BLOOD DRAGON by Freddie Peters (books to get back into reading .TXT) 📕

They stop pulling silly faces and huddle together at the back of the skiff.

The fisherman who agreed to take them across asks for more money just as they are about to board. Children are not welcome on this passage to freedom. They don’t always keep quiet when asked to …

Nancy’s father is bargaining, telling the man that the two little girls are well behaved and will be as good as gold. But gold is exactly what the fisherman needs. She can see a strange light in his eyes … she doesn’t know what it means but it scares her. She huddles her friend even closer.

The fisherman says something to her father she can’t hear and he shouts, “Never.” The old man shrugs. He needs the money right now if the girls are to cross with the adults.

Nancy’s father moves to where his wife is sitting. Nancy doesn’t understand that the cost will mean parting with almost all they have left. Her mother hands over a wad of green bills. Nancy has never seen these before.

The boat leaves the small creek after her father and his friends have changed into old clothes. They resemble smugglers. The two little girls would like to make fun of them but their fathers’ faces are too sombre to invite a tease.

The sun has gone up. The wind is helping the boat out onto the sea. Nancy is excited. She’s never been on a boat trip before.

The telephone ringing made her jump. Images of a past long gone, that for a moment felt so close, vanished. The hotel manager was on the phone making sure she was happy with her new room.

She was of course delighted, she reassured her. And she hoped calling the police last night had not caused too many problems. The woman sighed. They were coming back today to investigate further.

* * *

The US consulate on Garden Road was not yet open. He rang the Consul’s mobile with little success. Randy had slept without interruption. Jack had not been so successful. He had improvised a bed on the floor of the bedroom’s small corridor. But despite the thickness of the carpet, sleeping on the ground was no longer what he was used to. Jack showered quickly and checked Randy was still asleep.

The email he had drafted in the middle of the night, when he had woken, had not been sent yet. He read it again with a fresher head and changed a few details. As noiselessly as he could, he made himself a cup of coffee, gave the message a final read, and pressed the send button.

Hunter was almost certainly in one of his end-of-day debriefs, which gave Jack a couple of hours’ reprieve.

Jack’s phone buzzed as he settled against the wall of the corridor. He moved to the bathroom to take the call.

“Where are you?” Hunter’s voice revealed nothing.

“Still at the Mandarin Oriental.”

“Is that guy Randy with you?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“American citizen from what I gather.”

Jack took a few seconds. Hunter had done his homework. “That’s correct, Sir.”

“Get him to the consulate … I sent a request for extraction.”

“Thank you, Sir. The story is starting to make sense …”

“Perhaps.” Hunter cut him short. “But Viro-Tech remains a private company. It has its headquarters in the UK; it has some American, British and Asian investors, so unless they come to offer their services to the US government, there is little we can do.” Hunter had done his homework.

“I’m sure MI6 will be ready to help.”

“Yet again, this is an independent British company. The UK government may take an interest in their research, but I think the Brits at the moment are more interested in drumming up tech business to rival Silicon Valley than in digging into the business of a private company.”

There was little Jack could add to that.

“Look Jack, I will take care of Randy Zhang. He is still in danger, so I will make sure he returns to the US safely. But nothing has changed. I need something that is actionable, here, in the US …”

Jack leaned against the bathroom sink, shaking his head. “Does it have something to do with the agreement between the Chinese and the US, where they are trying to come to terms about medical research and co-operation? Turner Junior is meant to broker the agreement, so I understand that he may be off limits because of that … at least for the time being.”

Hunter’s silence lasted for a long moment. “I’m not going to ask you where you got that information from …”

“Does it matter anyway, Sir? If it’s true, let me work behind the scenes until we can properly assess how valid Ollie Wilson and Randy Zhang’s claims are. We can’t keep allowing a private company to transfer technology to China, simply to do business there.”

“I too have read the McCain report.” Hunter surprised Jack. “It’s a delicate balance at the moment. The Obama administration is aware of the issue and prepared to take action, but we need China’s co-operation when it comes to epidemic containment.”

“I could debrief my contact at MI6.”

“It won’t make any difference. The Brits and the Europeans need this deal to go through as much as we do. Bill Gates has done a good job on making governments aware of the need to protect against a new pandemic. For once, everyone seems to be in agreement. You still have 48 hours … actually 36 hours, to find something compelling against Viro-Tech. Otherwise, I want you home.”

The phone went dead. “Shit … that can’t be right.”

“What’s that?” Randy had woken up and stood, looking dishevelled, at the door of the bathroom.

“Some mixed up flight details.” Jack managed to smile to Randy. “But the good news is … the US consulate is sending you home under protection.”

* * *

“Let’s take a little stroll,” Professor Licot suggested with an amiable smile. Nancy looked taken aback. But, of course, the Mandarin Oriental was too obvious a