The 22nd Secret (59 page)

“
T
e
ll
P
a
t
t
y
a
bout
m
e
a
nd
Tin
o
. T
e
ll
h
e
r
I
’m
w
a
tc
h
ing
y
ou two. T
e
ll
h
e
r
I
l
i
ke
h
e
r
Mom’s lemon
a
de
a
nd
I
’
ll
toast both of
y
ou
a
nd
y
our
p
a
rents
i
f she
do
e
sn’t
g
o with
y
ou
a
nd
t
eac
h t
h
e Chinese
a
bout
L
e
v
e
l 21.
T
e
ll
h
e
r just
l
ike th
a
t
. Use
the
w
o
r
d
toas
t
.
S
h
e
’ll know th
a
t’s f
r
om
m
e,
a
nd she
knows
w
h
a
t
i
t
m
ea
ns.
W
a
tch h
e
r
r
e
a
c
t
i
on if
y
ou th
i
nk
I
’m b
l
u
f
fi
n
g
.
”

H
e
n
r
y
p
a
u
s
e
d for
a
se
c
o
nd
.

“
You th
i
nk
I
’m bluf
f
i
n
g
?
”
B
e
n bl
i
nk
e
d
b
e
fo
r
e
r
ea
l
i
z
ing
it
w
a
s the w
r
o
n
g
r
e
ac
t
i
on.

“
You m
ea
nt
t
o not b
l
ink d
i
dn’t
y
ou
?
”
H
e
n
r
y
a
sk
e
d.
B
e
n tho
u
g
ht
for
a
se
c
o
nd then bl
i
nk
e
d on
ce
. H
e
n
r
y
looked
a
t Tino
a
nd th
e
y
both
lau
g
h
e
d
.

`(*0
ñ„L
Ê
‚
, H
e
n
r
y
said the
w
o
r
d
s in
Chines
e
, sta
r
t
l
ing
B
e
n.
Y
ou’re
in
one
h
e
ll
of a m
e
s
s
.

B
e
n
f
e
lt
the blood rushing
to h
i
s f
a
ce
.
H
e
b
e
g
a
n to
shiv
e
r.

”
One
more
th
i
n
g
,”
H
e
n
r
y
said.
“
You or
y
our Chi
n
e
se
buddies double
-
c
ross
me
a
nd Tino
a
nd
I
’ll tr
a
c
k
y
ou d
o
wn.
I s
wea
r
I
’ll g
e
t
P
a
t
t
y
,
a
nd
m
a
ke
y
ou w
a
tch
while
I
t
o
r
ture
h
e
r
to
d
ea
th then
I
’ll
toast
y
ou. You
t
hink
I
’m blu
f
fin
g
?
”
B
e
n
k
e
pt h
i
s
e
y
e
s as
w
ide o
p
e
n
a
s he
c
ould.

Henry shoved Ben back to his chair and slipped the pistol under his coat. “Ben, you’re a
talented young man. You got us this far. Now all you need to do is convince Patty the only way
out is to go with you to China. Tell her about tonight. Tell her I scared the piss out of you. Believe me, she knows me better than you. She’ll be plenty scared. Timing is everything. Today’s the 5th. The Chinese want her on the 15th. Don’t hit her with this until, say the 12th. That gives you a week to figure out just how you’re going to do this and her only two days to think about it. I’ll see you at Patty’s apartment the night of the 13th
with your plane tickets. You’ll fly
to Alaska the next day, then she’ll fly to the Chinese Ship on the 15th.”

H
e
n
r
y
g
ot up le
f
t
t
he
r
o
om
, slamming
the door
b
e
hind h
i
m
.
B
e
n looked
a
t
Tino.

“
Told
y
ou
h
e
w
a
s the
r
e
a
l
th
i
n
g
.
W
h
a
t
I
didn’t t
e
ll
y
ou is th
e
y
s
a
y
h
e
’s to
r
t
u
re
d tw
e
lve p
e
ople to d
ea
th.
P
ul
l
e
d that
g
un out
l
ike
y
ou s
a
w
h
im
do ton
i
g
ht and kil
l
e
d fi
f
te
e
n othe
r
s on the spo
t
.
N
o w
a
rni
n
g
, no
re
m
o
r
s
e
,
a
nd a
lot
of th
e
m
y
o
ur
fe
l
l
ow
c
ount
r
y
men.
Y
our
o
wn p
e
ople to
l
d
y
o
u
y
ou’d
b
e
luc
k
y
to s
u
rvive
c
om
i
ng
in
c
onta
c
t
with h
i
m.
I
g
u
e
ss
y
ou
’
re luc
k
y. At
le
a
st
s
o f
a
r. You ok
a
y
, B
e
n
?
”

B
e
n bl
i
nk
e
d.

“
W
a
nt
m
e
to drive
y
ou
h
ome
?
”

“
No,”
B
e
n said m
e
e
k
l
y
.
Tino l
e
ft the
r
oom
a
nd t
h
e
last me
e
t
i
ng w
a
s
o
v
e
r.

P
a
t
t
y
did not
th
i
nk it
w
a
s unusual to not
h
a
ve
h
e
ar
d f
r
om
B
e
n
W
e
dn
e
sd
a
y
n
i
g
ht. He
to
l
d h
e
r he
w
a
s e
a
t
i
n
g
with f
r
i
e
nds in Ch
i
n
a
town.
H
e
did
t
his ev
e
r
y
so oft
e
n
on
W
e
dn
e
sd
a
y
n
i
g
ht
s
.
B
ut wh
e
n
h
e
didn’t show
up f
o
r
c
lass she
d
ec
ided
to drive
b
y
his a
p
a
rtme
n
t
. He
ca
m
e
to
t
he
door look
i
ng
l
i
ke
d
ea
th
w
a
rm
e
d ov
e
r.

“
B
e
n,
wh
a
t’s
w
ro
n
g
?
Y
o
u sic
k
?
”
B
e
n turn
e
d
a
nd
w
a
lked
a
w
a
y
,
le
a
vi
n
g
h
e
r
standing
a
lone
a
t h
i
s op
e
n doo
r
.
S
he
f
ol
l
ow
e
d him
in
t
o
his
l
iv
i
ng
room
a
nd
c
losed t
h
e
d
o
or
b
e
hind h
e
r.
H
e f
e
ll
onto
t
he
c
ou
c
h
f
a
c
e
d
own.
T
h
e
re w
a
s an
e
mp
t
y
bot
t
le of
J
ac
k D
a
n
i
e
ls on the
c
o
f
f
e
e
tabl
e
.
P
a
t
t
y
h
a
d n
e
v
e
r s
e
e
n Ben
drink more
than a
b
ee
r
o
r two
a
t pa
r
t
i
e
s or
with d
i
nn
e
r.