The air was filled with cigarette smoke along with scent of alcohol and the heady fragrance of ladies' perfume.

Napoleon Solo sat on a bar stool opposite a dark-haired, and equally dark-eyed beauty. She leaned gracefully against her fingertips, with her long dragon nails painted a vivid shade of red, to match the color of her full and pouting lips.

Though he was in Shanghai, she didn't look Oriental, yet her speech pattern was one that a person raised in this part of the world had when speaking English, speaking with distinct pauses and enunciation of words.

The woman was exotic, her voice deep and sultry and she'd definitely caught the American's interest. She was clothed in a clinging dark green silk dress, but one more European than Chinese, and it clung to her in all the right places, revealing a curvaceous figure.

Napoleon had no doubt, she was an expensive call girl, and an American would be a worthy target, able to afford her price. Somewhere in the bar her pimp was surely watching them, possibly waiting for an opportunity to hustle an unsuspecting foreigner out of his money.

He succumbed to her charms, but only as far as buying her a drink.

"You know, you really are too beautiful to be in your line of work," he smiled at her. 'Tell me, is that your pimp sitting at the table by bottom of the stairs?"

"She smiled nervously,"How did you know that? I did not even proposition you yet."

"I have my ways."

"So you are not just an American businessman." She continued to smile, not wanting her pimp to see she hadn't asked the handsome dark-haired man to go with her to the hotel room reserved to service her clients.

"No. My name is Solo, Napoleon Solo...and you are?"

"Cherise," she sipped her drink, smiling again and trying to put on a good act.

"Well Cherise, would you like to get out of your line of work? As I said you're too beautiful for that."

"Yes, but he...watches me constantly. I am the crowning glory in his stable. I will never escape him. " There was a flicker of fear behind her smile.

"I can help you."

"Honestly Napoleon, I have heard that before. It is just another line for a man to get me to spread my legs for him."

"Hmmm, perhaps a demonstration of my good intentions. What's his name?"

"Xun Zhi hao, he is aptly named as he seeks great wealth, but does it using innocent women and children to achieve his goal."

"Wait right here." Solo rose from the stool, sauntering over to where her handler sat sipping a drink with a little yellow paper umbrella in it.

Napoleon stood in front of him, blocking the man's view of the girl.

"Mr. Xun?"

"Who wants to know gweilo?" He began to reach inside his jacket but Napoleon didn't wait to see if he was going for a gun and hit him under the chin with a lightning-fast right uppercut.

The man's head whipped back, his mouth bloodied as he'd bitten his tongue. His eyes rolled, but he was still conscious, and Solo finished the job with a karate chop to the man's neck. Xun Zhi hao slumped forward onto the table.

Napoleon reached into the man's pocket, pulling out a wad of cash.

It was done with little fuss and notice to the other patrons of the bar. A waiter walked past, looking at the unconscious man, then at the American.

"Couldn't hold his liquor," Napoleon said, shooting his cuffs, and straightening his tie; he returned to the waiting girl.

He took hold of her hand, shoving the money into it. "Don't go back to where you live, forget everything and just get out of the city as fast as you can."

Cherise stood with her mouth open, staring first at the huge amount of cash, and back to the American. She leaned forward, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Xièxiè!"

"You're welcome. Now go on, get out of here," Napoleon whispered. He watched as she darted to the door, and was gone.

He straightened his tie once more, cocking an eyebrow as he surveyed the patrons who'd gone back about their business as if nothing had happened, and headed out the door himself before the pimp regained consciousness...