Contract to Kill (27 page)

“Let’s look at the pictures,” Harv said. “It might trigger something. Are you thinking it was the position of the bodies?”

“No. It’s an image, like a manga cartoon . . . I keep getting a glimpse of something strange . . . Wait, I know what it is! The Asian guy’s tattoo. I remember now. I kept thinking it looked expensive. Not like hundreds of dollars, but thousands.”

“I remember it too,” Harv said. “It was a two-headed dragon with hand-like claws.”

Harv pulled his phone and tapped on the photos icon. He thumbed over to the one he wanted and zoomed into the Asian guy’s arm. The image was a little fuzzy, but the dragon could clearly be seen. Like a medieval knight, one of its clawed hands held a saber while the other grasped a shield. It had yellow eyes and green scales with some blue mixed in here and there. Nathan had to admit: it was a beautiful piece of artwork. He’d never seen anything like it.

Harv said, “That’s an expensive tat, way better than ninety-nine percent of what tattoo artists do in this country. The guy’s ID said he was from South Korea. I know Jin’s from North Korea, but it couldn’t hurt to have her take a look. She might recognize it.”

“I guess it’s worth waking her up,” Nathan said.

“Definitely. We need all the help we can get at this point. If Lansing can’t ID the dead men or decides not to share it with us, we’ll find ourselves out of the loop and on our own.”

“We’re hunting Mason down with or without the FBI’s help.”

Harv didn’t respond.

He knew it wasn’t disagreement, only concern. Finding Mason would be tremendously easier with Holly working in the background. The question was, would she still help them if Lansing wasn’t on board? He didn’t know. She’d clearly distanced herself, and Nathan couldn’t blame her.

Harv continued to scroll through more photos. “Was there anything about the other guy that stood out in your mind?”

“I’m not sure . . . Wait, go back. Keep going . . . That one. Zoom in on the guy’s head.”

“What did you see?” Harv asked.

“Something looked weird. Can you zoom a little more? There, check out the zeroes on that note.”

“Wow. I hadn’t noticed that. I didn’t look that closely. I’d just assumed they were 1,000. That’s a 10,000-peso note. I’m positive they don’t print them anymore.”

“Are they valuable?”

“Practically worthless,” Harv said.

“Then the large denomination might mean something.”

“It could be a cartel or gang signature, kinda like the Colombian necktie thing.”

“It’s a foregone conclusion that ROK has a gang problem similar to Japan’s.”

“It definitely does,” Harv said. “South Korea has organized crime and street gangs, especially a big city like Seoul. I’d bet the yakuza has a presence in ROK.”

“The Mexican guy looked a little young to be a made man, don’t you think? Then again, I don’t know much about Mexico’s organized crime. Or ROK’s.”

“Me either. I’m guessing the Mexican guy’s in his twenties, but the ROK guy looks older.”

“There’s something else . . . ”

“What?” Harv asked.

“The location. Why leave the bodies in the middle of a soccer field? Why not dump them on a vacant lot or in a public park, someplace like that? It seems obvious they wanted them to be discovered in the morning.”

“Well, it’s really isolated and dark, and there aren’t any cameras.”

“There aren’t cameras on vacant lots either.”

Harv thought for a moment. “The logical answer is that the location isn’t random. Like the peso business, it has some sort of meaning.”

“Soccer’s a popular sport in Mexico. South Korea too.”

“We should find out if there are any games tomorrow and who’s playing.”

“Could those guys
be
soccer players?” Nathan asked.

“I suppose it’s possible, but why would Mason kill them?”

“I remember reading an article during the World Cup about crooked players and refs. There’s big money in throwing games. But Hickman Field isn’t exactly a large venue.”

“The simplest explanation is usually the correct one. Those two dead men were mixed up in some kind of illegal activity that Mason’s got going.”

“Despite what my father believes, we can’t rule out Beaumont’s involvement just yet.”

“So where does this leave us?”

“Until we hear what he has to say, our options are limited. I don’t think Mason’s going to let anyone pick up his trail. He definitely knows we were protecting Toby, but I doubt he knows specifically who we are at this point. You’ve got our security guards watching our homes, right?”

“Yes, they should already be in place. Your La Jolla house is difficult to guard.”

“Grant and Sherman are on the job, and no one gets past my dogs without killing them—which would really piss me off.”

“You should call Jin while we’re waiting.”

“Good idea.” He glanced at his watch. “I hope she doesn’t rip me a new one for calling at oh three thirty. Here goes.” Nathan tapped her cell number.

The voice on the other end sounded half-asleep. “This had better be damned important.”

“It is. Harv is sending you a text with a photo attached.”

“And this couldn’t wait a few hours?”

“No.”

“It came through. Hang on: I need my glasses . . . What are you sending?”

“It’s a tattoo from a dead guy we saw tonight.”

“A dead guy,” she repeated. “I’m opening it now . . . You saw this tonight, in person.”

“Yeah. The man’s ID said he was from Seoul.”

“Where did you see this? Did anyone see you?” She sounded fully awake now. And seriously concerned.

“No one saw us. Do you recognize the tattoo?”

“Are you one hundred percent sure no one saw you?”

“One hundred percent? No.”

“Nathan, your life could be in danger. Mine too.”

“Slow down, Jin. What are you talking about?”

“I’m deleting the photo. You should delete it right away too. You need to forget you ever saw this.”

“Wait a sec. What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? That dead guy isn’t from South Korea; he’s a black-ops assassin from North Korea!”

CHAPTER 26

Stone knew Lansing would already be up because Holly had already made contact. He decided to initiate a cell to cell, knowing his caller ID would pop up on Lansing’s screen.

“Good morning, Stone. I’m already up, thanks to my new chief of staff.”

“How’s she working out, by the way?”

“The woman’s a human backhoe. I’ve never met such a hard worker, or a more dedicated public servant. I made the right choice. I can’t tell you how many times she’s slept on the couch in her office. I’m buying her a convertible sofa so she’ll at least have a bed in there.”

“The nation’s business never sleeps.”

“Amen to that.”

“Ethan, we need to have a conversation we can’t have.”

“Where are you?”

“In my office.”

“I’ll call you right back.”

A few seconds later, his desk phone rang.

“Stone?”

“Yeah, it’s me. I spoke to Nathan earlier this morning. I imagine my call went a lot like yours with Holly.”

“It’s troubling news, to say the least,” Lansing said.

“At this point, the entire November Directive’s at risk.”

“For a lot of reasons, we can’t let it fail.”

“How many undercover operatives does it have?”

“Twelve,” Lansing said. “Five of them are in the Mexico division, the other seven are in East Asia and Venezuela. If Mason compromises the November Directive, those operatives could be facing horrible deaths. It doesn’t matter how big their paychecks are, they can’t spend them if they’re dead. Is there any chance Beaumont’s behind this?”

“No.”

“You sound certain.”

“I’ve known him most of my life. He’s a good man. The primary reason people get involved with illegal activity is to make money. George doesn’t need it. His net worth is probably close to a billion dollars.”

“If you think he’s clean, that’s good enough for me.”

“He’s on his way to my office right now. I made a deal with Nathan. I told him if he’d stand down temporarily, I wouldn’t discuss anything with George until he arrived so Nathan and Harvey could hear it in real time.”

“You’re talking about Harvey Fontana, Nathan’s business partner?”

“Yes. They agreed to hold off making any moves against Mason until they hear what Beaumont has to say. They didn’t have any objections to you joining the call.”

“I definitely want in. You said George’s on his way to your office right now?”

“Yes. He should be here in a few minutes.”

“What about Benson?” Lansing asked.

Stone personally knew the Director of National Intelligence, but it wasn’t his job to update him; it was Lansing’s. The FBI was one of seventeen agencies under the DNI’s umbrella. Lansing had personally kept Benson up to speed on the November Directive’s progress. And if DNI Benson knew, the president also knew.

“You’ll need to tell him everything,” Stone said. “We shouldn’t hold anything back at this point. We may lose containment.”

“I agree. Hang on a second, Stone. I’ll be right back.”

The phone line went silent. Stone felt like a hypocrite. He’d always believed Nathan’s unorthodox tactics weren’t justifiable, but now he and Lansing were about to discuss a black op against an American citizen on American soil. Even if Mason’s actions were considered traitorous, he was still entitled to due process. Wasn’t he? It was a question Stone didn’t want to ask because he didn’t like the answer.

“I’m back,” Lansing said.

“The way I see it, Ethan, Mason’s facing a needle. He’s as good as dead already.”

“Are we talking about what I think we’re talking about?”

“Look, I don’t like it any more than you do, but a cascade failure of the November Directive is not an option.”

“We’ve known each other for a lot of years, Stone. This doesn’t sound like you. What we’re sanctioning isn’t within the purest confines of the law. We both took similar oaths.”

“I had this conversation with Nathan earlier this morning. He once told me something I’ve never forgotten. He said, ‘Life is never as simple as a book of rules.’”

Lansing said nothing for a moment. “He’s right.”

“I can tell you this with certainty. Nathan would give his life for any one of us. He’s the most loyal man I’ve ever known. He’s a team player through and through, and he’s proven it many times.”

“Then we turn him loose,” Lansing said. “He’s already got a head start. We should do everything possible to support him, but I want one of my agents along for the ride.”

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. It complicates things. I don’t want him second-guessing himself at the moment of truth because there’s a special agent with him.”

“Don’t worry: I have the perfect person in mind.”

Stone thought for a moment. “Then we’re on the same page.”

“We’re here to make the tough decisions and live with the consequences. For the record, I have no desire to tender my resignation just yet.”

“We need to be clear on something, Ethan. My son is not taking the fall if things go south. He gets a get-out-of-jail-free card, or no deal. If it takes a presidential pardon, so be it.”

“Agreed. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“I can assure you, it won’t. Frankly, we’re lucky to have him cleaning up our mess.”

“It’s not our mess, it’s George’s, but I understand your point. We both know what flows downhill. We talked about this. We never planned to keep the ND secret forever, but it’s a whole lot easier to go public when it’s got a flawless track record.”

“Like I said, we’ll know a lot more once we’ve talked to George.”

“Send me a text once he’s in your office. I’ll set the conference call up from here. I’ve got Nathan’s cell number, but I don’t have a landline for him.”

Stone gave him Harvey’s private number at First Security.

Lansing asked about being off the record.

“Nathan gave me his word we won’t be recorded.”

CHAPTER 27

A text from his father announced that Beaumont had just entered the parking garage, and they should expect a call within five minutes. Nathan knew it could easily take that long for Beaumont to make his way to Stone’s office. He had to go through security twice and walk quite a distance. The Russell Senate Office Building occupied an entire city block.

He sent a return text saying they were waiting.

“This should be an interesting call,” Harv said.

Nathan didn’t respond. He despised being in a holding pattern. Although he understood the situation, it didn’t make it any easier. Intercepting Mason on the way to the hospital had been a lucky break, but Nathan didn’t think he’d get another shot at Mason without Lansing’s help. If they were going to track the guy down, they needed the resources of the FBI, which dictated Lansing had to be on board. Holly wasn’t an option. Nathan didn’t plan to ask her for anything. If Lansing didn’t sanction their further involvement, they’d have to start from scratch, which consumed time. As Harv believed, sooner or later Mason would discover their involvement, and they didn’t want to find themselves in the crosshairs of an OEF combat vet, PMC or not. Nathan had no doubt Mason would make a formidable enemy.

“What’s wrong?” Harv asked, breaking Nathan from his thoughts.

“I feel restless; I need to get moving.”

“I think Lansing will give us the go-ahead. We have a proven history with him. And we’re owed a few favors.”

“I don’t feel right calling in any IOUs.”

“Me either, and I don’t think we’ll have to.”

“So what’s Mason’s next move? He has to know he’s unsupported from here on. He’ll bolt and never have to answer for killing Mara.”

Harv took a swig of water. “We don’t know that. It depends on what he’s after—why he killed the guys at the soccer field. Maybe he’s doing BSI’s business via unconventional means. Maybe it’s just a jab in Alisio’s eye. More likely, though, I’d guess he’s got something to gain. If it’s a big enough reward, he might stick around long enough to finish the job. And if he does hang around, how many of his people remain loyal to him? We could be facing a small army.”