“I think you should go and freshen up, at least.”
“All right. Stay here and monitor the situation. If anyone asks me where I am, I’ll be in my office.”
“Yes, sir.”
As soon as Kwan stepped outside, he was surrounded by police officers wearing vests and armed with M-16s. “My office,” Kwan told them.
They walked to his office in silence. The tension in the halls was nearly as high as that in the emergency center. Armed National Guardsmen and SFPD officers were everywhere, either guarding areas or on roving patrol. People hurried along, their expression anxious and a few looking like they had been crying. Kwan decided that as soon as he could, he’d call the entire staff together and thank them for their service.
Two more heavily armed peace officers were guarding his office. Kwan waited until two of his detail went into the room and checked for hidden threats before he entered himself. Inside, his staff had the same look of worry and fear as everyone else. His secretary glanced up as he passed her desk, but before she could say anything he told her, “Press conference, three pm.”
After the officers with him completed the sweep of his office, Kwan motioned for them to stand outside while he went in alone. He headed to the attached bathroom, where he let the water run for a few seconds, then splashed some on his face, letting the coldness seep into his skin.
His private cell phone rang. His mouth tugged down at the corners. Only a few people knew about it, close friends and family members. He took the phone out of his pocket and eyeballed the number, but didn’t recognize it. He answered it, ready to hang up. “Hello?”
“Enjoying your new job, Mr. Mayor?”
Kwan felt his body shake, out of both fear and in anger. “How did you—”
“It wasn’t that hard, Mr. Mayor.” Rhee’s voice was relaxed, and Kwan knew he was enjoying this.
“What the hell do you want?” Kwan demanded in a soft, though strident tone. “The city’s in shambles!”
Rhee sounded amused. “Consider it a chance to demonstrate your leadership potential.”
“What insanity are you committing? The police are scouring the city for you and your people.”
“They won’t find us. Americans are mostly stupid and lazy.”
“Why are you calling me?”
“I’m checking to see if you’ve had a chance to carry out your instructions.”
Kwan felt a shiver go down his spine. “In case you haven’t noticed, you son of a bitch, I’m a bit busy at the moment!”
“Temper, temper, Mr. Mayor.”
“I’m too busy trying to get a lid on the damage you and your murderous bastards did to this city.”
Rhee’s tone grew colder. “Careful, Mayor Kwan. Or I might begin to think your loyalty lies elsewhere.”
A knock at the door. “Sir?” a guard’s voice asked. “Are you all right?”
“I have to go,” Kwan said softly. He disconnected the call, walked to the office door and opened it. A trio of guards clustered around the door. “I’m fine.”
“We thought we heard voices—”
“I was practicing some opening lines for the news conference.”
“Are you ready, sir?”
“Yeah. Just let me turn off the bathroom light and I’ll be right with you.”
“Please leave the door open, sir.”
He walked back to the bathroom, turned off the light, then looked around the office. Was all this worth the price innocents had to pay? He reached into his pocket and slid his fingers over the case Rhee had given him.
“Everything all right, sir?”
“Fine, yes.” Kwan withdrew his hand from his pocket. “Let’s get this press conference over with.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
The safehouse was located in the city’s Mission District, less than two miles from the pier where the DEA team had been ambushed several days ago. The street was narrow, barely wide enough for two cars to pass each other and only if they did so slowly. Garages and houses lined the street, none of the structures taller than two stories.
The safehouse itself was in the middle of the block, a blue-gray painted rectangular building with white trim, garages at both ends. Above one end, a second story had been added, leaving the building looking unbalanced. There was nothing remarkable about the structure, nor the occasional residents. As far as the neighbors were aware, the house was owned by a high-tech company who used it to house employees from out of town working temporarily at the company’s San Francisco location.
In reality, the place was a U.S. government safe house, one of several in the city. This one was CIA’s, used to debrief defectors coming out of China, and ironically, North Korea. As such, while the outside was unremarkable, the inside was very different.
As soon as the van carrying Tanner and the others from the hotel turned onto the street, Tanner called Dante and let them know they were coming. Once they reached the house, the large garage door at one end opened. Liam eased the van into the garage.
Tanner went over to a door with an attached keypad and tapped in a series of numbers. The door’s lock disengaged. He pushed the steel door open, revealing a staircase leading up to the second floor.
Liam groaned. “I’ll stay down here.”
“Come on, chicken,” Danielle said as she walked past him.
The stairs led up to an open living room and kitchenette combination. Dante was in the corner kitchenette, pouring coffee into cups sitting on the counter. “Welcome.”
“Where’s Stephen?” Tanner asked
Dante motioned toward a closed door. “Watching Hong.”
“Any problems?”
“No. How bad is it?”
As Tanner filled Date in on the latest developments, Danielle carried their new equipment over to a small dining table and began unboxing it. Naomi flopped onto a couch while Liam went over to the counter and picked up a couple of coffee cups and handed them out.
While Liam sat in a recliner, Stephen opened a door and stepped into the room, wearing a balaclava over his head. He pulled it off and rubbed his face. “Hong’s awake, pissed off, and not saying a word.”
Tanner picked up a coffee cup. “He’s going to start talking in a few minutes.”
Liam and Tanner entered the bedroom wearing balaclavas. Hong sat in a chair, handcuffed and bound. He glared at the pair as they entered. “You have no idea what you’re doing.”
“We know exactly what we’re doing, Kuan-Tai.” Tanner opted to use Hong’s Chinese name to underscore the fact that he knew exactly what he was doing. He folded his arms. “I’ll make this simple. We know about Rhee, we know about the Red Ice, we know about Dr. Mori, and we know about the Black Dao’s involvement. We’re the ones who have been trashing your Triad businesses over the last twenty-four hours. You’re not our prime target, but we don’t give a damn if you end up in jail or dead. We want Rhee.”
“I have no idea who or what you are talking about.”
Tanner noticed a television in the corner of the room. “Two, turn on the TV. Our guest can see for himself what his friend Rhee has been up to.”
Liam turned on the flat-screen. The first images the screen showed were of thick black smoke rising from the Golden Gate Bridge.
“You see?” Tanner pointed at the TV. “Rhee and his men have been busy killing innocent people. He’s been committing terrorist attacks all over the city.”
“Congratulation,” Liam added. “You’re now a terrorist”
“I didn’t know!”
“Didn’t know?” Tanner’s voice had an air of incredulity about it. “That’s not going to fly, Kuan — Tai. We have pictures of you and Rhee together. There are nearly two dozen Asian bodies in the city morgue. They might be Rhee’s men, or they could easily be your men.”