The Last Assassin

And that would mean only one thing: war.

Yamaoto thought for a moment. If he pushed back too hard, things could easily spiral out of control. If he gave in too easily, Big Liu would ask for more. The trick was to find the right middle ground, something that would satisfy Big Liu without seeming weak, something that would preserve Yamaoto's room to maneuver depending on what happened next.

'I understand your concerns,' Yamaoto said slowly, 'as I'm sure you understand mine. I know that neither of us is the kind of man to give in to immediate suspicions or otherwise leap to conclusions. We don't want things to get out of control.'

He paused to let Big Liu internally translate the words into Chinese, then said, 'I think the main thing now is to find the missing men. I'd like to keep you informed of that effort. Would it be all right if I called you several times a day, just to make sure you know what's going on?'

Under the circumstances, the two of them would have to be stupid not to talk frequently. This sort of polite conversation was an effort for both of them, Yamaoto knew, but they were going to need a good deal more of it if they hoped to prevent suspicion and anger from festering. But by phrasing the thought the way he had, Yamaoto had made it seem that he was both offering a concession and requesting permission. There was no nourishment in any of it, but Big Liu might like the taste enough to bite.

Big Liu said, 'Can give only forty-eight hours for this. Not because distrust Yamaoto. Because… very angry men in Big Liu group. Men now saying, "Blood! Revenge!" Can't control angry men so long.'

It was more or less what Yamaoto had been expecting, although he'd been hoping for longer. The 'it's not that I don't trust you, it's my constituents' approach was something Yamaoto himself used all the time. And in this case, in all likelihood, there was a lot of truth to it. Yamaoto had to find Kito and Sanada before things got worse.

'I understand,' he said. 'I'll call you later today with an update.'

'You find missing men,' Big Liu said, 'you no kill. Give alive. Want to… talk with them.'

This gambit wasn't unexpected, either. Yamaoto expected Big Liu to push until he encountered resistance. Now was the time to offer it.

'I can't promise that,' Yamaoto said. 'First, because anything could happen when I find them. And second, because I'm already going to have problems from my people just for doing what needs to be done. If Big Liu asks for too much, my people will become angry, even though I will tell them not to be.'

There was a pause while Big Liu absorbed Yamaoto's own version of the 'constituency' defense. Like Liu's from a moment earlier, it had the benefit of being largely true. If Yamaoto offered up two of his men to be tortured to death by the Chinese, he would face rebellion, no matter what the cause.

'Okay,' Big Liu said. 'You handle men. Call soon.'

'Yes,' Yamaoto said, and hung up.

He paused for a moment and thought. Could Big Liu have staged this? If so, he would get to keep the drugs and take the money…

But almost as soon as he considered the possibility, he rejected it. The gain wouldn't have been worth the loss of Yamaoto as a buyer, and Big Liu had worked hard to win Yamaoto's business. On top of that, Big Liu had lost three men. That in itself was a considerable expense.

He called Kuro. The man answered promptly.

'Hai.'

'Do the Chinese have people in Tokyo who would recognize Kito and Sanada?' Yamaoto asked.

'Yes, sir, there are several we work with.'

'Good. Make sure at least one of them is immediately available for the next forty-eight hours. We'll need him for when we find Kito and Sanada.'

There was a pause, no doubt while Kuro considered what this request meant for the two sumos. 'I understand completely, sir,' he said.

There was no need to tell Kuro not to mention this part of the conversation to any of Yamaoto's men. Yamaoto would deal with that himself. Afterward.

21

Dox and I got back to Tokyo that afternoon. I called Tatsu on the way to let him know I would be coming by to brief him. Dox, who had remained alert and armed the rest of the night in case the sumos returned, slept for almost the entire trip. He had counted the money – or a portion of it, anyway, because there was a hell of a lot – and estimated that it was about a half-billion yen. Over four million U.S. Not a bad night's work.

It was strange to have so much cash, but even stranger was how little it seemed to mean at the moment. Not so long ago, it would have been the answer to my dreams. Independence, freedom from the life. But independence wasn't what I was after anymore, or at least not the way it had been. And the freedom I wanted involved the freedom just to see that child I had held in my arms. Money wasn't going to be enough for that. Hell, the way I was going about things, I didn't know what would be.

Just see this through, I thought. You're in it now, you have to finish it. It'll be your last, and you'll figure the rest out after.

We bought a dozen smaller bags and divided up the cash. Some of it we shipped to certain overseas mail drops we employed, some of it we parked in train station lockers, some of it we hid in our hotels. There was just too much to risk keeping it in the same place. When we were done dealing with the money, I went to see Tatsu.

I approached and entered the hospital in the same cautious manner I had used before. There were no problems. The bodyguard I had seen last time was outside Tatsu's door again. He nodded in recognition when he saw me and let me inside.

This time, Tatsu was alone, sleeping. I stood watching him for a moment. Absent the dynamism that still shone from his wakeful eyes to obscure it, the devastation the disease had wreaked upon his body was painfully apparent. He looked wasted and weak, with nothing but a lone bodyguard to defend him against a lifetime's supply of enemies.

He sighed and cleared his throat, then opened his eyes. If he was surprised to see me standing there, he gave no indication of it.

'Checking to make sure I'm still here?' he asked, with a wry smile.

'Just wondering what your wife ever saw in you.'

He chuckled. 'For that, you have to look under the sheets.'

That wasn't like him. I laughed and said, 'I'll take your word for it,' and he laughed, too.

I sat in the chair next to the bed and leaned close so I could keep my voice down. 'There's something I have to tell you,' I said.

'Yes?'

'Next time I go after two of Yamaoto's men, if you know they're hundred-and-fifty-kilo sumo wrestlers, don't be afraid to mention it. It might be relevant.'

He laughed. 'Some things get past even me.'

'Yeah, you're slipping. But it went well anyway.'

'Yes, I've already heard.'

Tatsu. He might have been down, but he was far from out. I raised my eyebrows and he went on.

'My informant tells me the two men who went to pick up the shipment in Wajima last night haven't checked in.'

'Really.'

Tatsu briefed me on what seemed to have gone down in Wajima. His information was accurate, and I told him so.

'The Chinese are livid,' he went on. 'They're squeezing Yamaoto hard.'

'Yamaoto's response?'

'Stalling for time. He told the Chinese he's looking everywhere for his two men and will find a way to straighten this out.'

'Are the Chinese going to buy that?'

'Not for long.'

I nodded. 'What do you think Yamaoto's going to do?'

Tatsu shrugged. 'Kill Kito and Sanada. Either they'll come in trying to explain or Yamaoto will find them. He doesn't have much choice.'

'You think he'll be able to find them? They're going to know what's coming.'

'They might come in. They could be stupid, and they're certainly feeling desperate. But even if they don't, Yamaoto will know all their acquaintances, all the places they might try to hide. And from what you've told me, they're not exactly inconspicuous men.'