identify the masses of people flooding down to the lobby and out onto the sidewalks.
Stepping onto the tenth floor, he searched until he found the service elevator and then pulled Daiyu into the vestibule. Depressing the call button, he removed his pistol, affixed its suppressor, and though he already knew the weapon was hot, checked to make sure a round was chambered.
The young woman stared at it aghast. “What’s that?”
“A rice maker,” Cheng replied as he retained his hold on the pistol and concealed it with the plastic bag her sweats had been in.
She resented his insolence. “You do not have my permission to shoot anyone.”
The remark made him smile. “I don’t need your permission. You’re not in charge here.”
“But my grandfather—” she began.
He shot her a stare that cut her off midsentence. “I told you. We’re not in Beijing and I don’t care who your grandfather is.”
“You’ll be made to care,” she replied.
“Perhaps. But until then, you’re going to keep your mouth shut and you’re going to do what I say or you won’t live to see your grandfather again.”
The young woman folded her arms across her chest and refused to look at him.
Obstinacy. That was fine by him, especially if it shut her up. And as long as she followed orders.
The elevator arrived, they stepped in, and Cheng selected the basement level. The hotel had underground parking and he planned for them to slip out via the side entrance on Chauncy Street.
He watched each floor blink by, ready for the worst should the doors open and they be confronted with a threat. Nothing happened. Even the hotel guests had stuck to the stairwells.
Arriving at the lower level, they exited the elevator into a long service corridor lit by bright, overhead lighting.
“This way,” he said.
They followed the deserted corridor to a door that read Garage, Exit Only, No Reentry, all of which were fine by Cheng.
The alarm was still blaring as he leaned against the crash bar and pushed the door open with his hip. There was no sign of movement anywhere in the garage. They had almost made it.
“We’re going to walk up the ramp and out onto the street,” he said. “Keep your eyes down and stay close.”
Crossing the garage, Cheng kept his eyes peeled. Already in his mind, he was planning what he would do once they were outside. They would take a left on Chauncy, move away from the hotel to Summer Street, and start carefully working their way back to Chinatown and the safe house.
At the top of the ramp, Cheng stuck his head out, looked both ways, and then led Daiyu onto the sidewalk. The sound of approaching police cars and fire engines could be heard in the distance.
The street was lined with parked cars. It was a very long block with a CVS and a Macy’s at the end, and no other streets or alleyways branching off before then.
They had only made it about twenty feet when a man shouted, “Bao Deng! FBI! Stop right where you are!”
The federal agent hadn’t called out to Daiyu. He had called out to Cheng, specifically, and had addressed him by his alias. Somehow, the Americans were on to him. He had been left with no choice. Pushing Daiyu to the ground, Cheng spun, raised his weapon, and began to fire.
The FBI man’s pistol jumped twice in his hands, accompanied by two loud reports, before it fell silent and he dropped to the ground, dead.
There had been only one agent, but there were very likely more on the way. Cheng pulled Daiyu back to her feet.
“Move!” he ordered her.
She looked at his left shoulder and gasped. “You’re bleeding.”
“I told you to move.”
Prodding her toward Summer Street, Cheng ignored the pain in his arm and assessed what he would have to do next. Boston was no longer safe, and sleep was out of the question. In fact, the United States was no longer safe. They needed to get on the road and get to Medusa as soon as possible.
CHAPTER 56
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INDIAN VALLEY, IDAHO
The first asset to arrive on station was a surveillance drone, which circled far above the home of Ren Ho. The small ranch, consisting of the house, a barn and several outbuildings, and horses and other assorted livestock, was on the edge of the Payette National Forest.
The terrain was such that a full-on, daylight assault was impossible, so Harvath had suggested something else.
Nicholas wasn’t crazy about using one of his dogs as