Red Shark

Park grabbed the phone and listened, blood draining from his face. He said, “Confirmed” and hung up the phone. He stood and jammed his billed cap on his head. He looked at Lieutenant Kang and, while crushing out his cigarette, twisting it until it broke apart, said, “Yes, there is much to learn and to master, and it will not be easy. But you will start now. The watch in the engine room has just reported a leak in the fuel cell.”

36

Kabukicho, Tokyo

Scott heard high heels clattering up the stairs at the end of the balcony, someone taking long strides, clip-clopping to a halt outside his room. He opened the door and discovered a breathless Tracy. And Sammy Shin berating her in his singsong pidgin English.

“Amerika-jin giru no work here, leave now,” Sammy said, wagging a finger at her. “You no leave I call boss.”

“Jake, he thinks I’m a yujo — a whore,” Tracy said. “He thinks some Jap wants to fuck my brains out. Tell him who I am, that I’m not a whore.”

“It’s all right, Sammy, she’s a friend.”

“No Amerika-jin yujo allowed here.”

Scott stuffed yen in Sammy’s fist. “She’s a friend.” Scott pulled Tracy inside and shut the door.

She looked around first, and then at Scott. “Nice place. You always pick the best.”

Scott lit the lantern. It caught, and they regarded each other for a long moment in the cast orange light. She had on a black silk shirt and tight black leggings. Diamonds of rain sparkled in her hair, which was longer than it had been the last time he’d seen her. Less of a helmet, it swept over both ears and down the nape of her neck. She was heavily made up in the hard-edged way Scott had always liked.

“Thanks for coming,” he said.

She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue and said, “Sorry it took so long, but I was—”

“You don’t have to explain.”

“You didn’t think I’d come, did you?”

“I hoped you would. I told you it was important, that I needed your help.”

“You never needed my help for anything,” she said in a mocking tone. “So why start now?”

“This is different.”

“What happened to your hand; what the hell are you involved in now?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Then maybe I can’t help you.”

Tracy sat down on one of the battered chairs, crossed her long legs, opened a small purse, and gave her makeup a detailed once-over, appraising herself in a mirror sewn into the purse flap.

“I’m trying to avoid some people,” Scott said, watching her fuss with her hair. “I need to find someone.”

Tracy put the purse away. “Who, a woman? It is, isn’t it?”

“Look, Trace, this isn’t a game I’m playing. I wouldn’t have asked for your help if it weren’t damned important, more important than you can imagine.”

“Then you might need this.” She rummaged in her purse and pulled out a black Glock-26 9mm pistol. “It’s Rick’s. It was issued to him by the Embassy’s Marine guard. He doesn’t know I took it.”

Scott hefted the palm-sized weapon. “Tracy, you’ve violated just about every rule on the books governing firearms in Japan, to say nothing of getting Rick in a hell of a lot of trouble.”

“Since when did you start giving a shit about Rick?”

“I haven’t, but if you’d been stopped—”

“Well, I wasn’t. I thought you could use it. So sue me.”

Scott dropped the Glock’s ten-round magazine, then slammed it home. He examined the chamber to see that it was charged, then pocketed the pistol. “What about a car? Did you get one?”

“You want me to sneak you out of here, right?” Tracy said.

“Yes. Did you follow my instructions? Find the parking lot?”

“Yeah.” She threw him the keys: he saw the Lexus logo. “It’s Rick’s.”

“Does it have diplomatic plates?”

“I didn’t look.”

“Thanks, Trace.”

Her eyes sparkled in the lantern light. Scott knew that she knew she had him on the hook she was so good at setting and that she could, if she wanted, play him to death.

Tracy came and stood close to him. Her shirt was thin silk, and he felt her heat radiating through it and the hard tips of her breasts against his chest. She studied his face. “You look as if you could use some sleep.” She reached up and touched his hair. “Christ, I almost forgot how good looking you are.”

He felt his cock stiffen. Her hand went to it, kneading it, teasing it.

“Trace… not now… not here…”