Jungle Justice. Don Pendleton

once again I ask, if he is guarded?”

      “We’ll see how it goes,” Bolan replied. “You did okay tonight against those cutters.”

      “Still, if you had not arrived just when you did, the outcome may have been a disappointment.”

      “We’ll avoid that in the future if we can.”

      “If I am permitted to inquire, what are you, Mr. Cooper? Surely not an analyst.”

      “I wouldn’t say that. No.”

      “What, then?”

      “A trouble-shooter,” the American replied. “We’ll let it go at that, if you don’t mind.”

      “Of course.”

      “About those details on Vyasa—”

      “Captain Gupta did not favor me with all specifics of the case, you understand.”

      “Just give me what you have.”

      “On several occasions—five or six, I think he said—Vyasa has been seen with export dealers linked to the Naraka group. In normal circumstances, these are men Vyasa should have been investigating, possibly arresting, but he seemed to be on cordial terms with all of them. At two meetings, police observed the passage of an envelope into Vyasa’s hands.”

      “Containing money?” Bolan asked.

      Takeri shrugged. “Sadly, they did not stop him to inquire. There is a mystery of sorts in that respect. His bank accounts—those known to the authorities, at least—show no unusual or unexplained deposits, yet Vyasa lives beyond his means.”

      “So, he’s been hiding cash somewhere.”

      “Presumably.”

      “Maybe we’ll shake some of it loose from him and use it on the next phase of our journey.”

      “Which would be?”

      “I thought you understood. I’m here to find Naraka.”

      “But he almost never leaves the Sundarbans.”

      “I guess that’s where we’ll find him, then,” Bolan stated.

      Again, the deadly we, Takeri thought. “I should advise you, Mr. Cooper, that my personal experience in fieldwork of this sort is…limited.”

      “You spent time in the military, I believe?”

      Takeri masked his first rush of surprise. “That’s true.”

      “And you’re my guide for the duration, yes?”

      “Correct.” Takeri felt the noose settle around his neck.

      “No problem, then.”

      No problem. The phrase was said as if the words would not only allay Takeri’s fear but turn him into something he was not. A hunting guide, perhaps. A jungle warrior. True, he had been trained for living off the land and fighting in the wilderness, but all of that seemed long ago and far away.

      “I will endeavor not to fail you, Mr. Cooper,” he replied.

      “It’s Matt. And failure’s not an option.”

      “This is all to do with the Americans, I take it? Those Naraka kidnapped?”

      “Those he killed. That’s right.”

      “If he had not involved your people—”

      “Then I likely wouldn’t be here. But he did, I am and we’re together in this thing for better or worse, if you think you can handle it.”

      Takeri knew he should resist the challenge, not rise to the bait, but at the moment it seemed irresistible. “I can. I will.”

      “Good man. Now, what say you go on and bring me up to speed about Vyasa. I’d like to drop in for a visit tonight, and before we do that I need chapter and verse.”

      Takeri had a sense that everything was happening too rapidly, that he was being swept away, but what choice did he have? His working contract with the CIA demanded full cooperation, and he’d gone so far already in the matter that his life was placed in jeopardy. Those who had tried to kill him would already have his home staked out. At least, with the American, he had a better fighting chance.

      But the Sundarbans!

      “All right,” Takeri said at last.