“Throughout our history, to weather tough times, the Chinese have relied on friends and family. People who may be in a position to help. It is called
“And what keeps you from leading us straight into a disaster,” she asked.
“I am not the enemy. Karl Tang has that distinction.”
“I see the border,” Malone said.
Cassiopeia returned her attention out the windows.
The railway line snaked northward, crossing a highway that Ivan had said now connected China and Vietnam. The roadway veered west, the rail line north. A bridge spanned the Red River, clogged with cars stopped at a checkpoint.
Malone dropped to just above 1,000 feet.
“Here we go.”
FORTY-SIX
NI STORMED INTO THE OFFICES OF THE CENTRAL COMMISSION for Discipline Inspection, located purposefully away from the walled Zhongnanhai, Beijing’s complex of palaces, pavilions, and lakes that served as headquarters for both the Party and the government. His visit with the premier had been troubling. Nothing made sense. Everything seemed inverted. He was torn with doubt, engulfed by a roiling cloud of unfamiliar emotions, and haunted by the premier’s inquiry.
What would be the measure of his life?
Strength or weakness?
He’d called from the car and ordered his entire staff to assemble in the conference room. He required allies, not traitors, and it was time to find out where each one of them stood.
Fourteen people waited. Nine men, five women. He calmed the flurry of excitement with a raised hand and immediately excused the women. Then he said to the men, “Drop your trousers.”
They all stared at him in disbelief.
He removed his gun and pointed it straight at them. “I won’t say it again.”
CASSIOPEIA STARED OUT THE WINDOW AT THE MOUNTAINOUS landscape. Sunshine warmed the thin air. They’d been flying inside Chinese airspace for more than an hour with no problems. Glancing over, she was glad she was flying with Malone. Though Viktor Tomas had twice saved her life, she trusted Cotton.
Implicitly.
He’d come to Belgium when she needed him, and that meant something.
She’d allowed only a few men close. Keeping emotions to herself had always proven the best course. She’d read once that women with strong fathers gravitated to strong men, and Malone definitely reminded her of her father. He’d been a giant in business, a self-made billionaire who’d commanded the attention of Europe and Africa. A lot like Henrik Thorvaldsen, whom she’d admired more than she’d ever realized until he was gone. Death seemed to claim everyone she loved. The thought of her own demise, which the experiences in the museum had so vividly illustrated, remained fresh in her mind. Such a confusion of feelings. What a defining moment. Soon enough she’d be forty years old. She had no husband, no children, no one with whom to share herself. She lived alone in an ancient French manor, her life devoted to helping others.
And ignoring her own needs?
Maybe it was time to change all that.
She always looked forward to seeing Cotton, and regretted when they parted. Was she trying to find a replacement for her father, the one man in her life whom she’d never defied? No. That was too simple an explanation. Her mother would have said that men were like fields—they required careful cultivation and daily attention, all in the hope that one day they might prove productive. A somewhat cynical approach.
Not one that worked for her.
Here she was, flying across southern China, headed for who-knew-what. Was it worth it? If she found Lev Sokolov’s son, then yes.
If not?
She didn’t want to think about failure.
So she comforted her anxiety with thoughts of Cotton and that perhaps she may have actually found something for herself.
Something she wanted.
Finally.
NI WAS SATISFIED THAT NONE OF HIS CLOSE STAFF WERE TRAITORS. He recalled what Pau Wen had told him about modern pharmaceuticals and their masking effects on castration, so he’d pursued the only investigative course that guaranteed results. He also ordered his chief aide to conduct an immediate physical inspection of every male in the building. While that was occurring, he reviewed what information his staff had accumulated since yesterday.
There was absolutely no reference to any organization called the
Nothing indicated that the organization still existed.
He’d also ordered a vetting of Pau Wen, but no official record revealed any connections among Pau, the premier, and Karl Tang.
Yet these clearly existed, by their own admissions.
A tap on his office door disturbed his thoughts.
His chief aide entered. “Everyone has been examined. No eunuchs, Minister.”
“You think I’m insane, don’t you?”
“I would never presume to judge you.”
He liked this man, honorable and above reproach, which was why he’d selected him as first assistant.
“I was unable to tell you before,” his aide said, “while the others were here. But we found something last night.”
His attention piqued.
“An overseas call came to Minister Tang’s satellite phone. I ordered his lines monitored weeks ago. He utilizes several phones, with numbers that change weekly. It has been a challenge to stay ahead of him. We don’t tap every conversation, but we find enough.” His aide handed him a flash drive. “A recording.”
Ni inserted the drive into his computer and listened, immediately recognizing the voices of Tang and Pau. He heard the tension and conflict. Sensed the challenge these two men presented to the other. Tang’s betrayal, then his pronouncement to Pau,
“Is this the proof we seek?” his aide said.
He shook his head. “Not enough.”
But at least he knew the whole thing wasn’t fiction.
FORTY-SEVEN
MALONE SPIED THE GREEN EXPANSE OF A HIGHLAND LAKE, ITS surface shining with ripples and dotted
