Point of Contact

Since she was highly distracted at the moment, it was the perfect time for him to go and check out the warehouse that Paul told him about last night.

* * *

Paul was just sitting down at his desk when Bai appeared, bleary-eyed and yawning.

“Long night?” Paul asked.

“My cousin’s birthday party. I think I drank a little too much, but lots of fun and lots of pretty girls. Lah.”

“Feel free to take a nap. I’m just sitting here, working.”

“I might get a cup of coffee. Do you want something?”

“No, thanks.”

Bai stepped out of the door just as Jack stepped in.

“I’m heading over to the warehouse now. You want to tag along?”

“I’ve got plenty to do here, but thanks.”

“I’ll call you if I find anything.”

“Be careful, Jack.”

“Careful? Why? We’re talking about a case of bad bookkeeping, not an Al-Qaeda bomb-making factory.”

“Just watch your back.”

“You, too.”

* * *

Lian was still talking to her brother when Jack walked past her door. They locked eyes for a moment, but she didn’t stop speaking to Yong as Jack marched away. She did, however, pick up a phone.

Jack approached the security desk. Park was on the phone and standing at the security desk, towering over the young woman who manned the station. He glanced up just as Jack was passing through.

“Do you need anything, Mr. Ryan?” Park asked.

“Nah, I’m good. Thanks.”

“Going somewhere?”

Jack flashed a smile. “Aren’t we all?” He pushed against the security door to leave, but it was locked.

Jack turned around. Park was smiling at him, the phone still in his hand.

“Tell your boss I don’t need a babysitter. I’m just taking a drive.”

“I’m happy to drive you to wherever you want to go.”

“I’ve got my own car.”

“It’s not an easy city to navigate.”

Jack’s foul mood suddenly boiled over. He stormed over to Park and got in his face. The ex — ROK marine didn’t flinch. They stared daggers at each other. The young woman they were standing over was afraid they were going to throw punches. “Eh, guys?”

Jack took a deep breath, realizing he’d lost control. He took a step back. He pointed at the phone still in Park’s hand. “Let me talk to your boss.”

Park bounced the phone in his hand like he was weighing it before finally handing it to Jack.

“Listen, Ms. Fairchild. Me being followed around isn’t part of the deal. I’m heading out and I don’t want or need anyone to tag along. Is that clear?”

“Perfectly,” Lian said on the other end of the line. “May I ask where you are going?”

“Sure, you can ask.”

Lian waited for him to tell her, but soon realized he had just made a joke at her expense. “Fine. But be sure to obey all traffic laws. Our police force is very efficient.”

Jack was going to say something else smart-ass, but he thought better of it. “Thanks for the warning.” He slapped the phone receiver into Park’s wide hand.

“Someday I think you and I are going to have a little talk,” Park said.

Jack grinned. “I’ll use small words.”

Jack pushed on the exit door again just as the electronic lock clicked open, and headed for the elevator that would take him to the underground parking facility.

Park waited for the elevator door to close before he punched a speed-dial number and issued instructions to one of his team waiting in the garage.

34

Jack stared at the security camera in the elevator. It was like every other security camera hanging in almost every corner of every room in the Dalfan building — all four stories of it.

The elevator dinged and the door opened and Jack saw the security camera attached to the support pillar directly in front of him. He winked at it. Dalfan took its security seriously, and no doubt whoever was monitoring the cameras today was watching Jack head for his company car.

He chided himself for losing his temper upstairs. He knew that lack of sleep was partly to blame, but mostly it was poor judgment on his part. It was also the disrespect that Lian and now Park were showing him that was grating on his nerves. If he was being honest, his pranking Park the other day was also disrespectful, and Lian’s feelings about what happened the other night were about her pride. What he really needed to do was to pull his head out of his ass and apologize to both of them. After all, they were just doing their jobs. It was about time he started doing his like a professional.

He unlocked the silver Dalfan Audi TT and climbed in. He pushed the starter button and the 220-horsepower engine roared to life. He then selected the navigation module on the virtual cockpit and entered his destination — the live Google map displayed between the virtual tachometer and virtual speedometer while he drove. He shifted into gear and carefully pulled out of his parking spot and, opting for the fastest possible route, which would take about forty minutes to drive, headed for the exit.

* * *