Teddy had disguised himself as people ranging from a cabdriver to a professional athlete, but there was one disguise he’d long wanted to try but never had the opportunity. It was his biggest challenge and his most taboo subject. He worked as quickly as possible while still getting the details right. When he finally finished, he looked in the mirror and a completely different man was looking back at him.
Stone Barrington.
Teddy left the suite and made the rounds of the casino in his Stone Barrington disguise. He would be convincing on video, but anyone who knew Stone would never buy it in person, so Teddy was guarded with his movements. Stone Barrington was a memorable man, so there was no telling how many people he had made an impression on during his short time in Macau.
He wanted to meet with Zhou Peng, the head of casino security and, Teddy suspected, one of Arrow Donaldson’s right-hand men, but first he wanted to establish video evidence of Stone’s appearance in the casino after he’d allegedly left town. When Teddy was convinced he’d created enough of a video trail, he headed up to the security office.
Dale Gai was the first person who met him in the office. She was pleasant and feigned acceptance of Teddy’s disguise, but he could tell she knew something was wrong.
“I’d like to speak to Zhou Peng,” Teddy said, in his most booming Stone-like voice.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“My work usually takes me places where I should not be. It’s the nature of my business.”
“And what would that business be, Mr. Barrington?”
“Ah, so you remember me.”
“I know exactly who you are,” she said. “Zhou Peng is away from the office right now, escorting a high-profile guest to a more secure location.”
Teddy knew right away that Dale was giving him a thinly veiled clue that Zhou Peng was more than the head of casino security, and that Teddy should proceed carefully.
Zhou Peng interrupted them, and he didn’t seem happy to see Stone.
“I understand that this is awkward,” Teddy said. “I want to help find whoever is responsible for trying to frame or blackmail my son.”
“There is nothing you can do right now to help your son, Mr. Barrington,” Peng said. “If I can be of assistance making other arrangements for you to talk with other people, I would be most happy.”
“Have you had any other problems with fake videos on your security cameras?”
“I have received no confirmation that there have been any fake videos on my security cameras. Thank you.”
“Okay, thank you for your time. Just one more question. Do you know a man named Bing-Wen Jo?”
Teddy could tell immediately he’d hit a nerve when Zhou’s eyes turned to small pinpricks and a flush of red washed across his face. It was quick, but it was all Teddy needed. On his way out of the office, he stopped by Dale Gai’s desk.
“When are you off work?”
“I don’t socialize with visitors to the casino, Mr. Barrington.”
She said the name overly dramatically, and Teddy wasn’t sure if it was helping or hurting his cause.
“I have no trouble filling my social calendar. What I could use more of are your tips on how to navigate this complicated environment.”
“You flatter me. I’m sure your business has taken you into far more complicated environments than our casino.”
“Now you’re the one offering flattery.”
She took a second to breathe, then looked to her left as Zhou Peng wove his way through the floor of the security office. Peng made eye contact with Teddy, then with Dale. His gaze lingered on both of them a few seconds too long for Teddy’s comfort, but eventually he waved for Dale to follow him and then walked away.
“Room 5318,” Dale said. “Why don’t you change into something that’s more you and meet me in thirty minutes?”
“I’ll make myself comfortable if you do the same.”
“Thirty minutes.”
She nodded softly and went to meet Peng in his office.
“Why is Stone Barrington still in my hotel?” Peng asked. “What did you tell him? What did he ask you?”
“He wanted to talk to you. I told him you were busy and that he should let you do your job.”
“Why is he still in the casino? I thought he left. His plane left. Why is he still here?”
“Are you sure it was his plane?”
Peng’s face went bright red and his eyes exploded with rage. He swiped his hand across the desk and caught hold of a thick golden apple. His fingers wrapped around the apple and his swipe turned to a throw. The apple soared across the room and hit Dale Gai under her right cheek. She crumpled to the ground and Peng rushed to stand over her.
“Is that a satisfying answer to your question? Does it inspire you to ask more questions?”
“No. Thank you.”
He continued looking down at her as she squirmed and held her cheek but didn’t cry or scream.
“Perhaps you should take the rest of the day off to think about your role in this organization.”
Dale nodded and bit her lip, then turned and left.
Peng’s eyes followed her as she departed. The woman was going to be a problem.
13
Arrow Donaldson watched from his suite in the stadium as the girl from the CIA made her way back through the construction site and to the SUV that had returned for her. He knew it was a risk rushing away from the airport as quickly as he had because it made him look suspicious. He’d been counting on Lance Cabot and the rest of the government delegation to give him the free rein he was accustomed to in his city, but this girl was going to be trouble. His initial burst of surprise and admiration for her moxie had faded, replaced by resentment and fear that she would ruin his carefully calibrated plan.
When the girl’s SUV pulled away, Arrow dialed every number he had for Lance Cabot and got a series of voicemails, anonymous beeps, and even a busy signal before he stopped trying. Instead, he called a local number and spoke to Ziggy Peng.
“Change of plans,” Arrow said.
“It’s always change of plans with you. Why even plan?”
“I’ve attained my position by being nimble when necessary. If my methods bother you, you are more than free to seek employment elsewhere.”
“What is the change?”
“I need you to do the job tonight instead of tomorrow.”
“It will be handled.”
“Let me know when it’s done.”
“Of course.”
“Oh, one more thing,” Arrow said.
“Yes. There’s always one more thing.”
“There will be another woman there, an American with the CIA. If she dies as well, there will be bonuses for everyone.”
Ziggy Peng hung up the phone and sat down behind his desk, twirling in his chair like a child. He wasn’t happy with how he’d handled Dale Gai. It was never right to hit a woman, even if it had the desired effect. He picked up the golden apple he’d thrown at Dale and took a bite. No sense in it going to waste.
The plan had always called for an attack on the visitors from the United States government and the traitor Li Feng, and the specifics of the plan came together easily. The Chinese military had lately been testing stealth drones in Macau and Hong Kong. They were small and easy to maneuver, but also had enough firepower and kill capabilities to rival a small fighter jet. Bingo, with his technological expertise, was going to hijack one.
Finding a drone to hijack had been easy. U.S. tech companies had found numerous weaknesses in the drones’ security, and a few rebellious souls had posted on message boards tips for hacking them in an attempt to make themselves feel better about conspiring with the Chinese government to spy on dissenters. The more complicated part of the plan was developing programming code that would hide the true origin of the hack and make it look as though a former gangster from Macau named Sonny Ma was responsible. Ziggy Peng found the whole thing ridiculous.