Alan grabbed Jake
’s shoulder to stop him so they were out of Tik’s earshot and asked, “She doesn’t want to do something more with her life than cooking and cleaning?”
Jake
laughed, “You obviously don’t understand Laotian culture Alan. She risked her life every day for a long time to avenge the death of her family but that time in her life is over and she can’t go back, so now she lives to fulfill what she sees as her obligation to serve me for saving her.”
“So she’s like some kind of indentured servant or slave?”
“Do you really think I would treat someone that way? I let her do what she does out of respect for her culture but she lives rent free in a comfortable modern apartment upstairs, I pay her a decent salary and she is a significant beneficiary of my will. She doesn’t know about the will and I prefer it stays that way - if she were to find out, she might think there is more to our relationship than there is - and I’m not the marrying kind.”
Alan watched Jake walk toward the kitchen with even more admiration than he held for him previously.
He broke off his thoughts and quickly moved forward to catch up but the bottom of one of his pant legs snagged on the toes of his other foot and he tumbled forward awkwardly. Uproarious laughter sounded from the kitchen as Tik held her flat stomach and covered her mouth with the other hand. Jake turned to see the object of her amusement and just shook his head. Alan regathered himself and slunk to the kitchen to join them.
“Tik, can you please go and buy Alan a track suit and some street clothes that will fit him properly.
” Jake said, handing her a billfold.
“
Tik make Mr. Alan look sexy or seclet?”
“Secret would be best, please.
We don’t want him standing out from the crowd – besides; sexy would take more than clothes.”
“Thanks a lot!” Alan said.
“Mr. Alan sexy enough. Mr. Jake not play nice!” With that, the pretty little woman scurried off through the bedroom and out of the complex.
“Seems she’s adopted you Beach
.” Jake smiled.
“How does she come and go from your
…uh…apartment, do you call it?”
“
Apartment, complex, call it what you like; I call it home. There is a secondary security protocol programmed into the system. As long as I have already accessed the main system - which means I’m here – her handprint can also activate the door. I took the liberty of adding your right palm print to the same system while you were asleep but be aware that if I’m not here, it won’t work. The same applies to getting out of the complex.”
“Thanks – I think?
Anyway, did you manage to get fingerprints from the guys in the alley?”
“I was able to access the bodies at the morgue but the
ir fingerprints had all been removed either by acid or abrasion. It’s quite common among some mercenaries. Sometimes they even make it permanent by having skin grafted from another part of their body onto their finger tips. Obviously, this is done to avoid identification in case they ever have to do a job without gloves.”
“Damn - so it’s another dead end!”
“Not necessarily; I was going to take some blood but was interrupted by the sound of high priced lawyers arguing with the Coroner about releasing the bodies so I quickly took some souvenirs.” Jake matter-of-factly pulled a sealed jar from the fridge containing three pinky fingers. “I doubt they’ll help though – any links between these guys and Devlin will be well covered.”
Alan
reeled back at the sight of the fingers but quickly composed himself, realizing that Jake was still giving him shock treatment and he didn’t want to fail any more tests. “I guess they won’t be needing them any more - how do we get the DNA samples?”
Jake smiled broadly.
“Aah, grasshopper…you’re picking it up quickly now, aren’t you. Does the phrase, ‘I have a friend’ sound too cliché?”
“I would expect nothing less.” Alan managed a half smile while still
grimly imagining Jake removing appendages from the hapless mercenaries.
“I have to take these to my friend in a couple of hours so eat up and let’s get to target practice
.”
The pair ate Tik’s delicious breakfast and Alan couldn’t help commenting, “I can see why you want her around – man can she cook!
What is this stuff? Wait – no, don’t tell me…I probably don’t want to know.”
“Good – I don’t really know myself but it certainly is tasty.”
They put their empty plates beside the sink and Alan followed Jake back to the gym. As they walked, Alan noticed for the first time, that Jake had a very slight limp and couldn’t help asking, “What happened to your leg?”
“
Straight to the point aren’t you.” Jake retorted.
“I guess it’s the detective in me.”
“No problem. I was shot three times and had to have my knee replaced. The whole joint is titanium now. The knee replacement itself doesn’t cause the limp; the device is actually stronger than the natural knee but there was significant damage to the bones above and below so my right leg is very slightly shorter than the left now.”
“
Does it cause you any problems?”
“
Just one – it cost me my position in the military. It’s about ninety percent as good as new but that’s not good enough for the Special Forces.”
“
I’m sorry.”
“
No big deal. It was time to move on anyway. Now I’m my own boss.” he said wryly.
Jake took Alan to the far end of the gym and pressed a button mounted in a box on the wall.
A thick, insulated panel big enough for a man to fit through, opened to reveal a single lane shooting range, twenty five yards long, two yards wide, and eight feet high. The walls, ceiling and floor were covered in heavy duty sound insulation and the end wall was piled to the top with sandbags. An automated pulley system held a standard military practice target in front of a solid countertop for resting rifles. Alan was amazed but decided to play it cool, “Not much good for rifle practice.”
“
That depends on the kind of rifle you’re using.” Jake smiled knowingly. “I took the liberty of cleaning your Glock and I’ll use the Para Tacticals.” he smiled, directing Alan to a gun case on the right hand wall.
Jake pulled the sound-proof door closed behind them and Alan’s ears suddenly felt like he was in a pressurized
chamber. The complete lack of any sound other than his own breathing was disconcerting and he wiggled his fingers in his ears trying to equalize.
“Don’t worry about your ears,
they’ll get used to it shortly. Jake handed Alan a pair of silicone earplugs and shoved two into his own ears before they each donned a pair of yellow lens shooting glasses and Jake gestured for Alan to go first.
The detective
armed his Glock, released the safety catch and raised the weapon to aim at the target twenty yards away. He carefully squeezed the trigger and released one shot then another then rapidly fired three more shots and lowered his weapon. Jake pressed the return button and a small electric motor whirred as it brought the target back to the counter.
“
Solid shooting Alan – I guess we don’t need to work on your aim as much as your weapon security skills. Put a few more shots into it to be certain and we’ll move on.”
Jake
sent the target back out and Alan fired five more rounds, earning another welcome pat on the back. Despite never having used his firearm on duty, he knew he was a good marksman and was happy for Jake’s recognition. Jake turned to open the door but Alan stopped him to ask, “Do you mind if I observe the master?”
“Not at all
- just be warned that the Para is a .45 so it’s going to make a bigger bang than your 9mm – keep your earplugs in.”
Alan nodded and pushed his plugs in deeper then stood back as Jake
sent the same target back out, cocked his twin Tactical 45s and fired five rounds from each weapon in rapid, alternating succession. The sound was thunderous and Alan felt the vibrations through his chest from where he stood. Jake turned and removed his earplugs then smiled and asked, “Satisfied?”
“I might be when I see the target.”
“Oh, I’m sorry – you can’t see it from here?” Jake smiled mischievously.
“Just push the button please –let’s see what you’ve got.”
Jake obliged and watched Alan’s face as the target came into view. The detective’s eyes bulged from their sockets as he surveyed the target. His own 9mm holes all lay close to the center of the target’s head but Jake’s .45s made a perfect circle the size of a nickel that couldn’t have been more centered if he’d used a compass and ruler. Alan caught himself with his mouth agape and slammed it shut before giving Jake a sly grin.
“How do I know all shots from both guns went through that
one hole?” he asked cheekily.
“I guess you’ll just have to trust me.” Jake winked then turned and walked out of the firing range.
Alan shook his head mockingly but knew full well what he’d just witnessed. If he was ever in a firefight, he wanted Jake Riley on his side – of that, he was certain.
Jake returned the weapons to their place in the armory and they met back in the training area
to begin Alan’s lessons. The next few hours were a blur of demonstrating, executing, critiquing, practicing, and repeating the four basic but effective Chinese Chin Na techniques. Jake told Alan that these techniques would see him through most situations and he wanted him to focus on the form and function of each one over and over in his mind until they became second nature.
“I know perfection is a lot to ask in such a short time but they are simple moves and
you’re an intelligent man. Just do whatever you have to do to get them completely straight in your mind. I’ll test you from time to time when you don’t expect it and I want to see expert level responses.”
Alan found the techniques surprisingly simpl
e and effective and was strangely enthusiastic about them. “I thought this would be difficult but now I’m not so sure. They feel comfortable and I’m pretty confident with…”
Before Alan could finish his sentence, Jake thrust his right hand out to grasp Alan’s
larynx. Alan was caught off guard and it took a few seconds for him to implement one of the techniques Jake had shown him to counter throat grabs and front facing strangles. He did eventually execute the move well but Jake looked at him scornfully.
“Never get overconfident my friend.
It’s not just about knowing the technique; it’s about your reaction time. The second you see it coming, you must respond appropriately before your assailant can firmly establish his position. These four techniques must become second nature. If I’d been serious, you’d be dead now.”
Alan looked down in shame, “
I guess I just got carried away. The technique feels good but I guess I need work on my response time.”
“
I’m just trying to keep it real. This was the first time I tested you without warning and now we know where you need work so this test will be repeated often and unexpectedly to drill your reaction time. You’ll get the hang of it soon enough – and I am impressed with how quickly you’ve learned the techniques. Just remember that if you ever need to use them in real life, you need to mean it. In other words, don’t hesitate and always follow through – you must execute them as though your life depends on it; because it just might. When it comes right down to it though, your gun is your best weapon if it’s available.”
The two continued to talk and reexamine the techniques and their applications for a time until Jake got a text message from Equilibrium asking for a secure internet conference.
Alan followed Jake into the armory room and they signed on using the blue protocol as instructed.
“
I’m afraid I’ve got bad news - I found your weird little man. He was with the South African National Intelligence Service.”
“Was?” Jake typed.
“He was killed during an operation twelve years ago.”
“Are you sure it’s our guy?”
“His face is an exact match for the picture you sent me. I guess he didn’t like government service and faked his own death so he could move into the private sector.”
Alan’s frustration bunched his stomach into a tight ball and
before he could control his emotions, he blurted, “Great, just great! He was our only lead. Now what the hell are we going to do?! I’m going to jail for something I didn’t do and Devlin’s getting away scot-free!”
Jake glared at Alan like a teacher at a misbehaving stud
ent. Alan immediately knew his meaning and hung his head. “I’m sorry but they’re always two steps ahead of us and I’m getting really sick of it.”
“So stop belly-aching and do something about it.
Get ahead of the game.”
“I’m glad you think it’s a game Jake.
This is my life we’re talking about here.”
“
All the more reason to quit feeling sorry for yourself and get on point. Take a few deep breaths and get your shit together. The last two days should have taught you nothing if not that this kind of behavior is counterproductive. Adapt and overcome Detective, adapt and overcome.”