receiver, and he boosted the volume a notch, straining to catch sounds from inside Minh's private office.
A knocking, answered by the strong, familiar voice.
'Come.'
The door opened, closed again.
'Mitchell... please, sit down.'
Bolan smiled at the darkness and tossed a quick salute to Gadgets Schwarz. The only thing missing was a video display.
The Executioner was rigged for war, in military harness. The AutoMag and Beretta occupied their honored places, the military web was weighed with grenades and extra magazines. Resting on the ground beside him was the double-punch combination — an M-16 assault rifle with a 40mm M-203 grenade launcher mounted underneath the barrel. The warrior's chest was crisscrossed with belts of ammunition for the 40mm, mixed rounds of alternating tear gas, buckshot and high explosives.
He could take them now Carter had arrived. But a blend of curiosity and caution held him back. There was still a chance of learning if Minh had other troops and where they were quartered. If Minh had another army on the street, Bolan meant to know about it going in.
Before the killing started, there was still time to kill.
10
Minh waved Mitchell to a chair, studying his face with eyes devoid of expression. Carter had a drawn harried look, like a man who had just run the gauntlet and caught a glimpse of hell.
Minh, who saw his share and more of hell on earth, was unimpressed. A soldier chose the path of fire, and deserved no sympathy for shows of weakness.
Carter found a seat and dropped into it. The eyes that met and locked with Minh's across the desk were guarded, curious.
'What's going on,' he asked. 'Your gate...'
Minh interrupted.
'An unfortunate disturbance,' he explained. 'Everything's under control. I'm interested
'I'd call it a mutual misfortune,' Carter said. 'They were your soldiers.''
'As you say. Perhaps if you began with your visitor...'
Carter shrugged and shifted restlessly in his chair.
'There isn't much to say. He was KGB.'
Minh raised an eyebrow.
'Are you certain?'
'He knew my name, all about the mission. What else could he be?' Carter countered.
'What else indeed,' Minh said, his mind already probing other permutations. 'Please continue.'
Carter hesitated, choosing his words carefully. Minh sensed he was holding back.
'He was curious about our progress,' the lawyer said. 'There was some mention of his taking over.'
Minh concealed the ripple of surprise behind a mask of stone.
'Really.'
Carter's nod was jerky, almost spastic.
'I didn't get the details. Your men were right behind him.'
'And?'
The counselor made a sour face,.
'And nothing. The bastard killed them — four up, four down.'
Minh's expression was a practiced blend of concern and curiosity. In fact, he felt neither.
'Where were you?' he asked.
'Trying not to make it five.'
Minh smiled appreciatively.
'Are the authorities involved?'
'It's possible,' he said. 'I didn't wait around.'
'Of course.' Minh said, pausing thoughtfully. 'You saw one man only?'
Carter looked suspicious, as if the question might be loaded.
'Just the one,' he said at last. 'Expecting more?'
Minh ignored the question and countered with another of his own.
'Is it possible to verify the KGB connection?''
Carter made a show of studying his fingernails and hesitated before answering. When he finally spoke, his voice was cautious, distant.
'If the agency is behind this, they'll lie,' he said. 'If they're not... I'd like to have the situation in control before I fill them in.'
Minh was pleasantly surprised by the Russian's cagey realism. He favored Carter with a smile.
'I agree,' he said. 'We should face our enemies — whoever they are — with a united front.''
'You still haven't told me what your trouble was out here tonight,'' Carter said.
'We suffered an intrusion of our own,' he said. 'Several of my men were killed, a member of the Devotees was... removed.'
'Abducted?'
'More in the nature of a liberation,' he replied.
'Somebody special?''
Minh nodded.
'You met her, I believe. Amy Culp.'
The name registered.
'Pretty girl... freckles?' Carter asked. It hit him allatonce. 'The senator's kid.'
Minh waited, saying nothing.
'How badly can she hurt us?'
The Vietnamese took his time, letting Carter sweat.
'That depends. The longer she remains at large...'
Carter made a low, disgusted sound and slapped an open palm against his knee.
'Dammit all...''
Minh's voice was velvet-covered steel.
'Calm yourself, Mitchell. I am not without resources. Our subject has a friend.'
Hope dawned in the lawyer's eyes.
''Have you got a line on her?''
Minh suppressed the urge to snap at Carter, put him in his place.
'I have every confidence she will join us soon,' he said. 'At the moment, I am more concerned with coordinating information on the two attacks.'
Carter suspiciously eyed his counterpart.
'You see one man behind both?' he asked.
Minh responded with his customary caution, the tone almost patronizing.
'I am not a believer in coincidence.' he said. 'To encounter separate, unconnected enemies within a single night would be... remarkable.'
Carter saw the logic, and the thought did nothing to appease him.
'What should we do?' he asked.
Minh held him with a steady gaze.
'For the moment, nothing,' he replied. 'The woman is within our reach, and I've contained the problem here. It may be possible to salvage something at your home.'
'If you can't...'
