Red Ice Read online

  Vessler listened, then shook her head. “Won’t work. Hong is old school. He won’t break the alliance without evidence that Rhee’s been screwing him and the Triad in some way. He’d lose too much face.”

  “Rhee’s and his boys are on a rampage,” Liam said sourly. “Triads don’t like the attention or the heat, and it’s a sure thing Uncle Sam and the local law enforcement agencies are going to be bringing it in buckets.”

  Tanner shook his head. “I think Rhee’s playing his own game, separate from the Red Ice operation, one that Hong isn’t involved in. The question is what game and what is his next move?”

  “Chaos is his game,” Stephen said.

  Dante nodded. “Yes, but for what purpose?”

  “The North Koreans are still technically at war with both the U.S. and South Korea,” Choi said. “And they have the largest Special Forces in the world — two hundred thousand soldiers by some reports. They’ve been sending infiltrators into South Korea for decades. Imagine how much damage just a couple hundred of them could do to this country.”

  Vessler frowned. “What I don’t understand are the gunmen today. They weren’t well-trained, but they didn’t go down easily.”

  “I think Rhee’s recruiting locals,” Tanner said. “Using money from Red Ice sales to hire local thugs and finance his operations.”

  Liam nodded. “Use the locals as cannon fodder, while keeping his own soldiers in reserve for important missions. Also makes it harder to pin down incidents involving him.”

  “Rhee’s going to need bodies when he faces off against the Mexican cartels for control of the meth market, so it makes sense.”

  Tanner’s cell phone trilled. He saw who the caller was he answered it. “Yeah?”

  “I’m calling with an update,” Casey said. “I’m still here at the DEA office and I don’t plan to leave for a while. Preliminary tox screens came through — had to call in a few favors to get it done this fast — but there is definitely some sort of drug in the bloodstream of the people who tried to kill the mayor and the ones Liam and Stephen handled yesterday. And it’s the same substance in all of them. But it’s going to take days, if not weeks, to determine what drug it is. It’s definitely some form of amphetamine, but that’s all they can be sure about at the moment.”

  “Has anyone asked the Mori family what she was working on?”

  “No. Do you think it might have a bearing?”

  “Won’t know unless we ask.”

  “I’ll ask.”

  “You hear anything on the mayor?”

  “Nothing good. She’s still in critical condition, and if she does survive, doctors say she’ll never walk again.”

  “I see.”

  “I’ll keep you informed if anything else turns up. Good luck.”

  After Casey broke the connection, Tanner pocketed the phone and filled the others in on Casey’s information.

  Liam frowned. “Rhee and his boys could be anywhere.”

  “Which is why we’re going to lean on Hong and his boys.” Tanner looked down the table at Danielle. “How is it going?”

  Danielle looked up from her laptop. “Wombat and his people cracked the Triad’s database ten minutes ago. I’m waiting on the data now.”

  Vessler’s eyes narrowed. “Wombat?”

  “Danni knows people in the hacking community,” Naomi explained. “She’s a respected white-hat hacker. She sent out word that she needed help cracking a certain database, and a few of her people responded.”

  “The Black Dao’s database?” Vessler asked.

  Naomi nodded. “We’re not making arrests or opening cases. We’re looking to hit Hong in the pressure points so that he gives up Rhee.”

  “And here we go.” Danielle tapped a few keys and the wireless printer on the sideboard began spitting out papers. “All the data we’ll ever need.”

  Tanner nodded. “Let’s get started.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  San Francisco, California

  10:35pm

  William Hong’s home wasn’t located in Chinatown, but in Presidio Heights, one of the city’s more affluent neighborhoods. A brick Tudor sat behind the garage, nestled between two other homes that reflected two completely different schools of architectural design. The house was quiet and dark when Rhee, Muhn, and Lieutenant Kim Won-shik walked up to it.

  The long set of stairs led up to a door set back in an alcove. As they climbed the stairs, Rhee could feel he was under observation, a sense that was confirmed when he spotted the security camera under the alcove’s overhang. Now that knew what to look for, he spotted two more cameras, one covering the street, the other on the front of the house.

  As soon as Rhee stepped into the alcove, the front door opened. “Inside,” a rough voice commanded.

  Rhee crossed the threshold, senses alert for trouble. Kim went left, while Muhn leaned heavily on the door, his hand close to his pistol. As Rhee’s eyes adjusted to the low light level, he saw someone step out of the shadows.

  “You’re right on time, Major,” Meng-hau Cheng said. He held his hands up to show they were empty.

  “Is Hong here?”

  “I will take you to him.” Cheng lead them down the hall, Rhee feeling more than seeing the two 49s that fell into step behind him and his men. At the end of the short hallway was a featureless door. Cheng knocked on it twice, waited, then knocked twice more before opening it. “Three seekers from the north to see the Dragon Lord.”

  A voice from inside the room replied with, “Enter, seekers from the north.”

  The Koreans stepped inside, followed by Cheng and the 49s. The study was opulent, richly decorated in a Chinese motif. Rhee glanced around quickly, dismissing the opulence as nothing more than a sign of Hong’s decadence. Instead, he focused his attention on the room’s occupants.

  Hong sat behind the sizable desk, anger clouding his face. Cho Lee and Kuang Lieh sat in chairs fronting the desk, and both had to turn to see Rhee and Kim. Their expressions matched that of their boss. Rhee couldn’t see Cheng’s face, but he felt the Red Pole’s glare on his back.

  Cheng closed the doors and stood before them, his expression less readable than the others. Rhee glanced back at Hong. “You wanted to see me?”

  “What in the hell were you thinking?” Hong’s eyes were dark and narrow. “Assassinating the mayor? Are you insane?”

  “I needed to show that their success in capturing the warehouse was a fluke.” Rhee shrugged. “I don’t see why you’re complaining since none of your men are involved.”

  “That’s not the point!” Lieh snapped. “There have already been calls for a crackdown on the Triads in the city! That President of the Board of Supervisors is already demanding a police task force to combat the ‘crime wave’!”

  Rhee kept his expression neutral, but inside he was satisfied. Kwan was following his instructions. “What is the mayor’s condition now?”

  “Medically-induced coma,” Lee replied. “Her spine was shattered and one of her lungs collapsed. She’s in ICU at Saint Francis in critical but stable condition.”

  “That might be as good as killing her.”

  “You can’t assassinate a major public official without consequences!” Lieh shot back. “The police have already picked up a dozen of our men unrelated to the warehouse. What do you think is going to happen now?”

  “There is no evidence that the Black Dao is involved the assassination attempt.”

  “It doesn’t matter. The police will see all of us guilty! We will never be able to go back to business as usual.”

  Rhee put a hand up. “Enough. The police will have enough trouble in the next couple of days. The first batches of Red Ice have been produced by the new lab.”

  The three Triad leaders around the desk looked surprised. “That was quick,” Lee said after a few seconds of silence.

  “My people are motivated. I also suggested that the first samples be free, to encourage the market.”

  Another round
of surprised expressions lit up around the desk. Hong was the first to recover. “How long will it take to complete the current batch for distribution?”

  “Three or four days. By this time next week, Red Ice will be on the street and nothing will stop it from sweeping across the country.”

  He let the words sink in for a few minutes. “In the meantime, I need your help in another matter.” He drew several photos from an inside jacket pocket and walked over to the desk.

  “I have managed to identify members of the American mercenary team that interfered with the ambush on the pier.” He dropped the prints onto the table. “There are at least five of them — four men and one woman.” He put a finger on one photo, pinpointing two women and a man. “The white woman is a DEA agent, but the black woman and the man are not. They were the ones who visited the drug dealer’s place. The three men in the other photo were at the pier and chased my people. The third photo is this John Casey and a female aide of some sort.”

  Hong scrutinized the photo briefly before asking, “What do you want from us?”

  “I want your contacts in the city to find out where they are operating from. Once you find out, my men will take care of them — for good.” Rhee’s eyes glittered and he smiled. “Five thousand dollars to whoever furnishes the information.”

  Hong picked up the photos. “You will pay the reward?”

  “Of course. In cash.”

  “I will put the word out.”

  “I want to leave Lieutenant Kim here to act as my liaison in this matter.”

  Lieh scowled. “Liaison or watchdog?”

  “I have other matters to attend to, so I will not be available for the next couple of days. Lieutenant Kim has my full confidence, and his orders will not conflict with your operations.”

  Hong nodded slowly. “Very well, we will allow him to stay with us as your liaison until this threat you’ve perceived has been eliminated.”

  “Good.” He stared at the three. “You see danger. I see opportunity. We are on the verge of a major event here, gentlemen, one that will bring you millions. Do not let fear override your vision. The Americans have no inkling of what’s about to hit them. By the time they do, it will be too late.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  San Francisco, California

  11:53pm

  The brothel was located on the edge of the city’s Cow Hollow district. It was a three-story brick colonial on a corner, listed as the Sons of The Western Gentlemen’s Social Club. Dues were five thousand dollars a month and prospective members were vetted more thoroughly than a CIA job applicant. Danielle’s research indicated there were between fifteen and twenty prostitutes in the building at any given time, mostly Asian and other illegals forced into the life. The number of powerful people who were members stymied any investigation before it could start. It was one of the Triad’s biggest money makers, raking in millions of dollars per month. The establishment sat there, confident no one would dare challenge its right to debase women for profit.

  That would change tonight.

  The dark sky was cool and cloudy and the neighborhood was quiet, most residents turned in for the night. Street lights were the main source of illumination, but Tanner could see that the club itself was well-lit around the outside. Heavy curtains hid the interior lights. According to Danielle, the club was heavily soundproofed to avoid complaints from neighbors.

  “Able Team in position,” Tanner radioed. Both he and Liam were half a block west of the club, dressed in designer suits and overcoats, with balaclavas hidden beneath their hats. Standing on a slope, the pair of operators could see the lights of downtown San Francisco twinkling in the distance.

  “Bravo Team in position.” Stephen and Dante were a couple of houses east of the club, halfway up a steep hill. Unlike Able Team, Bravo was dressed in black jumpsuits under heavy overcoats, balaclavas pulled up on their heads to reveal their faces.

  “Charlie Team set.” Naomi, Vessler, and Choi occupied a cargo truck parked in a lot next to a chapel down the street from the club. Choi drove while Vessler and Naomi sat up front next to him. All three wore black jumpsuits, balaclavas on their heads.

  “Base is set. Snow-out is set to go.” Danielle was back at the hotel, monitoring communications and preparing to execute remote operations.

  Liam and Tanner started walking toward the club. On the way, Tanner pulled out a pint of liquor chosen for its strong smell, took a swig, rinsed his mouth, then spat out the liquid before deliberately spilling some on his overcoat. He handed the now half-filled bottle to Liam who did the same, then pocketed the now-empty bottle. They walked with a slight weave in their step as if they were drunk.

  When they reached the intersection, the pair swayed as they looked at the building, picking out the security cameras they had spotted on recon drivebys earlier in the evening. Approaching the site without being seen by one of the cameras would have been impossible, which is why the team had chosen this disguised approach.

  “Able to Bravo,” Tanner subvocalized, “this is Prime. Execute Snow-out.”

  “Executing now.”

  Part of the plan involved neutralizing the brothel’s security system and phones, both land lines and cellular. Danielle had hacked into the brothel’s wireless computer network and uploaded a virus that would delete the security programs, any recorded video, and the building’s telephone system.

  “Snow-out is running,” Danielle reported. “Total network failure in ten seconds.”

  Tanner and Liam started across the street, stumbling. They reached the sidewalk and headed for the front door. At the same moment, Stephen, carrying a briefcase-sized cell phone jammer, and Dante, walking quickly from the opposite direction, reached an iron gate leading into the house’s grounds.

  Danielle’s voice issued over the comm channels. “Snow-out is active. All security cameras, building alarms and phone lines are off-line.”

  Tanner reached the front door. “Prime to all elements: Execute.”

  Dante stuck a thumbnail-sized piece of C4 into the gate lock, stepped back a couple of paces and triggered the charge. With a “pop”, the lock was destroyed and the gate sprung open. While Bravo went through the gate, Tanner hammered on the front door and started swaying as if inebriated. He waited a few seconds, then hammered on the door again, as hard as he could. Next to him, Liam also acted drunk, but one hand was in his overcoat pocket, clutching a stun gun.

  The door opened and a hard-looking Asian with a weightlifter’s build glared at them. “What?”

  “Hey, is Bulldog here?” Tanner asked, slurring his voice.

  “No.” The doorman moved to shut the door.

  Tanner stuck his foot in the doorway, putting his weight on the foot to keep the door open. “But he said he was going to meet us here! He said … There was a new girl who was so flexible!”

  The doorman glared at him. “This is a member’s club, sir. You are not a member.”

  “Yes I am!” Tanner yelled.” He began patting his pockets as if to look for something. “I have my member’s card right here!”

  With all his attention focused on Tanner, the doorman never saw Liam take the stun gun from his coat pocket. With a quick thrust, Liam jabbed the doorman just under his ribs with the device and triggered it. Two million volts surged through the doorman’s body and he started convulsing. Waiting for a count of three, Tanner then slammed his shoulder into the door, sending the doorman reeling into the hallway. The two men surged through the door. Liam pocketed the stun gun and yanked down his balaclava with one hand. With his other, he reached under his overcoat and extracted a Ruger MP-9 submachine gun that hung under the coat by a shoulder strap. Tanner kicked the still stunned doorman in the groin while pulling out his own MP-9 and pulling his balaclava into place. The pair swept the compact submachine guns through the hallway, alert for immediate threats.

  An Asian on the stairs to Tanner’s right shouted something in Chinese and reached for a pistol on his belt. Tanner f
ired first and the guard shuddered as several 9mm bullets ripped through his torso. He stumbled, then fell down the stairs, landing in a heap at the base of the stairs.

  To Tanner’s left the hall opened onto a large room with chairs, couches, a few tables, and half a dozen people. Three were men, well-dressed and clearly customers, while the other three were women, two blondes and a brunette. One of the blondes was middle-aged and once a looker, but life and drink had robbed her of most of it. Wearing a conservative dress, she glared at the intruders. “Who in the hell are you two?”

  “We be here to deliver a message,” Tanner said in an Irish brogue.

  “You have no idea who you’re fucking with.”

  “On the contrary, madam. We be knowing who we’re fucking with. We be fucking with Billy Hong and the Black Dao Triad.”

  Tanner saw the madam’s eyes narrow. “You’d better run, you dumb bastards.”

  “Not yet. First a little work to show how serious we are.”

  Overhead a balcony ran the width of the house. Men and women gathered there, drawn by the sound of gunshots. Most were naked or nearly so, and they all paled at the sight of the masked men.

  Tanner called up to them, gun barrel held in the air. “Ladies and gentlemen. Get down here now. If we have to come up and get you, you will not like the results.”

  #

  At the same time Tanner was banging on the door upstairs, Bravo team was making their entrance into the Sons of The Western Gentlemen’s Social Club.

  It took Dante only ten seconds to use a lockpick gun to unlock the lower door. They pulled down their balaclavas and went through the open door, MP-9s up and pointing down the short hall. According to the floor plans Danielle had supplied, the bottom floor was the kitchen and storage, although there were a couple of rooms next to the boiler that weren’t marked and needed to be investigated.

  The kitchen was large with a dozen cooks, servers, and food preparers, all male. Shouts and conversation in Chinese echoed throughout the room, backed by the strains of a singer butchering a song in Chinese. The smell of cooked food was thick and rich.