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She pointed next to me, at an open space on my couch, and said, “May I?”

I nodded, saw Knuckles scowl, and smiled at him. She took a seat and said, “People talk here. It’s a small town. Tourists getting mugged spreads like wildfire.”

I said, “People talk? Or you’re tied into the police here? If I went to the other waiter over there, would he have any idea that we were mugged?”

She smiled and said, “Probably not, but he’s not that smart.”

I chuckled and said, “Sure. He probably sees so many random muggings it doesn’t even register.”

She said, “Your mugging wasn’t random. I think you were targeted.”

Chapter27

The upper room of the safe house was becoming cloyingly hot in the midday sun. That, and hearing the method of attack, did nothing to calm Manjit. He grew agitated, saying, “Facial recognition for an assassination? And how does that help us? How does that help the Sikh? I’m willing to kill for a cause, but I’m done with this killing for China.”

Kamal turned from the screen and said, “I am too. Are you really committed to helping the Sikh? If it comes to killing innocents, can you do it?”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means I’ve seen what Chin wants, and it gives us an opportunity. We can pretend to do what he wishes, but accomplish much more. I need to know if you’re willing.”

Kamal paused and looked at the rest of the men, saying, “I need to know if all of you are willing. We can strike a blow against the government for what they’ve done to us in the past, but it’s not without sacrifice. Some innocents will die, but only because they support the regime Thakkar represents. If they come to his daughter’s wedding, then they come supporting him, and he’s the devil that props up the government we hate.”

He looked at each in turn, knowing he held the mettle to continue, but unsure of them. He said, “I want a commitment, right now, before we continue.”

Manjit said, “What is this? You want me to promise to kill innocent people, for China?”

Kamal grew cold, remembering his past. Remembering the arrest that had destroyed his life. Remembering what had brought him to this point.

Feeling the fury.

He said, “No. We’re not going to kill Thakkar at the Taj Mahal. I’m not doing anything for China.”

He turned back to Manjit and said, “Do you remember the jail? Do you remember crying to me after your interrogations? Do you remember asking why they were so cruel, when you’d done nothing wrong?”

Taken aback, Manjit looked left and right at the other men, having never told them of the trials he’d faced, or the way he’d dealt with the pain. Something he was embarrassed about.

Subdued, he said, “Yes, I remember. I haven’t forgotten what you did for me there.”

“Well, it’s time we took that anger to the enemy. Revenge for Sidak. Revenge forallof them. In the end, we’re done because we were stupid enough to take the pay of Mr.Chin, but we can make that right. Make it pure. We’re probably dead either way on this. If we do what he wants, Chin will kill us afterwards. If we do it wrong and fail, he’ll still have us killed. He can’t allow us to live either way.”

He tapped the screen and said, “The answer is right here, and I say we do it wrong. Bring his ass down with us while shining a light on the Sikh travesty.”

The room went quiet, nobody saying a word about the true threats being spilled out loud. Each man had continued looking only at thefive-meter target, first for the money, but now for survival. None of them wanted to hear the truth: that they were dead no matter what they did.

Manjit said, “How is killing Thakkar going to shine a light on our travails?”

“Because we’re not going to kill him.” Kamal pointed at the screen again and said, “Mr.Chin gave us his complete itinerary. He’s going to the Taj in two days with a limited group of people, but he’s attending a pre-wedding celebration in Jaipur with hundreds of people from all over the world.”

He turned to them and said, “We’re going to invade that party, and use China’s bullshit on the Taj Mahal to camouflage it. We’re going to attack those rich bastards at their own ceremony and take what they value most, all in the name of Khalistan.”

He stood up and his voice grew stronger, saying, “Are you with me? Are you willing to avenge what you’ve been through? Or has all this talk about Khalistan been justtalk?”

His men shuffled from foot to foot, shocked at his words, and he realized they were just now coming to grips with the danger they were in.

He whispered, “You’re already dead. Each and every one of you, because of Mr.Chin. If we do what I say, we might live to see Khalistan.”

The silence hung in the air, and Kamal thought he had lost. Then Manjit surprised him, saying, “What do you think we can do? We have these watches, and we’re all being tracked. What can we do?”