"You," he said to Wickham. "Throw your gun behind the trash cans and spread out on the ground."
Okamoto pointed the Taurus at Steve while the agent reached behind his back to retrieve his Beretta.
Susan seized the moment to spin around and grab Okamoto's weapon. Steve reacted instinctively and slammed the man's head against the wall while Susan wrenched the gun out of Okamoto's grasp. The hit man lashed out, knocking Susan to the ground and kicking Steve in the groin.
Dazed, Susan struggled to get to her knees while Wickham lunged at Okamoto and both men fell against the rubbish containers. Steve regained his balance and smashed Okamoto in the face at the same instant the assailant hit him in the head with something heavy.
Steve saw only a blur as Okamoto leaped to his feet and ran toward the street. Steve reached for his Beretta, then jammed it back in the holster and hobbled over to assist Susan.
Chapter 27
Swinging his new club with wild abandon, Tadashi Matsukawa's senior Washington lobbyist solidly whacked the golf ball high into the early-morning sky. The sweet sound of a well-hit tee shot carried across the course while Gichi Ebata paused to follow the flight of the ball.
The small white sphere soared down the right side of the fairway, bounced twice near the edge of the rough, then left a straight trail in the dew as it rolled to a stop near his partner's first shot.
"You're definitely getting better," Senator Frank Brazzell commented in his quiet, servile manner. "There's no question about it, you've cured your slice."
"At least it's on the fairway," rejoiced the Japanese influence peddler, flashing his mechanical smile.
"That's always a good sign," Brazzell replied with his own unctuous smile, then added a small chuckle. Everyone was pretending that relations between the U. S. and Japan were pleasant.
The slender lobbyist and the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee waited for another Matsukawa lobbyist and Bryce Mellongard to tee off, then Brazzell drove the electric cart toward Gichi Ebata's golf ball.
Brazzell could feel his anxiety reaching a peak as they cruised down the fairway. He had worked hard to accommodate Matsukawa's special request to have the Secretary of Defense meet with the creme de la creme of Japanese lobbyists.
After Brazzell and Mellongard had agreed to talk with the President about giving the Japanese the next decommissioned aircraft carrier, Matsukawa had loudly demanded that his representatives meet with the Senator and SECDEF.
"Senator Brazzell," Ebata began pleasantly, "Matsukawasan would like you to express to the President another primary reason for acquiring an aircraft carrier, other than antisubmarine warfare."
"The piracy problems along China's coast," Brazzell suggested with a nervous laugh.
"Yes," the polished lobbyist declared through his perpetual smile. "The pirates are a growing menace that could easily trigger a military and diplomatic flash point between the major Asian powers. We believe a Japanese carrier with a complement of vertical-takeoff attack aircraft would be a strong deterrent to the marauders."
Brazzell beamed as he formulated a more persuasive argument to present to the President. "I can definitely see the merit in that idea. Excellent proposal."
"We think so," Ebata went on. "As soon as the American presence wasn't felt in the South China Sea, the cowardly pirates began taunting and attacking merchant ships from the border of China and Vietnam to the waters off North Korea. Matsukawa-san believes it's time to stop them."
"I agree, and to my knowledge," Brazzell said as he shifted into his sedate and reserved role, "most of the attacks have been taking place between Hong Kong and Vietnam."
Ebata nodded in his charming way. "You're right. The Russians have a number of the Pacific Fleet ships protecting their freighters and fishing vessels in both the East China Sea and the South China Sea. We feel confident, after our Asian neighbors become used to our involvement, that a Japanese carrier can project a stabilizing influence on the high seas off the coast of China."
Glancing up at the hazy sky, Brazzell inhaled a breath of fresh air. Beijing won't be thrilled, but who gives a shit what those clowns think? "I couldn't agree more, and as I promised Matsukawa-san, I'm going to take the lead in recommending that Japan receive the next carrier that is scheduled for decommissioning."
Ebata pursed his lips and smiled. "Matsukawa-san will be most pleased with your enthusiasm."
Frank Brazzell watched the progress of the other golf cart as it approached Mellongard's ball. Brazzell slowed to a smooth stop and watched the Secretary of Defense address his ball.
"What worries Matsukawa-san," Ebata quietly confided, "is the uncertain security environment surrounding Southeast Asia and the real potential for armed conflict in the near future.
"The Chinese," he went on while Brazzell studied Mellongard's swing, "even after Emperor Akihito went to Beijing and apologized for the occupation of China, still don't trust us.. and we can't trust their intentions."
"It's very unfortunate," Brazzell sighed with a glum look plastered on his face. He was still trying to master the fine art of Japanology — trying to figure out what was going on in the minds of the Japanese.
Ebata turned to the Senator. "I'm sure you remember when Akihito was on his historic visit to China, and the Chinese bungled a nuclear-bomb experiment that blew the side out of a hollowed-out mountain?"
Brazzell absently nodded. "How could I forget?"
The Chinese test that went awry spewed radioactive gases and dust into the atmosphere. Upper-air winds subsequently transported the deadly emissions from Xinjiang province to Japan, where the vast majority of the fallout settled over the Nipponese Islands and the Sea of Japan.
After taking two practice swings, the seasoned lobbyist hit a solid shot that flew straight toward the pennant on the back of the green. "Senator Brazzell, Japan doesn't want to do anything that would radically alter the balance of power in Asia; however, China has nuclear capability, and we would like to take a step to counter that threat."
"What are you suggesting?" Brazzell asked skeptically.
"Japan," Ebata said confidently, "would like to investigate the possibility of acquiring one or two of your ballistic-missile submarines to counter the Chinese."
Brazzell was dumbfounded. "Well, I I… I'm not sure this—" "It means millions and millions in your pocket," Ebata persisted with a sudden intensity, "and everyone wins."
Steve and Susan stood at the hotel window and looked down at the sights of the spectacular city, then turned to each other and shared a knowing smile. They had reported the incident outside the waterfront bar to the local authorities and had given them a description of the assailant and the serial number on Susan's Smith & Wesson.
"We were lucky this time," Susan said. "He caught us totally off guard… and we survived."
"That's because he didn't want to bring attention to himself. He knows how they deal with crime here."
"In most other places," Susan ventured, "he would have just gunned us down and walked off."
"We'll get him," Wickham said boldly, "because he will try again. I think the people behind the attack at Pearl know we're on the right trail, and they're becoming more desperate by the hour."