Chapter 10: Countdown
"Pretty boy, you are not looking good. But it could have been a lot worse," clucked Eda peering over the rims of her pink sunglasses at Rock. "I must say the new choice in shirts is an improvement. 'lo Dutch."
"Sister," replied Dutch carefully, adjusting his shades.
"Where's Revy?" said Eda casually. "I thought for sure you'd have her swabbing the decks or cleaning the bilge after this morning's excitement."
"She's not here," said Rock coolly. "Why don't you take your bike and go? We've got work to do." He turned his back on her and started down the dock towards the boat.
"Hey!" sputtered Eda. "Is that any way to treat a friend? What happened to her? By the way, does she know you're alive? I was with her this morning, y'know. She was beyond freaked out, I'll tell you. She was like -- I'm too tough to cry, bitch! – But I could tell she was about to bawl her eyes out."
Rock stopped, turned his head "She thought I was dead? What do you know?"
"I have a call to make," said Dutch abruptly. He scrambled to his feet, "I'll be right back."
The small scrap of paper slipped from his grasp.
--
Chang stood very still behind the desk. The old man moved slowly, bent forward a little. The face was seamed and wrinkled and the thin wisp of a beard dangled from the chin. Biu followed close behind and shut the door
"Then all three are here?" said Chang. "The bad seed must be eliminated, no matter how it tries to hide itself, no matter how long it takes. Were you aware that the Eastern Jewel was a fire horse? If the Japanese had known her birth date had been lied about, would they have fostered the hinoeuma and her daughter?"
"She was useful for their purposes," said the old man.
"She certainly was. My father's family was from Shanghai," said Chang harshly. The old man nodded. No other explanation was necessary. "To think that I would end up being an 'associate' of Lijuan, the grand daughter of Yoshiko Kawashima in my younger, foolish days. It sickens me! I made a vow when I discovered who and what she was that I would complete the work our governments chose to abandon."
"The white haired girl," said the old man. He stepped forward, his entire body was shaking. "I do not care about the others, but she must die slowly. She is a child killer. She killed my daughter's son."
"I can guarantee an unusually slow death," said Chang. He motioned to Biu with a raise of his hand. "I'll need a squad of men assembled. You know whom else to contact."
--
"There's no way Revy got caught by the police then," said Eda. "So, we can assume her and this woman are still on the lam. So, who is she?"
"I don't know," said Rock grimly. They were in the boat passageway where Revy stored the weapons and ammunition.
Eda sighed, "Listen up Okajima. Revy's heading into a deathtrap, and the problem is she doesn't really care. I'm willing to help the wench, just so long as I get to see her face when she realizes I've come to save her ass. We're probably too late. What's it going to be?"
--
Rotton woke up slowly.
Shenhua lay sprawled next to him on his right, her small mouth open as she snored. Once the Japanese man had left they had all retired to Sawyer's bedroom and spent the remainder of the afternoon in an epic bout that left all three exhausted and sated. Rotton smiled and gently brushed at Shenhua's hair.
His spur of the moment (and genuine) act of mercy after the hunt for the Indian woman had garnered the 'Wizard' the unusual devotion of both women. Two unusual creatures with no interest in common morality or scruples as far as he could tell.
Shenhua, fierce and passionate, an artistic type. Sawyer, seemingly apathetic but clinically precise, an enigma of brutality. Both of them had hinted at spectacularly disastrous relationships with the opposite sex prior to his arrival. One didn't have to look too hard at the grotesque scar adorning Sawyer's slender neck to arrive at that conclusion.
He frowned, realizing there was room in the bed to his left. Where was Sawyer? There was always an uncertainty, a frisson of fear that she brought to any interaction. He still remembered vividly the shocked reactions of hardened gunmen and criminals when the seemingly frail doll-like woman had announced she was "the Cleaner" at the Yellow Flag that fateful evening.
Rotton stared up at the black ceiling, his thoughts drifting. Speaking of the Yellow Flag, whatever had happened to Xianyu? His original companion had vanished the night of the hunt. Her few belongings had been left unclaimed in the cheap hotel room they had been living in.
Aside from a few small pangs of guilt, Rotton had casually decided that Xianyu's timely disappearance had worked out well for the 'Wizard.' It would be foolish to have his new amors discover the existence of a prior companion; they were the jealous types. The poor girl, if found again, would be sliced and diced and his bodyparts mixed in for good measure...
The door to the bathroom creaked open, and light spilled out. Sawyer stood silhouetted in the light. Rotton gasped and suddenly wished his Mausers were at hand.
Sawyer was garbed in surgical gear. She was adjusting a leather apron.
"Is that Sawyer?" squeaked Shenhua. "Tell her to come back to bed."
"It's a big rush job." said Sawyer the Cleaner. "I just need... a driver."
"I don't clean," said Shenhua sleepily. "Rotton? You go."
--
"Play it close," said Dutch quietly coming back from the warehouse. Eda was rummaging through the sidebags of the Harley parked on the side of the building and out of ear range. "Remember she's not one of us. We have no idea why these people are after Revy so don't give the nun any assumptions she can take out of context. Uh... do you know how to use that?"
"Well enough," said Rock pocketing the gun. "Make sure the safety's not on. Look, point and shoot. Revy has taken me shooting."
Dutch grimaced, "Target shootings one thing, this is another. Don't get your hopes up, she's probably dead already and nothing can be done about that. But I... here she comes..."
Eda came over, stopped and bent to pick something up off the dock. "Okay, here's what we I know. It looks like a family affair, we've got Jin Cheong, crime boss of Bangkok and his two lovely sisters paying us a visit up in Nakhon Ratch. Let's not worry about the why. That presents problems."
"How so?" said Rock. They all drew close.
"Cause we're in this by ourselves," said Dutch. "Boris says Balalaika is 'out' and that means the Russians will hunker down until she's back. They really don't care if Jin Cheong goes and blows up his own restaurant on a Saturday, even if it's on their turf."
"Thought about Sykes," continued Dutch. "But we have no way of getting in touch with him and he'd cost too much anyway -- not like he's listed in the phone-book. Same with the Triad, Chang calls us, not the other way around and he's not going to start a war with Bangkok on our injury."
"Jin Cheong always travels with lots of muscle," said Eda grimly, "and that peninsula is real easy to defend. If he's there, then we can't just drive in the causeway. We'll get toasted in seconds. The front door is closed."
"We can't go in by sea either," said Dutch jerking his thumb at the torpedo boat. "It's not the bridge being shot up this morning that's a problem, the tanks are empty. No one's gonna fill us up on credit and at this time of night. I have nothing in reserve. That boat's a gas hog."
"Wouldn't work anyway," said Eda with a frown. "Jin Cheong's yacht's out there. We'll be spotted instantly when we head for the beach."
A feeling of utter helplessness descended on Rock. "Then I get a taxi and make a go down the causeway. I don't expect anyone else to...
"Isn't that Kiwi Ken's boat over there?" gestured Eda at the small powerboat, two docks down. "He's the guy with the parasail right? Thought he could get summer tourists, but this ain't the right town for that shit."
"What's that got to do with, oh...." said Dutch suddenly grinning. "You wanna pull a flying nun? Hey, it's your neck. Sort of insane, the weather sucks and it'll be dark but the wind's right."
"I don't get it," said Rock.
"Kiwi Ken's out for the season," said Dutch. "But I can hotwire the boat, and he always keeps fuel in his shed -- and the parasail equipment. We'll need a driver, just in case I need to pull your asses out. Usually that would be Benny, but I know just the man – used to drive Swift Boats in the Delta.
--
"I finally get to trash your stuff," cackled Bao leaping on board, a look of glee on his face. "I've dreamed of this moment."
"It's not our boat," shouted Rock over the engine roar as Dutch pulled out. It had begun to rain, a gentle mist.
"What? I can't hear you!"
--
"She's crossed the bridge," said Lifeng. She closed the lid of the laptop and brushed off a dustspeck. "We can't rely on the transmitter from here on in, she might have found it. And our gunmen are on the roofs of the surrounding buildings. She'll find it easy to get in, but she won't be checking out."
Liling drained the shot glass hastily.
"We know how Revy operates," said Lifeng. "I got in touch with Ayi's old comrade, Masahiro Takenaka of the Japanese Red Army before we got here. He had a run in with her a while back in the Philippines. She relies on surprise, speed and accuracy, and always has backup. She's lost the first, the leg injury slows her down and we have measures for the third. Best of all she's on her own."
"I don't want to wear it," rumbled Chulunn. He hefted the vest dubiously.
"It won't hamper your movements," said Lifeng sharply. "The vest barely weighs anything and it's a level IIIa, made of dyneema fabric – better than kevlar. Proof against nine millimeter with the plates. You'll need it."
"Do you think she bought it? That little act out on the causeway?" said Liling uncertainly.
"She just has to believe long enough for Chulunn to take her out," said Lifeng.
The toilet flushed and 'Cooper' stepped out of the bathroom. He was staggering and made for the table where Liling was sitting and grabbed the bottle of whiskey. "How much longer till your brother, Jin Cheong gets here? I'm getting a bit nervous."
Lifeng smiled while her hands did a little dance by her sides. "Stick around. Have another drink with my sister."
She switched to Japanese for Liling's ear only. "Death is the solution to all problems."