Page 23 of Shadow Lies
“Zhang Wei is the chairman of the China Mining Industry.”
“Okay,” he said, still waiting for her point.
“He is also one of the leading proponents of what the government likes to call ‘reeducation camps’ for the Uyghur population. In fact, he’s gone so far as funding the camps in Xinjiang. Which happens to be where his mining company has the majority of its operations.”
Kane sucked in a breath as her implications became clear.
“Generous of him,” he said, heavy on the sarcasm.
“My thoughts exactly.”
“I’m not sure what you think I can do about it.” He was no longer in the business of chasing down bad guys since the Navy kicked him out.
He and the brothers could pray, perhaps? Somehow he didn’t think that’s what Charley had in mind.
“Zhang Wei is on track to gain even more power than he has now. Not just as a leader in industry, but also in politics.”
He understood her concern. An already-powerful man who believed in genocide getting more power wouldn’t be good for anyone other than Wei and his cronies.
Still, he was at a loss why she was telling him this. To frustrate him? Make him feel powerless? He felt both. He also knew that the moment he started his kung fu workout, all those feelings would fade away. And that was exactly why he was there.
But before he could get to practice, he had to get off this call.
“That’s all very unfortunate, but again, what can I do?” he asked.
“Wei’s planning to attend the Beijing Olympics. He has a seat in the VIP section of the Opening Ceremonies as well as an invitation to the banquet Xi Jinping is hosting for the world leaders attending the games. Leaders from Russia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, just to name a few.”
“Great. They can all talk world domination together.” He rolled his eyes at this show of good behavior for the press.
Meanwhile even he knew while living at a monastery that things were not all sunshine and roses when it came to international relations. Not on the Russian/Ukraine border. Not between China and Taiwan. Or China and Hong Kong. Just to name a few…
“If Wei were to not make it back from Beijing…” Charley let the sentence trail off.
What she wanted became clear and the implications of what she was saying, while not saying it, hit him hard and fast.
“You want me to kill himen route?” He realized how loudly he’d spoken and glanced up at the door.
It was open but he had a clear view of the empty hall beyond. He also had a clear view of Alexis’s wide-eyed expression.
“What I want—what I think you also want—is to stop the atrocities. How and when you choose to do that is up to you.”
Somehow hischoicessounded as if they had already been made for him. “I’m not an assassin.”
“Aren’t you?” she asked, sounding perfectly sincere.
“What are you insinuating?”
“I’m not insinuating anything. I’m simply referring to well known events from recent history. The elimination of Bin Laden, for instance.”
He saw what she was doing. Heard clearly the word assassination silently spoken as she substituted the word elimination. Osama bin Laden was taken out by a team of Navy SEALs while in a country they weren’t supposed to be in. But not by him.
“I wasn’t one of them,” he told her.
“I know.”
Of course, she did.
She continued, “You were there, however, for the elimination of the head of the Warner Group.”
