Page 105 of The Big Fix

He laughed. “I mean it, though. Good for you.”

I exhaled sharply. “Thank you, and I know you know, but…I appreciate everything you’ve done.”

“Well, don’t thank me yet,” he said, getting comfortable in his chair. “We still have this one last thing to do.”

Yes, we did.

When we landed at a private airstrip in Hong Kong, neither of us was surprised to find Darius there waiting, standing beside a Range Rover. His pilot, Bilal Shiraz, who had been alone on the plane with us, no flight attendant, gave his boss a wave as we descended the stairs to the tarmac.

I walked over and hugged him, Dante right behind me. It felt like three friends just getting together, not the revenge scenario this was.

“How did you get away?” I asked him.

“Oh, I’m not alone. Lee’s here as well. He’ll fly out with me back to Boston when we’re done.”

“But he let you come alone to meet us? Unprotected?”

“Well, I told him you two would look after me, but he sent Ceaton along anyway.”

Dante nodded. “He doesn’t trust us.”

“He doesn’t trust anyone. Don’t get your feelings hurt.”

“Where is Ceaton?” I asked.

“I have no idea. He’s around here somewhere with his McMillan Tac-50, keeping an eye on me.”

Darius asked Dante if he wanted to fly home with him afterward, which Dante did.

“That would be fantastic,” Dante said tiredly. “My husband admitted last night that if all was well with Jared, he wants me home. You know he loves you, Jared, but—”

“He loves me now,” I reminded him. “When you got fucked over and we all had to go radio silent on him for all those years, he wasn’t crazy about me or Darius then.”

“That’s water under the bridge. He gets it.”

“What did he call it?” Darius smiled at him. “Spook stuff?”

“Yeah.”

We were all quiet a moment before Darius handed us earpieces so we could stay connected even if we got separated.

“Listen,” Darius began, meeting my gaze. “I’ve alerted the station chief here, and if you determine that whoever’s behind this would be better in CIA custody than dead, we can make that alternative happen.”

“You’re talking about extraordinary rendition. Moving whoever this is to a black site and putting them in a hole.”

“They’ll be questioned, I’m sure,” Dante said. “I mean, whoever this is, they’re in bed with Tommy Yu, who could be indicted right now on a slew of charges. If you want this person prosecuted instead of dead, Darius is giving you that out.”

“Which I appreciate.”

After a moment, Darius cleared his throat. “Okay,” he said, moving around the car as the plane we came in on sped by us before making its ascent farther down the strip. “Let’s go.”

Darius had water for us in the Range Rover and ammunition for my Beretta and Dante’s Sig. He insisted we put on Kevlar, at least for the entry, and I didn’t argue with him. There was no arguing with Darius.

The massive two-story villa was located in the wooded hills above Clear Water Bay, a world away from the city beat of Hong Kong. The ultra-modern construction, with its white facade, multiple terraces, and huge square windows, clashed with the tranquility of rural, unspoiled coastline.

Twelve bodyguards patrolled the outer perimeter of the property. Dante went around the side and took his targets down quickly, without noise. Darius too, using his knife, dispatched the four assigned to him. I had two down, and I’d just put two shots into the third man’s chest. But as he slumped down, his weapon fell from his hand and clattered to the ground, alerting the last guard, who looked up to see me closing in. He raised his weapon to fire, but it was too late. I lined up the muzzle and put two quick rounds into my target, then moved on quickly toward the house.

I entered from the back of the villa. Like the build of the house, the furniture was extravagant and aggressively modern. I did a quick sweep of the first floor, Dante checked the second, and Darius kept watch. When they were satisfied that no one else was in the house, they both went out on the deck while I took a seat in an overstuffed armchair in front of the cold fireplace and waited.