Page 22 of Into the Gray Zone (Pike Logan #19)

Kamal heard the wheels of the train start to brake, then saw everyone around him begin shuffling to the open door. Calling

this a passenger car was giving the train too much credit. More like a cattle car. Yes, they could move in between the cars,

and yes, there were benches to sit on, if one were lucky enough, but they were cattle, nonetheless.

It was no different from any train in India. It just was what it was. The trains were efficient by modern standards, making

their stops exactly when they said they would, but were also incredibly deficient in any sort of amenities. Just an open box

crammed full of people, with some riding outside the carriage itself, hanging on for dear life.

His car was a jostling mass, all surging toward the door. He let the initial explosion of people leave before he followed,

stepping onto the platform of the Sadar Bazaar train station and getting swept away by the crowd like a leaf in a stream,

moving with them to avoid being trampled.

He reached the main platform and the crowd thinned. He took a moment to get his bearings, then waited for his men to catch

up. When they did, he said, “Follow me,” then pressed through the crowd, exiting outside the station and onto the street.

The heat was oppressive, the outside of the train station no better than the claustrophobia inside, the open-air terminal itself having no climate control at all. They ignored the beggars and children all clamoring for a handout, Kamal flagging down two rickshaws. He waited until his men were loaded, then gave the driver an address: the Jama Masjid Mosque in Old Delhi.

The rickshaws wove through the Delhi congestions like masters, ringing their bells as if it would make a damn bit of difference

within the absolute chaos of the traffic. Eventually, they were in a back alley full of vendors selling everything from silk

scarves to mango smoothies. They pulled up to the front of the mosque’s eastern gate, the men exited and Kamal paid the drivers,

then watched them return to a line of other rickshaws, awaiting their next passenger.

Kamal waited until they were out of earshot and his men were around him, then said, “This is supposed to be the meeting site.”

Manjit said, “The Jama Masjid Mosque? Seriously? Sounds more like a setup. Maybe the RAW’s waiting on us inside, trying to

prove we’re LeT?”

Built in the seventeenth century, the Jama Masjid Mosque was the central locus of all things Islamic in Delhi, having a rich

history that stretched back centuries. It was also a major tourist draw, which Kamal knew allowed Mr.Chin to enter it without

any additional scrutiny.

Kamal said, “Chin picked the location, not me, and if anyone’s getting arrested, he’ll be one of them.”

Kamal saw the reticence and said, “You guys go get a smoothie. I’ll go in myself. I’ll get the information and return.”

Manjit said, “And if you don’t?”

“If I don’t come back out, if you see a rush of police, then you’ll be free and clear.”

Manjit said, “That’s not what I meant. We can’t let you go in alone.”

Kamal said, “You, Agam, and Randeep are the last of us. Screw Mr. Chin. He wants Thakkar dead. I want Thakkar alive for our own ends. For Sidak. For our families. For every Sikh who’s been persecuted. You know what to do. You have the numbers of Thakkar’s security. If I don’t come out, call them. Continue the mission.”

Manjit nodded, but Kamal could see he didn’t like it. Kamal said, “Look, the mission takes priority. If this is a trap, you

continue. Bring our demands to the world, and bring Chin down with you.”

Manjit looked at Agam, then said, “What are our demands? What are we seeking to do here?”

Not liking the question, Kamal turned to the eastern gate, saying, “I’m not sure yet, but it’ll be spectacular.”

He turned and left them, entering the gates of the mosque without another word. He passed through a security checkpoint and

then blended into the crowd. His meeting site was the western end of the prayer hall, an area roped off to allow true believers

to avoid the tourists.

He walked across a large courtyard, then entered a long hallway, staying on the tourist side of the ropes. He didn’t understand

any of the intricacies of Islam and didn’t want to be called out because of it.

He reached the far end of the hallway, the arches to the courtyard filled with tourists coming and going. He stopped for a

moment, not sure what to do, and then felt a hand on his elbow. He turned and saw Mr.Chin wearing a large-brimmed hat and

sunglasses, a backpack over his shoulder.

Mr.Chin said, “So you made it out of Goa without any problems?”

Kamal barked a half-hearted laugh and said, “Yeah, we made it out okay. I can’t say the same for Sidak and your other men. And I also have no idea if we’re being tracked. I didn’t

have the time to break into your men’s room. I have no idea what they had in there that could lead to us.”

“Don’t worry about them. I had others clean it before the authori ties arrived. If you weren’t stopped in Mumbai, you’re good. Nobody’s tracking you to here.”

Kamal nodded and said, “So what now? You’re ready to pay us?”

Mr.Chin smiled with little warmth, the gesture coming out more as a grimace. “No, the mission isn’t done. We talked about

this. Nobody’s tracking you right now, but if you defy me, they will be. I told you I went through the room of my other men,

and I’ll release all that evidence to the RAW in a heartbeat. Do you understand?”

Kamal said nothing, simply staring at Mr.Chin. He said again, “Do you understand? The mission isn’t complete, and I’m feeling

heat to get it done.”

“Done for whom? You’ve never said.”

Growing aggravated, Mr.Chin said, “Done for the people paying you. You never cared before, and you won’t start caring now.”

Kamal nodded and said, “So, like I said, what now?”

Mr.Chin handed him an envelope, saying, “This is a key to a safe house. The same one that my other men used. It’s vacant

now, for obvious reasons. Go there with your men. Inside, you’ll find a laptop and some equipment. The next mission parameters

are at that location.”

Kamal took the envelope and said, “What’s the next mission? I don’t need the secret spy stuff. Just tell me.”

“It’s easier for you to read the parameters, but rest assured, it’s a standoff attack. No more capture missions. We want Thakkar

killed.”

“How? I only have four men, and he has massive security.”

“Yes, but two of those security are on your team. You’ll coordinate with them, but like I said, it’s a standoff attack.”

Mr. Chin removed his backpack and handed it to Kamal, saying, “In here are five clean cell phones and four watches. Four of the phones are already programmed with the numbers of the others, along with the two security men and a contact for myself. Only use them to talk to yourselves and me. The fifth phone has nothing. Use that for any calls you need to make outside of our circle. Hotels, taxis, Ubers, or whatever. Understood?”

Kamal opened the bag, seeing boxes labeled Samsung and Garmin. He said, “Watches? What are those for?”

“They’re GPS smartwatches attached to the phones. They’re for the mission.”

“For the mission, or for tracking us?”

Mr.Chin said, “Both, but for your protection. Do not turn them off, and make sure each man gets the phone that’s linked to

the specific watch.”

Kamal zipped up the backpack and said, “Do I need to go back to the train station?”

“No. The safe house is near here, in the Chandni Chowk spice market. You can walk.”

“Am I supposed to guess where it is?”

Mr.Chin smiled and said, “Put on your watch. It’s in that. It’ll show you the reason I want you to wear them.”

Kamal did so, strapping on something called a Garmin Instinct 2X Tactical. A huge thing with buttons all over the place. He

turned it on and said, “What now?”

Mr.Chin manipulated the menus until he found a saved location labeled “house.” He pressed a button and the watch began showing

an arrow and distance to the location.

He said, “Good for you to test it, because you’ll be using it on the mission. The passwords to the computer are in here as

well, on the notifications. Make sure you don’t clear that.”

Kamal worked the buttons on the watch, saw the notification, and said, “You actually sent it to this watch instead of just

giving it to me?”

Mr. Chin smiled and said, “Yes. I wanted you to learn the utility. There’s another one I want you to learn. You see that heart rate at the top?”

Kamal looked and indeed saw the rate of his beating heart. Mr.Chin said, “Don’t let that go to zero. I want to see a heart

rate on each of your team for the next mission. Put the watches on as soon as you leave here.”

Kamal realized he was being boxed in, captured by Mr.Chin as surely as if the RAW was in the room. He shouldered the pack

and thought about his next words. He said, “I’m not sure I’m doing the next mission. I’ll have to call my men and see if they’re

still willing, since you haven’t paid anything yet.”

Mr.Chin said, “Call them? Why would you need to do that? They’re all out front eating mangoes at a smoothie stand and waiting

for you to come back out.”

And Kamal realized the extent of his dilemma. They’d been under surveillance, probably since they’d stepped off the train.