“Along the same lines, we obviously can’t let Dalfan know what you’re doing. If we give them a heads-up, and if there really is an internal problem, they might put up a defense against the probe. On a personal note, I hate to call a potential partner a Chinese spy before we’ve even begun the relationship—especially since I don’t think that little sniffer in your hand is going to find anything. Make sense?”

“Sure.”

“Also, if word got out about what you and I are doing, it could kill the merger and tank our stock price, along with theirs. And like you suggested, this really would appear like a gross conflict of interest—at least in the eyes of the SEC. They’d crucify me and my board if they got wind of this. Fines, maybe even jail time. Not to mention the fact I’d be fired. And quite frankly, I’ve gotten used to the big paycheck they hand me every year.”

“I can only imagine.” Paul was well compensated for his work at Hendley Associates, but the kind of money Rhodes made as a board member would be several orders of magnitude greater. “Anything else?”

“Yes, and it’s the most important one. You must get this drive inserted into a computer that’s connected to the Dalfan mainframe no later than midnight local, six days from now.” Rhodes took the drive from Paul’s hand and pointed at a tiny LED light on the far end of the thumb drive. “Just insert the drive into any USB port and the program will automatically launch. When you insert it, the light here will turn red. As the program executes, it will begin flashing red, and when the program is ready to launch, the light will turn blue. The program then asks for a four-digit passcode that you’ll provide, and then you’re done. The whole thing should take no more than thirty seconds.”

He handed the drive back to Paul. “I take it you’re in?”

“Yeah, I’m in.”

“Good, then there’s just one more thing.”

While Rhodes opened up his buffalo-leather laptop case, he explained that the USB drive he was giving to him needed to be biometrically encrypted, setting it up exclusively with Paul’s thumbprint so that only Paul could use the drive, and nobody else, including Rhodes. Using the software on Rhodes’s computer, they finished the brief procedure and Paul pocketed the drive.

“Can’t have this falling into anyone else’s hands, can we?”

“No worries, Wes. I’ll guard it with my life.”

Rhodes smiled. “I doubt it will come to that, old boy.” His smile faded. “But whatever you do, don’t fail the mission.”

FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

After kissing his young wife good night and watching her ascend the staircase to their master suite, Weston Rhodes retired to his private study and locked the door.