OUTCAST Ops: Red Ice

CHAPTER TWENTY

William Hong’s home wasn’t located in Chinatown, but in Presidio Heights, one of the city’s more affluent neighborhoods. A brick Tudor sat behind the garage, nestled between two other homes that reflected two completely different schools of architectural design. The house was quiet and dark when Rhee, Muhn, and Lieutenant Kim Won-shik walked up to it.

The long set of stairs led up to a door set back in an alcove. As they climbed the stairs, Rhee could feel he was under observation, a sense that was confirmed when he spotted the security camera under the alcove’s overhang. Now that knew what to look for, he spotted two more cameras, one covering the street, the other on the front of the house.

As soon as Rhee stepped into the alcove, the front door opened. “Inside,” a rough voice commanded.

Rhee crossed the threshold, senses alert for trouble. Kim went left, while Muhn leaned heavily on the door, his hand close to his pistol. As Rhee’s eyes adjusted to the low light level, he saw someone step out of the shadows.

“You’re right on time, Major,” Meng-hau Cheng said. He held his hands up to show they were empty.

“Is Hong here?”

“I will take you to him.” Cheng lead them down the hall, Rhee feeling more than seeing the two 49s that fell into step behind him and his men. At the end of the short hallway was a featureless door. Cheng knocked on it twice, waited, then knocked twice more before opening it. “Three seekers from the north to see the Dragon Lord.”

A voice from inside the room replied with, “Enter, seekers from the north.”

The Koreans stepped inside, followed by Cheng and the 49s. The study was opulent, richly decorated in a Chinese motif. Rhee glanced around quickly, dismissing the opulence as nothing more than a sign of Hong’s decadence. Instead, he focused his attention on the room’s occupants.

Hong sat behind the sizable desk, anger clouding his face. Cho Lee and Kuang Lieh sat in chairs fronting the desk, and both had to turn to see Rhee and Kim. Their expressions matched that of their boss. Rhee couldn’t see Cheng’s face, but he felt the Red Pole’s glare on his back.

Cheng closed the doors and stood before them, his expression less readable than the others. Rhee glanced back at Hong. “You wanted to see me?”

“What in the hell were you thinking?” Hong’s eyes were dark and narrow. “Assassinating the mayor? Are you insane?”

“I needed to show that their success in capturing the warehouse was a fluke.” Rhee shrugged. “I don’t see why you’re complaining since none of your men are involved.”

“That’s not the point!” Lieh snapped. “There have already been calls for a crackdown on the Triads in the city! That President of the Board of Supervisors is already demanding a police task force to combat the ‘crime wave’!”

Rhee kept his expression neutral, but inside he was satisfied. Kwan was following his instructions. “What is the mayor’s condition now?”

“Medically-induced coma,” Lee replied. “Her spine was shattered and one of her lungs collapsed. She’s in ICU at Saint Francis in critical but stable condition.”

“That might be as good as killing her.”

“You can’t assassinate a major public official without consequences!” Lieh shot back. “The police have already picked up a dozen of our men unrelated to the warehouse. What do you think is going to happen now?”

“There is no evidence that the Black Dao is involved the assassination attempt.”

“It doesn’t matter. The police will see all of us guilty! We will never be able to go back to business as usual.”

Rhee put a hand up. “Enough. The police will have enough trouble in the next couple of days. The first batches of Red Ice have been produced by the new lab.”

The three Triad leaders around the desk looked surprised. “That was quick,” Lee said after a few seconds of silence.

“My people are motivated. I also suggested that the first samples be free, to encourage the market.”

Another round of surprised expressions lit up around the desk. Hong was the first to recover. “How long will it take to complete the current batch for distribution?”

“Three or four days. By this time next week, Red Ice will be on the street and nothing will stop it from sweeping across the country.”

He let the words sink in for a few minutes. “In the meantime, I need your help in another matter.” He drew several photos from an inside jacket pocket and walked over to the desk.

“I have managed to identify members of the American mercenary team that interfered with the ambush on the pier.” He dropped the prints onto the table. “There are at least five of them — four men and one woman.” He put a finger on one photo, pinpointing two women and a man. “The white woman is a DEA agent, but the black woman and the man are not. They were the ones who visited the drug dealer’s place. The three men in the other photo were at the pier and chased my people. The third photo is this John Casey and a female aide of some sort.”

Hong scrutinized the photo briefly before asking, “What do you want from us?”

“I want your contacts in the city to find out where they are operating from. Once you find out, my men will take care of them — for good.” Rhee’s eyes glittered and he smiled. “Five thousand dollars to whoever furnishes the information.”

Hong picked up the photos. “You will pay the reward?”

“Of course. In cash.”

“I will put the word out.”

“I want to leave Lieutenant Kim here to act as my liaison in this matter.”

Lieh scowled. “Liaison or watchdog?”

“I have other matters to attend to, so I will not be available for the next couple of days. Lieutenant Kim has my full confidence, and his orders will not conflict with your operations.”

Hong nodded slowly. “Very well, we will allow him to stay with us as your liaison until this threat you’ve perceived has been eliminated.”

“Good.” He stared at the three. “You see danger. I see opportunity. We are on the verge of a major event here, gentlemen, one that will bring you millions. Do not let fear override your vision. The Americans have no inkling of what’s about to hit them. By the time they do, it will be too late.”