"Brad Thor - Harvath 02 - Path of the Assassin" - читать интересную книгу автора (Thor Brad)

Harvath ignored them and bent over to take LeeтАЩs pulse as the sprinkler system
kicked in. The convulsions had stopped and LeeтАЩs eyes were no longer rolled up
into his head. His muscles relaxed, his pulse was normalizing, and his breathing was
beginning to steady. Whatever heтАЩd been injected with had had an extremely violent,
but short-lived effect, creating the perfect diversion.
When Cheng was convinced that Lee would make it, he pulled a nine-millimeter
Beretta pistol from beneath his coat and instructed a nearby security guard to watch
over his partner and radio for medical attention right away. Then Cheng turned
angrily to Harvath, тАЬFirst we find him, and then we kill him.тАЭ
тАЬWeтАЩve got to take him alive, Sammy,тАЭ said Harvath as they stood up and began
searching for Jamek. He knew Cheng understood why. Harvath had filled him in
before the mission began. HeтАЩd explained that when President Rutledge had first
been kidnapped, the operation launched to recover him. It turned out to be a trap.
The entire team the U.S. had sent in was killed. Harvath knew the Lions had
contracted it out, but he didnтАЩt know to whom. The LionsтАЩ former leader, Gerhard
Miner, was awaiting trial in Switzerland, but refused to answer any questions. The
only other surviving member of the organization was Gerhard MinerтАЩs moneyman,
Philip Jamek, who had just tried to kill them. Harvath was certain the man knew
something. Even the smallest detail might help illuminate the dark abyss in which the
American intelligence community was working. Without Jamek, no one would ever
know who had been behind the ambush of the Special Operations team and Harvath
couldnтАЩt let that happen. He had made those fallen men a promise.
He looked directly at Cheng, and awaited his response. He hadnтАЩt noticed it before,
but apparently ChengтАЩs arm had been injured in the explosion.
тАЬWhat happened to your arm?тАЭ
тАЬItтАЩs not my arm, its my shoulder, and donтАЩt worry about it. If thereтАЩs a chance to
bring Jamek down without killing him, IтАЩll try that first, but if I have to go for the kill,
I wonтАЩt hesitate.тАЭ
тАЬCan you even shoot?тАЭ asked Harvath.
тАЬI said donтАЩt worry about it. Now, where the hell do we start?тАЭ asked Cheng as they
moved cautiously forward. тАЬThis place is enormous. He could be anywhere by
now.тАЭ
ChengтАЩs question was immediately answered by the sound of gunfire from the front
of the casino.
As the pair reached the entrance, they noticed bullet holes everywhere. What, or
who, the hell was this guy shooting at? The casinoтАЩs ornate glass doors were
completely shattered, and a carpet of broken glass lay across the threshold. Wind
and rain whipped inside from the ferocious storm. Harvath had to hold up his arm to
shield his face from the weather.
He could barely make out the sky outside. It was an eerie purplish black. Though the
hotel had not made any announcements, he knew the storm must now be up to a
signal 9, meaning it would be passing close, or possibly even a signal 10, which
indicated the typhoon would make a direct hit.
As he continued to peer outside, the movement of a figure under the awning caught
his eye. It was Jamek and he had his back to them. Harvath signaled Cheng and
tightened his grip around his SDU-issued Glock. They hugged the side of the
building and fought against the wind as they crept closer.
Ten meters away, Cheng yelled for Jamek to drop his weapon. Thinking maybe he
couldnтАЩt hear him above the roar of the wind, Cheng yelled again. There was
something that sounded like thunder, but the two claps came too close together.