The Protector (30 page)

As if he heard her thoughts, Jazz continued, “Many thought my maman couldn’t make it, told her to give her kids away, told her she could then move into town and look for a man there. But she refused to see things the way others did. And if you think about it, Vivi, so did you. And you can’t blame yourself that others didn’t. Your friend. Even Rose. You can only protect them as much as you can, but sooner or later, they have to survive on their own. And Sia-Sia did survive, as you just recently found out.”

“That’s the soldier talking,” she told him. “You can’t give a kid a weapon and tell him to jump into battle.”

Jazz sighed. “Tell that to the two kids my men were assigned to take out in the jungle not too long ago. It was a shock to see them, sitting there in the dark, using their weapons like
any grown men. They were probably only nine or ten, yet they had a whole group of grown ups at their beck and call. Life is what you make it,
chouchou.
I choose this life. I cannot go around thinking of those kids as just kids…because they aren’t. What I’m saying is—there are different options to survive. Look at you again, hmm? When you were alone, all by yourself, and really, really hungry and frightened, and you had no one to turn to, not that mythical daddy or even your best friend, and you were tempted, desperately tempted, at the idea of joining those girls with the pushed-up bras, standing outside those strip joints, why didn’t you?”

Vivi remembered that feeling of hunger very well. In the woods all alone. Then in strange towns as she made her way toward the border. The hunger pangs were never far behind. And each town, with its women sitting on the stools outside the bars, with the money she saw exchanging hands, had tempted her.

“A man,” she said, frowning in sudden recollection of a distant memory, “came up to me one day while I was standing in the shadows staring at the bright lights and the smells of food coming toward me. He said, ‘Are you hungry?’ I told him yes and that I was going to walk into that place any second now. I think I was probably half dreaming when I said that. I was so damn tired of everything. But he tapped me hard on the shoulder, and made me turn around. ‘No, no, you don’t want to do that, little girl,’ he’d said. ‘Here, take this money and go get yourself some food. And go on, get out of this place.’ I did. And somehow made my way close to the border.”

Vivi shrugged. There had been kind people who had helped her. This man—his words somehow had stuck in her brain. Little girl, he had called her. And she had repeated it to herself that night when she had taken shelter under a stairway. Little girl.

“It’s a sane voice in the dark,
chouchou.
I have heard it once or twice myself, someone who said something that registered, that pulled me back from a bad idea. That man did
you a favor but he didn’t physically stop you, did he?”

“No.”

“And so it’s the same way with you and every one you help out. You can be just a voice, among many, and if they choose to listen, what you’re saying will register.”

Vivi shifted and lifted her head. “You won’t get a big head if I say you’re a pretty wise man, will you? Who taught you all that stuff?”

He chuckled sleepily. “It’s like music,
chouchou.
You have to listen closely to different instruments, especially in jazz. Every sound is unique and some of them stand out. Like yours. Do you know you have the sweetest music following you around?”

“Oh yes, of course, big cymbals and grinding electric guitar,” Vivi teased. The man was a musician. He would always see things differently from her. But she liked the world viewed through his eyes.

“No, that’s only you when you have a few dozen goats around you.” He paused. “I don’t suppose you will bring in any animals with you and this Armando guy during your operation? I don’t trust him. Are you sure his saying Sia-Sia is alive is true?”

He was trying so hard not to show his worry. Vivi found herself smiling. Somehow, he had made her feel better, in spite of all that had happened. It was her turn to reassure him.

“I agreed to do this only because T. checked him out thoroughly. Getting his sister out and seeing Sia-Sia…he assured me she’s okay.” Armando hadn’t offered any more information. She suspected he didn’t want to share all the details because something bad had happened to her friend. It didn’t matter. She would find out soon enough. “I’ll be okay, Jazz. I’ve done extractions before.”

He gathered her in his arms again. This time, his hug was tightly possessive.

“I don’t want anything to happen to you, that’s all,” he said.

He cares about me.
She was touched. Remembering all he
had done since they met, it warmed her to know how much he cared. And she also realized that she had begun to care for him too. For the first time she felt ready to take a step into the future, that maybe she could share it with this man.

“I hear us making some sexy music,” she told him, moving suggestively against him.

“I always obey a voice in the dark,” he said.

It was late by the time Stefan reached
Yeekoh
’s place. He knew that the man didn’t like to be kept waiting but it couldn’t be helped. He needed that extra hour to plot out the newest strategy. It was always risky when unexpected new elements appeared. He would have to be extra careful. He followed the guard into a large living room.

“Dilaver has expressed a desire to meet with you,
Yeekoh,
to straighten things out. He doesn’t seem too trusting right now and I don’t blame him. After all, he lost a number of his men recently. He thinks it’s you.”

The youngest Triad brother didn’t look at Stefan. He was engrossed in watching a porno movie on the big screen television. “What do you think of this?” he asked, nodding toward the show, as he flicked cigarette ash onto the floor.

Stefan sat down on the sofa, his back to the screen. “Kids don’t interest me,
Yeekoh.
”

“You should expand your smuggling activities. There is big money in kiddie porn, especially with Westerners coming here to get their little excitement, huh?”
Yeekoh
laughed at his own wit. “They can’t get it where they’re at, so they fly over here. I have a whole travel agency working over in the States through my brother, you know. We book tours for those with special interests.”

“I have no interest in pedophiles either,” Stefan said quietly.

The other man finally looked up, his eyes assessing. “You’re already in an illegal business, my brother. There is no need to start calling our clients names.”

Stefan returned the gaze steadily. “I don’t make excuses for what I do,
Yeekoh.
Women and children appear to be your
specialty, let’s leave it at that.” And drugs and gambling. But he wasn’t here to discuss these things with the Triad brother. He was only interested in getting him to make a move about Dilaver and his weapons. “Dilaver still has the weapons. You have told me that you want to diversify. Since these are the same weapons you wanted in the first place, are you still interested? You’re going to need to renegotiate with him.”

But
Yeekoh
appeared to be in the mood to talk about other things. “Speaking of want, are you interested in my sister? Alissa is a very attractive woman, don’t you agree?”

“Alissa is a very beautiful and smart woman,” Stefan said noncommittally.

Yeekoh
smiled, showing yellowing teeth. “Yes, my father was very fond of her, too. Her ability to communicate in English attracts many clients on the Internet. And she does look quite beautiful naked. A bit too voluptuous, especially as she begins to get older. I sometimes miss her younger body, when she was less…developed. She does have a knack at training the young ones we get in, though.” He looked at the screen again. His voice became faraway, almost dreamy. “You should watch her at it sometimes. So…stimulating. That’s why we let her run this side of the business. She brings in money.” He paused to take a drag from his cigarette. Exhaling a plume of smoke, he added softly, “She had gotten quite fond of you, Stefan. I like to make my sister happy, and since you make her happy, I want to make you an offer.”

Stefan didn’t say anything. There was a minute of silence broken only by the moans coming from the TV.

Yeekoh
’s brows shot up. “Not interested?”

“You haven’t offered anything yet.”

“Ah, a careful man. That’s why I like you, Stefan. I just want to be sure of your intentions, since she is so precious to us here. She has this illusion that you want her for yourself, set her up as your mistress or something. Is this true?”

Stefan studied the other man for a few moments. “It hasn’t crossed my mind,” he replied. “Besides, she is
Yeekoh
’s sister, a family member of the Triads.”

It went without saying that one didn’t just set up a member of the Triads as one’s mistress. Stefan knew playing with one of the favored female siblings’ affections was a risk but he had targeted Alissa precisely because of her background and her connection to the brother.

“I was going to offer her to you for marriage, Stefan. You can be part of the family and be in charge of the gunrunning for us. That way, my sister will also be happy and won’t decide to move off with you somewhere. What do you say?”

The glint in
Yeekoh
’s eyes betrayed his cunning. Stefan knew the other man was trying to corner him. His sources and connections would be very valuable to this brother trying to gain more power among his brothers. If he agreed to the proposition, it would mean working for
Yeekoh
and no one else, essentially cutting off his freedom to do business with any rival clans, or moving in and out among others without them knowing that he owed his allegiance to the Triads. To say no would be an insult. The Triads didn’t take insults lightly.

Stefan smiled. He had a few days to make the next move in this game yet, and he had no intention of losing his freedom. When this was over, he would be gone from the region.

“An offer so well thought out should be honored by an equally thought-out response,” he said. “I like doing one business at a time. When you agreed to take that shipment of drugs off my hands, I owed you a favor, which I intend to first accomplish. You wanted to find out where Dilaver is. I have him and he has the weapons. I can set up a meeting between you and you can get this unfinished business out of the way. You’ll need me for an interpreter—I don’t trust the one he’s using. Once that’s done, we’re even, aren’t we,
Yeekoh
? Then I can pay proper attention to this new business proposition you just made.”

Yeekoh
’s answer was a satisfied smile. He nodded. He snuffed out his cigarette and cracked his fingers, ordering one of his men to turn the television volume down. “Very well. I shall tell Alissa the good news. Now, let’s talk about
Dilaver. Why is he behaving like an idiot? I thought he and I could do business, but one little attack and he’s in hiding. These Europeans aren’t used to gang wars, I suppose. Did you reassure him that it wasn’t my men?”

“He wants to meet you, doesn’t he?”

“Come on,” Hawk said. “Let’s go.”

Jazz looked up from the Dan Nhat. “Where to?”

“You’re killing me with that damn awful twanging and that lovelorn worried look on your face. We’ll kill two birds with one stone. Since Vivienne is at the same place on assignment, we’ll go scope it out for ours, too, while you can keep a general eye on what’s happening. I’ll get some of the men so we have a better feel about the target area. We’ll get miked so we can test different positions. Maybe you’ll even see your girl in action again.”

Jazz put down the lute. “Done.”

An hour later, they reached town. Hawk gave the truck driver a thumbs-up before they slipped out and headed to the Cha Cha Club.

Jazz sniffed the air. Each night mission was different, with its set of colors and smells. When they were in the jungle fighting the child warlords and their men, everything was dark and shadowy, with the smell of jungle mold and the sounds of crickets and night frogs that had gone strangely silent as the gun battle became more intense.

The night by the bridge was filled with the wet dankness of mud and the sounds of lapping water and chirping night birds. Tonight the smells of the town permeated the air. He
could distinguish the scents of spicy food and incense, mixed with the distant sound of a night bazaar. The lights made everything brighter, making it harder to hide in the shadows. But his team had had training in urban warfare; they knew how to blend into different types of darkness.

Each one of them had already studied the map. All they needed now was to pinpoint their physical location and set up shop. Cucumber, Dirk, and Mink would be in front. Zone, Joker, and Jazz would take the rear. Hawk, an excellent shot, wouldn’t be with them, of course. He would be in the theater itself. He had finally let them know that he had gone in and out of the building before, and that the thugs in there would recognize him. That was Hawk’s way of telling them that he had been undercover for a while now, that he had known what was coming up way before they did. Jazz was curious, and he was sure the team was, too, but like him, they kept their questions to themselves. For now.

They moved silently, using prearranged hand signals and occasionally communicating with the intercom. From years of training, they knew exactly how far apart they should be from their targets without being too close.

The people walking about and around the target area helped screen their presence as they scouted the location, checking out the size of the building and alleys nearby. The meeting would take place in the rear, where the informant had given a map of the key exits from the building. It would be even more extensively guarded at that time, of course. There was one more instruction added into their orders. Their informant wanted the contents in a certain room near the exit to be destroyed. C-4 would do nicely. That would be Jazz’s business.

“I see Vivienne.”

Jazz saw her, too. She was standing across the street, holding a bag. She was dressed in a light-colored top and casual pants, her hair tied back in a ponytail. She ignored the people passing by, staring at the building intently. She didn’t
show it but he knew she was trying to contain her excitement. She was finally going to see her long-lost friend.

Vivi had opened up more about her past the other night. He hadn’t realized how much guilt she carried inside her about leaving her friend behind. He could understand it by thinking about it in the context of leaving any of his men in a dire situation. But her friend had chosen not to go with her.

He had tried to press that point home. She seemed to think that if she hadn’t left, her friend might not have suffered such a horrible fate. He had tried to show Vivi that she would probably have ended up in the same boat if she hadn’t left.

“I know. But that doesn’t make me feel any better. Does that make sense?”

Yes. Survivor’s guilt was common among soldiers. All he could do was to hold her in his arms and try to prepare her for the coming shock. After all, her friend would be a very different person from the last time she’d seen her. No matter how prepared Vivi was, the coming meeting had to be traumatic. After years of being a prostitute, her friend might not be quite so friendly. Actually, he doubted that it could be her. He didn’t like this Armando person’s story one bit. Something didn’t sound right. And that was why he had been worrying.

“She’s talking to someone,” Jazz buzzed him again.

“To that guy Armando, I bet. She’s probably miked like us.”

“You said she’s just going to walk in there with the coffee money and try to bribe her way to see Sia-Sia. I don’t think it’s going to work.”

“I didn’t say it was money,” Jazz reminded Hawk.

But he was worried just the same. He was already thinking of alternate ways to intervene if those men strong-armed her.

“They are going to be curious about you and won’t pay attention to me walking in. And if you succeed in getting to see Sia-Sia, they won’t see me slipping inside the secured area. I know what to do when I’m in there.”

Even through the mike, Vivi could feel Armando’s confidence. With his ability to tail her without her knowing, she knew he would be able to get to his sister once he got inside, especially when the guards were busy with her. “Okay. Which one is the head thug again?” From her shadowy corner, she checked out the tough man standing at the far end of the doorway. “That one with the red pants?”

“Yes. He’s a martial arts expert. Be very careful with him.”

She smiled without humor. “Oh, now you’re worried about my safety.”

“No, just mine. I don’t think your SEAL boyfriend will be happy if you get hurt.”

Did she have no secrets from anyone anymore? Vivi shook her head. Boyfriend. When did that happen?

“Don’t worry, Vivi. I’ll try my best to rescue you too, just like your boyfriend did.” This time he was back to his mocking self.

“I don’t think so, buster,” Vivi retorted. Certainly not the way she was remembering. “Okay, going to start the show now. Are you sure he will recognize Sia-Sia’s picture?”

There were many women working in there. How could she stand out to these men who didn’t even see them as persons? That picture was of a younger Sia-Sia, after all. She crossed the street, holding the bag tightly.

“Trust me, Vivi. Sia-Sia is still a favorite after all these years and when you mention that you’re her sister and show him the bracelet, he will at least give you some time to explain.”

Still a favorite—Vivi didn’t want to think about the connotations behind that phrase. “What if she isn’t working tonight?”

“She’s there. And Vivi…I haven’t thanked you for doing this.”

She looked up at the three-story building, wondering which room Sia-Sia was working in. “I still haven’t kicked your ass for keeping this from me for so long.” She couldn’t
see Armando among the people walking in and out but she knew he was nearby. “She’s been in there all this time.”

“I have my reasons.”

“Selfish ones.”

“Yes.”

Vivi took a deep breath. Water under the bridge. She was going to see Sia-Sia now. “Okay, ready to roll.”

While Jazz listened to Hawk’s instructions to the others, he kept his eyes trained on Vivi. She was careful not to appear to be talking to somebody, moving around, checking her bag now and then. He could tell she was preparing herself.

“Copy,” he said, replying to Hawk’s question.

“We’ll move on to the back of the building as soon as your gal goes in there, buddy.”

“Affirmative.”

He watched Vivi cross the street slowly. She was looking at one of the two entrances. Two men stood outside, casually greeting some of the people going in. She walked straight to the one with the red pants. A woman approaching one of the Triad guards—that ought to generate a big buzz.

“What’s she showing him?”

Vivi had given him some details about her plans. “An old picture. She’s going to tell him she’s been looking for her sister and that the local authorities have sent her to them.”

“Shit, Jazz, there’s no way that asshole is going to listen to her story,” Cucumber chimed in. “What’s going to stop him from pulling her in there and imprisoning her?”

“Look, she’s giving him a wad of money, too.”

“She knows what she’s doing, men,” Jazz said, half reassuring himself.

“Look at them laughing at her. Come on, we can’t go to case the back. We’ve got to rescue her,” Dirk said.

“I can blow the guy away, Jazz. Say the word.” That was from Joker, who never had much to say.

Jazz’s team had become very protective where Vivi was
concerned. She had gained their respect from what they had seen of her work in the last assignment.

“They’re laughing at her, men, except the one in the red pants. Whatever Vivi is saying to him is making him think,” Hawk said.

“I just don’t like the way he’s grabbing her at the elbow,” Cucumber muttered.

Nor did Jazz. He wanted to go over there and—

“Jazz, three o’clock.”

Jazz turned in that direction. Someone else was watching Vivi. It was Dilaver.

Vivi forced herself to look around. She hated these places. She had been inside a couple of them before and after each time, she had spent days trying to forget the sights and sounds of debauchery. Gambling at the lowliest caliber, without the trappings of well-dressed wealth or the hushed professionalism of uniformed card dealers and cashiers. Here there was nothing to hide the addiction. Men gathered around in a circle over there, talking loudly as they wagered against cockerels in a pit. Groups at tables playing dominoes and cards, shouting above the clatter. There were no chips, just cash exchanging hands. And the girls on the couches…

Vivi had to look away. There were some things she refused to let her senses register. Those girls were the same ones sitting outside the bars on the stools, hiking up their already short skirts for all to see what they weren’t wearing. In here, some of them were already half naked and totally drugged out—the reward for bringing in a client. She didn’t want to see what was happening on the couches.

Thankfully, the thug in the red pants was shoving her toward the back rooms. Not that the acts back there would be any less nauseating. The authorities seldom, if ever, raided the whorehouses here; the Triads were too powerful a group. But she had interviewed many victims over the last two years who knew the horrors that went on for those who had initially resisted their lot. They were usually freed after their
relative had paid their debts. Freed…until the next time. Some of them had sought help from the United Third World organization.

Chained to beds. Starved. Drugged. And for those who were too young to even understand what was happening…

“I’m in,” Armando interrupted her thoughts. “I’ll let you know when I get my sister out.”

The back was painted in red, with traditional music playing. The Triads had put some money into the place—there were mirrors and even carpeting, a luxury in these parts in what looked like a waiting room of some sort. The huge vase of fresh flowers in the middle of the room was an obscenity to what was going on here, and Vivi had to bite back a scathing remark.

Now wasn’t the time. She would take notes now. She’d find a way later to help these women somehow.

Jazz swallowed a curse. He should have done more than knock out that son of a bitch the other night, kept him off his feet for a few days. He wished he was close enough right now to do exactly that. Dilaver had caught sight of Vivi. That didn’t bode well.

“What do you think he’s doing?”

“He is smart—he’s casing the place, like we are,” Hawk said. “He’s out for revenge and he doesn’t seem like the type to sit on his ass and wait for others to do all the action.”

Jazz watched Dilaver signaling his men. One joined him and they started staggering toward the entrance, acting drunk and rowdy. It was like watching a play within a play, seeing two different stories happening at the same time. Jazz didn’t like how the plot was moving.

“That’s his interpreter with him. Dilaver needs him like a crutch.”

“You sound like you’ve been up close and personal with him, Hawk.” It was just a guess. His friend had been too damn closemouthed about this lone assignment. “Tell me you didn’t know about this appearance.”

“I didn’t,” Hawk said. “Listen up, men, I want you all to proceed with our plan.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m walking in there, I’ll check out what’s happening. Jazz, you’re in charge.”

Hawk going in there alleviated his fear for Vivi’s safety. “Is it going to be a problem to appear suddenly? Won’t the thugs be suspicious?”

“No.”

Hawk didn’t bother to explain. Jazz looked in the direction where he knew Hawk was. His friend’s shadow suddenly emerged. He was adjusting his clothes. Probably making sure his weapons weren’t too visible. Then he watched Hawk walk to the guards at the door and greet them by their names.

“All right,” Jazz said, moving toward the alley leading to the back. “We’ll get into position like we’d planned, but you keep in contact.”

“Sir.” Zone’s voice was urgent. He had been the first to head down the alley to the back.

“What is it?”

“I think Hawk should come back out. From my view, it looks like Dilaver’s men are wiring the damn place with charges. They are going to blow it up.”