Page 94 of Rising Tiger

“Come,” said Vijay as he nodded for Harvath to take the lead and keep going. “You’ll see.”

The abandoned building the ex-cop had selected was down a pitch-black alley less than two blocks away.

As expected, Sayed had been difficult to transport. At one point he had begun yelling and screaming for help. Vijay, however, had come prepared. Pulling a gag out of his pocket, he tied it around the man’s face.

He warned him that if he strained against it or tried to cry out, razor blades, courtesy of his old partner whom Sayed had tried to gut, had been sewn into it and he was in for quite a surprise. Needless to say, the man didn’t give them much additional trouble.

In the abandoned building, Vijay had pre-positioned a handful of supplies. As Harvath secured their prisoner to a chair, the ex-cop ignited a small camping burner and carefully placed a metal hubcap atop it.

The hubcap was filled with charcoal, which he ignited with a small kitchen torch. Once the coals were going, he dumped in the contents of a small plastic bag. There were nuts, bolts, nails, and what looked like roofing tacks, all of various sizes. Sayed, his eyes wide, was paying nervous attention to everything that was going on.

“Were you really a cop?” the woman asked as Vijay went about his work.

“For over three decades.”

She pointed at Harvath. “What about him? Something tells me he doesn’t work for the Indian Police Service.”

The ex-cop smiled. She had spirit. He liked that. “No. He’s with the U.S. government.”

“And who gave the U.S. government the right to violate Indian sovereignty and deny rights to one of its citizens?”

“Oh, God,” said Vijay. “You’re a lawyer. This night just got a lot worse.”

“I’m not a lawyer. Now answer my question.”

Careful not to burn his hands, the ex-cop used a towel to lift the hubcap and shake the contents, making sure that everything was heating evenly, before placing it back on the burner. “Not until you tell us who you are.”

“My name is Asha Patel,” she responded, done playing games. “I work for RAW. Mr. Sayed is wanted for questioning regarding an attempted kidnap and murder plot.”

“Of whom?”

She paused a moment too long, which caused Harvath to toss out an opinion. “He tried to have you captured, didn’t he? I’ll bet that was a mistake. How many of his guys did you take out?”

“Several,” she stated. “What’s your business with him?”

“He’s wanted for questioning in the murder of an American citizen in Jaipur.”

“So that’s why the United States government is involved. Does my government know that you are over here investigating?”

“Yes,” Harvath replied, cautious not to reveal too much. “And before we go any further, I want to—”

“What’s your name?” she asked, taking out her phone and prepping a text to Raj.

“Joseph Sampson,” he stated, providing the alias he was traveling under.

“Middle name?”

“John.”

“But you can call him JJ,” Vijay offered, winking.

Asha ignored him. “And the U.S. Embassy here in New Delhi will also vouch for you?”

Harvath nodded.

“Do you have a diplomatic passport?”

He removed it from his pocket and held it up.

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