by Barry Eisler
She nodded. 'The New Otani. Near Akasaka Mitsuke subway station. Under Aimée Ackers.'
'Good, then we're set. Now listen. If something goes wrong, if you need me in there for any reason, you just say, "It's hot in here," and I'll come running.'
'How would you get in?' she asked.
'I think the HK will be persuasive in a pinch.'
She laughed.
'I'll come, too,' Dox said, 'but I'll be farther away and it'll take me longer.'
Delilah smiled. 'I doubt we'll need the cavalry.'
I looked at her. 'I doubt it, too. And I know you're used to operating without backup, but tonight you have it. "It's hot in here." Use it if you need it.'
She nodded, but I could tell it was more to placate me than out of any real conviction. Well, there wasn't much I could do other than to let her know the backup was there. She was probably right, anyway. We probably wouldn't need it.
36
Delilah got to the club at nine-thirty that night. She was wearing a crimson satin halter-top dress she'd bought that afternoon. She'd noticed a lot of black on the hostesses the night before, and thought it would be good to stand out a little. Well, the red satin would be perfect for that, it would catch the club's subtle lighting just the right way. The accessories were right, too: black patent leather heels with a closed toe; an antique silver mesh evening bag; a silver ruched silk stole, to add some texture. On her left wrist she wore a single diamond bangle to catch the light; on her ears, small diamond studs, selected for the opposite reason. No earrings at all wouldn't have been right with this outfit, but she didn't want something that would draw unnecessary attention to her ears, either, given the earpiece she was wearing in one of them. The earpiece was small and flesh-colored and her hair was down, so she would probably be fine regardless, but why take chances?
As she turned onto the club's street, she dipped her head slightly and said, 'Everyone in position?'
'I'm here,' Rain said. He was in an alley south of the club, near where they'd parked the van.
'Roger that,' Dox said. 'I see you clear as day. And honey, you are a vision of loveliness.'
She smiled. If she hadn't seen Dox in action in Hong Kong, she might have thought he was too much of a joker to trust on an op. But she'd never seen anyone cooler than he'd been that night. Rain had told her Dox was like that, always fooling around until the moment he was about to drop someone from behind that scope. When he was sniping, Rain had said, Dox was as quiet and still as you could imagine. If you talked to him he would answer, but it was almost as though he wasn't there. Or rather, he was so there that at that particular moment you were no longer what was real to him.
'Good, here we go,' she said. She walked on, and there they were, the two valets again, standing like a pair of living lawn jockeys. They bowed to her in unison as she turned onto the path. She nodded and kept moving and a moment later she was inside, the same procedure as the day before, the same two security guys. The hostesses behind the island recognized her this time. They bowed, then one of them picked up the phone and spoke briefly in Japanese.
Kyoko appeared from behind the door and walked out around the island. She shook Delilah's hand and looked her over, clearly pleased with what she saw. She had probably mentioned her find to Kuro, and was glad that Laure was going to make the right impression.
'Mr Kuro isn't here yet,' Kyoko said, 'but he will be soon. He has some business tonight and I'm not sure when he'll be free, but he is expecting you and I hope you can wait as we discussed.'
'Certainly,' Delilah said.
'Can we offer you something to drink…?'
Delilah nodded and said, 'Tea?'
'Of course. Milk? Lemon?'
Delilah smiled. 'Just tea.'
Kyoko nodded and gestured to the leather bench. 'Please. Make yourself comfortable. And if there's anything else you need, just let one of the girls know.'
Delilah sat and Kyoko returned to the office. So far, so good: in a moment, she would go to take out the generator. Then, if Yamaoto arrived on schedule, she could see where the hostesses seated him and let Rain in. With just a little luck, this could be over very soon.
A Japanese woman, one of the waitresses, brought tea in a fine ceramic pot on a bamboo tray. Delilah thanked her and sat sipping for about five minutes. No one went down the stairs, and no one came up — long enough to be reasonably sure that the bathrooms were empty.
She stood and said to the hostesses, 'Sorry, the ladies' room…'
The hostess closest to her smiled and gestured to the stairs. Delilah nodded and started down.
She repeated the procedure from the day before. This time, though, she turned off the generator before leaving the utility room. And, to be sure, she disconnected the electrical leads. When she was done, she went into the ladies' room.
'Generator's out,' she said.
Rain said, 'Good.'
Dox added, 'Way to go, honey.'
She used the toilet, then went back upstairs and sat sipping tea again, feeling just slightly on edge, in that good way you get when the op has begun and things are going smoothly.
Twenty minutes later, she heard Dox in her ear: 'All right, Mr Big Liu just arrived. Along with two bodyguards and an associate of some type, from the look of things. The valets are taking their car right now.'
'Got it,' Delilah said quietly.
'Yamaoto should be coming soon,' Rain said. 'Be ready.'
'Roger that,' Dox said.
A moment later the buzzer sounded. The hostesses nodded to the security guy, who opened the door and bowed. Four men walked in. She recognized Big Liu from the photos Rain had shown her. The next two were younger and in good shape, and at least as tough-looking. She looked them up and down. Both had bulges on their right hips and a right pants leg riding an inch too low. Pistols in hip holsters — bodyguards. The other guy looked a little more put together, more in charge — management. All as Dox had surmised.
The hostesses came out from behind the island and took the men's coats. Big Liu looked around, smiling, then noticed Delilah. The smile broadened, and lingered to the point of lasciviousness. Well, Rain had mentioned that the man liked blondes.
One of the hostesses led them to the main room. As they went through the swinging doors, Big Liu glanced back at Delilah, still smiling.
Two minutes later, the hostess came back. But rather than returning to her post behind the island, she went into the office. Delilah wondered what was happening.
She heard Dox in her ear again: 'Yamaoto's coming in right now. He moved too fast and had bodyguards in the way, I didn't have a shot. You'll see them all in a second, with Kuro, too.'
'Got it,' she said.
'All right,' Rain said. 'We weren't really expecting to be able to drop him yet. We'll get him inside.'
The buzzer sounded a second later. The security guy opened the door and bowed especially low, and four Japanese men in suits walked briskly inside. The first two she recognized from Rain's photos: Yamaoto was the older one, walking in front, his posture erect, projecting the kind of forceful personality you could feel from across a room. His clothes fit beautifully and she could instantly see from the tailored cut of the jacket and the movement of his shoulder blades beneath the material that he wasn't wearing armor. Kuro was softer-looking, with Brylcreemed hair and more the air of a businessman than of a gangster, coming along a half step behind Yamaoto. The other two, muscles bulging inside their suits and eyes darting from side to side as they struggled to keep up with their bosses, were obviously bodyguards. Like their Chinese counterparts, they had telltale bulges under their jackets.
The hostess behind the island came around and started taking coats. The office door opened, and Kyoko came out with the other hostess. While the younger women helped the men with their jackets, Kyoko discussed something in Japanese with Yamaoto and Kuro. At various points the two men and Kyoko all glanced at Delilah, then went back to talking.
This time Kyoko e
scorted the men inside herself. Delilah wanted to get up and see where they went in the main room, but that would have drawn too much attention to her. She'd have to wait for another chance.
She whispered, 'No armor.'
'Roger that,' Dox answered immediately.
A minute later, Kyoko returned. She walked over to Delilah and said, 'We have… an interesting situation.'
Delilah raised her eyebrows, thinking she might have an idea now what was going on. She wasn't yet sure whether it was an opportunity or a problem. Maybe a bit of both.
'One of our guests,' Kyoko continued, 'is quite taken with you. And uninterested in anyone else tonight.'
'But you tell him… I, not a job yet. Interview.' Rain and Dox would be wondering what was going on, but they'd catch on in a minute.
Kyoko nodded. 'That seemed only to add to the attraction.'
'Which guest?'
'The Chinese gentleman. Mr Liu.'
'Mr Liu wants me to hostess him?'
Kyoko laughed. 'That's exactly what he wants. Look, this is an unusual situation. You haven't even been properly interviewed, let alone trained. But Mr Liu is an important guest. And the two members with him, Mr Yamaoto and Mr Kuro, want him to be happy.'
If she said no, it would look strange. An applicant like Laure would jump at the chance to impress a bunch of important people during her interview. If she said yes, she wasn't sure what she'd be getting herself into. She'd know exactly where Yamaoto was and what was going on around him, true, but she wasn't sure how she'd extricate herself when the moment was right. Well, she'd figure something out.
'Kyoko,' she said, 'do you think I should join them?'
Kyoko sighed. 'Mr Kuro will treat it as the interview you came for. And if you make Mr Liu happy, I can't imagine you wouldn't get the job.'
'Then with pleasure I will join all of them. Again, their names are Liu, Kuro, Yamaoto?' If they hadn't understood already, Rain and Dox would get it now.
'That's right. Now, they know you're only an applicant, so they won't expect you to know everything about the club, our procedures, that kind of thing. So no need to be nervous. Come, I'll introduce you.'
Kyoko took Delilah into the main room. It was more crowded than the night before, perhaps because it was later now, perhaps because Saturday was just a busier night. About sixty people, Delilah estimated, two-thirds of them hostesses.
In the far corner, in the booth adjacent to the emergency exit, sat Big Liu, Big Liu's associate, Kuro, and Yamaoto. She was surprised by that — she had expected them to use one of the private rooms. But no, of course, Big Liu was obviously a lecher; he would want to sit wherever he could best drink in the parade of beauty around him. And Yamaoto probably wanted to indulge him, to use Big Liu's own appetites to distract the man from whatever concessions they were trying to wring from him. After all, that's why they were meeting here to begin with.
Two of the bodyguards, one Chinese, one Japanese, sat across from each other in the outer seats of the adjacent booth. They were watching the room carefully, and each other as well. Understandable, under the circumstances. Their organizations were on the brink, and if Yamaoto and Big Liu failed to reach some understanding tonight, the meeting could end in a war. Delilah glanced across the room and saw the other two in the opposite corner, where they would have a different angle on the principals and a clear field of fire.
As Kyoko and Delilah neared the table, Big Liu stood and smiled. Damn, the man was eager.
'Gentlemen,' Kyoko said. 'This is Laure. She came tonight only to interview for a position, but is so flattered by your kind attention that she would be pleased to join you for a drink.'
'Yes, please,' Big Liu said, shaking Delilah's hand a little too vigorously. He turned to his associate and spoke a few words in Chinese. The man slid out, expressionless, and sat down with the adjacent bodyguards. Well, Big Liu's priorities were certainly clear.
Big Liu turned his attention back to Delilah. 'I am Liu,' he said, shaking her hand again. 'But please, call me Big Liu.'
'Yes, Big Liu,' Delilah replied, the Parisian accent thick. 'Enchantée.'
'Ah, you are French,' Big Liu said.
'Yes, French. My English… please pardon, I am still learning…'
'So am I!' Big Liu exclaimed with a florid wave of his hands, then laughed as though this was the funniest thing in the world.
Delilah turned to Yamaoto and Kuro. They both bowed their heads in welcome. Delilah reached for Yamaoto's hand. 'You are… Mr Yamaoto?' she said.
'Yamaoto,' he said, shaking her hand perfunctorily. She sensed he was tolerating her presence simply to indulge Big Liu. And, presumably, to distract him.
Delilah turned to Kuro and extended her hand. 'And you, Mr Kuro?'
'Hai,' he said, shaking her hand.
'Thank you, inviting me at your table,' she said, for Rain and Dox's benefit.
'Please, please,' Big Liu said, gesturing to the bench. Delilah slid in, across from Kuro and diagonal to Yamaoto, and Big Liu sat down next to her.
Kyoko bowed and left them. Delilah smiled and thought, Here we go.
37
Listening to Delilah's progress inside the club, I was both pleased and concerned. Pleased that things had turned out so that she was in a position to report precisely on Yamaoto's position. But concerned that she was closer than was ideal. Certainly she had lost some freedom of maneuver. Sure, she could excuse herself to use the restroom, but what if something held her up on the way? Or if, when she went to do it, Big Liu decided to tag along so he could speak to her privately, make a pass, whatever? There were a dozen ways this unexpected arrangement could cause problems for us.
In fact, it already had, because she was no longer free to speak and so couldn't give Dox and me the real-time updates I wanted. She'd been doing a nice job of keeping us informed under the guise of talking to the people she was with, true, but that kind of communication had its limits.
Well, she knew where Yamaoto was right now and could tell me soon enough. In the meantime, I wanted to get things rolling.
'Delilah,' I said, 'I'm going to jam the main room emergency exit door now. We'll use the basement exit, per the plan. If that's okay, clear your throat.'
She did.
'Okay,' I said. 'I'm on my way. I'll be in touch again in a few minutes.'
I picked up one of the steel bars and started moving in. I was wearing a navy suit, deep blue shirt, and a navy tie. Dark, dark, and dark isn't exactly the height of sartorial splendor, in my book, but the outfit served two purposes. Out here, it would reassure anyone who might see me that I was a fine, upstanding citizen, perhaps carrying away some refuse. I'd have to keep my right side away from an onlooker, of course, lest the suppressed HK and thigh rig spoil the effect, but in low light that would be good enough. A black ninja outfit and matching balaclava just wouldn't have conveyed as favorable an impression. And later, inside the club, with the lights out, the outfit would make me that much less visible. The rubber-soled Clarks shoes I was wearing weren't going to threaten Jermyn Street fashion dominance anytime soon, either, but they were as surefooted and quiet as sneakers. Comfortable, too.
At the end of the alley, I stopped to look and listen — all quiet — then crept over to the rear of the building. I put one end of the bar in one of the expansion gaps in the path, then quietly placed the other at about waist level on the nonhinged side of the emergency door. I played with the angle, up and down, left and right, until the fit was snug, then repeatedly shoved down on the bar until it was wedged as tightly as possible into place. I tried to pull it out, but it wouldn't budge. Okay. I headed back to my position.
'The emergency exit off the main room is jammed,' I said into the transmitter. 'So now it's up to you. I'm waiting for your signal. Clear your throat if you copy and I'll stand by.'
38
Delilah sat with Big Liu, Kuro, and Yamaoto as a quick succession of waitresses brought them hot wash towels, a variety of snacks Delilah
didn't recognize, and a bottle of Taittinger champagne. Kuro spoke with the waitresses in Japanese. Delilah pretended to understand the men's English only slightly better.
'Well,' Big Liu asked as a waitress poured their champagne, 'what do you think of Whispers?'
'Whispering?' Delilah asked, with a confused smile. If she played it right, they would think her not only English-incapable, but a bit dim, as well, and it was always good to be underestimated by the people you were manipulating.
'The club,' Big Liu responded, gesturing to their surroundings and smiling indulgently.
'Ah, of course! The club… very beautiful, yes.'
The waitress placed the champagne bottle in a silver ice bucket on the table, bowed, and moved off. Yamaoto raised his glass and said, 'Well. To good business.'
They all touched glasses and drank.
She heard Rain in her ear, telling her the door was jammed now, that she should clear her throat if she heard him. She did so.
She glanced around the room. Their toast and apparent bonhomie seemed not to have relaxed the nearby bodyguards, who still looked as though they were on a hair trigger. Rain wanted her to proceed right away, but she thought that, with the way the bodyguards were wired, if the lights went out now they might spring into some kind of action. It would be better if a little time passed and they settled down before something out of the ordinary occurred. She decided to wait just a little. When the atmosphere was more relaxed, she would excuse herself to use the restroom, give Rain the word that she was on the way, and let him in when his man cut the power.
For a few minutes, the men, led by Big Liu, tried to engage her in some polite conversation about how she liked Tokyo, but in short order tired of her struggles with English. They began talking among themselves, their references to business matters initially guarded, but then increasingly transparent as they drank more champagne and became accustomed to talking in front of her. She wasn't surprised. It wasn't as though she could understand, anyway.