Especially since he now possessed information Xinzhen would kill over. He already had. And Qin was now walking a thin line between a being an asset to someone like Xinzhen and being a liability.
He glanced up when the helicopter’s copilot waved to get his attention and pointed to his headphones.
Qin nodded and glanced at the two men sitting next to him. Xinzhen’s men, both of whom were already aboard the chopper when it arrived at MSS.
Together the men watched him stoically without saying a word.
Qin raised the headphones and lowered them over his ears before adjusting the microphone.
“This is Qin.”
“Sir, we’ve stopped twelve cars. But no American yet.”
Qin’s eyes narrowed. They should have been there by now. “Any gweilo at all?”
“No, mostly locals. But two are from Beijing and another from Guangzhou.”
“What kind of cars are they driving?”
The soldiers on the ground paused. “Several Hyundai, GM, Nissan. And a Honda.”
Qin remained, thinking, staring into the darkness with his coal-colored eyes. The man would have had to come in quietly. Unnoticed. And he’d need help to get here quickly. Which also meant help blending in.
But in China, cars were not used for blending in. Instead, they were about status and prestige. Something that was especially true in Beijing. Cars were meant to be noticed, not overlooked.
“How old?”
“Hold old are the drivers?”
“No. The cars.”
The soldier on the ground turned and assessed the cars. “Most are new. Within a few years. The Honda is old. Ten, maybe fifteen years.”
“Who was the driver?”
“A security guard. From Guangzhou. Says he’s visiting a friend.”
“From Guangzhou?”
“Yes.”
Guangzhou was too far, Qin thought. Almost anyone traveling that far would have taken a plane over paying for two thousand miles worth of gasoline. Especially a lowly guard.
“Where does he work?”
“Ministry of Foreign Relations.”
Qin’s eyes widened. His response was instant. “He’s a spy. Subdue him!”
“Subdue him?”
“Yes! Now!”
Qin leaned forward urgently and slapped the copilot on the shoulder to get his attention. When the man turned around, Qin motioned forcefully toward the windshield. The message was clear: hurry!
On the ground, Tang was standing nearby, watching the soldier. He couldn’t hear what was said on the phone, but the sudden change in the man’s expression was enough.
50
With his computer now secure, Borger was watching from his chair. The icon representing Clay’s phone had suddenly jumped off the road and was now moving very slowly.
Another screen displayed the latest overhead shot from the satellite. He typed in the coordinates, which quickly zoomed the picture in. Most of the image was completely dark, except for two items.
Borger picked up his phone and dialed.
Clay was struggling up an embankment when the phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out and answered without stopping.
“Not a good time, Wil.”
“Clay!” Borger shouted. “You okay?”
He rolled his eyes inside the green-tinted goggles. “That’s debatable.”
“I see lights coming in from the northeast. I think they’re helicopters.”
“You’re a little late,” Clay replied, between breaths. He spotted a narrow path through the trees and plowed through several large bushes to reach it, where he broke into a run again.
Borger zoomed out and examined a third light on the image. This one was further away and headed due north. “I have another one coming in.”
“How far?!” Clay shouted into the phone, still pumping his other arm.
“Twenty minutes. Maybe less.”
“Dammit!” Clay hung up and dug in, lowering his head. He bolted ahead with everything he had.
51
Li Na Wei opened her eyes and watched as the dark room sharpened around her bed. Her eyesight was as good as it had ever been, and she glanced around from item to item, scarcely recognizable beyond the soft lime-green glow of her heart rate monitor. The old machine’s rhythmic beep matching itself to the beating of her heart.
It was all she could hear, but something had awakened her. She scanned and listened…waiting. But there was nothing else.
She hadn’t been able to sleep much since finding out about her father. It all felt so surreal. A loneliness she had never felt before wrapped in the disbelief that it was really happening. Yet each time she awoke, no matter how long she had slept, her situation felt increasingly real.
This time, though, something was different. No pain. No chills. This time, it was a feeling. A sick, almost nauseous feeling crawling its way up her chest.