The Dragon Head of Hong Kong by Ian Hamilton Page B

Instead he sat next to her, their knees touching. He faced the door, she noticed, and wondered if that was the reason for his seat choice.
    “Do you drink?” he asked.
    “Tea will be fine.”
    “I’m having beer. You sure you don’t want something stronger?”
    “Maybe a glass of white wine. But only one. I do have to work tomorrow.”
    Kung signalled for a waiter. As he did, Ava’s eyes drifted towards the plate-glass window at the front of the restaurant. She saw Andy and Carlo walking by and felt a slight flush. Didn’t they know that she and Kung were there?
    “What are you looking at?” Kung asked.
    “Nothing.”
    “My men aren’t joining us, if that is what you’re worried about.”
    “Not at all,” Ava said, and then wondered why he felt it necessary to mention that.
    The waiter arrived at the table. Kung ordered a Tsingtao beer and asked about the wine selection.
    “All we have is house wine. The white is a Swiss Chardonnay.”
    Ava had never heard of Swiss wine. “That will be fine,” she said.
    “And I want a platter of cold noodles with special Szechuan sauce as a starter. We’ll order the main meal after that.”
    As the waiter left, Kung’s eyes glanced towards the window. Then his face froze, and Ava felt a rush of fear.
    “What’s the matter?” she said.
    “Just a minute,” he said, reaching into his shirt pocket for his cellphone. He hit the speed-dial button, his eyes locked onto the restaurant entrance. “Li, I’m at Yang’s Restaurant. Those two jerks from the hotel lobby are outside. You and Wong should get over here and clear them out.”
    Ava struggled to stay calm. It was an effort. The plan, such as it was, was already falling apart.
    “Well, if you can’t find Wong, come by yourself. You should be able to handle them,” Kung said and closed his phone.
    She started to stand.
    “Where do you think you’re going?” Kung asked, his hand gripping her wrist.
    “I beg your pardon?” Ava said.
    “Sorry,” he said quickly, lifting his hand. “There’s a couple of creeps outside who I think have been tailing me. It’s sort of set my nerves on edge.”
    “Why would they do that?”
    “A business dispute.”
    “Must be serious if they’re following you.”
    “More annoying than serious. Now, why were you getting up?”
    “I need to go to the washroom.”
    “Of course,” he said, politely half-rising from his seat.
    She didn’t feel completely steady as she made her way to the bathroom. Jet lag, hunger, and panic were combining to take their toll. She just hoped she looked somewhat under control.
    She went into an empty stall, locked the door, and sat with her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. What a mess , she thought. The thug named Li would arrive before Carlo and Andy and she’d be stuck with Kung for dinner, or worse. Or all three men would get to the restaurant at the same time, and then what? She tried to think of something, anything positive and came up blank. She left the stall and went to the sink to wash her hands. She stared at herself in the mirror . You fool , she thought. You flew all those thousands of kilometres to get Mr. Lo’s money back and you don’t have a clue what you’re doing.
    “You fucking assholes!”
    It was Kung’s voice, and then she heard Carlo yell, “Come quietly with us and you won’t get hurt. If you put up a fight, I’ll put this knife right through your ribs and we’ll carry you out.”
    Ava ran back into the restaurant and saw Carlo and Andy on either side of Kung. Carlo was holding a knife to Kung’s ribs, and Andy’s small handgun was in Kung’s lower back.
    “We’ve got him,” Carlo shouted to Ava.
    She quickly looked around. The waiters had retreated behind the bar. The other customers were trying to ignore the goings-on. Kung’s head spun in her direction and she saw hatred cross his face.
    “You fucking bitch,” he spat.
    Ava walked to the men. “What do we do now?” she asked.
    “We