Overthrow (A James Winchester Thriller Book 2) (James Winchester Series) by James Samuel (the gingerbread man read aloud .TXT) 📕

“Has Sinclair disappeared before?”

James shrugged. “We’ve had our fair share of problems, but it’s out of character all the same. What about you anyway?”

“I quit my job.”

James’s mouth dropped open “You quit?”

“Yeah.” Dylan’s cheeks blushed pink. “I killed Song Wen. That reminds me, I got these documents. It proves that the coup with General Narith is linked with China’s attempted takeover of the country. You’ve got even more proof.”

James eyed the documents in Dylan’s possession. The young mercenary had truly outdone himself this time and at great personal risk. Dylan had no reason to help him or Blackwind in accomplishing their goals at the expense of Xiphos’.

“You know what this means?” said James.

“I do.”

“I hope you thought it through before you quit. Nobody quits in this business.”

Dylan nodded.

James returned his nod and said no more about the subject. Dylan would find himself in a precarious position for the foreseeable future.

“We should release these to the media when the time is right,” said Dylan. “It’ll strengthen Hun Sen’s position and embarrass China. They won’t try anything again here for a long time if the world knows.”

James observed the assortment of papers. He trusted Dylan that they said what he claimed. “I think we should wait until we’re out of the country for that. Don’t show these to anyone from the government. You’ve done a great job, Dylan.”

Dylan beamed in response. “Now we’re even.”

“Even in what?” said Sinclair.

James and Dylan almost jumped out of their skins as Sinclair planted his girth down on a chair between them.

“Sinclair?” they both said at the same time.

James began the interrogation. “What are you bloody playing at?” Dylan leaned in but said nothing for the moment. “You stopped answering our calls for hours. I rushed down here on a flight to start searching for you. Narith told me that he’d sent soldiers to our guesthouse to kidnap you.”

Sinclair shrugged. “Jacob Finch.”

“Finch? What’s he got to do with this?”

“After helping us with Kravaan, he gave me a bit more help. He tapped into the military communications network and discovered Narith’s plan. His idea was to kill you at the temple and then assassinate me. A two-pronged assault to cut off Sen’s hands and set everything up for the coup.”

James sighed. Like everyone else, he knew next to nothing about Finch other than he was brilliant. The reclusive computer whiz had really saved them this time.

After ordering a round of beers for all of them, James and Dylan briefed Sinclair on everything that had happened since his departure. He returned with how he’d immediately left Siem Reap after James was in place atop Phnom Bakheng. Sinclair’s route had taken him through the Cambodian countryside via the backroads to the capital again.

“So, what now?” said Dylan.

“Shao Fen,” said Sinclair. “Then our job is finished, even if it is already.”

“I’ve got an idea.” James put his beer down. “These documents tell us everything about China’s plans for Cambodia. The Communist Party would shit themselves if these ever saw the light of day.

“Sure, they would, so how does that help us?”

“Dylan, I want you to give me Shao’s number. I’m going to call him personally and make him come to Phnom Penh.”

Dylan looked at him like he was mad.

“Why would he come over for a few documents?” asked Dylan.

“Simple,” Sinclair chimed in. “The Chinese government works differently to the rest of the world. Anyone representing the government is not working for the country but the Communist Party. If Shao Fen was to fail, it would mean his death.”

“He needs those documents because his life really does depend on it,” James finished. “When he arrives, we’ll kill him.”

Sinclair shrugged. “Well, I don’t have any better ideas right now, so why not?”

Dylan hesitated but handed his phone over. They were on a high and they had to push through to keep the momentum going. Shao couldn’t be given the time to recover.

James pressed his finger down and Shao’s number began to ring.

“Dylan?” said Shao in perfect English. “I told you to reserve this number for emergencies. General Narith is dead. Be on your guard. I’m not aware if Song Wen has become a target yet.”

“Shao Fen,” said James. “Both General Narith and Song Wen are dead.”

A violent curse in Chinese ripped through the phone line.

“You know, Mr. Fen.” James could barely keep the smile from his face. “You put faith in the wrong people. General Narith attempted to kidnap my colleague here and failed. Dylan killed Song Wen himself, but that’s not what’s important. It’s what we found.” James waited for his words to set in. “You see, we found these papers, and we had them translated. They would be quite embarrassing for China if they were ever released.”

“Winchester?” Shao’s words were filled with ice.

“The same.”

“What is it you want?”

“For you to come and collect them. You have no chance of launching a coup now. Accept your defeat, collect your documents, and leave Cambodia forever. If you don’t collect them by the end of this evening, they’ll be copied and delivered to the international media.”

“Mr. Winchester… those were not yours to take.”

“And Cambodia wasn’t your country to take, either, but here we are.”

“Where should I meet you?”

“Freedom Park in Phnom Penh. Be there at ten this evening.”

James ended the call and looked back to his compatriots who all had smirks on their faces. Freedom Park seemed like an appropriate place to put an end to this. It was the traditional heart of protest and rebellion in Cambodia. The government had conducted countless crackdowns on protestors there.

Tonight, for once, big government would be chalking up a loss.

Chapter Sixty-Six

Freedom Park had only symbolic value in the heart of Phnom Penh. The park