Triad Death Match Read Free Page B

let's talk," Jack said, gesturing toward the cab. "Come on."
    Jane righted her dress as if she was just another lady out on the night. She didn't seem to notice she wasn't wearing shoes.
    "All right," the fighter finally grunted, what little Jack heard of his voice sounding heavily accented. He stepped toward Jack as the cab slowed to pick them up.
     
    In the back of the taxi, Jane sat in the middle. Jack wanted to do something to make sure the guy wouldn't run, to keep him from hopping out at a light and disappearing, but Jane's manner told him she had it under control. As they headed downtown and the hotel, Jack was cold. The fog had come in full force. He saw dense white at every cross street; outside the car window, anything more than ten yards from his face was invisible.  
    If he'd had a jacket, Jack would have offered it to the fighter to cover up. But the man looked unbothered, placid in it all. He appeared to be barely breathing hard.
    "What the hell happened back there?" Jack asked.  
    The fighter stared out the window, unflinching. "That was the fight," he said. "Many people lose many bets tonight. And so the ring lords will not be happy."
    "Ring lords?" Jane asked.
    The fighter nodded. Jack noticed his hands were still clenched into fists. This man who'd just fought in the ring could have beaten him and Jane into the ground. Why hadn't he?
    "Were you supposed to lose to that guy?"
    The fighter shrugged. "There are masters and there are unknowns. I am the unknown; I should not be able to win."
    "Didn't look like that back there. You looked like a stone cold killer."
    Jane shot Jack a look of daggers. "It's al lright," she said, showing him her badge. Immediately Jack wanted to know where on her body she'd been keeping it. He couldn't see anyplace big enough on the dress to conceal it.  
    "Really?" he asked.  
    Another stern look. "I'm with the Bureau," she said. "We just want to ask you a couple of questions."
    The fighter looked out the back window of the cab toward the street. No one seemed to have followed them out of the club; the streets were empty but for cars.  
    "I cannot speak on these events. You are outsiders, ones who are not supposed to know."
    "And you?" Jack nodded at the smaller man. The cab stopped for a red light just above Union Square. "Looks to me like you're on the outside now, too, after that. Maybe we can all help each other."
    This time Jane didn't shoot Jack a nasty look. "My partner might actually have a point," she said. "Maybe if you talk to us, we can get you back into that ring again, if that's what you want."
    For a few seconds, the fighter didn't move. The light changed, and the car started forward. He kept his gaze out the window. The streets were filled now with downtown shoppers, tourists holding big bags from Niketown, the Levis store, Macy's. Restaurant doors were propped open, lights shining through the fog.  
    Finally the fighter nodded. "I am Chen," he told them. He turned toward them and then looked out the front of the cab. "This is your hotel?"
    A block up, the hotel that Jack called home stood before them. He had only told the driver Union Square, not an exact location. But somehow Chen knew just where they wanted to go.
    "Yes," Jane said. "How did you know?"
    "It is this way with things. You have anticipation that I can sense. You are ready to get out."  
    Jane told the driver where to stop, and Jack pushed a twenty through the divider. When the car stopped moving, Jane asked Chen not to run. He nodded again, just a small, precise movement that made his intent clear.  
    "I will come inside," he said. "We will talk."
     
    Upstairs, Jane and Chen sat in chairs while Jack perched on the end of his bed. He'd offered a robe to the smaller man, but Chen had declined. For all the cold of San Francisco, he seemed to be comfortable without shoes or a shirt.
    "So," Jane began, "tell us what the hell happened back there."
    "It is not so easy to say this simply." Chen