Robert Doherty - Section 8

"Let's move," he told Tai.

"Do you want me to take point?"

"For a little while."

She turned off the backlight.

Vaughn got to his feet and shouldered his rucksack. He felt Tai's hand on his shoulder as he led the way through the dark jungle. He had his MP-5 slung over his shoulder. In one hand he had the compass, while he held the other out in front of his face to prevent losing an eyeball on the vegetation they were moving through.

The ground was sloping up, which didn't aid movement. Checking the altimeter on his watch, Vaughn saw that they were up over a thousand feet in altitude. He was taking short, careful steps, but that didn't help him as he tried to plant his left foot and it touched nothing but air. He tried to pull back, but his momentum was too strong and he tumbled forward.

Behind him, Tai was surprised to see the two little reflective cat eyes on the back of Vaughn's cap disappear and his shoulder vanish from her hand. She froze, knowing right away he'd fallen. The question was, how far? She could hear his body breaking through brush and a muffled curse.

Kneeling down, she felt forward with her free hand, found the dropoff and leaned over it.

"Vaughn?"

"Yeah."

He didn't sound too far away, but his voice had a strange echo.

"I think we found the heat source."

Ruiz watched the computer screen and the large numbers go from the single account on the left to the fourteen accounts on the right. Those fourteen represented various groups around the world, most of which were on the United States watch list for terrorist activities.

A large sum from the previous night's auction still remained, and he shifted that to an account representing the government of China. At least that's what the Chinese liaison had told him, but Ruiz had his doubts since the routing number indicated it was a Swiss bank. Corruption was nothing new to China, or any other government for that matter. Still, that large sum had not only paid for the platform to hold last night's auction and the one to be conducted this evening, but would be forwarded through cutouts to other organizations that the Abu Sayef supported in the war against the West.

Ruiz was no fool. And Abayon had not tried to fool him. The old man had been blunt. While the money was a great benefit to the worldwide cause, the real purpose of the auction was to draw out the hidden enemy. Abayon had told him of the secret pact between the Americans and Japanese regarding the Golden Lily. The visit by the Yakuza representative indicated the matter was far from forgotten.

Ruiz was located on the top floor of a sixty-four-story skyscraper in the heart of Hong Kong. The top two floors were his, with the floor below packed with security guards, the best money could hire in the city. The room where the auction had been held was on the same floor as his, as well as the rooms holding the rest of the items to go on stage tonight.

Business done, Ruiz sat back in the deeply upholstered chair and gazed about the suite. He knew Abayon would not approve of the luxury. The old man had been in his cave and tunnel complex too long. Ruiz remembered the first time he'd seen the stacks of gold bullion. He had not been able to equate the sparse conditions surrounding it with such wealth.

The hidden enemy. Ruiz shook his head. The old man had been out of touch with the real world for too many decades. The Yakuza came because the old men in Japan who had been part of Golden Lily sent them. The Yakuza worked for the highest bidder. As far as the World War II conspiracy, Ruiz had nodded politely when the old man told his story, but found it hard to believe that it happened the way it was described, and even if it had, that such an organization still existed.

The phone rang and Ruiz picked it up. The head of the security detail on the floor below informed him that his expected visitor had shown up. Ruiz walked to the door and waited. When there was a tap, he swung it open.

A Japanese woman stood there. She bowed, ever so slightly. Ruiz did the same.

"I am appreciative that you could come," he said.

"After last night's performance, the argument was most persuasive," the woman said.

Ruiz led her into the suite and they sat across from each other. She was still, waiting. For the first time, Ruiz felt a sense of discomfort.

"About your representative. It was a rash act by – "

The woman dismissed the issue with a brief wave of her hand.

"He was nothing. A messenger. And the message he brought was understood. I just am not sure what your message is."

"Tonight's auction."

The woman waited.

"I will preempt it and deliver all I have to you for fifty million dollars."

"You would sell us what was ours?"

"'Was' is the key word," Ruiz said.

"And the rest?"

"'The rest'?"

"The rest of the Golden Lily? What you have here is but a fraction of the whole."

"I cannot speak for the rest," Ruiz said.

"I have what was shipped here."

The Japanese woman looked around the suite, as if contemplating the offer.

"I assume you will not be returning to Jolo?"

"I cannot – if we make this deal."

"And if we do not?"

"Then I do as planned and hold the auction tonight."

Ruiz shifted in his plush seat uncomfortably.

"The items sold separately at auction – based on last night – will cost well over one hundred million. I am making you a very good proposition."

The woman abruptly stood.

"You will have my answer one hour prior to the auction."

"I'd prefer – "

"I do not care what you prefer. To be able to transfer that large a sum takes a little bit of time. You will have my answer."

With that she strode to the door and was gone.

Tai waited until it became light enough to see before climbing down to join Vaughn. He was at the bottom of a twelve-foot shaft cut into the side of the mountain. The sides were overrun with growth and the opening was almost completely blocked. If Vaughn hadn't fallen in, Tai wasn't sure they'd have found it. When she finished climbing down, she found Vaughn sitting cross-legged, staring straight ahead at a two-foot-wide black hole at the side of the shaft.

"What do you think?" she asked.

Vaughn glanced at her.

"That's the way in. The question is, do we want to go in?"

Tai glanced at him.

"What do you mean? Abayon is in there."

"I think there's more than Abayon in there."

Tai sat down next to Vaughn at the bottom of the shaft. She could feel the warm air blowing out of it on her face. The hot spot.

"There probably is."

"Such as?" Vaughn asked. She sighed.

"What do you think of the team?"

"What?"

"Our illustrious team. Orson. Sinclair. Kasen. Hayes. You. Me. The team."

Vaughn shrugged, still staring into the dark hole.

"Special Ops people. The kind you'd want for something like this."

"Fuck-ups," Tai said. Vaughn turned to her.

"What did you say?"

"I was relieved of command in Iraq because I complained of prisoner abuse. My career was over.

Kasen – I checked on him. He was up for manslaughter for killing an Afghani not under rules of engagement. Couldn't get much more than that, but his time in the green machine was over."

"He's also an addict," Vaughn added. Tai didn't seem surprised.

"Lots of drugs in Afghanistan. He's not only an addict, but he has AIDS. And it's not responding well to treatment. Then there's Sinclair. Came here from Leavenworth."

"What was he in there for?"

Tai looked at him.

"Running weapons out of Thailand."

Vaughn had heard about the scandal in the First Special Group.

"Orson? Hayes?"