Emerald Buddha

Chapter 44

Drake stood in the sunshine, palm fronds stirring around him as the phone acquired a satellite and the signal bars lit. He dialed Collins’ number and was relieved when the man answered in seconds.

“Collins.”

“It’s Drake. Allie and Spencer have been captured by one of the local gangs. An outfit called Red Moon.”

“What? How?”

“The temple was a bust, but it had a bunch of guns and heroin in it. They didn’t like us nosing around, so they came after us, and now they’ve got them — and one or both are wounded.” Drake described the blood and the shoot-out. When he was done, Collins was silent for several moments.

“This group is the same one that has the girl. Our agent has been working another lead, and they’re offering her to us for ransom.”

“Where are they holding her?”

“We’ve located a facility in the deep jungle on the Myanmar side, which looks to be their headquarters. There are a lot of men around, heat signatures from generators, and a small dirt airstrip.”

“Then you can go in and get them.”

“That’s the plan. But it won’t happen immediately. That’s not how we operate. We want to be successful, not lose the girl to a hurried mission. We have personnel on their way.”

“What about Spencer and Allie?”

“Obviously, they’ll be a priority.”

“When are you going in?”

“To be determined, but probably tomorrow.”

“That’s too late. My contacts on the ground say they’ll be questioned and killed. Red Moon have no reason to hold them.”

“I understand your concern, and we’ll front-burner this. But there are logistical issues. It’s not like we pull the trigger and guys are parachuting in the next hour. That only happens in movies.”

“You got them into this.”

“I realize that. I’ll call you when I know more.”

“Where exactly is this facility located? Maybe I can nose around…”

“That would be a bad idea. If you’re caught, it could jeopardize everything.”

When Drake hung up, he was angry at the cavalier manner with which the CIA man had dismissed his concerns. He suspected Collins didn’t particularly care whether Spencer and Allie made it — his objective was, and always had been, Christine; and anything else was a distraction.

Drake strode over to where Uncle Pete and Joe were sitting beneath a tree and relayed the substance of the discussion. When he was finished, Joe frowned. “You never told me you were working with the CIA.”

“We weren’t working with them so much as keeping our eyes open and tipping them off if we found the plane,” Drake deflected.

“But you have the private number of someone you can reach at any hour of the day and night,” Joe stated flatly.

“Joe, it’s not relevant, okay? Who cares who got our permits for us? That’s all it was.”

“It matters to me. I hate the bastards. They’re responsible for more misery than any other group in history.”

“It was just a convenience. I’m not with them. I’m a private citizen. So are Spencer and Allie. We just agreed to help them out.” Drake sighed. “But it doesn’t sound like they’re going to be able to do much for the time being.”

“They’ll be dead by the time they get around to doing something,” Joe said, his voice low.

“Right. You already said that. But what can we do?”

“Tell me again about where they think this place in the jungle is?”

“Near the Mekong. South of us. Why? What can the two of us do? He said there was a small army there.”

Joe nodded and rose. “Come on. Let’s make tracks. Time’s a-wasting.”

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m betting that our friend the colonel would love the opportunity to take out his greatest rival in a surprise attack.”

“The Shan?”

Joe smiled. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

“You serious?” Drake asked doubtfully. “You really believe he’d risk it?”

“Dead serious. He’d have single-handedly eradicated the biggest threat to Shan dominance in the area. I just need to convince him.”

“And why would you risk it?”

“You and your girlfriend owe me over a hundred grand. Hard to collect if she’s dead, am I right? And you look like you’re stupid enough to try to find this place on your own, so we can make that you’ll be dead too. So, simple: I want my money.” Joe spit again and glanced up at the sky. “Now we going to sit here jawing all day or get busy? Sooner we make it to the Shan camp, sooner we can come up with a plan.”

Drake handed the phone back to Uncle Pete, who removed the battery and slipped the phone into his backpack. Uncle Pete hadn’t said a word during the exchange, and now seemed to be having trouble meeting Drake’s eyes. Drake raised an eyebrow. “What do you think?”

Uncle Pete looked down. “Think they dead soon.”

Joe nodded and made for the brush. “Come on. Nothing ventured…”

Three hours later, the first of the Shan outposts spotted them and radioed ahead. Colonel Leng was waiting for them when they entered the camp, his face hard. He growled questions at Joe, who did his best to explain what had happened, and after a tense discussion, he and Joe moved out of earshot, leaving Drake and Uncle Pete to replenish their water stores. Drake helped the Thai guide with his bottle, his injured arm still out of commission, and by the time they were finished, Joe had returned.

“Well?” Drake asked.

“He wasn’t happy he lost two men, but he got over it pretty quickly when I told him I had the solution to his Red Moon problem.”

“What does he propose?”

“He’ll give us men, armed to the teeth, as well as AKs, RPGs, grenades, the works. In exchange, he takes over the factory and the trade. Simple deal. Oh, and I promised him a cash bonus from you since the temple was a big fat nothing.”

“Right. But we don’t know exactly where the headquarters is, and they’re likely to have guards posted, aren’t they?”

“These guys are jungle fighters; they’re not worried about guards. The problem with where the factory’s located is a little bigger, but I think I have a way to narrow that down some. You said it had an airstrip?”

“Correct.”

“Then it would have to be a relatively flat area, and the terrain on this side of the river’s mostly hills.” Joe withdrew his GPS and powered it on. Once he had a lock on a signal, he zoomed in, starting at the disputed zone, and studied the imagery.

Drake checked the time and exhaled in frustration. “They could be getting tortured while we stand around here, Joe.”

“Remember what I said about positive vibes, dude.”

“Didn’t do Allie and Spencer much good, did it?”

“Remains to be seen, my man. Now let me concentrate on this.”

“What are you looking at?”

“Elevations. A flat area. It would probably be camouflaged to avoid detection from the air, and these images are probably so old it hadn’t even been built yet, but you can’t change the lay of the land. We find a decent-sized clearing that could handle an airstrip that’s no more than a day’s march from the temple, and that’s our spot.”

Ten minutes later, Joe was huddled with the colonel and his second-in-command, going over a paper map. Joe had identified a likely spot, and they were discussing how to best approach it without being detected. When they were done, Joe moved to where Drake and Uncle Pete were sitting. “He’s going to give us twenty men. He wanted to bring everyone, but I argued for stealth — so he’ll get into position, and his scouts will radio when we’ve taken the factory.” He eyed Drake. “Time to saddle up. Leng thinks it’s a five-hour march. That’ll put us there around dusk, which would work in our favor.”

“How do we avoid Red Moon killing the hostages?” Drake asked.

“We’ve got five hours to figure that part out. Now grab as many magazines as you can carry, and let’s hit the trail.”

“I should call the agency…”

“No way, dude. They’ll just tell you not to do this. They’re pencil pushers. By the time they get anyone in, your girl will be worm food.”

Drake looked over to where the men were collecting their weapons and filling satchels with grenades. “How many night vision goggles do they have?”

Joe smiled. “Enough.”

“You really think we can pull this off?”

“Positive vibes, dude. You really have to lose the cynicism.”

Joe turned and called out to Leng, who grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. Drake asked what he’d said, and Joe shrugged. “I told him that you’d double his bonus if we got everyone out alive.”

Drake’s faith in the aging hippie increased as he watched him slide magazines into his cargo pants. There was a palpable sense of both excitement and purpose among the Shan soldiers, and whatever Joe had said had clearly lit a fire under them, whether it was the lure of financial gain or the prospect of eradicating their hated adversaries once and for all. The men packed their kits with efficiency, their expressions serious, and for the first time since Drake had seen the blood in the elephant grass by Allie’s bandana, he felt a stirring of optimism.

He just hoped they’d make it in time.