broke the e-mail encryption, yet they must have. It had to be the NSA. I could be wrong, but I don't believe that the people who came to my office were sent by them."

  Shawn was confused, and he needed time to think. He had no idea how they knew his name, although the fact remained they did.

  "Did these people say who sent them?" Shawn asked.

  "I asked them politely, and they pretty much said Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson."

  "That's what I was afraid you'd say."

  "Can you pick me up? We need to talk, and I don't think it's safe to go home."

  "Absolutely, where are you? Have you called the police?"

  Choi gave him his location and informed him that he had yet to call the police.

  "Good, we can call the police after I cruise by your office. In the meantime, I want you to call David. I don't want a repeat of what happened to you."

  "I already called him. He didn't pick up, so I left him a voice message and told him about the incident at my office and what the men were after. I didn't care if the NSA was listening. The cat is out of the bag at this point. I hope they don't come after him to tie up loose ends. Given the fourteen-hour time difference, I don't think he'll get it until the following morning."

  "Just for the hell of it, why don't you call him again? I don't have a good feeling about this."

  "I will do that."

  *****

  Shawn showed up twenty minutes later and found Choi drinking a bottle of Tiger beer at the open-air restaurant and eating some spring rolls. The establishment's owner was a good friend of Choi's, and she had cleaned and bandaged his wound. Shawn wanted to know everything about the men, how they spoke and acted, and the guns they carried. Choi was very concerned about his friend Addison and had repeatedly called his cell phone without a response. They decided to drive by Choi's office and then to the Mongoose Club. Shawn didn't want Choi to call the police until they had a chance to see if they could spot any of the men.

  *****

  On the way to Choi's office, Shawn concluded that the Range Rover would stick out like a sore thumb, so he told Choi to wait in the SUV while he checked out his office from the street. He flagged down a Tuk-Tuk and hopped into a larger four-person unit. He gave the driver two hundred Baht and told him what he wanted to do. The driver agreed, and soon, they were headed down the street. Everything appeared normal as they approached Choi's office, and Shawn told the driver to drive by slowly. Then he saw one of the men Choi had described just outside the office entrance. The man appeared to be guarding the door. Something about the man's eyes told Shawn that he was a killer. Choi had described him perfectly. The man was big, ugly, and looked menacing. His face was scared, and he looked like he had been in a train wreck. Seeing this man, Shawn felt there was little hope that Addison was alive. Anger welled up in him, and energy surged through his body. For Just a moment, Shawn thought about confronting the man, but his better judgment stopped him. He pulled out his smartphone and hit the camera icon. The man hadn't seen him yet, although that was about to change. The man continually panned the street, looking for any threat. Shawn raised his phone just above his lap as the taxi approached the front entrance to Choi's office. He pointed it in the right direction and started to shoot. When he was even with the man, their eyes locked.