“Briggs. Don’t bust my chops. I’m on this, doing everything I can. But I think it would be best to go in, seal the deal with the suppliers while we can, and ship them a container of C-notes or whatever else they want. Gold. Swiss Francs. Whatever.”
Briggs rose, tossing back his coffee. “I’ll pass this on. But I think it’s safe to say if you don’t fix this, you won’t be seeing any Christmas bonus this year. Not that I think you care.”
“I always care.”
Briggs dropped his cup into the trash and walked out without saying another word. Arthur waited for a few minutes and then stood, his joints painful from his old injuries, and walked towards the mall entrance.
His driver spotted him and pulled to the curb. Arthur adjusted his coat against the chill and waited as the man rounded the car and opened his door for him.
He took a last glance at the sky and shivered.
Looked like it might snow again.
Chapter 31
Lawan was staring at Jet with trepidation as Matt explained what was going to happen.
“She doesn’t look happy,” Jet said.
“She says she wants to stay with you,” Matt related. “But that she understands that if you have to go away for a while, you have to. She’s remarkably clear for a ten-year-old. Although you can tell she’s been to hell and back.”
“She’s very firm that she’s almost eleven.” Jet smiled at her. “Yes, she’s been through hell.”
“I told her that she’s going to be accompanying me back to the hills to camp out for a while. She doesn’t look like she believes a word I’m saying, but she’s playing along. I’m thinking I’m going to have to hire a female to watch over her and teach her, well, female stuff while she’s in the jungle with me. I can’t be responsible for her twenty- four seven. Maybe after a while, I can find a local family that will adopt her, and I’ll make them the richest in the village. That seems like a good solution.”
“I’m sorry to saddle you with this, but I don’t know what else to do.”
“I bit off on it, so no problem. I feel sick that Pu was such a lowlife. I mean, you know these things in a descriptive sense, like reading a dossier, but it’s an entirely different thing to see it in person.”
“Sort of takes the victimless thing out of the equation and just leaves the crime part.”
“Speaking of which, I’m sure that the Top Cat incident will cause some major ripples. It’s not every day that a ping pong club gets attacked by a ninja.”
“Maybe it’s about time they did. Might make some of these dirtbags think twice about the business they’re in.”
“Hard to change an entire society with the barrel of a gun.”
“I know. More’s the pity.”
Lawan watched the exchange between them with calm eyes, and then Jet approached her and put an arm around her.
“Aren’t you supposed to be busy with multi-million dollar transactions today?” she asked, glancing at her watch. “The photo session was a winner, by the way. Very convincing. Want to see the shots?”
“Why not? It’s not every day you get to see pictures of your own death.”
He moved alongside her as she thumbed the little camera she’d bought and showed him a few particularly grisly snaps; the bullet hole in his temple looked extremely realistic.
“Wow. You’re a whiz with Photoshop, all right. Think it will fool anyone?”
“Sure. Just don’t show up on any reality shows and you’re good.” She tapped her watch and raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve got time. The buyers are expecting me at nine o’clock at one of the largest banks in Bangkok. It will only take me fifteen minutes to get there from here.”
“Sure you don’t want me to run backup for you?”
“Appreciate the offer, but no need. I won’t be walking out with cash. It’s all handled with a wire transfer. Like I said, I’ll have a card for you by this evening. And a present, of course.” He smiled, and she again acknowledged that he was a handsome man, especially in the navy blue blazer and khaki trousers he was wearing.
“No chance the buyers or your passport contact would sell you out?”
“To who? It’s not like there’s a most wanted poster of me up. No, as long as I’m in and out today and headed north by nightfall, I feel pretty good about things. I think this time I’ll cross over in Laos. But no matter. I still need to get the passports and rocks, and deal with a few other items.” He looked at her with a strange expression, part curiosity and part something else. “I’m also waiting for some feedback from my agency contacts. But that could take a few days.”
“You going to buy the sat phone, or should I?”
“I’ll do it. I know where to go. But you should get a few burner cell phones and plan on chucking them after a single use. Don’t power them on until you need to use them.”
“I know the game.”
“All right, then.” He spoke to Lawan for another minute and then patted her shoulder with warm concern. It was a good sign that she didn’t shrink from his touch. Maybe there was hope.
“Well, while you’re out and about, we’re going to go shopping for some suitable jungle clothes. A girl’s got to have some basics. Panties, socks, couple of pairs of shoes, a backpack, ninja sword…” Jet said.
“Just don’t spoil her too rotten. She’s going to hate coming with me if you do.”
“Something tells me that I might not be the only one spoiling her over the next few days.” Jet had seen something tender in the way Matt talked to Lawan.
He merely waved as he turned the knob.
“Good luck,” Jet called, and then he was out the door.
Lawan regarded her with a serious look. Jet pulled on the front of her blouse and then pointed at the little girl.
“Yes?”
Lawan’s eyes lit up with understanding, and for the first time, she grinned.
Maybe there was hope, indeed.
Matt returned at five, carrying two backpacks and an elegant brushed aluminum briefcase. Jet insisted on showing him all of Lawan’s purchases, holding them up so he could approve. He was good-natured about it, but obviously impatient, and Jet got the hint and suggested to Lawan that she take a last shower before they left. The young girl nodded and padded to the bathroom. When the water was running, Matt slid the briefcase over to Jet. She went to her backpack, pulled the Beretta out and handed it to him along with the extra clip.
“I’ll trade you. You’ll probably need this more than I will.”
He slid it into his bag and then motioned at the briefcase with his head.
“Open it.”
“I’m almost afraid to. I’ve never seen ten million in diamonds before.”
“Go on.”
She unsnapped the latch and lifted the lid. Inside was a new Thai passport and driver’s license, four stacks of crisp hundred-dollar bills, and two packages wrapped in brown paper.
“Wow. That’s more than I thought it would be based on the amount you said you were carrying around your neck. Which I still have three million of, by the way.”
“Keep those. I got another five million’ worth at the bank.”
“How much cash?”
“Two hundred grand.”
