Page 19 of Wired Target

Rab’s eyes brightened with a feral gleam; he’d been the one to propose that they snatch Mendoza and interrogate him for Pim Wat’s location before she’d slipped away the last time.“This is good plan.”He turned and translated rapidly to Sam, who nodded in comprehension and agreement.

“While we’re in flight, I want you two to figure out a plan to take Mendoza without alerting any of his associates or the authorities.You know his routine, his home and business locations already.If there’s anything specific you need for your plan, let me know.Meanwhile, I’m going to be working on a location where we can take him to get the information we need.”

Rab nodded.“This is a good strategy,” he said in his careful English.“We will do.We will need a map of Paris to begin.”

“I’m sure that can be easily obtained.”

The plane taxied out of its parking slot.Raveaux sat back, relaxing in the headrest’s soft leather cradle.He watched the high-rises, palm trees, and vivid, sharply cut green peaks of Oahu’s Ko‘olau Mountains speed by as they took off—and when the jet heeled over in a turn, he enjoyed the turquoise and indigo ocean, dotted with watercraft and the shadows of reefs, receding below.

He hadn’t said goodbye to Sophie.Would she even notice?Raveaux rubbed the left side of his chest.It always seemed to ache when he thought of her.

At least her daughter Momi would miss him.“Unco Perro” was gone, and she’d ask for him.Pierre would enjoy finding his goddaughter a gift in Paris.

A small thing to look forward to, but it was enough.He fell asleep.

11

Connor sat down with the leaders of the different disciplines at the Yam Khûmk?n.He’d been having twice-daily meetings with them, using Robert’s Rules of Order to run the meetings, and getting them used to casting a vote and letting the majority make decisions.

There was no shortage of issues to be solved: everything from a decline in recruitment and supply chain problems to plumbing and water purity challenges in the fortress’s ancient structure.Some of the new recruits had even brought in phones and were insisting on staying connected with the outside world.

“Part of what makes our training effective is a complete disconnection from the outside,” one of the team heads said.“We can’t bend on this.”

“Make a motion,” Connor prompted, catching his eye.“Put it to a vote.”

“Yes, Master.”the man lowered his gaze.“As you say.”

Connor rolled his eyes heavenward.“No, that’s not what I meant.When someone decides there’s been enough discussion on a topic, he can make a motion for a certain action to take place.If it’s seconded, you can vote right away.Do you want to make a motion now?”

“I think we should discuss it more,” the man said.“What do the rest of you think about the issue of phones for new recruits?”

The meeting progressed more smoothly after that.Connor sat back and folded his arms, watching proudly as eventually the team leader made the motion.It was seconded, and then everyone voted to have new recruits submit their phones and eventually earn them back as a reward, with limited use, at a certain level of achievement.

After the meeting, Connor joined the evening drill in the courtyard, going through the martial arts forms alongside the men.

Even as he stepped forward into the memorized sequence, punching, kicking, whirling in synchronized harmony with the others—his mind was elsewhere.

The conversation he’d had a few days earlier with McDonald still rankled.The CIA man was an ass and was using his power to humiliate Connor and keep him penned up in the Yam Khûmk?n fortress.

Connor hadn’t even seen Sophie’s new home yet.Now was the perfect time for him to sneak over to Oahu and visit Sophie and the kids.Pim Wat was somewhere far away; Raveaux would flush her out, but that wouldn’t be for days.Meanwhile, Raveaux would be temporarily gone.

Connor could take the chopper to the airport and have the Security Solutions private jet fly in and pick him up in Bangkok.He’d adopt one of his aliases, complete with passport, and slip into Honolulu under the radar and—surprise her.He’d have to do it that way.Sophie would never agree to him visiting; the risk he’d be arrested was too great.

Once he’d made up his mind, energy flowed through Connor like electricity, and he flew through the exercises, tireless.

Feirn met him when the drill ended, as the men left the courtyard for dinner.Sunset played salmon pink rays over the lichen-covered, ancient stone walls.Oncoming night cooled the humid air: the birds sang their evening arias over the jungle.“I’d like to walk the ramparts,” Connor said.“Come with me?”

“Of course, Master.Your meal will be kept hot until you’re ready.”

Connor nodded and took a close-by stair, heading for the highest level of the fortress.Cut into raw, unfinished rock, the steps were rough under his bare feet, but that didn’t slow him.He took them two at a time until he stood on the flat parapet surrounding the topmost wall of the fortress.

Built in a style much different than a Western fortification, the cluster of buildings that made up the temple, training facility, and armed compound of the Yam Khûmk?n was a series of linked step pyramids within an encircling wall.The parapet Connor stood on was capped along the outer edge with jagged, unfinished rocks that had been cemented in; they formed a waist-high barrier that ended up leaving natural gaps useful for defense.

But no one, in all the centuries the fortress had stood, had attacked it; the jungle around it, and the men inside, were too formidable.

Connor gripped the coarse stone and gazed out over the jungle toward the horizon.

Night already deepened shadows beneath the dense canopy, but the birds were still awake.The chattering of a flock of mynah birds in their chosen sleeping tree came to him clearly, along with the shriek of a parrot, the croaking of frogs, and the occasional cry of an animal.The smell of onions and beans wafted from the vent that led to the men’s dining area.Far off in the distance, the light pollution of Bangkok tinted the sky above the city with a faint orange hue.

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