Popov is briefed by the Minute Men each evening before he goes to the hotel. In turn, Popov passes along any information the Minute Men think Ivan needs to know. This free flow of information helps Ivan to feel like he is no longer in the dark. Popov's presence is a welcome change.

Each afternoon, Minute Men technical support disables bugs put in place that morning by Ivan's handler's technical staff. The Minute Men want certain listening devices in places where false information can be passed along, while normal conversation is not heard.

Popov's presence can't be hidden. The big Russian is hard to miss. He's Ivan's business partner, and he's come to make sure that Ivan is returned safely to the cove. Ivan's handlers don't know how he got there, but he is an obstacle they're aware of. They once again need to keep Ivan alive and healthy, which didn't figure into the plans Lance had for Ivan and Roland.

The Minute Men have control of the field of play, because Ivan's handlers don't know they've arrived and Popov came with them. The Minute Men look like the people who come for tea, eats, and conversation. Ivan, being Lithuanian and Irish, could be from Columbus or Katmandu. His handlers were plainly American.

The Minute Men blended in. Ivan's handlers stood out.

General Kenji knew the North American airliner arrived an hour after it landed. It remained parked at the airport. It took a day for his intelligence people to know the passenger jet was leased to a military contractor in the US, the Minute Men.

The most interesting of the new arrivals, a Russian sea captain from Florida. The general knew Ivan was from Florida.

It didn't take as long to track down who came on Bob Alexander's Learjet two days later. The Learjet was registered to the CEO of the Minute Men. The Learjet and the North American plane were part of the same operation. They were there legally, and the general intended to find out why.

John Carl, being a Vietnam vet, had been in Southeast Asia for most of a decade, during and since the war. He is the right hand man of Bob Alexander, CEO of the Minute Men. General Kenji's intelligence people advise the general of this before the Learjet is back in the air.

General Kenji is told about who the new arrivals are and who sent them to his country. His intelligence operation is second to none. He has stayed alive by knowing what adversaries are up to. Besides loyalty, intelligence is the thing he values most.

Once John Carl arrives on the scene, he rarely leaves the North American plane, his headquarters, but word comes that General Kenji's aide, Major Han, wishes to meet with him. Not realizing their presence had been noticed beyond the government officials who authorized their stay, he is anxious to hear what the major has to say.

John Carl is waiting for Major Han when he reaches the top of the stairs. John Carl, a retired marine major, greets his guest in his own language. Major Han wasn't as surprised by John Carl speaking Cambodian than he might have been. He read Major Carl's dossier.

John Carl was curious to know how his quiet arrival in Bob Alexander's Learjet got someone's attention so fast. John Carl took Major Han into his office and they sat face to face for the first time.

"Tea, Major?"

"Tea would be nice."

"I'm intrigued," John Carl said. "My papers are in order if you wish to see them. My company is contemplating making some investments in your country and I'm the front man. We wish to do business in Cambodia if the environment is encouraging."

"You did not do enough business in Vietnam, while you were there, Major Carl?" Major Han asked. "You are the right hand man of the CEO of the Minute Men, Colonel Alexander. You have brought an extraction team to take Ivan Aleksa out of Cambodia. You can't simply grab him and put him on a plane, because he was brought here by your CIA to draw General Kenji out in the open so they can kill him. Ivan has already warned the general, who he knows as Ken Ho. How am I doing so far, Major?"

Major Han said ever word in English and John Carl was smiling by the time Major Han stopped talking.

"My compliments to General Kenji and his intelligence people. You've nailed it down a lot easier than I could have explained it. My mission is to bring Ivan back home with me," John Carl said.

"General Kenji wishes for you to make one alteration to your plan. He wishes to meet with his friend, Ivan. He'll send for Ivan and after a few days, maybe a week. He'll need to get back to work and Ivan will be free to go back to his life."

"Does the general have a plan to get Ivan away from his handlers? He is obligated to them. If he doesn't honor his contract, they'll come for him again. That's why my team hasn't moved. They see Ivan has value to them. Part of my job is to corrupt that value so they have no further need for his services and leave him alone."

"I'm here today because we intend to remove Ivan from the tea house tomorrow before noon. There will be a disturbance, a distraction, during which we'll take Ivan with us," Major Han said.

"That removes him from his handlers. It doesn't ruin the value they see in him," John Carl said.

"We'll spend some time coming and going from the tea house. His handlers will follow our people to the general's compound. We'll let them have information giving the time when the general will be going out with Ivan, and when they make their move to kill General Kenji, Ivan, and Ivan's bodyguard, they will be interrupted. They'll be in the general's hands then."

"There are dozens of teams like the one here. As soon as Ivan goes missing, a few of them will be sent to correct the problem. The objective is to devalue Ivan. We need to do that to keep them from coming back for more."

"His value is in his friendship with General Kenji. Once we have them in custody, that bridge is burned. We know who they are and why they are here. They'll be deported with a warning not to come back. The general isn't going to allow himself to be ambushed by American secret police, Major Carl. Your government is the most powerful entity on earth, but not even your government can make prime rib out of chopped liver. Once their mission is found out, Ivan's value disappears. They certainly won't be disappointed he doesn't return to the States with them. He'll return with your men. They won't bother him again."

"Your plan is far superior to mine. What can my men do to help?"

"Not interfere when we move tomorrow. There will be a staged fight in front of Ivan's handler's table. They'll be distracted. We'll take Ivan with us."

"You'll have enough men to block the view of the handlers while you're taking Ivan?"

"We'll have six men who will go to watch the disturbance. If your men want to help get between the handlers and Ivan, it would be appreciated. You can never have too many men when you're distracting men who can cause trouble."

"Anything I can do. We're after the same goal. I am in no hurry. I was sure I'd be here for another week to ten days. If I can be of any service to the general, let me know. I will need to communicate what I'm doing here to the Colonel, but he'll have no trouble with this plan."

"There is one issue I'm supposed to bring up if you turn out to be cooperative," Major Han said.

"Shoot," John Carl said.

"General Kenji is curious about what military contractors do. He'd like to discuss it with you, if you feel comfortable meeting with him. He's a student of your war machine. He studied many of the battles from World War II. The US military at one time did everything with soldiers. It was cheap and efficient. Now, everything is done by military contractors. It's a lot more expensive. It's of interest to him."

"I'm here all the time. Give me a heads up when the general wants to meet, I can be ready without a lot of notice. There is one aspect I don't control. Captain Popov is Ivan's business partner and a last minute add-on to my team. He'll do what he wants to do. I'll speak with him. I can't control him. Roland is not going to sit still while you taken Ivan. I don't control him either."

"One of my men has been speaking with the Russian. He'll be invited to the general's compound. He'll be reassured Ivan is in good hands. We'll take Roland with Ivan. We know he's Ivan's bodyguard. We have left no loose ends, Major. If you allow us to operate, you'll be satisfied with the outcome."

*****

Ivan picked the following morning to take a novel to the tea house with him. Ivan was uneasy, and reading relaxed him. Reading would keep his mind off of what was coming, even if he didn't know was coming or when it would come. Something was coming and all he could do was wait.

Roland brought sweet bread with Ivan's first cup of tea, and he retired to a table a few feet away. The Filipino and the Indian were seated on the back wall. His handlers were at their usual table a few feet further away than Roland was.

The early morning tea drinkers were gone. Not many people would come before the noon tea drinkers arrived. Ivan nibbled on the sweet bread and he sipped the steaming hot tea. He opened the novel and began to read.

"Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens."

He knew something about the novel. Everyone knew something about it. Ivan had put it in his gym bag before leaving the cove. He'd seen it on his grandfather's bookshelf and decided to take it with him. He found it last night and decided it was time to read it. That would cut into the boredom of the next few days of waiting.

He turned another page, glanced out the window now and again, before going back to Oliver's travails.

Oliver was a clever lad. Ivan wondered if he'd be half as clever under such harsh circumstances. He tried to imagine 1830s London. He tried to imagine Charles Dickens there, long before he wrote Oliver Twist.

Dicken's father went to debtor's prison. Charles went to work at twelve. Ivan tried to imagine it. Dickens had a great deal of knowledge about a boy like Oliver. How much of Oliver was Dickens?

Ivan knew Ken Ho wasn't waltzing into the tea house. He had no idea what his friend would do. He'd warned him and that was all he could do. The next move belonged to him.

He looked up from the book. He glanced at his handlers. They were less than attentive. Lance picked at a plate of meat, and Brock was daydreaming.

Ivan looked out the window before going back to his reading.

*****

"Bob!" Harry said, as he came into his Capitol Hill office. "You didn't call me. I hope you haven't been waiting long?"

"No, I called. They told me you'd be in about noon."

"He said the secret word," Harry's Chief of Staff said.

"It's about Ivan," Harry said. "Come on back. We can't talk here."

"We can talk anywhere here, Harry. Your offices are clean."

"Yes, but all my staff doesn't know all of my business yet. I must keep a few things secret. I'm a senator," Harry said, leading Bob to his private office.

"Knob Hill," I believe.

"A short one. I haven't had lunch. We can go to lunch, if you like," Bob Alexander said.

"No time. I may not get to eat today. What's up?"

"It'll be going down while you're in bed tonight," Bob said.

"And what is going down?"

"General Kenji's men will take Ivan out of the tea house. We've been communicating with the general. He is looking forward to spending a few days with Ivan. He has plans to draw the Company personnel out in the open, and they'll be arrested and deported before my men leave with Ivan, his man Roland, and Popov."

"How does the general plan to get Ivan away from them without having a lot of bodies lying around that tea house, Bob?"

"An old Cambodian trick," Bob said, as Harry stared at him. "Diversion. They'll stage a fight between Ivan's table and his handler's table. While the handlers are watching the fight, Ivan will be removed. My men will give an assist, and for that, the general is keeping us in the loop, and I wanted to get you in the loop. Ivan should be home by month's end."

"He's got a contract. If he breaks the contract, the Company is likely to come at him again," Harry said.

"His handlers will be under arrest and they'll be deported. Ivan isn't breaking the contract. The company is. They're not going to bother him again. I'll see to it," Bob Alexander said.

Harry's indignant right eyebrow raised before considering who it was he was talking to. The eyebrow fell back into place as Harry pondered what he'd been told.

"What's this all about? Why do that want that general?"

"The CIA doesn't need a reason for anything they do, Senator. General Kenji is as anti-American as you can get. He wants the CIA and all their henchmen out of his country. I believe he intends to run for Prime Minister. He will be a tough man to negotiate with. If he has an accident, well, they figured out the man Ivan once met with routinely, the last time he was in Cambodia, was General Kenji. That's why they went through all the trouble to get Ivan back on the job."

"They scare me, Bob. I don't mind telling you. If they have incentive enough, they'll ruin me."

"That's why you hired me. I have enough goods on the CIA to keep them honest. They won't bother Ivan or you again, Senator. I know how the game is played. The general trusts that Ivan is a good American, and the Minute Men are honest brokers. We can do business. He isn't an unreasonable man. Anyway, I came to tell you it's about to happen. I want you to tell Clay. I made a promise to him that I'd get Ivan home. Let him know the table is set. Don't tell him when, but before the first of August, I suspect."

"Bob, you don't know what a relief it is to hear you say this. It will be one of the best days of my life if you can get Ivan back to Clay. He's been a royal pain in my arse," Harry confided.

"When you mix love and politics, Senator, you're going to end up with a mess when lovers are parted. Once you tell Clay, he'll be able to relax," Bob said. "You tell him, I told you Ivan will be home soon."

Harry watched Bob Alexander pick up his drink and toss it back.

"And what makes me a suitable messenger to advise Clayton about Ivan?" Harry asked. "You could call."

"I could. I'm not working for Clay, but I understand his dilemma. I'd like to ease his mind, Senator. It doesn't cost anything."

"What did he tell you when you talked?"

"Harry, I don't kiss and tell," Bob said, sounding amused. "He made it clear. He wants Ivan home."

"You kissed him?" Harry asked, not understanding his question.

"I know enough about Ivan Aleksa to know you don't want to be kissing on his man. Clay told me how he felt. I told him I'd get Ivan home. I'm sympathetic to lovers who are separated by fate. Anyway, you know as much as I do. I will keep you advised of our progress."

Harry watched Bob stand up and extend his hand.

"I'll give you a report as quick as I have one," Bob said.

The meeting had ended.

Harry knew there were things he didn't know. In this case, he'd rather not know what Bob Alexander meant by what he'd said.

Harry didn't do nuance well. He thought Bob Alexander was the kind of man who said things to keep you off balance.

At least that's how it seemed to Harry as he watched the head of the Minute Men leave his office.

*****

Ivan recognized two men who came in a little after eleven. They'd come in with Ken Ho when he used to visit the tea house. This made Ivan uncomfortable.

He watched them at the counter ordering tea. Two more men came in together. Ivan didn't recognize them, but they had a similar look to the two men he did recognize, and that's when Popov came in for the first time that day. Ivan watched him go to sit with Roland.

He looked into the bottom corner of the front window. Lance and Brock were both watching him. He felt an itch between his shoulders. He moved to make certain the Glock was properly positioned.

When the fifth and six man came in right after Popov arrived, they bumped Ivan's table, nearly knocking over a chair. One man pushed the other man and an argument ensued. One push got another push as the two men yelled insults at each other.

As they tumbled to the floor, grabbing each other like members of the WWF, Lance and Brock stood up to save their plate of sweet bread, while the tea cups crashed to the floor. The men rolled back and forth as the Filipino man and the Indian man got between Ivan's table and the wrestlers who continued to roll.

Ivan heard the cook coming. He was carrying an ax handle and he chattered so fast Ivan could only catch a word or two.

"My money's on the big guy," Lance reported. "Bet you a fiver, the big guy will take that little dude apart."

"You're on," Brock said.

The cook banged the club on the floor and as the two men rolled some more. Two arms had Ivan's arms, and pulled him to his feet.

"Come with us. Ken Ho is waiting. Don't look back. There's a car at the door."

"Roland," Ivan said, knowing how Roland was going to take this.

"He's already in the car. Go. Go. We need to go."

Ivan was out the door and in the backseat of the waiting car in a few seconds. The car pulled away from the front of the tea house and made the first right turn.

The street in front of the tea house was free of vehicles. There were a few pedestrians moving about but almost no traffic. Inside the tea house, the two combatants continued the yelling and rolling.

Lance and Brock were too busy waiting to see blood shed to realize their man had been snatched out from under their nose.

Popov got up and left while the cook did his best to separate the two men rolling on his floor. The Minute Men stood and walked out. There would be no evidence of who took Ivan or where he'd been taken by the time the wrestlers called it quits.

"How did you know to get into the car?" Ivan asked.

"Popov told me what was about to happen. He said you were going to meet your friend and I needed to go get into the car out front. You don't want me here?" Roland asked with concern.

"Don't be silly. I didn't know how you knew to get into the car. I didn't know what was going on at first, but Popov knew what was coming, but how'd he know Ken Ho's people would come for me?"

Ivan didn't know what was going on half the time, and there were too many players to keep track of them all. The best he could do was react to whatever happened. Now he watched the car move down a dirt road and pull up to some large gates.

The gates opened and the car moved straight ahead and stopped in front of a large house at the end of the driveway. It took ten minutes for them to go from the tea house to the front of the house.

"Someone will let you into the house. Just go to the front door," the driver said.

The second man in the front seat got out to open the back door.

Ivan stood in front of the large house and Roland stood beside him once he was out of the car.

There were high walls all around them with fruit trees, shrubs, and flowered gardens in front of the walls. They could be anywhere in the world. Nothing about Ken Ho's house stood out from most houses.

The car drove around the side of the house.

"You come," a Cambodian man in a white button up shirt said, walking them to the porch at the front of the house.

The front door opened and Major Han stepped onto the porch.

"I am hoping you are Ivan," Major Han said. "Wouldn't do to abduct the wrong person on such a beautiful day, but the description of Roland can't fit too many men in my country. On behalf of General Kenji, welcome to his home. He'll be with you in a few minutes, but first I'm to take you to the dining room for food and coffee."

"I'd follow you anywhere for a cup of coffee," Ivan said, feeling somewhat disoriented after going from where he'd been to here.