Page 79 of Into the Gray Zone

He felt Jaiden’s contact phone vibrate in his pocket, the sensation no less startling than if it had been hooked to an electric current. He snatched it out, looked at the screen in confusion, then answered.

“This is Kamal.”

“You need to come, right now.”

“What? Are they done with dinner? Are they out in the open?”

“No. They’re still eating dinner. They’re in the first building you will see on the back of the compound. It’s split into three sections, two rooms with an outdoor patio between them. Thakkar will be in the room on the right. You come in from the patio, killing the patrons. I will take Thakkar out from the right as if I’m trying to protect him. You keep killing, moving to the left room, then out the side door. I’ll meet you at the back of the building on the way to the gate. No more than a minute on target.”

“Wait, wait, what? That’s not the plan. We were going to wait for them to finish dinner precisely because it’s in a building, with security arming the strong points. And it’s only half the guests. You told me thesize of the target would double by the pool because not everyone was invited to dinner.”

“They know you’re coming.”

That caused Kamal’s head to spin. “They know? They know what?”

“They know there’s an attack planned. They told me as the head of security, and now I have to tell everyone else on protective duty here, to include the celebrities who brought their own security. I can’t sit on the information for long. You need to come now, before the security posture here is heightened.”

Now afraid, Kamal said, “How do they know?Whatdo they know?”

“Look, it’s just a general thing. I was told that an attack was possibly imminent, and that it was possibly tied into the attack at the Agra Fort. They have no specifics, but I’m supposed to get everyone on a war footing. You have about ten minutes before I’m questioned. Get your ass here. Now is the time.”

“But we don’t know anything about that building. We’ve planned everything on the pool and temple grounds. We’d studied the maps, looked at Google Earth, seen all the pictures, and planned the route in and out. We didn’t focus on that building. I was supposed to come in and go straight to the pool area after the other guests arrived, and I’m prepared for that. I’m not prepared for this.”

“This is even easier. The building is the closest one to the back gate. I’ll send you pictures. I’ll go around on a security check and take them. You get them, and you come here. My men are waiting at the gate.”

“Pictures? I’m supposed to look at them for five seconds and assault?”

“I have to go. It’s too late. Either commit, or back off, but I can’t stay on the phone.”

And he hung up.

Manjit said, “What was that all about?”

Kamal picked up his body armor and put it on, cinching the Velcrocummerbund tight. He picked up his grenades and began shoving them into individual pouches, saying, “We have to attack now.”

Randeep began stowing magazines in his pouches, but Manjit said, “Why? What’s the change?”

“Somehow there’s been an alert. Jaiden was told to increase security for a possible attack. He hasn’t done that yet, because he’s waiting on us, but he can’t wait forever.”

Randeep stopped loading his kit, saying, “An alert? For us?”

Kamal said, “Yes, well, maybe. It might just be because of the attack in Agra and it’s a general thing, but right now it’s like nobody knows, because the head of security is Jaiden. He’s responsible for giving everyone the word to increase their security posture, and he hasn’t. Which is why we need to go now.”

Manjit said, “But the plan is the same?”

Kamal began shoving AK-47 magazines in his pouches and said, “No. We attack them at dinner. In the first building.”

Randeep said, “During dinner? Only half the guests will be there, and we didn’t plan for that. We don’t know that building.”

“We will soon. Jaiden’s sending pictures.”

They finished loading their vests in silence, and then the pictures came in. It was just like Jaiden had said, a U-shaped building with a patio and two large rooms left and right, split by a center area with a bar. Both rooms were crowded with people, all wearing traditional Indian dress and all clearly having a good time. Kamal could see the bride in the room on the left talking to some celebrity or other, and the photo sent from the right room showed Riva Thakkar talking to someone of importance, the security man with the milky eye named Rakesh dutifully standing behind him.

Another load of pictures arrived, showing the outdoor patio and the route in from the gate, followed by a text saying, “Now.”

Kamal said, “We’ll enter the patio, causing destruction, and move to the left room when everyone starts running. Jaiden and Rakesh will take Thakkar from the right room out the side door, ostensibly to protect him, but really to get him to the van. We’re in for thirty seconds, one minute max, and we leave, collapsing back to the van. Understood?”

Randeep nodded and Manjit said, “How will we start the attack?”

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