But right now she didn’t want to think of Hu Chang or the beautiful bottle that had intrigued Luke. She wanted to take a shower and change clothes and perhaps grab some sleep.
After she slipped outside and reconnoitered the neighborhood to see if there was anything or anyone suspicious of which she should be aware. She knew most of Hu Chang’s neighbors and should be able to spot anything unusual with no problem. If she was going to act as bait, it was going to be with full information about ways to exit if it became necessary to save her neck.
Are you out there, Nardik?
Vancouver, Canada
JACK TAN WAS THE NAME on the caller ID.
Hugh Nardik pressed the button on the first ring. “Have you found him, dammit?”
“Not yet. I’ve searched every—”
Nardik cursed. “Then why are you calling me, asshole? I told you I didn’t want to hear from you until you found Hu Chang. You should never have lost him in the first place. I expected a professional when I hired you. All you had to do was get the information, then kill the son of a bitch. Instead, you not only let him escape, you let the CIA find out my connection with him.”
“I told you, we wounded him. And there’s still a chance. I don’t think he’s playing ball with Venable. He made him take him back to his shop on Wen Chai to recover.”
“And then you killed a CIA agent on his doorstep.”
“He had that package. I thought that it might be some of the stuff you wanted. Was it?”
“No, it was sea-snake venom. And you scared Hu Chang off for a bunch of nothing. You could have grabbed him again. Now Venable has seen that he’s gone undercover.”
“Not Venable. He’s scurrying all around trying to find him. If Hu Chang’s hiding, he’s on his own.” He paused. “But Venable has called in someone he thinks can find Hu Chang. Catherine Ling arrived in Hong Kong today.”
Nardik stiffened. “You’re sure?” He went to his desk and opened the dossier on Hu Chang. It was spotty in places, but the recent section since Hu Chang arrived in Hong Kong a number of years ago was fairly complete. He looked at the picture of Catherine Ling. Beautiful woman and as deadly as she was gorgeous. He had a dossier on her, too, in case he needed to use her in some way to get at Hu Chang. It hadn’t seemed necessary since she appeared to be out of his life at present. But there was no doubt that at some periods during Hu Chang’s past, she’d figured prominently. How, it was hard to determine. Had they been lovers, friends, partners? I don’t have time to probe the depths of the relationship, he thought impatiently. All that was important was that she meant something to that bastard, and that might mean she could be the key he needed to unlock the treasure chest. “Where is she?”
“She’s staying at Hu Chang’s place. I was wondering if she expected him to meet her there. That’s why I called you. What do you want me to do?”
Nardik thought about it. “It’s probably a trap. If she was going to meet him, it wouldn’t be at that shop. That would be stupid.”
“So you want me to hold off.”
“No, I want you to figure out a way that wouldn’t be stupid.” He added softly, “And there had better not be any mistakes. You’ll take her, you’ll find out if she knows anything, then you’ll use her to get Hu Chang. And if you don’t, you’ll not get another chance. If I have to take over and deal directly with this mess, I’m not going to be pleased. Do you understand?”
Tan didn’t speak for moment, and Nardik could sense the anger that he was trying to smother. Too bad. Tan might be a heavyweight in his own little corner of the world, but he had to learn that Nardik could manipulate that world whenever he lifted one finger. There were varying degrees of power in the hierarchy that Nardik ruled, and Jack Tan was very low on that ladder.
“I’ll work it out,” Tan said curtly.
“Report back as soon as you have something besides excuses to give me.” Nardik hung up.
He glanced back down at the photo of Catherine Ling. Would Tan be able to handle her? She had an impressive résumé and was probably far cleverer than Tan. She would be a challenge for a man on any level.
And the level that was luring him now was horizontal and purely sexual.
He was experiencing a surge of pure lust that had come out of nowhere. Ling was so strong, so sleek, so silken, and yet he knew she would fight until she broke. What would it be like to handle her body, to break her, to make her kneel, before he plunged inside her? He had never found a woman who gave him the heady sensation of total sexual domination that would come only from a battle so intense it would probably end in death. That could be the true meaning of power.
And he was getting hard just thinking about it. He suddenly wanted to call Tan and tell him he was coming to Hong Kong to take over the search for Hu Chang.
“You want her.” Ken Fowler, his assistant, had been watching him from across the room. “You want that bitch.”
And Fowler was so jealous that it was eating him alive, Nardik thought. He had taken Fowler as a lover when he’d first come to work for his organization as a means of cementing his loyalty. It was important someone in his close confidence be completely dominated on every level. Sex was the great enslaver, and Fowler had been easy. The fool thought he loved Nardik. He meekly accepted his affairs with other men as well as women. These days, Nardik did not even have to pretend that Fowler was more than an occasional diversion for him to keep him in line.
“Yes, it’s a pity she wouldn’t appeal to you, or we might share her.”
Fowler flinched. “You don’t need her. Kill her.”
“I’ll do as I please, Fowler. Anything I please. You know that. Don’t try to tell me what to do.”
Fowler flushed. “I didn’t mean—” He whirled and strode out of the office.
Fowler must be upset to risk his anger and step out of the place that Nardik had carved out for him. Nardik must have been more obvious than usual in his lust for Catherine Ling. That might be a sign that she was proving a distraction. He would have to consider any disruption in his concentration on the main objective.
And Catherine Ling was only a woman, and imagination was often more tantalizing than the reality. There was a greater prize on the horizon than any sexual triumph. He would let Jack Tan have her to interrogate and concentrate on victories of which Tan could only dream.
He flipped the folder shut and strolled over to the window to gaze out at the majesty of the mountains towering over the skyscrapers of the city. Vancouver was a city where a man could effortlessly dominate his surroundings if he had money and influence. He moved from place to place because the authorities were constantly trying to find him, but he was most comfortable here. He liked the idea of pulling the strings in the underbelly of this slick, cosmopolitan city and making everyone dance.
And how they did dance, he thought with fierce pleasure. He could do anything, take anything. Drugs, jewels, money, whores. Hell, he could rule the world. Dictators and presidents and Mafia czars came to him, and he decided whether to give them what they wanted.
And it was going to get better still as soon as Tan found Hu Chang.
Ultimate power.
Dammit, how could Tan have let that Asian son of a bitch slip through his fingers? All he’d had to do was obey Nardik’s orders and he’d be— Smother the anger. It was going to go well from now on. Either with Jack Tan or without him, Hu Chang would be in Nardik’s hands.
And, perhaps, so would Catherine Ling.
CHAPTER
8
Hong Kong
CATHERINE WOKE, TOTALLY ALERT.
She had heard something in the main shop. Not a footstep, just a … change, an addition of sound. Then she realized what it was. The front door had opened, and she was hearing distant street sounds.
But she had locked that front door.
She got to her feet in one lithe motion. She drew her knife from the holster on her thigh.
Then she was at the door between the shop and the s
leeping area.
She tensed.
Now she did hear a footstep.
“I don’t hear you, but I know you’re there,” Carmody said from the other side of the door. “Don’t get bent out of shape. It’s only me.”
Her breath expelled with exasperation as she threw open the door. “What the hell are you doing here, Carmody? And did you pick the lock on that front door?”
“I’m guarding you. And yes I did. It’s one of my many talents. Venable told me that you’re not so bad at it yourself.”
“I’m very, very good. And, if it had been me, I’d have closed the door instantly behind me so that there wouldn’t have been any street noises for a target to hear.”
“I’ll remember that next time. But you’re not my target. I’m guarding you.” He looked down at the knife in her hand. “That was for me? I’m glad I spoke up.”
“Why are you here?” She tucked the knife back in her holster. “And why didn’t you call me instead of burgling the place?”
“I was in a hurry. I’ve been posted a few houses down the block, and I saw a black Mazda at the top of the street. It drove by, then turned around and disappeared out of sight. I hadn’t seen a car on the street all evening and I always look for something unusual that sticks out.”
So did Catherine. It was standard CIA procedure when you were doing surveillance. “So?”
“I ran up to the top of the street and looked down the block. The Mazda was backing up and parking next to the entry of the alley that runs by the rear of this house.” He nodded as he saw her stiffen. “That caught your attention.” He was moving toward the rear door. “Let’s be on hand to welcome them.”
“How many were they?”
“Two.” He grinned. “They must have thought that would be enough to handle a helpless little lady like you. They probably haven’t heard about your affinity to mamba venom. Do we go out or let them come to us?”
“We let them come to us.” She glided toward the door. “And I want at least one left alive to question. So press against that wall and—”
The alley door burst open as the jamb was splintered by a kick.
Guns, Catherine realized. The tall man facing them had a Glock.
The other stockier man behind him had an AK-47 and lifted it the moment he saw them. “Don’t kill the woman.”
“Shit!” Carmody dove to the floor, reaching for his .38 as the shop was sprayed with bullets from the AK-47.
No time for the knife. She dove forward and knocked the tall man with the Glock to the floor. She gave him a karate chop to the throat before she rolled him over to use him as a shield against that damn AK-47.
She could only hope Carmody would take him down with his .38.
But the room was being peppered with shots, and she heard the sound of breaking glass and bullets splintering wood.
She grabbed the Glock that had fallen to the floor and rolled behind the cabinet.
Another spray of bullets tearing, chewing at the cabinet.
Stop it. Put a bullet in the hand that was holding the automatic.
Aim. She got off a shot. She heard a gasp, then cursing, as the AK-47 fell to the floor.
Another bullet in the right kneecap.
She aimed again.
A shrill scream.
Then he was whirling, cursing, as he limped toward the door.
Go after him. Don’t let the bastard get away. She needed him.
By the time she reached the door he was halfway down the alley. He was crippled. Good. She’d be able to catch up with him before he reached the Mazda at the end of the alley.
“Catherine…” It was Carmody.
She shot a quick glance behind her.
Oh, shit.
Carmody was lying crumpled on the floor. Blood. So much blood. And his tattered jacket had more holes than she could count. One of those sprays of bullets from the AK-47 must have been aimed at him.
“It’s okay.” She was beside him in seconds, falling to her knees. “Don’t try to talk. I’ll try to stop this blood.”
“Little late…,” he whispered. “I don’t think … I have any left. Didn’t think it would end like this. I guess … you never do. Thought I had—all the time in the world…”
“Don’t give up, dammit.” A wound on his chest. How close was it to his heart? “We can get through this.” Put pressure. But there were so many wounds. “You’re young. That’s on your side. I’m not going to let you go. Do you hear me, Carmody?”
“You act as if you’re going to shake the man, Catherine,” Hu Chang said from the alley doorway. “As usual, you lack gentleness in these matters. If you want him to live, I suppose I’d better take a look at him.”
She wasn’t even surprised to see him. He always came and went as stealthily as a shadow. “I do want him to live.” She sat back on her heels and glared at him. “Do something. You’re always telling me what a wonderful master of everything in the whole damn universe you are. It’s your fault that he’s full of holes. Now make it right.”
He moved forward and looked down at Carmody before saying to him, “She has a tendency to be excitable in certain circumstances. It’s true, I’m extraordinary. But it’s not as if I have superhuman powers. But I will try to help you.” He glanced at Catherine. “Continue that pressure. That’s the most dangerous wound. You were doing the correct thing. I will see if I can find him a potion that will help him until you can get him to a hospital.” He grimaced as he turned to the cabinet. “Look at this catastrophe. I don’t believe there’s a bottle left unbroken. Was it necessary to bring this havoc down upon my splendid shop?”
“Yes. Find something for him.” It was true, she couldn’t see any container that was still intact. “What about that blue stuff down in the lab?”
“Quite deadly.” He knelt and opened one of the cabinet doors. “But I have something that might work if there is any left. I used it on myself recently and didn’t have time to restock it.”
She looked down at Carmody. “Hold on. He can help you. I promise.” She took out her phone. “I’m calling Venable and getting help out here.”
“By all means.”
She got through to Venable in two rings. “Carmody’s down. It’s bad. Get medical help out here to Hu Chang’s shop right away.”
He muttered an oath. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. Stop asking questions and get an ambulance out here.” She hung up.
Hu Chang had a vial of orange-colored liquid in his hand as he knelt beside Carmody. “This tastes terrible,” he told him. “If you’d rather die, I can understand. But I have to offer it to you since Catherine is so upset.” He lifted Carmody’s head and put the vial to his lips. “It will burn going down, but that’s a good thing.”
“No use…”
“I never do anything that is without use. It would waste my time, and my time is more valuable than you can imagine.” A smile suddenly lit his face. “You are close to death, it is true. But close is not there. So drink this medicine so that Catherine will not heap me with any more blame.”
Carmody hesitated, his gaze on Hu Chang’s face. Then he opened his lips and drank the potion in the vial in three swallows.
He gagged and wheezed.
“I told you it was terrible.” Hu Chang laid him down again. “But it will give you your chance.”
Carmody’s eyes were bulging as he gasped for air. The next moment, he was unconscious.
Hu Chang got to his feet. “Keep the pressure on him until you can get him a transfusion, Catherine. I can heal what’s inside, but I can’t do anything about the bleeding.” He moved toward the door leading to the alley. “Perhaps someday…”
“And where do you think you’re going?”
“You no longer need me. I’ve done what I came to do. More. Since you made me take care of your friend. One of Venable’s men?”
“Yes.”
“He can’t be very good if he got himself shot up in that fashion. Venable
should have assigned you someone else.”
“He’s young. He’ll get better. Stop criticizing and tell me how you knew to barge in at this particular moment.”
“You know I have friends in the neighborhood who are always eager to do me favors. I’m a very valuable man to call friend. When I realized that you’d probably come here after Venable phoned you, I called in the favors.”
“You must have been very close. This all went down within ten minutes. Were you staking me out?”
He paused at the door. “Of course. Just as you were setting me up. Very reckless, Catherine. See who you drew instead?”
“No, I don’t know who they are.” She met his gaze. “Why don’t you tell me?”
“That man lying over there by the cabinet is Kim Soo. Dead?”
“Yes.”
“Very efficient. And the man who ran down the alley is Jack Tan.”
“Are they the men who shot you?”
“Possibly, or more likely it was one of their underlings. They had a good many more men with them at the time when Venable plucked me away from them. But Jack Tan gave me many unpleasant hours trying to convince me to tell him what he wanted to know. I became very angry with him.” He glanced at Carmody. “Perhaps I should not condemn him too much for being so unprofessional as to get himself shot up like this instead of helping you. I must have looked a great deal like him when Venable threw me into the helicopter.” Quickly, he added, “But I had reason and extenuating circumstances.”
“Don’t you always?”
He smiled. “Always.” His smile faded. “Go home, Catherine. I don’t want you here.”
“Go to hell. What’s happening, Hu Chang?”
“I merely encountered Lucifer, and he thinks I can bring him out of hell and give him back paradise. I don’t wish you to have to deal with him.”
“And is Lucifer’s name Nardik?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve heard of the bastard. How did you get mixed up with him, Hu Chang?”
“Through mutual acquaintances. But ‘mixed up with him’ is not the proper phrase. I avoid Lucifer if I can. I understand his ambition and recognize it in myself. It’s just another name for power, and it can be a heady brew.”
What Doesn't Kill You Page 12
