Free Wall of Night by Grant Blackwood Page A

to warn him off, but it was too late. They were already caught up in each other.
    Later, it was the not knowing that haunted him most. Had the affair distracted him from the job? If he’d stuck to business, would Soong and his wife be running a deli in Tallahassee or a nursery in Seattle? Would he and Lian have—
    The telephone broke Tanner’s reverie. He stared at it, then reached out and picked it up.
    â€œBriggs, it’s Leland. I’m back.”
    â€œAnd?”
    â€œYou may want to dust off your passport.”
    Dutcher arrived an hour later. Tanner made coffee and they sat on the deck overlooking the cove; beyond it, a rain squall was closing over the bay.
    Dutcher recounted to Tanner his meeting at Langley. “Whether he’s really still alive or not …”
    â€œWhat do we know about the embassy’s contact?”
    â€œChang-Moh Bian. Not much. Mason’s going to ask his station chief to arrange a face-to-face. If Soong is still alive and Bian is in contact with him, he’ll have some details.”
    My God, Tanner thought, could he really be alive ? After all this time, was it possible ?
    â€œHere’s the interesting part,” Dutcher said. “Soong won’t accept anyone else. Just you.”
    â€œJust like last time.”
    â€œYep. It’s got Mason nervous.”
    Tanner understood. However remote, all this could be a setup designed to lure him back into China. Though Kyung Xiang had managed to rise to the top of the Guoanbu, his career—and life, possibly—had hung in the balance for several years after the Soong affair. Could Xiang have been waiting all this time for a chance to get his hands on Tanner?
    Briggs didn’t think so. Xiang was a professional. It was unlikely he would hold a grudge this long—even more unlikely that he’d create this scenario to satisfy that grudge. Still, as the head of Guoanbu, Xiang had enormous power. If he wanted a little revenge, who would deny him?
    The more likely scenario was that Soong himself was a plant. After this long they could have turned him into a marionette. The professional side of Tanner’s brain couldn’t discount the idea, but the emotional side—the side that still considered Soong a friend—refused to believe it
    â€œThe truth is,” Dutcher said, “whether this is genuine or fake isn’t the issue.”
    â€œI know: Dick’s a little worried about my head.”
    â€œHe knows you’ve got the skills, but the environment … Hell, this is China. The Guoanbu, PSB, and PAP are forces unto themselves. Given what you went through last time….”
    The odds are against me, Tanner thought. Too much emotional investment; too much “preexposure” to the target country; too many triggers that might derail him. In the eyes of the CIA, he was a bad gamble. Problem was, if they wanted Soong, they had no choice but to use him.
    â€œLeland, there’s something else you should know. While I was there, Soong’s daughter and I … There was something between us.”
    Dutcher stared at him. “Pardon me?”
    â€œIt was my first time on this kind of op; I was young … stupid. It shouldn’t have happened—”
    â€œDamn right it shouldn’t—”
    â€œâ€”but it did.”
    Dutcher exhaled. “Christ, Briggs.”
    â€œI know.” Like her father, Lian had probably broken and told the MSS everything; if Tanner went back into China, she could be used as leverage against him.
    Dutcher asked, “Did this thing with her affect the outcome?”
    â€œI don’t think so,” replied Tanner. God, I hope not.
    Dutcher studied his face, then nodded. “We’ve still got a problem. I have to tell Mason.”
    â€œNo, you don’t.”
    â€œBriggs—”
    â€œLeland, I can do this.” Tanner suddenly felt slimy. Leland was more than a boss; he was like a