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

lunch all at the same time. Cheng had just wanted the roomier passenger seat.
As they drove, Harvath pulled hard on the wheel to avoid a piece of debris in the
road. A strong burst of wind caught the car and raised it up on two wheels before
roughly dropping it back onto the street. Scot shot Sammy a look.
Sammy cupped his hand over his cell phone and said to Harvath, тАЬDai feng тАФ
Cantonese for тАШgreat wind.тАЩтАЭ
тАЬBlow me,тАЭ replied Harvath, тАЬAmerican for тАШshitty car.тАЩтАЭ
Sammy went back to his phone conversation while Harvath hunched over the
steering wheel and tried to peer through the foggy windshield. There was no
air-conditioning in the car, as it was meant to be driven with its top down, and
opening the window even a crack would allow gallons of water to pour inside.
Harvath used the sleeve of his jacket to clean a patch of glass to see through.
Though the car had wipers, they werenтАЩt strong enough to keep up with the driving
rain.
Streetlamps swung violently in the wind, and Scot worried one might topple over
and crash through the carтАЩs soft convertible top. Cheng punched the end button on
his cell phone and turned to Harvath.
тАЬTheyтАЩre not releasing any more Jetfoils from Hong Kong. It took some doing, but
the rest of the team has scrambled one of the Cougarteks from the Marine Division.
That boatтАЩs fast, but theyтАЩre at least forty-five minutes behind us.тАЭ
As a former SEAL and aficionado of go-fast boats, Harvath knew the craft well, but
even with its radar, thermal imaging, and advanced navigation equipment, if the
weather got any nastier, the rest of the SDU team could be delayed for hours or
worse, forced to turn back for good.
It was best to assume that he and Cheng would not be getting any backup.
тАЬLetтАЩs stay as close as we can to our man,тАЭ said Cheng, тАЬand hope we get lucky.
No weapons unless absolutely necessary. The Lisboa is going to be filled with
civilians.тАЭ
Harvath nodded his understanding and swung the car into the driveway of the
majestically lit building. Through the windshield, they could just see Lee get out of
his taxi and enter the hotel. When they pulled up under the awning, the rain finally
abated and the absence of its pounding on the canvas roof of the car was almost
deafening. A valet decked out in foul-weather gear opened HarvathтАЩs door and
welcomed him to the Hotel Lisboa.
Harvath handed him the key and took one last look at the storm before entering the
building.
The casino was a four-storied enormity. The gargantuan rotunda was filled with
smoke and noise. Gamblers at the tables shouted and competed to be heard over the
ringing of slot machines and the clanging of coins into stainless-steel payout trays.
Cocktail waitresses floated by, carried on the winds of greed and human avarice, as
mountains of chips were won and lost. People didnтАЩt come here for a good time тАФ
they came to gamble.
And so, too, had Scott Harvath, Sammy Cheng, and William Lee. They were hoping
against the odds that they would be able to finally capture Philip Jamek. Harvath had
always marveled that these kinds of law-enforcement operations happened around
the world on a daily basis and that most people had no idea. So many took
civilization for granted without realizing that it was birthed and maintained at the point
of a sword. Someone needed to hold that sword and even, on occasion, swing it in
order to help stave off chaos.
Around the rotunda were a series of ornate, semiprivate gaming rooms with required