surveillance, but it looked like he was only getting solo coverage for his money. Well, that suited me.
I paid the bill, walked downstairs, and headed out of the bar. From street level I didnât have as clear a view of Zinc, so I crossed to the north side of Houston and started strolling west. I called Dox.
âHowâre we doing?â I asked.
âLooks like sheâs getting ready to go. Saying good night to the proprietor right now.â
I passed a group of people smoking outside a bar and paused nearby, just someone polite enough to leave the bar for a cell phone call.
âHere she comes,â Dox said.
I swallowed and watched Zincâs entrance. A moment later, Midori emerged from the stairwell. She paused at the curb and looked my way. I felt my heart accelerate. But she wasnât scanning the sidewalk; she was watching the street, looking for a cab. And anyway I was keeping the smokers between us. She wouldnât have seen me.
She was wearing a waist-length black leather jacket. Her hair was as long and luxuriant as Dox had noted and as I remembered. I wished I could have been closer. I wanted to see more.
I couldnât help frowning at her innocence, though. She hadnât even looked both ways as she came out of the club, let alone checked the surveillance hot spots. If she had, she would have made the Chinese kid in a heartbeat. He was standing exactly where youâd expect.
She flagged down a cab and got in. The kid made no attempt to follow. He remained for a minute, finished his cigarette, then started heading toward my position. I went into the bar and watched from behind the glass door as he passed. It was darker inside the bar than it was on the streetlight-illuminated sidewalk without, and with the light reflecting on the glass outside I knew he wouldnât be able to see me even if he were to look. But I got a good look at him.
When he was safely past, I slipped out of the bar and fell in behind him. I knew Dox would be trailing me, per the plan.
I hung well back in case the kid turned, but he never did. He just continued southeast into Chinatown. I watched him go into a seedy-looking noodle place on Mulberry, across from Columbus Park. I crossed the street and walked past from the park side. I saw him sit at a table across from an older, heavyset Chinese man with a bald head and a boxerâs nose.
I couldnât hear what the kid and the bald guy were saying, and even if I could it was probably in Chinese. But from their postures I sensed they didnât much care for each other. The kid sat slumped in his chair almost sullenly. At one point, he must have said something disrespectful, because the bald guy stood up and cuffed the kid across the head, twice. The shots didnât look too hardâmore something intended to humiliate and establish dominance. After that the kid sat up straighter and the bald guy sat back down.
Dox walked past the restaurant, and I knew he was taking more pictures. The flash was off and theyâd be grainy, but Tatsu had people who could enhance them. Dox returned to his position behind me and we watched for a few minutes more, but there wasnât much else to learn. I noted the name and address of the place, then we linked up outside the park and headed over to a twenty-four-hour diner, where we compared notes and planned the next night.
When we were done, Dox said, âAssuming thatâs all for the night, Iâd like to go back to the diner where I left the alluring Miss Jasmine. Sheâs hot for me, I can tell.â
âPlus her meter is running,â I suggested.
He laughed. âYeah, and sheâs got the kind of meter I like to feed. See you tomorrow, amigo.â
While Dox was off getting my moneyâs worth, I went to an Internet café to upload the photos and other information to Tatsu.
When the message and upload were done, I called Tatsu to give him a heads-up to check our bulletin board. He
I paid the bill, walked downstairs, and headed out of the bar. From street level I didnât have as clear a view of Zinc, so I crossed to the north side of Houston and started strolling west. I called Dox.
âHowâre we doing?â I asked.
âLooks like sheâs getting ready to go. Saying good night to the proprietor right now.â
I passed a group of people smoking outside a bar and paused nearby, just someone polite enough to leave the bar for a cell phone call.
âHere she comes,â Dox said.
I swallowed and watched Zincâs entrance. A moment later, Midori emerged from the stairwell. She paused at the curb and looked my way. I felt my heart accelerate. But she wasnât scanning the sidewalk; she was watching the street, looking for a cab. And anyway I was keeping the smokers between us. She wouldnât have seen me.
She was wearing a waist-length black leather jacket. Her hair was as long and luxuriant as Dox had noted and as I remembered. I wished I could have been closer. I wanted to see more.
I couldnât help frowning at her innocence, though. She hadnât even looked both ways as she came out of the club, let alone checked the surveillance hot spots. If she had, she would have made the Chinese kid in a heartbeat. He was standing exactly where youâd expect.
She flagged down a cab and got in. The kid made no attempt to follow. He remained for a minute, finished his cigarette, then started heading toward my position. I went into the bar and watched from behind the glass door as he passed. It was darker inside the bar than it was on the streetlight-illuminated sidewalk without, and with the light reflecting on the glass outside I knew he wouldnât be able to see me even if he were to look. But I got a good look at him.
When he was safely past, I slipped out of the bar and fell in behind him. I knew Dox would be trailing me, per the plan.
I hung well back in case the kid turned, but he never did. He just continued southeast into Chinatown. I watched him go into a seedy-looking noodle place on Mulberry, across from Columbus Park. I crossed the street and walked past from the park side. I saw him sit at a table across from an older, heavyset Chinese man with a bald head and a boxerâs nose.
I couldnât hear what the kid and the bald guy were saying, and even if I could it was probably in Chinese. But from their postures I sensed they didnât much care for each other. The kid sat slumped in his chair almost sullenly. At one point, he must have said something disrespectful, because the bald guy stood up and cuffed the kid across the head, twice. The shots didnât look too hardâmore something intended to humiliate and establish dominance. After that the kid sat up straighter and the bald guy sat back down.
Dox walked past the restaurant, and I knew he was taking more pictures. The flash was off and theyâd be grainy, but Tatsu had people who could enhance them. Dox returned to his position behind me and we watched for a few minutes more, but there wasnât much else to learn. I noted the name and address of the place, then we linked up outside the park and headed over to a twenty-four-hour diner, where we compared notes and planned the next night.
When we were done, Dox said, âAssuming thatâs all for the night, Iâd like to go back to the diner where I left the alluring Miss Jasmine. Sheâs hot for me, I can tell.â
âPlus her meter is running,â I suggested.
He laughed. âYeah, and sheâs got the kind of meter I like to feed. See you tomorrow, amigo.â
While Dox was off getting my moneyâs worth, I went to an Internet café to upload the photos and other information to Tatsu.
When the message and upload were done, I called Tatsu to give him a heads-up to check our bulletin board. He
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