He opened the door and walked in as silently as a cat. He heard the deep snores. No, this man wasn't Bormann either. He was backing up when the man sat up, rubbing his eyes. Nick stepped forward quickly, the pen in his hand.
The man's eyes widened at the sight of the black-clad figure. His mouth opened to cry out when the pen hit home in the man's neck.
He cursed his bad luck when he saw guards crossing the courtyard through a chest-high window in the hall. There had to be another way out. He turned, hurried down the hall, turned a corner and waited, hoping they wouldn't come his way.
They were coming his way. Damn!
He started up the corridor when he saw a wide door partly open. He went for it and slipped inside, his gun ready, just in case. It was a big room with a bar at one side, a jukebox, of all things, and tables and chairs. Some kind of officers' mess, most likely. To the left of the bar was another door. He tried it. It opened and he was outside, on the palace grounds.
He circled the wing, staying in the shadows when he could, hoping to reach the courtyard and the unguarded post before Lotus and her temporary lover were finished.
He was in the courtyard now. He headed for the guard post and was through. Up a well-used lane, across a field, and he stopped to catch his breath. Then he moved to the big tree where he had left his clothes. He took off the costume, put on his own clothes, and waited for Lotus.
When she arrived a few minutes later, he took her arm and they moved quickly and silently away from there.
The couple from last night were once again embracing by the front door. Lotus and Nick went into the building by the back way.
In her apartment, he dumped the bundle of black material that was his costume and heaved his two-hundred-plus into a soft armchair. "What's with those two downstairs? Don't they have a home?
"Her parents are very strict," Lotus explained. "She shares an apartment with them and cannot bring her boy friend up. And he lives with two brothers. So you see, it is very difficult for them." She was stripping as she spoke. Naked, she left the front room and soon Nick heard her splashing in the tub in the bathroom.
He lit a cigarette and thought of the night's escapade. He had aborted it. Perhaps he shouldn't have bothered. But no, he had tried because one of his missions was to kill Bormann. He'd had to take the chance. It was just rotten luck it hadn't worked out.
It would be stupid to try again. He would have to forget Bormann for the time being and concentrate on Agent Z. He had to get one of Bormann's men alone and make him talk. He had to find the laboratory.
Lotus came out, wearing a cheongsam. The slits were high, and her thighs were long, slim, ivory-tinted. She looked lovely.
"You like it?"
"Very much. But I thought that kind of dress was forbidden in Red China."
"It is." She sat on his lap, and one slender arm snaked around his neck. "A friend brought it in from Hong Kong. I don't wear it outside."
"He wasn't stopped?"
"He brought in several items," Lotus said. "He paid the customs guards to look the other way. Corruption is one of our oldest virtues." She kissed him. "He also brought me some rice wine. Would you like some?"
"Sure."
She kissed him again, got off his lap, and went to get the wine and two glasses.
They drank, and Nick asked if there was any food around. Lotus made a dish of chicken and rice and Nick ate wolfishly.
Later, she asked him if he had killed the leader of the Germans. Nick explained to her what happened. He also explained about the drug he had used.
"They will think those two are dead… and they will bury them," Lotus said. Then she laughed gleefully. "It is one hell of a joke, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Nick suddenly drew her toward him, and kissed her almost harshly.
She felt his urgency. There was no talk of the guard she had lain with that night It was not important. It was just something that had to be done. Besides, there had been many men. Right now, none of that meant anything. So very unimportant.
She ran her fingers through his hair. They kissed passionately. She knew this was a man she could learn to love. But that was just a dream. She was a realist Life on the mainland made one a realist.
Nick stood up, cradling her in his arms. He carried her into the bedroom and deposited her gently on the bed.
She watched him undress and then she took off the cheongsam. She had been naked underneath.
He joined her on the bed, and her body was alive and moving.
Nick took a hot bath, and Lotus insisted on washing his back. He declined her offer to wash all of him. She used a heavy towel and dried him while he stood with a wry grin on his face. I can dry myself there," he protested.
"Don't be silly."
He put on a pair of shorts, and they sat in the front room, eating almond cakes and drinking goat's milk. He realized he was spending more time in Lotus's apartment than in his own hotel room. Well, it was more pleasant here.
"Are you going back to the Imperial Palace?" she asked him.
"No. I think tomorrow night I will let the victim come to me. With your help."
"I will do anything," she said fervently. "You know that."
He told her what he wanted. She was to date one of the German officers. He was to come to her flat, where Nick would be waiting. He would be too involved with her to notice Nick until it was too late. If the idea was too distasteful…
There was a tight smile on her lovely face. "You know I will do it. There is nothing I won't do to help you."
"It's a calculated risk," Nick explained. "He may bring someone even though you tell him not to. Or he might tell some of his fellow officers where he is going. When he doesn't return, you will be under suspicion. So think it over carefully before you agree to it"
"There is nothing to think about," she said, almost angrily. "I am in this to the very end."
"Let's hope the end doesn't come sooner than expected."
"I know you are not afraid."
"I have my moments," Nick conceded.
"You are a very brave man," she said, embarrassing him. "I have never met anyone like you before."
"Your father was a brave man. He believed in something and died for his beliefs."
She put her hand on his thigh. "Can you spend the night with me?" she asked.
He shook his head. It was too dangerous.
There was a silence between them. They had met just the other night, and yet there was a strong bond between them. It wasn't just sex. That was just a part of it It was something else, something neither one would be able to explain. But it was there. Strong and invisible.
Each felt admiration, respect, and loyalty toward the other. They were a team; one complemented the other.
Nick knew it would be awkward when they parted. It would come to that when his mission was completed. Unless he died. And he had no intention of dying. His luck had held good, but it couldn't last. The time had to come when his number would be up. He only wanted it to be quick when it did come.
"What are you thinking?" she asked, studying his pensive mood.
He didn't want to tell her that he had been thinking of death. The grim reaper was looking over both their shoulders. He didn't want to remind her of that.
"Thinking of my college days."
"You looked so grim," she whispered. "I thought you were thinking dark thoughts. So I disturbed you."
"That's all right."
"Were you thinking dark thoughts?"
He managed a loose grin. It was hard to fool her. He remembered something from Virgil.