“Fecking Jesus Christ Mother of God!” Danny got up off the floor and put his clothes back on.
“Tee rak, where you go?” asked Nok.
“Go back to sleep. I’m going outside.”
Danny took the bottle of brandy and his cigarettes with him. He sat on a smooth rock outside the front of the little wooden house. He sat alone in the moonlight with just the sounds of the night. He drank and smoked until daybreak.
When Nok came outside she saw Danny curled around a rock, still holding an empty brandy bottle in his hand. He was fast asleep. She left him where he was and showered by pouring water over herself with the little pink plastic bucket that floated on top of the water tank. When she was dressed she tried to wake Danny, but he was not going to wake up any time soon. She checked the position of the sun. It was still at the back of the house, so it would be several hours before it came round enough to burn Danny. She left him asleep where he lay and drove to the roadside café where they had eaten the day before. There were a number of small shops and a little market. Nok restocked with some fresh food and also bought some sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf and cooked chicken. She got another bottle of brandy, cigarettes and beers for Danny and water for herself. She managed to find a mosquito net, a hammock and a green plastic shade sheet in the market. Danny was still asleep when she got back to the house. She tied the shade sheet between the house and one of the two trees at the front of the house, to cover Danny in shade when the sun moved round. She tied up the hammock between the two trees and left the food and bottles in the house. She drove into Nong Khai and went into an internet café. She got Google Maps up on the computer and closed in on Nong Khai. Danny had told her that Wong had a base in the hills near to Nong Khai and she was hoping to see it on Google’s satellite view. She scanned the screen carefully and then she saw it; big green rooftops in the wooded hills outside Nong Khai. She zoomed in as much as she could. It was just enough for her to see that it was a compound with big buildings. Danny had told her that, as a detective, he always got a ‘gut feeling’ when he was onto something. Nok had a feeling in her gut now. She knew that she had found Wong’s hideout. She changed the satellite view to maps, pinpointed the spot and printed out the map. She could not wait to get back to Danny and tell him about her good detective work, but first she had decided that she was going to take a look at the place for herself. She bought a digital camera and hired a motorbike. Leaving the stolen car in Nong Khai she set off on the bike.
She took the bike as close as she dared to the point on the map and then hid it in some bushes. The road had become a dirt track and she knew that she was not too far away. She sneaked her way through the jungle following the track until she came to the compound. There were a lot of men with guns, a lot of young girls and a few older women. There was a lot of movement going on inside the compound and it was obvious to Nok that the women were working, but it was also obvious to her that these women were prisoners. She took photos, a lot of photos. She zoomed in to get the faces of the women and the guards on camera. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She was excited and scared at the same time. She knew that Danny would be proud of her, would probably tell her off for going alone, but she knew that it was far too dangerous for Danny to be seen anywhere. She headed back towards where she had hidden the bike. She had to duck down and hide when a pickup truck came up the track towards her. It went past her with two men inside and a few full sacks on the back. Nok could tell by the movement of the sacks that there were people trussed up inside them. She guessed they were more young girls. She found her bike and returned it to Nong Khai, before she staked out the stolen car. She watched it for half an hour, checking for any police who might be plotted up waiting for someone to return to the vehicle. She had learnt a lot from Danny and, when she was happy it was safe, she got in the car and drove back to Danny. It was already late afternoon.
Danny had awoken just after 10:00am. He saw that Nok and the car had gone. His body was stiff and he grunted and groaned as he stretched and got up from the ground. He saw the food, cigarettes and booze that Nok had left inside for him. He went outside again and noticed the shade sheet and the hammock. He smiled to himself at Nok’s thoughtfulness. He stripped off, showered with the plastic bucket and it made him feel better. He dressed again and ate the cooked chicken and sticky rice. He looked out at the view from the front of the house. It was just rice fields and some hills off to the right, but Danny thought that it looked beautiful. It felt peaceful and relaxing. Relaxed was a feeling that Danny had not experienced for such a long time. Happy and relaxed, his thoughts turned to Ling. He missed her. He wondered what she must be thinking about the news in the papers and on TV. He relaxed in the hammock with a bottle of beer and his thoughts flicked between Ling and Nok.
It was late afternoon before Nok came driving up the track towards the little wooden house. Danny was happy to see her and Nok was so excited to tell Danny all about her day; the compound, photos and her anti-surveillance techniques. She just did not know where to start, so she jumped into his arms and kissed him.
When she settled down and told him everything Danny was impressed and the photographs were good. They decided that they would go again tomorrow and have a look together.
Nok made up another barbeque and cooked. They sat outside late into the night. They drank and chatted before they showered together, went to bed and made love.
Chapter 49: Where’s the gun?
Danny was having another restless night. He just was not made for sleeping on the floor, but at least the mosquito net was keeping the mosquitos out. It was only 4:00am but Danny had been lying awake for nearly an hour. He decided to go outside for a cigarette. He crawled out of the net and dressed. He grabbed the cigarettes and the brandy on his way out. He looked to the right and he could see, still some way off down the track, at least two vehicles coming towards the house. They did not have lights on the vehicles, but the moonlight was enough for Danny to see them. He knew instinctively that they were Wong’s men and that they were coming for him. He dashed back inside the house and pulled the netting off Nok.
“Nok quick, wake up.”
“What happened, tee rak?”
“Wong’s men are coming for us. Get dressed quick.”
Nok scrambled into her clothes, her heart was racing.
“How many men come, tee rak?”
“There are at least two vehicles. Where’s the gun?”
“You think you can shoot them all, tee rak?”
“No Nok. I want you to take the gun and the camera and get out the back. Run away Nok. If anyone chases you across the field, you shoot until they stop chasing you.”
“No tee rak, I stay with you.”
“Nok, you have to go and go quickly. They don’t want you. They want me. If we are together they will kill both of us, but you can get away. Send the photographs to your government. Nok you have to go now. There is no time.”
“No tee rak, I want to stay with you” Nok was crying.
Danny dragged her to the back door. He pushed the gun into her hand. Nok could hear the engines of the vehicles now as they were getting closer. She wiped away the tears from her face with her sleeve and kissed Danny. He pushed her away.
“Go now Nok. Run away.”
“Chan rak khun, tee rak.”
“What?”
“I love you darling.”
“I love you too Nok. Now, for Christ sake, go woman!”
Nok turned and ran across the rice field into the blackness of the night. Danny could hear her running steps splashing in the wet paddy fields, even after he lost her in the darkness. He smiled because he knew she was safe.
Nok did not see the man who took her down. She did not hear him running after her. She did not have the opportunity to scream or cry or beg. She did not have a second to reach for the gun and get a shot
off. The man brought her down as quickly and silently as a Tiger with its prey. She only felt the blow and the vice like grip as she fell and her face was under the water.
Danny walked back to the front of the house and sat on the smooth rock. He lit up a cigarette, slugged brandy from the bottle and watched the two vehicles creeping up the dirt track towards him. When the driver of the lead vehicle saw Danny sitting on the rock he turned his headlights on full beam and increased speed towards him. The second vehicle followed suit and within seconds both vehicles had pulled up inches from him. He did not move from the rock. He could only guess at the number of men in the darkness. There seemed to be about eight or ten. They all seemed to have machine guns, some had long batons. Danny did not realise the language they shouted in was Chinese. He sat and waited for death. He surprised himself at how calm he felt. The first blow was hard and cracked his shoulder. It knocked him off the rock. Several more blows from heavy batons left him bloodied and incapacitated, moaning on the dusty ground. He was aware of a hood being put over his head. Then a rope was put around his neck.
‘Jesus Christ Mother of God! They’re going to fecking hang me’ Danny thought to himself.
He was dragged up to his feet and his hands pulled back behind him. Rope was tied around his hands and then around his ankles. He was carried by many hands and tossed on the back of the first pickup truck. He was covered with some sacking and he felt people sitting on him. He was in agony from his wounds and was finding it difficult to breath because of the men sitting on him. The truck turned around and headed back down the track. Every bump in the road hurt him, but at least he was not dead. Well, not yet anyway.
Danny could tell when they reached the tarmac road. The ride became smoother and the speed picked up. Danny guessed that he was being taken to Wong. He thought that Wong must want to kill him himself.
Chapter 50: Meeting Mr Wong
Danny was dragged from the back of the pickup truck. He tried to walk and keep up with the men who were dragging him, but it was hard when he could not see where he was going. He banged his shins when they took him up some stone steps and then, suddenly, he knew he was inside a building. It seemed to be a big building and there was a smell of incense. The men dragging him stopped and he heard a chair being dragged towards him. He was pushed down into it.
Wong, again dressed in his traditional costume, stood at the window of his study. He looked at the hooded and tied figure of Danny O’Brien sitting on the wooden chair in the middle of the impressive room. He nodded to the men who had dragged him in. They turned and left Wong and his two bodyguards alone with Danny.
Danny could sense that there were people in the room, so he sat motionless. After a long few minutes Wong nodded again and the two bodyguards cut the rope and removed the hood. Wong looked at the face of his enemy. He was older then he thought he would be. He had sparkling blue eyes, but they stared back with a hard look. His face was rugged and beaten by life. He was looking into the face of a tough man, a man who was not afraid of him, a man who was not afraid to die. Wong respected him for this. He thought that Danny O’Brien had been a worthy adversary, but now he had won.
“I am Yung Ching Wong.”
“I know.” Danny spat some blood from his mouth. He saw the necklace around Wong’s neck with a Buddha emblem and three gold teeth.
“You show no fear. Are you not afraid to die?”
“Life is a journey, not a destination.”
“You speak wise words. This is a Chinese proverb.” Wong pulled the long sword from his waist and held it up in front of him. The light reflected from the immaculate blade.
“This is the sword that is going to kill you, Mr. O’Brien. It belonged to my ancestors. You have deserved this honour.”
“Wong, you’re a feckin eejit.”
“You are going to die Mr. O’Brien, but how quickly you die is up to you. I can kill you with one blow, no agony and no pain. Instant death. Or I can slice you up, bit by bit, a slow painful death. If you still had a tongue you would scream for death. The way you die is still in your own hands. Do not waste this opportunity.”
Danny did not answer. His thoughts turned to Ling and Nok. He realised that they loved him and he smiled.
“For a painless death I just want to know two things. Who are you working for and why did you come after me?”
Danny laughed out loud before he spoke.
“I am the one who is about to die, and yet you are the one who is afraid.”
Wong circled the sword above his head, stepped forward and swiped towards Danny. Blood spurted from the deep cut inflicted by Wong just above his knee cap.
“Feckin Jesus Christ Mother of God!” The pain shot through Danny’s body like an electric shock.
“You can die of a thousand cuts, or you can tell me.”
Danny did not want to die a painful death. It was obvious to him that Wong was an expert with the sword. He looked down. The cut on his right knee was down to the bone.
“I work for myself and I was looking for Jack Morgan.”
“You are a secret agent for the British Intelligence?”
“No I’m not. I’ve seen the news. It’s all bollocks. I’m an ex-detective from Scotland Yard. I took on a case to find a missing person, Jack Morgan.”
“Who hired you?”
“His girlfriend, Nui.”
“Who is Nui?”
“How the fuck should I know. She sent me a letter and paid me to find him. She thought he was in trouble.”
“Jack Morgan is dead.”
“No he isn’t. I have spoken to him. The person you killed and fed to the crocodiles was an ex-policeman from England called Charlie Brown.”
“Impossible.”
“You are not as smart as you think you are.”
Wong circled the sword and struck Danny again, it opened a gash across his chest.
“Aghhh! Holy feck! I know about the stolen laptop, the drug smuggling, and people trafficking. You’re fucked.”
Wong circled the sword above his head again. The windows smashed and a volley of sniper bullets flew through the room. Danny froze in the chair for a moment. It was instant, but he saw every detail. The two bodyguards and Wong were hit. Their heads exploded and they fell to the floor. Suddenly there was a lot of gunfire from outside. It sounded like a war.
Danny fell to the floor and tried to compose himself. Wong was just feet away from him. His eyes were open, but he was dead. Danny was in pain and, when he crawled to Wong, his knee felt as if it was on fire. He snapped the necklace from off Wong’s neck and put it in his pocket. He took the semi-automatic machine gun out of one of the guard’s hands. There were explosions and flashes from outside. He cocked the machine gun and staggered out of the room. This place was like a palace and he did not know where he was going. He staggered along marble corridors, ready to shoot anyone who got in his way.
“Hello!” said a female voice from behind him.
Danny spun around and levelled the gun. A beautiful young Asian woman in traditional Chinese dress put her hand to her mouth and gasped.
“Please do not shoot me. Please take me with you.”
“Do you know how to get us out of here?”
“Yes I know.”
“Come on then. We need a vehicle.”
Danny followed the girl. She went to a room and grabbed keys. A small Chinese man came in behind them and Danny shot him.
“Come quickly. This way” said the girl.
Danny followed her. It sounded like a full scale war was taking place outside.
He followed her outside and down some steps. She was running and he was trying to keep up. The ground around him was ripped up by bullets. The girl carried on running. Danny fell down and spun round. He saw two figures, silhouetted by the house lights on the
balcony, firing at him. He returned fire in three short sharp bursts. He saw the stone plant pot shatter and the glass behind the men disintegrate at the same time as the two men fell. The girl was out of sight but then a black BMW sped out of a garage and stopped besides him. The door was flung open.
“Get in” shouted the girl.
Danny crawled into the car and she sped towards some big gates. She pressed a button on the key fob and the gates opened. As they drove out, it seemed like an army of men ran in, they were all heavily armed.
“Where are we going?” asked Danny.
“To Thailand.”
“Where are we now?”
“Laos.”
“Fuck. I haven’t got my passport.”
“No problem. Wong pays the border guards to let his vehicles pass. We will not be stopped.”
They drove over the Friendship Bridge unchallenged, back into Thailand. It was daylight already. Danny was in a lot of pain from his cuts and was still losing blood.
Chapter 51: Looking for Nok
The beautiful driver glanced over at Danny. He was looking in a bad way.
“I take you hospital.”
“No. I can’t go to a hospital.”
“Yes, you are right. Wong can find us in hospital.”
“Wong is dead.”
“Jing jing?” (Really?)
“Yes, jing jing.”
“This is very good. He very bad man. Next life he come back as dung beetle.”
Danny groaned with the pain.
“You OK?”
“No, not really.”
“Where you want to go?”
“If you can get onto the main highway to Bangkok on the other side of Nong Khai, I’ll show you a little road that leads to a house where I need to go. I need to look for my friend.”
The Kiss of the Dragon Page 22
