OUTCAST Ops: Red Ice

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

The safehouse was located in the city’s Mission District, less than two miles from the pier where the DEA team had been ambushed several days ago. The street was narrow, barely wide enough for two cars to pass each other and only if they did so slowly. Garages and houses lined the street, none of the structures taller than two stories.

The safehouse itself was in the middle of the block, a blue-gray painted rectangular building with white trim, garages at both ends. Above one end, a second story had been added, leaving the building looking unbalanced. There was nothing remarkable about the structure, nor the occasional residents. As far as the neighbors were aware, the house was owned by a high-tech company who used it to house employees from out of town working temporarily at the company’s San Francisco location.

In reality, the place was a U.S. government safe house, one of several in the city. This one was CIA’s, used to debrief defectors coming out of China, and ironically, North Korea. As such, while the outside was unremarkable, the inside was very different.

As soon as the van carrying Tanner and the others from the hotel turned onto the street, Tanner called Dante and let them know they were coming. Once they reached the house, the large garage door at one end opened. Liam eased the van into the garage.

Tanner went over to a door with an attached keypad and tapped in a series of numbers. The door’s lock disengaged. He pushed the steel door open, revealing a staircase leading up to the second floor.

Liam groaned. “I’ll stay down here.”

“Come on, chicken,” Danielle said as she walked past him.

The stairs led up to an open living room and kitchenette combination. Dante was in the corner kitchenette, pouring coffee into cups sitting on the counter. “Welcome.”

“Where’s Stephen?” Tanner asked

Dante motioned toward a closed door. “Watching Hong.”

“Any problems?”

“No. How bad is it?”

As Tanner filled Date in on the latest developments, Danielle carried their new equipment over to a small dining table and began unboxing it. Naomi flopped onto a couch while Liam went over to the counter and picked up a couple of coffee cups and handed them out.

While Liam sat in a recliner, Stephen opened a door and stepped into the room, wearing a balaclava over his head. He pulled it off and rubbed his face. “Hong’s awake, pissed off, and not saying a word.”

Tanner picked up a coffee cup. “He’s going to start talking in a few minutes.”

Liam and Tanner entered the bedroom wearing balaclavas. Hong sat in a chair, handcuffed and bound. He glared at the pair as they entered. “You have no idea what you’re doing.”

“We know exactly what we’re doing, Kuan-Tai.” Tanner opted to use Hong’s Chinese name to underscore the fact that he knew exactly what he was doing. He folded his arms. “I’ll make this simple. We know about Rhee, we know about the Red Ice, we know about Dr. Mori, and we know about the Black Dao’s involvement. We’re the ones who have been trashing your Triad businesses over the last twenty-four hours. You’re not our prime target, but we don’t give a damn if you end up in jail or dead. We want Rhee.”

“I have no idea who or what you are talking about.”

Tanner noticed a television in the corner of the room. “Two, turn on the TV. Our guest can see for himself what his friend Rhee has been up to.”

Liam turned on the flat-screen. The first images the screen showed were of thick black smoke rising from the Golden Gate Bridge.

“You see?” Tanner pointed at the TV. “Rhee and his men have been busy killing innocent people. He’s been committing terrorist attacks all over the city.”

“Congratulation,” Liam added. “You’re now a terrorist”

“I didn’t know!”

“Didn’t know?” Tanner’s voice had an air of incredulity about it. “That’s not going to fly, Kuan — Tai. We have pictures of you and Rhee together. There are nearly two dozen Asian bodies in the city morgue. They might be Rhee’s men, or they could easily be your men.”

“But—”

“What about the men who tried to assassinate the mayor?” Liam asked. “It won’t take much to convince a jury that they’re Black Dao members. Thanks to Rhee, you and your Triad are up to your necks in this disaster, whether you want to be or not.”

“I never gave those orders!”

“It doesn’t matter if you did or not.” Tanner leaned down until he and Hong were face to face. “Rhee just gift-wrapped your gang for the feds, leaving you to take the fall while he and his goons go on their merry way, pocketing millions from the Red Ice while you rot in a cell.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Really? How do you think we found out about the drug lab? Rhee set you up, Kuan — Tai. He’s playing you like a violin.”

“His country is still at war with the U.S.,” Liam said. “The Red Ice is his way of funding his mission. He killed over four hundred people today. How many will he kill when he has millions of dollars to spend?”

Tanner put his hand on Hong’s shoulder. “Maybe he’ll murder your wife and children. He’s already tortured and killed the agent in charge of the DEA office in San Francisco and most of his family.”

Hong went pale. “He did what?”

“Yeah. The agent, his wife and two of his children, the youngest ten years old. That’s who your partner is. The only glimmer you have of not living the rest of your miserable life in a Supermax is to tell me where that Red Ice lab is, and where Rhee is. Otherwise, get use to spending the rest of your life warehoused in a very small box and never seeing the sun again. Your choice.”

Hong’s expression didn’t change much, but Tanner could see the machinations going on behind the man’s eyes. “Give me a minute to think about it.”

“I’ll give you two.”

It took less than one minute for Hong to start talking.