Tyson was forced to notify the station chief of Ivan's disappearance. He was sure it wasn't Ivan's doing. He recommended no action against him at this time. What he wanted to do was spread out and keep an eye out for some indication of where he went.

"They are sending two teams," Tyson told Lance and Brock. "We'll wait to see what transpires. We need to spot one of the men who was involved when Ivan was taken out of the tea house. We'll follow the fellow until he leads us to where Ivan was taken."

"The fat boy went with him. This was planned out," Lance said. "Ivan had to know something was going to happen. He's supposed to be ours for another month," Lance proposed.

"No indication I saw. Ivan acted no differently today. If he'd known it was coming, he'd have been apprehensive," Brock said.

"Roland is Ivan's bodyguard. He's going where Ivan goes. It would be easier to take him along than fight him off. One look at Roland, and you don't want to fight him," Tyson said.

"I'll fight him," Lance said. "I'm waiting to get a shot at him."

Tyson knew exactly what kind of shot Lance wanted to take. He was a bully. Bullies were cowards at heart. Lance would never go head to head with a man Roland's size. He'd go for his gun every time.

"Yeah, we've got to find him first. Two more teams will arrive tomorrow. We'll decide on a plan once we know how many men we'll be working with," Tyson said.

Ivan's handlers were in disarray. They couldn't stray too far from their mission. They'd do what was obvious and wait for orders from headquarters.

*****

"I'd like to spend some time with Popov. He's my business partner. He came to see to it that I got home safely," Ivan said.

"I'm looking forward to meeting him. He has excellent taste in business partners," Ken Ho said.

"No, I just happened to set up shop in his cove," Ivan said.

Ken Ho laughed.

"I'm told he rival's Roland for size."

"Popov is larger than life. He doesn't need to say anything to make his presence felt. I'm sure, in his day, Popov was a man you didn't want to get on the wrong side of. As soon as I saw him the first time, I felt like I was going to get back home alive."

"Ivan, I want to assure you, I will see to it you get on the plane that will take you home. You'll leave Cambodia safely and with my blessings. I can't guarantee the safety of the sky or that you'll receive a nice reception when you get home. That's beyond my influence."

"I haven't given it much thought. I don't know what's happening at home. These people are accustomed to getting their way," he said.

"They've sent for more men. They're watching Popov, although they don't seem to be aware of the North American plane at this time. I'll see to it they follow Popov to the gates of my home when he comes," Ken Ho revealed.

"Why would you do that?" Ivan asked alarmed.

"The fox sometimes needs to decoy the dogs who are after him. I'll use Popov to get their attention on me. Once they know where I live, they'll make a plan to take me down. I'll turn the tables on them, but that's not your concern. I can handle your handlers."

"I can't. My family is back home. They'll use them to get me."

"I can see you are safe until you leave here. The Minute Men seem to have the ability to get you home safely. I'll be returning to public life soon. I want you to accompany me to the capital when I do. Our parting there will be goodbye for now, and you'll go with the Minute Men," Ken Ho said.

"The men who brought me here aren't going to give up trying to kill you. These are determined men who don't take no for an answer."

"You let me worry about them. When you leave the protection of my home, you'll be able to return safely to your friends. Ken Ho might leave a loose end here and there, but Gen Kenji does not. Trust me."

Ivan heard every word. He trusted Ken Ho, but he had difficulty picturing his handlers being subdued.

As Ken Ho gains strength, Ivan and him spend more time each day walking and talking in his gardens. There's always something else to discuss, and one more problem to solve.

"You can't tell me any more about your plan?" Ivan asked as they walked through the main garden.

"I'll see to it the trap they set for me works flawlessly right up until the time it will snap shut on them," Ken Ho said.

"You aren't going to tell me what you intend to do?" Ivan asked.

"Of course not. I want you to be as surprised as they'll be. A general does not reveal his plans to anyone beforehand."

"Can't wait," Ivan said, feeling unprepared for what was coming.

He trusted Ken Ho. He didn't become a general by being a fool.

Ken Ho followed the walkway until they came to a building that looked like a barn. The general took keys from his pocket and unlocked the doors. He walked one door out of way and then the other. A very old but substantial car was inside.

"That's an American car," Ivan observed with delight. It's a Packard. They don't make these any longer. It's got to be over forty years old."

"It's a 1942 Packard. It's General Eisenhower staff car. It's the one he used to drive the auto bond in Germany after the war there ended. The German roadways inspired him the idea of your Interstate Highway System."

"How did you get hold of this?" Ivan asked amazed by the story Ken Ho told him..

"A collector sold it at auction. It was brought to my attention by Major Han. I bought it. It has bullet proof doors and windows. The engine is enormous. It needs the extra power to move the ton of armor they built into the car," the general explained.

"I'm impressed. I bet you feel safe in this thing."

"We'll be leaving in this vehicle on Wednesday. It's important to my plan. We'll need the bullet proofing to make sure we aren't threatened by the men who will come to ambush us. They'll think they've outsmarted us and made a bold move to capture me. They'll be wrong. I knew their plan almost as soon as they decided on what to do about me and you. Their man who is Roland's size, he thinks he will kill you on Wednesday. Like most fools, he's delusional. He only thinks he's in charge. The black man, Tyson, he's the leader of the pack. He's more cautious than Lance, but bullies are often bold until they're brought face to face with an equal or greater force. He underestimates us because we are Cambodian. He can't conceive we're capable of outsmarting him. Believe me when I tell you, they are about to meet a superior force. We'll be ready when the time comes. You'll stay safe. We'll take Roland with us. He'll sit between us in the backseat. He's capable of getting in the way if he reacts badly to what will look like an ambush. Tell him that my men are in control. We won't be in any danger. He needs to resist the urge to intervene.

Once the general got his points across, he closed one door and then the second door. He placed the lock back in place."

"I showed you this so you can explain to Roland, you are safe. My men are in control in spite of how it may look. Roland is content here. He knows you are safe. I suspect he wouldn't be as relaxed if he saw you being driven away from the compound, while leaving him behind. Taking him is easier if he doesn't get in our way."

They walked back to the house once they left the Packard behind. Ivan was deep in thought as he considered getting closer to going home. He felt safe, but his handlers weren't going to give up. He didn't want to get home and have the Company men coming after him again. He wanted it to be over. He wanted it to end, one way or another, before leaving Cambodia. He wasn't sure Ken Ho's plan would put an end to his problem.

As Ivan and Ken Ho sat talking in his library, one of his soldiers came to speak with the general. First, he looked at Ivan, and then he stood silent.

"I'm ready, General. Anything I need to know before I go?"

"It's OK to talk in front of my friend. He needs to get a sense of what is in store for him Wednesday."

"I will go into the coffee house and speak to the big Russian. He'll be expecting me and we'll leave together. I'm not to take any evasive actions, but drive the Russian back here."

"You'll be followed. Do not look back or act like you are the least bit concerned. Drive the Russian back to the compound."

"I understand, General. I'm to go get the Russian and bring him back here," the soldier said.

"Popov," Ivan said. "His name is Popov."

"Popov," the soldier repeated.

"You're using the old Renault?"

"Yes, General."

"Go get Popov. Major Han will escort him into the house, once you return," Ken Ho said.

"Popov knows he's coming to your compound?" Ivan asked.

"Yes, we've been in contact with him and he is expecting a car to come for him this morning."

"You want them to follow him back to your house?"

"To the compound, Ivan. They don't have any way to breach the gates. If by some quirk of fate, they tried such a thing, my men would have little difficulty repelling them. They'll overhear a conversation that tells them I'm leaving the compound to go to the capitol Wednesday around noon. They'll be prepared to ambush us just outside the gates."

Ivan heard every word, but the logic of it escaped him. He remembered the armored Packard. It didn't comfort him.

The man hurried off, getting into a Renault that had seen better days. Ivan watched the gates open from the big window in Ken Ho's library. The Renault disappeared and the gates closed.

"There's one bug in Popov's room. He was advised of being picked up today, and that I'd be going to the capitol on Wednesday, which gives him two days at the compound," Ken Ho advised. "The Minute men are clever with such technology. Your handlers hear only what we think it is prudent for them to hear."

"I don't get what you hope to accomplish by driving into an ambush," Ivan said. "At least one of those guys want me dead and having them stopping us outside you compound sounds risky."

"They aren't the only ones who can make plans. You'll see the rest of the plan on Wednesday. You won't be in any danger. I would never purposely place you in danger, Ivan. Once you see what takes place, you'll realize that I'm going to end the idea of removing me from my country's political scene."

Ten minutes later the Renault parked in front of the tea house. The driver went inside to get a cup of tea, and he sat down at Popov's table. They exchanged greetings. When the driver finished his tea, Popov got up when he did and they left together.

Lance stood in the large window at the front of the tea house. He watched Popov work his large frame into the small foreign car. The driver made a U-turn to drive back toward the compound.

The driver didn't notice the car that had parked a dozen yards behind his car. After the Renault made a U-turn, Lance watched the second car make the same move once the Renault was a block away.

Lance walked back to the table to sit down with Tyson and Brock.

"We'll know where Ivan is soon. The tail is in place," Lance said.

Tyson was still heading the mission, but the two new teams were in charge of locating Ivan, and all Tyson could do was wait for them to execute their orders to find him. There was a good chance the Russian was being taken to Ivan.

In less than ten minutes, the gates at the compound were opening and the Renault drove inside. The tail pulled off to the side of the road when the Renault turned left into the driveway. They backed up to where they could see the gates but weren't likely to be noticed.

They waited to see how many people came and went. That would give them some idea of how busy the place was, but no one came or went in the two hours their team remained parked there.

After two hours with no activity, they turned around to go report back to Tyson to see what he wanted to do now that they had a probable location where Ivan was, and possibly the general as well.

If the general was inside those gates, it would be an easy matter to wait for him to come out, and ambush him as he turned onto the highway. The plan that fell to pieces once Ivan was gone, had begun to look like it had an end in sight.

Because of the nature of the diversion that allowed Ivan to slip their grasp, Tyson came to the conclusion, the general they were after took Ivan for some reason he didn't know.

"That kid that came to sit with Ivan figures into this," Lance said once they realized they'd been snookered by the fake fight.

Tyson was of the same opinion. That general took Ivan, and under duress, Ivan would tell the general anything he wanted to know about their operation. That complicated things, but there was still a chance. Once they knew where Ivan was, they could still use the element of surprise to eliminate the general.

At the compound there was a different plan being made. As Ken Ho, Ivan, and Popov talked over dinner, the general explained why he wanted to be so obvious about meeting with Popov.

"When you go back, Popov, Major Carl will come to your room to give you the news that I'll be going to the Capitol Wednesday at noon. That will set the stage for the plans I have for the men who came to kill me to keep me from running for Prime Minister of Cambodia."

"You'll be blowing the cover for the Minute Men," Popov thought.

"They're only here to take Ivan home. Once the people who brought Ivan here think they are about to achieve success in the mission they were sent to do, they'll lose all interest in everything else," Ken Ho said. "The Minute Men aren't relevant now that the focus is on my compound, once they hear you tell Major Carl about my trip to the capital. It's a simple plan that will unfold on Wednesday, and after that, you'll be fee to leave for home any time Major Carl thinks is prudent."

"I wish I could believe that Ken Ho. I've been away from home for so long, I'm beginning to think I'll never get back home."

"I am coming to get you, and I am doing that," Popov said.

"Come Wednesday, you'll be free to accomplish that, but Popov, am I to believe you escaped the Soviets. Ivan told me you've been fishing at this cove for thirty years."

"Is true. I am coming to America to be finding the freedom. I'm from family of fisherman but not always under Soviet."

"I want to hear all about it, Popov. You must tell me. We'll retire to the library," Ken Ho said, as the three men finished their meal.

*****

At eleven o'clock on Wednesday, the car was brought around. The driver and the general's bodyguard were in the front seat. The bodyguard got out to open the rear door. Ivan got in first, sliding across the seat. Roland got in the middle. The general sat beside him.

As the car eased toward the front of the compound, the gates opened to allow the Packard to leave.

The road was empty. The car stopped before turning right.

"General, I would like you to reconsider getting out of the car," the bodyguard said. "I can't protect you if you expose yourself."

"Khe, I'll be behind the armored door. I'll be fine," General Kenji said. "They need to see it's me and I need to signal my men."

"It's too dangerous," Khe objected. "I can't protect you if you do that."

"When have we not faced danger, my friend? We will be fine. You'll see."

The bodyguard had nothing else to say.

The car slowly made the right turn onto the road. The driver didn't accelerate right away. He was expecting to be stopped. Everyone in the car was expecting to be stopped.

Once Lance stood in the middle of the road with two guns held high, the driver stopped ten feet from him.

Tyson cringed. He thought Lance looked like an idiot. He also thought, this is going way too easy. Why didn't the driver simply run over Lance. Tyson realized things that were planned looked easy.

He was stuck with the plan. Lance had already stopped the car. He hoped for the best, but his gut told him they were in trouble.

"Please, run over the asshole," Tyson said softly to himself, but the 1942 armored Packard rolled to a stop ten feet from of Lance.

There were two plans unfolding at the same instant. Only one could possibly work out.

Ivan cringed at the sight of Lance.

Roland bristled once Lance appeared in front of the car.

The general smiled. His plan had gone into motion. The players had taken their places.

Lance held his guns pointed at the windshield before he spoke.

"You, in the backseat, all of you, get out. You, in the front seat, stay put if you want to stay alive," Lance ordered in an excited voice.

The backdoor opened and the general slid out, standing behind the heavily armored door. It would protect him from any small rounds. What the general didn't see, and Lance didn't notice, angry Roland came out of the backseat behind the general.

How can he so sure they understand English? Ivan wondered. Oh, yeah, it's Lance. In his world, everyone speaks English.

Ivan was startled when the general opened the door. He knew the plan, but he didn't like the idea of Ken Ho exposing himself to a lunatic. The car was a tank. He didn't need to put himself at risk.

Lance yelled for Ivan to get out of the car. Ivan sat tight, Roland began easing himself along the side of the car. The general stood so the armored door covered all but a sliver of him.

"What is it you require of us?" the general asked in a commanding voice.

"Come out where I can get a good look at you. Have Ivan get out of the car, now. That big oaf with him," Lance yelled his orders, keeping both guns at the front seat.

Lance was lucky he kept his guns trained on the front seat. Had he turned those guns towards the general, he couldn't have lived long enough to do anything else, but he was too busy trying to see if Ivan and Roland were in the backseat.

Only then did Ivan realize Roland wasn't beside him. Where'd he go, Ivan panicked. He's outside the car, and he spotted him in the shadows on the shoulder beside the car. He'd moved to be across from the front right fender and stopped.

Ivan cringed. He hoped Roland wasn't about to get himself shot. Ivan looked at the general. He wasn't about to move away from the door that furnished him with protection. Ivan looked at Lance. It was Lance's move. The general was staying put.

That's when all hell broke loose.

"I'm afraid I can not do this," Gen Kenji said after a minute passed.

"You better do it and you better do it now," Lance ordered in a shout.

General Kenji's right arm shot into the fresh noonday air.

Lance didn't have long to contemplate what the old bird was up to before he heard the fifty rifles being locked and loaded.

Fifty soldiers, twenty-five on each side of the road, stepped out of the undergrowth with seven Company men, hands held high, moving in front of them.

Popov and the four Minute Men stepped out with them.

A wet stain no one but the driver and the bodyguard noticed appeared on the front of Lance's pants, and it was at that instant Roland launched himself at Lance, using a big meaty right hand to hit him square on his jaw.

Lance stood firm before rocking backward, then he rocked forward, ending up on his face in front of the Packard.

A roar came from Roland's fans who lined both sides of the road. Roland stepped over the unconscious Lance to retrieve the two pistols he held in the air. He got another cheer before taking a bow.

Even Tyson cracked a smile. They may not have accomplished what they were sent to do, but seeing Lance put in his place was some consolation to a man who would soon be looking for other work if he didn't end up in a Cambodian prison.

Roland walked back to where Ivan and the general were waiting beside the car.

"You blindsided him, Roland," Ivan said.

"Just what that SOB deserved. He won't hold a gun on any of my friends again," Roland said.

"I like your style," Ken Ho said. "You sure I can't hire you?"

"I'm flattered, but I work for Ivan, and I want to get back to the States," Roland revealed.

Ivan got back into the car. Ken Ho patted Roland on the back as he got inside, and the general followed, almost getting the door closed before he stood back up to watch the prisoners being loaded.

"Khe, how many men came to kill me?" He asked his bodyguard.

"Nine. There are nine of them yesterday."

"I count eight here. One will be somewhere near the Capitol. Wouldn't do to get to my destination only to be shot down. Tell Major Han to put soldiers on all the high ground. Number nine will be waiting at the capitol," a very savvy general said.