“Thanks for the heads up. Listen, Tav, I’m beat from the day, but it’s good to hear from you.”
“No problem. You need to get on board with the Asian persuasion and hit that.”
“Okay, Tav, just for you.”
“And try the crazy street food. Some shit like fried spider or monkey balls.”
“You’ll be the first to know.”
It felt good to know he worried and if need be, my sidekick of twenty-three years would be right by my side if I asked. That was Tav, loyal to the bone. He was the only person I trusted and the only person crazy enough to put up with me. Though I couldn’t help but wonder about Harold. What else was the ape doing?
The night was muggy, certainly not like the crispness I’d grown used to in the Bay area. I often wondered if I could live anywhere else but San Francisco. My only complaint about home, and it was a tiny one, was the hills. I hate them. I wish the city were flat.
My mind drifted to the subject of compensation. What if I decided to take a percentage of the gang’s weekly take for my consultation fee? But only while they were under my guidance of course. Outside of that, the gang would not incur any other cost. If they didn’t make money, I didn’t make money. Sounded like a deal to me.
Free was the meaty morsel on the large hook. Get them to bite and then introduce the prospect of a case study. Really there was no deal without one. It was mandatory. Hopefully Sing would see it the same way.
I had already decided a small toy company would make a good business front. The story would be that their overseas business was starting to grow rapidly, faster than the company could keep up with. This was a textbook problem that almost every single Teleco product was designed for. Teleco management would see nothing wrong with it, even if Harold the mongoloid did.
Chapter 38
The next morning I relaxed in the hotel lobby while enjoying a cup of coffee and a stale croissant. Today’s plan was to find the massage parlor Mr. Fu talked about. I needed to gain some traction on the Li Li lead if I was going to make any progress in this area. Finding her was key. Plus, I had yet to hear from Chu and needed to keep working as if that angle had dried up.
Finding the parlors wasn’t much of a challenge. They were all located in Mong Kok, in an area known as Yau Tsim Mong that was about forty minutes away. The streets were littered with people. Like pin balls, shoppers bounced off each other, yet everyone seemed to be heading exactly where they needed to go. I jumped into the fray with both feet and did the bouncing dance down the street. The scary part was the motor scooters. It was like they didn’t notice pedestrians were walking amongst them.
There were food stalls with every creepy crawler on offer and stores stocked everything a shopper could want; jewelry, clothing, shoes, electronics, flowers. Down a side street, every store looked like a photocopy store. They were. This was Photocopy Street. Student after student walked in and out of these identical mom-sand-pops. I was looking for Portland Street, the de facto red-light district. According to my map, it should be right after Photocopy Street. And it was.
My eyes searched for the cross streets: Argyle and Dundas. Everything in between them was the heart, the center of all things naughty. There must have been hundreds of strip clubs and massage parlors lining both sides of the street. Women of every nationality pulled at me to enter their establishment, each whispering sweet nothings about how strong and handsome I was. It felt good. It felt strange. It was ten in the morning.
The overcasted sky magnified the hundreds of neon signs flickering for my attention. I had no idea where to start. There were too many massage parlors. Half of them had names written in Chinese characters. I only knew the names Mr. Fu referred to in English: Crimson Dragon, Lotus, and Eastern Flower. He wasn’t even sure if these parlors were still in business.
I had all day. Turns out, I didn’t have to go very far.
Chapter 39
The Crimson Dragon was fairly small compared to the other parlors. It sat back off of the sidewalk hidden between two larger buildings. One could easily overlook it if he wasn’t paying attention.
This was the only massage parlor that didn’t have a girl or a tout outside hawking the wares of the establishment. Partly why I had reservations. The other part had to do with the parlor not looking like they were open for business. Two doors made up the entrance. The first was a metal security-screen type of door. Behind it was a normal wooden one. I stood outside for fifteen minutes debating if I should go in or not.
Mr. Fu said this was where Li Li worked when he left. It was my best shot. I pressed the buzzer and a few seconds later the door buzzed and I heard the release mechanism. I opened both doors and walked inside.
The smell of jasmine hit me immediately. Incense-happy people worked here. I always thought the concept of incense was strange. It was fragrant, yet smoky. A contradiction.
The reception area was quiet and empty. A few lamps cast a reddish hue, but overall it was on the dark side––a comforting mood, I must admit. A couch stretched out along one of the walls, occupied by a dozen throw pillows. In the corner opposite the couch was a tiny waterfall trickling down a man-made mountain and into a pool. A small counter was directly opposite the entrance. A tiny lamp sat on top of it, the only one with a regular light bulb. The lamps base was solid stone, jade maybe. Dragons were carved into the sides.
“Hello! Come inside,” a voice said from behind the counter. “You want massage? We have excellent massage.”
I walked to the counter. Hidden behind on a chair was an elderly lady. Her hair was short. She wore a casual black dress, nothing fancy. A few jade bracelets covered one of her arms. She poured herself a cup of tea from a large Thermos.
“English,” she said as she looked up at me.
“Yes, I speak English.”
“What kind girl you like? We have many. Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese…” She paused for a moment, and then continued. “… Russian?”
The old lady barely paid any attention to me, looking up at me only when she heard no reply. She was busy writing notes into a book under her tiny lamp.
“Actually, I was wondering if you could help me find someone.”
The old lady put her pen down and looked up at me as she removed her glasses. “This massage parlor, not tourist information.”
“I realize that, but I’m trying to find a lady by the name of Li Li. She used to manage a parlor around here long ago.”
“Li Li?”
“Yes.”
I probably no longer looked like a business prospect because the old lady put her glasses back on continued writing in her notebook completely ignoring me.
A few seconds later she said, “Li Li very common Chinese name. She have last name?”
“I don’t know it.”
She moved her head back and forth, “Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
If I wanted this to go anywhere, I knew one thing to be true. I had better start giving up some information. I looked her up and down best I could. She appeared to be around the same age as Mr. Fu. Probably a good chance she’s been working in the parlors for some time. From the work she was doing, I gathered she was either the owner or the manager. Either way, I had nothing to lose.
“I do know something else that might help,” I said.
Ignoring me, she kept on writing in her notebook.
“This Li Li,” I continued, “She used to manage this parlor, The Crimson Dragon, back in the early seventies. Does that help?”
Nothing. Nada. Not even a sigh. It was if I ceased to exist. No wonder business in here is slow. The welcome committee is out of welcomes. The way I saw it, I didn’t travel all this way to not try, so press on I did.
“She was friendly with two men named Fu and Wi.”
Her body flinched. I swore it did. If only for a millisecond. Yes––I knew what my eyes saw and it was a flinch. She knew something. I got her. Play it cool, Darby.
“Do those names ring a bell?”
The old lady s
topped writing, “You want massage or not?” she asked, slightly irritated.
“When I said the names Wi and Fu, you flinched a little, like you knew them.”
She rolled her eyes. “Wi and Fu, those also very common Chinese names,” she said, accenting her point with her pen. Pointing to a price chart on the wall, she asked me again, “You want massage? Very busy. Lot to do. No time for chitchat.”
I looked around. I was the only customer in the parlor. Fine, if that’s how it’s gonna go down, then so be it. I took out five hundred Hong Kong dollars, roughly sixty-five bucks American, and placed it on the counter. “Okay, I’ll pay the price of a massage. But instead of a massage, I want to talk to you.”
The old lady said nothing and kept on writing.
“Is that okay?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Talk,” she said as she took the money off the counter.
“Well this Li Li, she was known to hang out with Wi and Fu.” I lowered my voice. “They were known Triad members.”
The old lady looked up at me with surprise. “Triad? Nooooo.”
Okay, that got her attention. “Yes, and they were big time.”
“Big time? Please go on,” she said.
As I continued to fill in what little I could, the old lady continued with her “Ooh” and “Noooo” until it finally dawned on me, she wasn’t even paying attention. She was saying something every few seconds to give me the impression she was interested. I stopped.
“Hey, are you even listening to me?”
“Sure, I listen.” She looked up at the clock on the wall. “Five more minutes I listen.”
I slammed my fist down on the counter. “Look here, if you weren’t going to pay attention, why did you take my money? In fact, I want my money back,” I demanded.
She looked back up at me, this time concerned, “You didn’t like massage?”
“You didn’t give me a massage,” I shot back.
Placing her hand over her chest, she gasped. “I gave you massage. I massage your ego. Make your think your story interesting.” At that point, the old hag dropped her act and pointed at the door. “Time up. You go now.”
I let out a breath. “Fine.” I turned around and walked out.
•••
One of the parlor girls came out from behind the beaded curtains that covered the hallway to the rooms. “What man want?”
“Trouble,” Li Li said.
Chapter 40
Boy, she got my goat. Rude hag. Why not say, “Sorry, I don’t know”? Why drag it on? The dragon lady had gotten the best of me. I laughed. I couldn’t help it. I got owned by an old hag. Owned!
I knew I had to stay focused on the bigger picture, the reason for all of this. Get Organized was going to give my career back to me and of course, bury Harold the Hedgehog.
I continued down the street scanning the massage parlors. Finally I saw one named Little Lotus. Mr. Fu had only said “Lotus” he made no mention of the “Little” part of the name. I went in anyway.
Now if a guy wanted a good time, this would be the place to go. This massage parlor was completely different. There reception area was well lit, upbeat techno boom-boomed from hidden speakers, and twelve energetic girls, in skirts struggling to cover their butts, swarmed around me. They tugged at my arms, twirled my hair with their fingers––a few even patted my behind. One did not let go. They all peppered me with the same question, “You want massage? I give good massage.” One of them shoved a drink into my hand. A cocktail, I guessed.
“I’m looking for Li Li.”
In unison, they all replied, “I’m Li Li. I give you great massage.”
“No, Li Li is an older woman.” I struggled with my words under all the fawning.
One of the girls leaned closely, her soft lips lightly teased my ear as she whispered, “How old you want me to be? I be whatever you want.”
It was clear as day that no answers would be found here, only pleasure. It didn’t bother me because I was already sporting an erection. There was no hiding it and I didn’t want to. This harem of eye candy was already playfully grabbing and tugging.
Cat’s out of the bag: I like it when my dick is touched.
They were all very pretty. A lovely mix of tall, short, thin, curvy, Asian, white. I remembered Tav asking how the Kong was treating me. It was time to work on an answer.
Chapter 41
San Francisco, California
One long, endless night. That’s what it was like for Sulyn day in and day out. It was the same, over and over. But that changed today.
Sulyn detected movement off to the side of the tub but the door didn’t open. He was already here, watching her. For how long, she didn’t know. Even though her sight was hampered by the dark, she was sure something moved off to the side. She squinted. Her eyes would not adjust to the darkness any better than they already had. What did he want? Why me? Will it be different from the last time he entered the room?
Bowing her head, she said a prayer, hoping there would be no repeat. There was movement again. She knew this, of course, because he had broken the beam of light that peeked in through the top of the door. Where was he?
Suddenly, her skin was on alert. The hair on her arm sounded the alarm. She knew where he was. He was standing right next to her. Her heart began to beat faster. Blood raced through her body. Her senses were on overload. How close was he? What was going to happen? No outline presented itself. She was unsure at first, but not anymore.
She could feel the energy radiating from his body. He was close. Sulyn’s entire body shivered. Not from cold though. She remained as still as she possibly could manage and closed her eyes. It was all she could do to prevent herself from panicking.
Sulyn was being a very good girl––nothing but full cooperation on her part. Even if he did do to her what he did before, the tiny cuts, she would not resist. Keeping her eyes closed made the situation tolerable. She was safe in her own little world. Safe as anyone could be.
Again she sensed movement. He moved closer. How close was he? She heard his breathing, and then the stale and sour air permeated her nostrils, making her stomach turn. Oh my god, he’s right in front of me.
Hesitant, she slowly opened her eyes. Not wanting to but she had to know, had to know where he was. The reveal couldn’t have been any worse. There he was, right in front of her, inches from her face staring deep into her eyes. Cold and empty, he glared at her. She recoiled, partly from shock of his proximity and partly from disgust at the day-old combination of sweat and urine that lingered on him.
She studied his eyes. Not once did the monster blink. Her struggle against the ties proved fruitless. She tried to yell, but all she could muster was a muffled cry. Sulyn panicked as the dark shape hovered over her. Tears flowed down her cheeks. Her breathing labored from fear, she felt as if she would choke to death.
He raised his arm. A sliver of light caught the blade. It was different this time, a long slender one. “No, please,” she managed. The last time he had made a dozen or so cuts on her arms.
He leaned in. “No cutting, I promise.”
Sulyn watched the blade as it pressed for a bit against her stomach and then popped through the skin, slipping effortlessly into her. She took a deep breath as the long blade disappeared, except she wasn’t breathing. Her mouth hung open but the shock of what was happening wouldn’t allow a breath. She heard the sound of a dull metal thud as the tip came to a stop against the bottom of the tub. A warmth gathered around the entry point and then it got hot, so hot. Her lungs fought her, and then she felt the blade tugging ever so gently against her stomach as it was pulled out. In a few seconds this will be all over, she thought. She gave in and closed her eyes.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Chapter 42
Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong
Five hours later and Hong Kong had a new man on its streets. I felt incredible. I felt alive. I felt like a stud. I might as well have
jumped and clicked my heels together in mid-air as I left the parlor.
I didn’t think one could enjoy spa facilities for so long. But I was treated like a king. There were manicures, pedicures and mud masks. Of course there was a wide assortment of massages available: foot, head, back… Soapy massages were the best. I was the slide. The girls were the slip.
I also discovered I had some serious lasting power after my second release. I smiled at the harlots that lined the streets. Look out, ladies. I have an appetite for candy and you’re all on the shelf.
My mood from earlier was completely gone. Dragon lady? Who’s that? Who cares? I thought about calling Tav. I could make his day right now. But not yet. I wanted to bask in my glow for a bit longer. Plus my stomach had a fierce craving for something, anything food-like. I was fed an abundance of fresh fruit in the parlor, more than any normal person should eat, but it was all water. I needed sustenance. My first stop would be the stand serving mystery meat on a stick.
I worked my way patiently to the front. Whatever they were cooking up smelled great. A short woman with a hair net was busy handing out meat sticks and taking money in return. Behind her, a fairly tall, skinny man handled a large wok with oil in it. He was the cooker of the meat. Another guy was salting and skewering five to a bamboo stick.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Fish balls,” she said and held up two fingers.
I forked over the money and nibbled at the fishy meat. Not bad I thought. Though I didn’t want to know what kind of fish it was or what part I just ate.
A couple of locals standing next to me squirted a red sauce on theirs. I grabbed the bottle and squirted it on my balls and took a bite. Red is for super spicy. I devoured the salty snack and bought more sticks of deep-fried goodness.
Darby Stansfield Thriller Series (Books 1-3 & Bonus Novella) Page 10
