Rising Tiger: A Thriller (85)
“There was a lot of speculation in the ranks as to where it came from,” she replied. “No labels. No made in ‘X’ country.”
“We employed a team, around the clock, for two weeks that removed all the tags and erased any signs of origin. While we hate Beijing as much as you do, Washington wanted this to be off the radar.”
“Like the negotiations over an Asian version of NATO.”
Suddenly she was striking right at the heart of why they were both standing in this abandoned building, ready to let Vijay do whatever he was about to do to Sayed.
Harvath nodded. “Yes.”
“And why shouldn’t America and India formalize an alliance?” she asked. “The threats to democracy are only growing. From Pakistan’s relationship with China and Iran, to what the Russians have done to Ukraine. We can’t pretend that strong coalitions don’t serve as the ultimate bulwark and aren’t absolutely necessary.”
He really liked the way she saw the situation. “Agreed. India is a natural partner for the United States. As our ambassador to the United Nations has said, you’re a nuclear power with over one million troops, a growing navy, a top-tier space program, and a proven history of economic and military cooperation with the United States. Together, with Japan and Australia, we wouldn’t just maintain our global strength, but expand it.”
“It also makes a lot of sense on our end,” Asha replied. “The Chinese Communist Party has been providing far too much support to our number one enemy, Pakistan. Through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Beijing has not only shored up Pakistan’s faltering electrical grid, but has provided medical supplies, and helped ease Pakistan’s growing national debt. At this point, there isn’t anything China could ask that Pakistan wouldn’t do.”
“And,” said Harvath, “there’s all the ways we can assist each other in the cyber realm. We got hit by a crippling Russian attack on one of our major pipelines recently and the Chinese hit you with an electrical grid attack that cut off power for twenty million residents in Mumbai. It just makes sense for the world’s oldest and largest democracies to be aligned.”
Asha now nodded. “I agree. And, more importantly, my boss agrees and wants us to work together.”
“Good. That means that everything comes down to what we learn from Aga Sayed.”
“I’m with you.”
“Are you?” Harvath asked. “Because I agree with Vijay. A couple of minutes ago, you were sounding a lot like a lawyer. When we go back in there, it’s not going to be anyplace a lawyer wants to be. I’m just going to warn you.”
“A couple of minutes ago, I didn’t know what I do now. In India, knowledge is a virtue. As a wise person once said, we cannot control the direction of the wind, but we can always control how we trim our own sails.”
“So you’re going to be able to handle what is going to go down in there?”
“Meaning can I stomach it?” she asked.
Harvath nodded.
“I don’t know. Maybe we should go back and ask the manager of the Laid Back. How about you? Are you going to be okay with it?”
He nodded again.
“Just ask Sayed’s bodyguards,” Asha replied. “Right?”
Harvath smiled. “You’ll be fine. Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 55
Out of a canvas bag, Vijay produced a pair of long metal tongs—the kind you might see in a foundry or a glassworks. It didn’t take much time to understand why the tongs were present.
One by one, he picked up each of the red-hot pieces of metal from the pile of glowing coals in the hubcap and examined them. As he did, Aga Sayed continued to watch.
Harvath walked over to him and loosened the gag. There were cuts at the corners of his mouth and along the sides of his face. The ex-cop hadn’t been lying. He really had sewn razor blades into the gag. Harvath was impressed.
“Okay, Sayed,” he said. “Collectively, we built a pile of dead bodies getting to you. If you think that somehow you’re leaving this place without telling us what we want to know, you are sorely mistaken. So, question number one: Who killed Eli Ritter in Jaipur?”
Sayed looked up at him and replied, “I don’t know.”
“Not a good answer. Who killed Ritter?”
“Fuck you. That’s who.”
Harvath nodded to Vijay that it was time to begin.
The ex-cop used the tongs to retrieve a blistering-hot bolt from the coals, walked over, and paused as he decided where he was going to brand the son of a bitch who had gutted his partner.
“This is just the start, Sayed,” said Harvath. “You know why he asked me to get the soda bottle, right?”
“Fuck you,” the man spat, looking to his left, trying to anticipate what Vijay was going to do.
“Don’t look at him,” Harvath admonished. “Look at me. I’m the one you need to talk to. I’m the one you need to convince you’re telling the truth.”
“Fuck you,” the gangster repeated.
Harvath looked at Vijay. “I love when they do that. It’s so brave. So macho. And,” he said, grabbing Sayed’s jaw with his hand, “so fucking pointless because they have absolutely no power. Do you understand that, Aga? You have zero power here. No one is coming to save you. I decide what happens to you. I decide how much pain you experience. I decide whether you live or whether you die. So, last chance. Who killed Ritter?”