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And then my heart overflows. With warmth. Incinerating heat. Hope. Desire. And we make love all over again.
CHAPTER 36
Knox
A short, thin man with thick, black hair in a loose-fitting slate gray suit and white button-down Oxford shirt holds a sign that reads Masterson Party. Together, Max and I approach him.
We’re fresh off a thirty-hour flight from Los Angeles to Cambodia. The business class flight highlighted the differences between working for a private security firm and the US government. Business class on Singapore Airlines blew away any government transport. And now a driver will take us to our hotel.
Jack pulled in favors for expedited visas, claiming we have business in Phnom Penh for Sullivan Arms. It was a risky ploy in that he’d prefer to minimize connections between us and Arrow Tactical. But he’s invested in a multitude of organizations and claims even if things go FUBAR, he won’t take any heat. But he added that he’d appreciate it if we remained below radar, as would the US government.
We have a seven-hour drive in front of us where we’ll check in near O’Smach, a town close to the Thailand border.
“Good flight?” The driver asks as he folds his greeting sign. His accent is similar to a Singaporean man I once met.
“No problems,” I answer as Max says, “The best of my life.”
“Singapore Airlines,” the man says appreciatively, as if that’s all that needs to be said.
Outside the airport, cabs, buses, motorcycles, and automobiles crowd the street. A white Mercedes van without windows along the sides pulls up to the curb. The driver wears a baseball cap and sports a full beard.
A young woman leans to the side of the black leather passenger seat. “Plans have changed. We’re taking you.”
She’s American. She’s also familiar. Her hair is black, and she has trimmed bangs over her eyebrows. She’s wearing darkened sunglasses that block any view of her eyes. Where do I know her from?
Max steps forward, scans the interior of the vehicle, and crosses to the captain’s chair in the middle row. He speaks to the driver of the van, then says, “It’s good. We’ll go with the guys.”
The Cambodian man who greeted us gives a nod and traverses the sidewalk. He dumps the sign card into a nearby bin.
Max tosses our bags into the van, and we climb into the back. The side door rolls to an automatic close.
The driver scans his side and rear views and pulls out into traffic. The woman climbs back, moving between the two middle row captain’s chairs to the bench seat in the back. She removes her sunglasses, and I’m surprised by her vivid blue eyes. She’s tan, her skin dark enough I didn’t immediately pick up on who she is.
“Sophia?” I glance up at the driver. “Fisher? Are you our support team?”
“Not exactly,” Sophia answers. She’s Jack Sullivan’s daughter. “We’re here to update you on the revised plan. They wanted someone you would trust.”
“Are you working with Arrow now?” The last time I’d seen these two, they worked for the CIA, and Felix and I served as an extra layer of oversight. It was a nothing job, one of our firsts after joining Arrow. We stayed off in the distance and conducted surveillance, ready at the waiting should anything go south. The biggest issue we encountered was with some fire ants.
“No,” she answers. “And if ever asked, you didn’t see us. But the powers that be reviewed your plan and made some changes. They sent us for two reasons. One, you both know us. Two, the CIA has a vested interest in seeing you pull this off. If you need assistance, we’re part of the back-up team.”
“Why is the CIA involved?”
“We’d like to avoid an international incident. Ready to review the new plan?”
“Ready as ever.” Max and I exchange a quick glance before he resumes scanning the street through the front windshield. I focus on Sophia.
“Security outside the Pho Pang compound is hired. A division of the Wagner Group holds the contract. Given who we’re dealing with, the powers that be determined your plan to go at night is too risky. You’ll be going in as a recently hired guard working for the Wagner Group. When you arrive at your hotel room, a man will meet you and take you through the security protocol. He used to work for them, and he knows the personalities.”
“He’s on the support team?”
“Why do you keep asking about a support team?”
“Because that was the plan. We’re supposed to meet up with an Arrow support team. This is not a two-man op.”
“Did you not listen? The plan has changed. If you guys go in there and all hell breaks loose, it could create an international firestorm with China backing Cambodia.”
“Arrow runs private plans by the CIA?” I’m not asking to be an ass. I’m simply curious how the CIA became involved. If they hire us for a mission, I get their involvement. This is a one-off.
