matters are more quickly resolved than others.”
So Chen didn’t have it. Wong swallowed hard and thought about this. “Do you know who arranged the theft? Who paid that woman?”
“I have my number one man working toward this discovery,” Chen said. “And its resolution.”
For a moment Wong wondered if Chen himself was behind the theft. The Triads controlled everything, including the prostitution rings, and had been arranging his Hong Kong liaisons for the past several years. But this was the first time something like this had happened. Surely, if Chen had planned a betrayal, he would have acted before this. Or would he?
“And the missile guidance system,” Wong said. “What about that?”
Chen sighed. “It is in the possession of the British and the Americans.”
“Americans?” Wong said. “We’ve just captured an American. A spy. He is being interrogated now.”
Chen nodded. “A fact of which I am well aware.”
Wong blew out a long breath and reached for his cigarettes. After sticking one between his lips and holding the lighter to it, he turned back to Chen. “What did you find out from that Russian whore?”
“In life, there is sometimes a certain unavoidable unpleasantness. Learn to dismiss it, as the water in the pond rolls off the back of the swimming duck.”
More platitudes, Wong thought. “Did she tell you who paid her to steal the dragon key?”
“She gave us the name,” Chen said.
Wong felt more than ever like lashing out, knocking the old fool to the ground, but he knew better. “Who?” he asked. “I’ll track him down and kill him myself.”
“That is not advisable.”
“What? Why not?”
Chen smelled the blossom. “Is it not a shame that our country’s recent economic progress has so poisoned our air, our land, our water?”
Wong was at the end of his patience. “I asked you a question. Who is he?”
When Chen did not answer immediately, Wong emitted a growl. “I’m waiting. And no more damn riddles, understand?”
Chen smiled and put his palms together in a prayer-like gesture, cupping the blossom in between. “I have offended you, and for that I am truly sorry. But as I said before, a wise man must not lose sight of his goal, lest he act with impetuousness.”
Wong drew deeply on the cigarette. What was Chen getting at?
As if he could sense the unasked question, Chen said, “The man who engineered the theft is familiar to you.”
Wong blew twin plumes of smoke out his nostrils. “His name. Give me his damn name. I’ll get it out of him.”
Chen’s smile did not lose its beatific grace. He shook his head fractionally. “Once again, remember that patience is the supreme virtue. It should first be considered that if something happens to this man, the dragon key could be lost forever, or delivered into the wrong hands.”
“I promise not to act with rashness,” Wong said. “But I need to know who he is. I need to know the name of the man who holds the knife to my balls.”
“As well you should,” Chen said. “Just give me your word you will take no action without first obtaining clearance from me.”
Chen held the ultimate trump card, but Wong still needed to formulate his own plan, just in case the Triad boss betrayed him. “I give you my word as an officer and general of the People’s Liberation Army.”
The smile vanished and Chen’s dark eyes shot toward him, staring from beneath their heavy lids.
“I repeat, the man who betrayed you must not yet be contacted or harmed,” he said. “Do you understand me?”
The Triad leader’s tone left no question as to who was in command. It was not a request. Wong suddenly realized that up until now Chen had been toying with him, allowing him to believe he was in charge. Now it was brutally apparent that the Triad boss controlled Wong’s fate. The general had little choice but to acquiesce.
“Yes,” Wong said. “He will not be contacted or harmed without your approval.”
Chen’s face softened into a smile. “Excellent. When men strive to overcome adversity, they must not work at cross-purposes.”
Wong was sick of the aphorisms, but he held his tongue for the time being.
“The man has been a thorn in your side,” Chen said. “And a problem for the Standing Committee, as well.”
Wong furrowed his brow in concentration, then suddenly he knew. “Han Son Chu?”
Chen smiled and nodded. “You see, oftentimes the answer you seek lies within your own knowledge.”
Han Son Chu, Wong thought. Sammo Han to the Western press. But how did he trace me to that Russian whore? And how did he know about the dragon key? Wong did some mental calculations. The time frame did fit. The one-armed bastard must have followed him to Hong Kong and somehow bribed the whore to steal it. No matter. Han was under house detention. It would be simple to grab him and reobtain the dragon key.
“Is this blossom not beautiful?” Chen held the flower toward Wong. “But just as the rose on the vine is lovely, one must be careful to avoid the accompanying thorns.”
Another riddle, Wong thought. He took one last drag on his cigarette and ground it under the sole of his shoe.
“The Committee is getting ready to move against Han as we speak,” Wong said. “He’s already under house detention, but if he’s arrested and brought to trial for his disruptive activities, he could bring up my indiscretions in a public forum. And then our involvement will surely come to light. We’re both on the line here.”
Chen nodded. “But even the Committee would not move in such drastic fashion at this time,” he said. “The world press is swarming Beijing, and reporters are following the American movie star who is seeking an audience with Han. The last thing the Committee would want is for China to lose face on the world stage.”
Wong nodded. “This gives us time to confront the bastard privately. Get the dragon key back before they initiate a complete arrest.”
Chen shook his head. “Regrettably, there is more. The American spy you mentioned...”
Wong frowned. “What about him?”
“He is being held at Song Jing Prison, is he not?”
“Yes. How did you know that?”
Chen’s smile returned, as placid as ever. “I have my sources.”
Wong’s frown deepened. Was there nothing this old bastard didn’t know?
Chen waited a beat and continued, “The interrogation
