Fighting the Dragon Part Four

A fab choice of discount Thailand hotels:
	• Bangkok Hotels • Chiang Mai Hotels • Koh Samui Hotels	• Krabi Hotels • Pattaya Hotels • Phuket Hotels

The obvious point is that Marco and I were expendable to Blackwater at the first sign of trouble and having a network of rooms and other resources available that only we knew about could help get us out of Dodge if everything went bad. Unknown to everyone but myself and Marco before I’d flown to KL and on to our contact with the luxury yacht I’d made a quick trip to Pattaya where I’d quickly arranged for three cars which I placed around the city in carparks with a trunk full of equipment we might need if things went bad. Pre-positioning equipment and resources is old habit for those of us in the trade, everything from battlefield surgery kits to ID and cash to weapons and clothes. If everything went smoothly I’d return to Pattaya next week, retrieve the contents of the trunks, and return the cars. No one would ever know. If we needed to use the cars the rental agencies would all remember a farang (foreigner) of different names and descriptions if they remembered anything at all.

Since everything was going smoothly we used our Blackwater provided ID’s and reserved rooms and checked in for the evening. We all went our separate ways for dinner and fun knowing we’d need to assemble at the Fortuners by 0715 the next morning. Normally Marco and I would use a slow night like this to get together and go over things but we’d already planned well in KL so this night we took turns monitoring the video feeds we’d installed inside and outside our marks home. Everything hinged on his cooperation and if he alerted anyone things would fall quickly apart.

The next morning at 0900 we saw our marks Benz approach the gates of Lard Yao women’s prison and watched as they waved him through. As the prison doctor he pretty much had free access. Unfortunately for him we knew he often molested the younger and more attractive inmates and would make them perform oral sex if they wanted vital medicines.

We also knew he’d have to examine the woman we came to rescue this morning as it was the day before her execution. In the past he’d promise to drug them before the injection to make the experience better if they’d only allow him sex, but that wouldn’t be the case today. Today our girl would be treated with the utmost respect and then told she’d be getting an injection in her arm, but what he’d really be doing is implanting a micro RF locator beacon so we could more easily locate her when the time was right. We debated having him tell her that she would be rescued but decided against it, we didn’t want the guards to be suspicious if she acted anything out of the character of a young woman about to be executed.

Meanwhile the three hires were at the other end of town crawling under a local bar and wiring plastique explosives stolen from a Thai Army armory just the day before, thank you Plato.. she really came through with everything I’d asked for. The bar was closed for remodeling just the day before after the local police shut it down and advised the owner to sell to an interested party. We needed a good distraction and having the local fire and police resources busy across town investigating a mysterious explosion and fire would be just the ticket. Using a cell phone activated detonator wired to the semtex whose chemical signature would be traced directly back to the Thai military would not only allow us to perfectly time the distraction, but would also make it look like a local battle for the ownership of the bar.

Inside Lard Yao prison the American woman was finding it hard to face the morning because her body was sore from the beatings she’d had to endure almost daily since being there. The dark skinned ladies from Isaan could care less if this young black lady ever ate again. Several times a day as they were called for a meal in the outside courtyard everyone would line up with the tin bowls in hand and one by one file past the stained wooden table where “trustee’s” would shovel a small portion of rice in the bowl with wooden spoons and moving on to the next station a soup type mixture of vegetable and fish parts would be poured over the top. Utensils could be used as weapons or tools so only the bowls were allowed so the inmates had to use their fingers and to scoop the food into their mouths. Once done they’d have to wash the bowl at the outside wash area and then return it to the stack.

On the first day Beth had just sat down to stare at the putrid mixture of “food” when five slight dark skinned Thai ladies approached and demanded her food. She made the mistake of hesitating to ask them why and they immediately started kicking her in the head until she was laying on the ground semi-conscience as blows and kicks landed over her entire body. The next few days were nothing more than a cloud of confusion and pain as her body became swollen and sore from the beating and the heat sucked the moisture from her body. Soon her throat was parched and her lips were swollen and cracked and it took all her energy to crawl into the shade as the Asian prison population looked on with suspicion and hatred. Despite being oppressed their entire lives because f their dark skin, they were quick to apply the same measure of oppression on this new foreign lady who had obviously led a privileged life previously.

To be continued...