Rising Tiger: A Thriller (37)

Harvath played DJ the rest of the way to the Fairmont, selecting as much funk music as he could find in Vijay’s CD wallet. And to be fair, he had to hand it to the man, there was a good amount of it—the S.O.S. Band, Kool & the Gang, and even the Bar-Kays—all of whom Vijay argued were R&B and most definitely not funk.

When they arrived at the perimeter of the hotel, they were greeted by a security checkpoint. Two guards in berets checked the vehicle, including using a mirror to inspect the undercarriage. Satisfied that neither the Jaguar nor its occupants posed any threat, one of the guards removed the metal bollard just ahead of them and waved them in.

Harvath had stayed at a lot of beautiful hotels in his time, but the Fairmont Jaipur was like a palace.

They entered through a massive archway with two towering wooden doors studded with rivets and strips of iron.

There was an ornate courtyard surrounded by high walls and lit by torches. As they pulled up to the main entrance, two men in crisp, blue-and-white uniforms with red turbans were playing enormous drums known as nagada.

Another, on a balcony high above the front doors, dropped rose petals to welcome the new guests.

A fourth staff member met the car when it came to a stop. His white uniform was accented with cream-colored cuffs, epaulets, and a sash. Atop his head was a brilliant orange turban, a piece of which had been allowed to hang behind him, almost to the ground. Unlike the two, who were clean-shaven, this man had the biggest mustache Harvath had ever seen.

Pressing his palms together, the staff member drew his hands to his chest, bowed ever so slightly, and wished them “Namaste,” before opening Harvath’s door.

He asked if he could provide assistance with any luggage. Vijay had checked in earlier and Harvath was fine wheeling his bag himself.

After he had retrieved it from the trunk, Vijay gave instructions to the valet in Hindi, and crossing the petal-covered threshold, the duo stepped inside.

Opulent didn’t even begin to describe the interior. It was like stepping into a work of art. From the intricate frescoes and crystal chandeliers to the silver antiques and scalloped stone archways, every element of the design contributed to grandeur.

Vijay accompanied Harvath to the intricately carved front desk and waited for him while he checked in. Once he had his keycard, they agreed to meet in the lobby in twenty minutes.

Up in his room, Harvath unpacked and was about to text Nicholas a SITREP via the encrypted app they used, when he saw a message waiting from Lawlor.

“What happened?” Harvath asked when the man picked up.

“Nobody knows. It came on suddenly. Nicholas says he thought for a moment that he was having a stroke. But seeing the dogs impacted by it as well, he knew it was some sort of attack.”

“Is he going to be okay?”

“They want to keep him at Walter Reed a little while longer for observation.”

“Do they know what did this to him?”

“The symptoms track with Havana Syndrome.”

Harvath was familiar with it. It was first reported by U.S. and Canadian embassy personnel back in 2016 in Havana, Cuba. Since then, it had happened in multiple other countries around the world, and the targets had broadened to include U.S. intelligence operatives, military members, and their families. “So, we’re treating this as an attack, right?”

“One hundred percent,” said Lawlor. “We just don’t know how it was committed.”

“Did you reach out to Bob McGee?”

McGee was the director of the Central Intelligence Agency and a close ally of the Carlton Group.

“I did. Immediately. They believe it’s a directed-energy weapon of some sort.”

“Who do they think is behind it?” Harvath asked.

“Even though they’ve been chasing this for the last six years, they still don’t know. It could be the Russians. Maybe the Chinese. They’re completely in the dark.”

“Why Nicholas? Why target him?”

“Is that a serious question?” Lawlor replied. “That man has got an enemies list miles and miles long. The real question is who doesn’t want harm to come to him?”

“But this has all the hallmarks of a state-sponsored attack.”

“And Nicholas pissed off a lot of states, including China and Russia,” said Lawlor. “Do I need to remind you that, in addition to the people he has pissed off, intelligence operatives have been targets in the past. Just because we’re not the CIA doesn’t make us any less likely for targeting.”

It was a good point. If they could come after Nicholas, they could come after anyone at the Carlton Group, including family members. This caused him to ask, “What’s Nina’s status?”

“She was away visiting friends when it happened. She’s back now.”

Harvath had a rush of concern. Nina was a straight-up badass. She was quite fond of letting everyone know that she didn’t scare easily and could more than take care of them both. “She’s not staying at the house, is she?” he asked.

“No,” Lawlor replied. “We’ve got her someplace safe. The dogs are with her, too. They’ve already been thoroughly checked over by their vet.”

“And you’ve got a team on her?” Harvath clarified. “Just in case.”

“Yes. On Nicholas, too.”

That made Harvath feel a lot better. “What can I do?”