CHAPTER THIRTEEN

 

 

After his call to the Wildlife Investigation Agency, Dan was in no doubt of what needed to be done. The WIA was not a government body. It relied on the charity of the public to fund its work, and the good will of whichever country it operated within to assist in their investigations. He had googled all day long, through innumerable cups of coffee and a hastily prepared ready-meal, before he had absorbed every detail the web had to offer on the trade in tigers. It was shockingly little.

From what he could deduce, the WIA were the only organisation actively targeting and investigating the trade in tiger bone, but from what he had read, and unfortunately for them, the WIA was all bark and no bite. They were based in London but operated all over the world, frequently falling foul of other countries laws, religions and general tolerances to crime and criminals. Still, they might have detail that Dan would need. If he could assist them and do what they could not, what no regulated body could lawfully do, then they might be generous with what Dan required – like who and where Dragon Tattoo was. Someone must know something!

Various articles had been published on the plight of tigers; along with detailed information on the demand for tiger products and how it was handled. Everyone knew that the Chinese triads had the lion's share of Asia's crime network. It would hardly be a huge assumption that they would be involved in the sourcing, shipping and distribution of the powder. Many folks in Asia and beyond craved tiger product like a drug – and they were willing to pay a fortune for it. It was of no surprise that tiger, along with ivory and other endangered wildlife, was raking in billions of dollars worldwide. Or that organised criminals were taking advantage of it. It was poorly and rarely policed! For all his internet searching, Dan struggled to find more than a handful of stated cases of wildlife crimes and the subsequent prosecutions through the courts of the perpetrators.

Dan reached over to the SIG Saur P226 handgun sitting on the table next to his laptop. He lifted it into his hands, feeling its familiar weight and rubbing his thumb over the rough metal where its unique serial number had once been. Kelly Ross had sent it to him months ago, a gift from her and The Regiment. There had been no note attached to the gun. Its meaning was all too clear.

He placed the Sig back on the table and resigned himself to his mission, focusing on how he could find his target. Everything led back to that small bag of tiger bone. Did the old woman honestly believe it could cure all ailments? It would take more than a bag of ground down bones to replace Dan's eye that was for sure! The only thing that would make him feel better would be seeing Dragon Tattoo through the sights of his gun. He had dreamt of that image for many a sleepless night, and now nothing else would cure him. Nothing else would remove the sad, sorry feeling in his gut of what had happened. Nothing else would quench the fire in his belly that had steadily grown and was now feeding on the new hope of vengeance he had found.

What Dan needed was a proper look inside the Carter Logistics Headquarters. He had easily gained access before and could do so again. Except this time he was sober. This time he would be prepared and this time, he had a gun.

# # #

Gabriel Carter sipped on a large cognac and lifted his feet to rest them on the desktop. He swirled the glass in his hand, releasing the full flavour of the dark liquid it contained, before slowly sipping it again, finishing off with an appreciative smack of his lips. Gabriel could appreciate the finer things in life. The taste of expense alcohol, the feel of the quality silk shirt that he wore and the knowledge that his retirement, and all that he had planned for it, would be secure when he closed the last major deal of his career.

On speaker phone and talking to him from China, were his business associates, Bai Liu and Kojo Selassie. They had brought good news to Gabriel, and although the men had met in person on only a few occasions, they had a great working relationship and conducted their business in an open and friendly manner. The news of a huge shipment in the near future was causing them some concern at the moment and Gabriel was finding it hard to convince them otherwise.

"But gentlemen, this is a wonderful opportunity to flood the market. If demand is at an all-time high then it must be likewise for the profit. We will renegotiate with Meizhen Chen. Our share must reflect that of theirs!"

"Oh no, Gabriel! We will do no such thing! She has said we will be rich and that is the end of it. There is no negotiating with her! Kojo and I have witnessed first-hand what she is capable of. She is not to be questioned!"

"Nonsense, Bai. This is a business arrangement. Of course it is negotiable!"

"It is OK for you on the other side of the world, but things are different here. And do not think for one second you are untouchable. Lei Wu is to return to you with the first and largest shipment. He is to resume his position at your headquarters overseeing the distribution of the goods. Do not cross him."

"That man is an animal! As you have said, things are different here. I cannot maintain a low profile with that thug in my hair all the time. The men here now are quite capable of handling more product. I must speak with Meizhen Chen about Wu. And anyway, one person's idea of rich may not be the same as another! I plan to retire soon and this will be my nest egg."

"I beg you not to do that, Gabriel! Lei Wu will be overseeing an expansion of the operation. Not only will you be shipping powder, soon it will be ivory and live animals. Others are doing this and making huge profit. Meizhen Chen wants to dominate the whole market!"

"What are you on about, Bai? Carter International Logistics is mine and mine alone! We will renegotiate and become rich beyond our wildest dreams. Don't worry."

Gabriel terminated the call and took another slow and thoughtful sip of his drink. Old Liu must have lost his mind! This was his chance to retire, make a killing on a few big shipments and leave it all behind him. He may have to put up with the arrogant Lei Wu for a little while longer, but once he secured a fair share of the profits, it would surely be worth it.

# # #

As he sat in his car waiting for the onset of the darkness that would conceal him, Dan subconsciously moved a hand to his hip; feeling the familiar bulge of the SIG Saur that was there. The feel of the firearm, with a fully loaded magazine, was a reassuring comfort. After his last visit inside the warehouse he was sure he couldn't do without it.

He was reluctant to use it outside of the army, the full force of the law would undoubtedly come to bear if he were caught; especially here at the site of his last interaction with police. He had gotten away lightly with that one, just a slap on the wrists really; only bullet holes and his own broken body to corroborate Dan's story. The Magistrate had shown sympathy, the injuries he sustained as a result of the incident being quoted as a life sentence of their own.

Dan knew that Dragon Tattoo and the other two men had vanished. Just as soon as his wounds had healed, he had secretly returned to the docks of Belfast and laid siege to Carter International Logistics. Day and night he watched the property, from the confines of a banged up old car he bought just for that purpose, to a dozen different locations around the warehouse perimeter. Dan had waited patiently for a glimpse of the men.

He planned and schemed of what he would do when he found them; his actions varying wildly from calling the police to make an arrest, to marching straight down and confronting them himself. What he had eventually settled on was something far more calculated and brutal.

Dan would kill them.

He couldn't risk another firefight with three against one, and neither could he risk another botched investigation by the police. When he received the Sig, he knew what to do and what was expected of him. He would shoot them dead, then disappear into the night and rebuild his life.

All his plans came to nothing.

Over the course of his observations, Dan realised that Dragon Tattoo and his men had been replaced by others. He watched them strut around the yard, examining this box and that, then leave in a flashy car just like the one before. Mirror images of the men they replaced. Dan had tired waiting for his chance. The brutal realisation of his hopeless plight eventually creeping up to smack him on the face like the crowbar that claimed his eye. So he returned to his apartment to wallow in self-pity and sorrow.

Now there was a new plan, forced upon him with the Sig and born out of sheer boredom and anger. If Dan couldn't find Dragon Tattoo, then he would take down what Dragon Tattoo had worked for. He would destroy the very reason for his existence in Dan's world and maybe, just maybe, find some small comfort from that.

From the seat beside him, he lifted a small crowbar. He weighed it in his hands, running his fingers along the length of it, feeling the hard lines of the metal and remembering how it felt when a strike from one eerily similar to this took away what remained of his sorry existence. Once a professional soldier and an integral part of an elite force, now a physical and emotional wreck and a drain on society.

A set of headlights lit up the road ahead and from his position opposite Carter Logistics, Dan could see a flashy black Mercedes Benz, cruise away from the building. With darkness now on his side and the greatest threat – the triads - gone, it was time to move.

He crossed the road and slipped up the side of the fence between Carter Logistics and its neighbouring building, following the fence like he had done so many times before until he reached the rear of the compound. The ground steadily rose up to a point where he had adequate cover, in the form of a large overgrown evergreen shrub. From here, he could watch the comings and goings in the main yard from an elevated position and in relative comfort beneath the shrub. CCTV cameras dotted the perimeter, mounted on poles, but never once during his observations did they move and never once had he been discovered. Neither did the security guard patrol. Dan assumed the guard wasn't getting paid well enough to get cold and wet. Not once had he witnessed anything other than the guards arm leave his hut at the entrance, and even that was only to wave at vehicles as they came and went.

As usual, several lorries waited to be loaded by a busy forklift truck, which scooted in and out of the warehouse carrying breathtakingly large loads. The drivers congregated at the entrance, talking to the guard and waiting their turn.

It wasn't long before Dan found an opening, when the forklift driver stopped what he was doing, lit up a cigarette and joined the truckers at the entrance.

This was his point of no return. This was the time when Dan could call it all off, return to his apartment and live out his currently sad and sober existence. Until he scaled the fence and entered the warehouse, Dan had done nothing wrong. Once he did so, Dan would have crossed the line. Former war hero turned armed criminal.

It only took a few seconds for him to make his decision. When his heart rate increased and that familiar surge of adrenaline pumped through his body, Dan returned to his old self. He had found a goal, a mission, and a reason to live. He needed to be somebody.

He jumped over the fence and quietly slipped inside the warehouse.