Page 118 - Brokenclaw - John Gardner

James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled

scanning equipment, the good ole boy in Commander Edwin Rushia drained

away like sand in an eggtimer and he became totally focused on finding Chi-
Chi and Bond.

James Bond’s eyes snapped open, and he came from deep sleep to full
James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled
consciousness in a matter of seconds. Silently he cursed, knowing he had done
the unforgivable and dropped asleep when he should have been keeping watch.

It was four thirty in the morning, and already traces of dawn had started to
show through the drapes on the two high, arched windows. With his waking,
alertness returned and the memories of the previous night came hustling into his

mind sharp and clear.
On the other side of the bed, Chi-Chi slept, curled on one side with her face
turned away from the two pillows that lay down the length of the bed between
James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled
them. He smiled. That was about the only bright recollection from a few hours
ago. His first real thought was of Wanda.

‘What kind of spy?’ he had asked of Brokenclaw as Ding strutted across the
room, undid the shackles and hoisted the girl over his shoulder like a butcher
carrying the carcass of a beast. There had been a little moan from Wanda and a

tiny smear of blood had spotted the back of Ding’s jacket.
‘The kind of spy that neither you nor I wish even to know of our existence,’
Lee shrugged. There was neither anger nor foreboding in his voice which
remained
James Bond OO7 - printing disabled even and soft. ‘Her father owed money to one of my gambling James Bond OO7 - printing disabled
James Bond OO7 - printing disabled
James Bond OO7 - printing disabled
James Bond OO7 - printing disabled
houses. He sought to buy his own freedom from debt by giving me his daughter
as a plaything. In China it would be taken as giving me her hand in marriage; in
my other life, it would be to add more women to my teepee. Now I fear her
father will have to pay in full.’

‘But, the girl, what was she up to?’
Brokenclaw made a gentle gesture, raising his right hand as though to
dismiss the whole business. ‘I knew she was in the US Navy. What I did not
know was that she belongs to Naval Intelligence . . .’
James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled
‘Oh, my God!’ Bond feigned extreme agitation.
‘Oh, my God, indeed. They have a whole operation dedicated to finding
those who have given me the information you are to carry back to Beijing. It
seems they are desperate. Already she’s told me British Intelligence is

involved.’
‘Then we must . . .’

James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabled