Page 80 of Into the Gray Zone

Kamal said, “I’m sorry, but we’re going to lead with hand grenades. Once those go off, we’ll follow onto the patio.”

Manjit turned away, thinking. He turned back and simply nodded, saying, “Okay.”

Kamal said, “It’s necessary. This is for what the state did to us. What the prison guards did to you. If I could do it to them, I would, but this is for them and the government that paid them. For the RAW.”

Manjit began shoving in his own magazines, saying, “I know. I don’t like it, but I understand.”

Forty seconds later they were pulling out of the garage, Kamal and Manjit in the van and Randeep in Kamal’s sedan. It took less than a minute to reach the gate, Kamal slowing down when he saw it. He pulled up to the edge and flashed his lights, waiting. Halfway hoping nobody showed up.

He saw a light flash from behind the fence and tensed, knowing it was time. He looked at Manjit and said, “Are you ready?”

Manjit nodded and Kamal rolled down the window, waving his arm for Randeep to come forward. He saw the headlights turn off and the door open. Randeep jogged forward and entered the back of the van just as the chain-link gate opened.

Kamal turned off his own lights and rolled forward with the parking lights alone. He passed a man in a dastaar and red uniform and slowed. The man said, “Turn it around and aim it back this way. We’ll protect it.”

Kamal nodded and did as he was told, turning off the ignition and sitting, the engine ticking in the darkness. Manjit said, “What’s wrong?”

Staring out the windshield, Kamal said, “Nothing. Just enjoying the quiet. But the clock continues ticking, doesn’t it.”

Manjit said, “It’s too late for regret. That was spent when we sent Agam on his way. Let’s go.”

He flung open the door and stepped out, surprising Kamal. Manjit turned back to the driver’s seat and said, “This is our path now. No turning back.”

Manjit’s words gave him confidence. If Manjit was committed, they would succeed.

Kamal exited, met him and Randeep in the back, and they each put a magazine in their respective weapons, racking a round. Kamal waved over the gate security and said, “We’ll be coming back on the run. You two will be driving the car outside.”

“Jaiden said we’d get in the van.”

“No. Randeep, give them the keys.”

Randeep did so, and Kamal said, “When you hear the explosions, open the gate and go to the car. When we leave, you follow.”

“What if you don’t come back?”

“Then take the car wherever you want. It won’t matter, but they’ll know you let us in.”

Kamal turned without another word and led his men through the darkness, the laughter and tinkling of glasses faint in the distance. He could see the light of the building no more than fifty meters away, imagining the celebration he was about to destroy.

Chapter47

Knuckles tried to be engaging and relaxed, but he honestly ran out of steam after meeting the fifth person whose life was so outside the realm of his own. Celebrities, hedge fund managers, sports icons, tech industry titans, you name it, they were all here, and these were only the select ones who’d been invited to dinner. He was dreading when the crowd doubled in size and everyone got liquored up. Three hours of trying to find something in common to talk about with these people was going to be a trial.

Pike’s phone call earlier hadn’t helped matters. Knuckles thought he might as well have simply said, “Danger, Will Rogers, danger!” for all the information he’d been able to relay. Apparently, the final three terrorists had been geolocated near the Oberoi grounds, but that was all they had.

Nadia saw him standing alone and came back to him, saying, “I thought you’d enjoy talking to Sledge. I figured he’d be right up your alley, but you spent more time talking to his security guy than you did with him.”

Sledge was an aging American musician who’d made a mint more than two decades ago. He’d been the epitome of an American rock star, partying and hedonistic to his core, but then one day, when hewas on the tail end of his fame, he’d decided to use his clout for good. He’d done a concert in India and had been touched by the poverty divide, specifically when he’d seen women washing clothes in the Ganges River. He’d dedicated his life to getting clean water to impoverished areas around the world, and had spent the remainder of his career doing just that. He seemed to be genuine about the work, and was nice enough, but Knuckles wondered if he wasn’t just trying to buy his way into heaven.

Knuckles smiled and said, “I have more in common with the security guy than his boss.”

“Did you tell him about Pike’s call?”

“No. How could I? I’m here as your guest, not as some secret counterterrorism agent. I’d have to do serious tap-dancing to explain how I knew intelligence like that. Anyway, me telling everyone the sky is falling will only undercut the actual security. Jaiden’s in charge of that, and he seems pretty capable. I’m not going to step on his toes by running around behind his back whispering to the individual security teams of the guests here.”

She grinned and said, “But you asked to see his gun.”

He chuckled and said, “Yeah, I acted like I was fascinated by his job, but really I just wanted to see if he was armed. He is.”

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