Temple of Spies by Ian Kharitonov

Author:Ian Kharitonov [Kharitonov, Ian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Thriller
Published: 2015-11-03T05:00:00+00:00

PART III

1

Never in her five years of working as a concierge had Umaporn seen anything like it. And truth be told, she had seen quite a lot at the Front Desk of the Inthurat Resort and Spa, Phuket. It was the island’s most luxurious hotel, and one of the very few situated directly on Patong Beach. Enjoying the prime location of the private 200-meter beachfront strip, Umaporn had the perfect view of the Andaman Sea through the lobby’s windows.

At first, it was the sound she had heard. A low whining noise, growing louder. Then she saw it, a white shape in the sky, realizing that the whine belonged to the aircraft’s engines. The plane was flying low over the waves, the shape becoming more distinct as it neared rapidly. Then its hull skimmed the water and touched down. Its weird top-mounted propeller spinning, the flying boat cleaved through the sea waves toward the beach right in front of the Inthurat Resort and Spa.

The arrival of the amphibian turned heads and evoked gleeful exclamations among those hotel guests who were witnessing it. A German pensioner sipping ice tea in the lobby stared over the top of his spectacles in sheer amazement. At the pool, an excited American couple cheered and snapped photos. The annoying, sunscreen-smeared French children were running around the beach, animatedly pointing and shouting to their parents. Umaporn herself stood fascinated but completely at a loss as to how she should deal with the situation.

As its landing gear wheels touched the sand, the sleek aircraft halted not a hundred meters away from the reception desk. The engines shut down and the plane’s cockpit door opened. Two people debarked, a man and a woman. Leisurely, they strolled past the gawking hotel guests, as if it were the most ordinary day in their lives, a mundane commute. The woman was a leggy blonde, clad in a compelling swimsuit. Her stunning appearance prompted an even livelier reaction than the manner of her arrival.

The tall, powerfully-built man who accompanied her was obviously the plane’s pilot, although he wasn’t dressed to look the part. He wore pants rolled up to knee length together with ridiculous wooden sandals. His sculpted torso was bare from the waist up, his left upper arm bandaged. As he and his female companion entered the hotel, Umaporn also noticed an expensive Swiss watch on his wrist and a Louis Vuitton bag in his hand. Then Umaporn’s mind registered the fact that they were heading toward the reception desk. She got a hold of herself and flashed her best smile.

“Sawasdee. May I help you, sir?”

Nonchalantly, he said, “We’d like to have your best suite. Do you accept Bloodcoin?”

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