Flood Tide (Dirk Pitt 14)

"Qin Shang Maritime delivered as agreed," Wong said thickly. If Loo and the Dragon Triad reneged on their deal with his boss, Wong knew that he would be held responsible. Failure of this magnitude meant death when one was in the employ of Qin Shang. "The goods and property were turned over and placed in your hands. You will be held accountable."

"Without us, Qin Shang cannot do business in the United States," Loo said smugly. "The way I see it, he is powerless to do anything but accept the loss."

"He is far more powerful than you think," said Wong. "You are making a grave mistake."

"You tell Qin Shang that Jack Loo is not afraid of him. Valuable friends are not to be cast off like old clothes. He is too wise not to accept a minor defeat that he can recoup in a week."

Wong gazed ferretlike at Loo. "Then our little deal is off concerning Miss Lee. She reverts back to me."

Loo considered that for a moment, then he laughed. "Didn't you say Qin Shang wants her dead?"

"Yes, that is true," Wong said, nodding.

Loo lifted Julia above his head with both hands. "The drop from here onto the steel rails of the track bed is thirty feet. Suppose I fulfill Qin Shang's wish to kill Miss Lee and make reparation for our financial differences."

Wong glanced down at the steel rails lying directly below and between the rear of the last freight car and the concrete stop barrier. "Yes, you make an excellent point. I think Qin Shang might be appeased for his loss. But please make it now. We can no longer afford to waste time. We must leave quickly."

Loo extended his arms and tensed. Julia screamed. Wong and May Ching were waiting in sadistic anticipation. None of them noticed a tall, curly-haired man in an ill-fitting security uniform who had stepped silently down the stairs behind them. "Forgive me for interrupting," said Pitt, jamming the muzzle of his Colt against the base of Loo's skull, "but if anyone so much as scratches their nose, I'll blow their gray matter into the next parish."

They all turned instinctively toward the strange voice, each forming different expressions on their faces at his abrupt appearance. Loo's tan features went pallid, his eyes blank with incredulity. May Ching's features went taut with dread. Wong looked downright curious.

"Who are you?" Wong asked.

Pitt ignored him. When he spoke, it was to Loo. "

ut the lady down gently." To emphasize his demand, Pitt jammed the .45 solidly into the flesh of Loo's neck below the skull.

"Don't shoot, please don't shoot," pleaded Loo as he slowly lowered Julia to her feet, his beady eyes glazed with fear.

Julia crumpled to her knees. It was then that Pitt saw the terrible bruises on Julia's wrists and ankles. Without a second's hesitation, he clubbed Loo on the temple with the barrel of the Colt, watching with grim satisfaction as the Triad director dropped and rolled down the stairs.

Unable to believe the voice was really his, Julia looked up and saw the opaline-green eyes and the crooked grin. "Dirk!" she muttered dazedly as she reached up and gently touched the bandage on his broken nose. "Oh God, oh God, you're here. How, how in the world . . . ?"

Pitt wanted desperately to lift her up and hold her in his arms, but he didn't dare take his eyes off of Wong. He read the expression and knew Qin Shang's enforcer was coiled to strike like a snake. With foresight, he also predicted May Ching had nothing to lose now that her boss was a broken body at the foot of the stairs. She stared at him with a look of cold hatred no woman had ever speared him with before. Pitt kept his eyes on her and the gun trained on Wong's forehead. "I just happened to be passing by and thought I'd drop in and say hello."

"Your name is Dirk?" Wong said tightly. "Am I to presume you are Dirk Pitt?"

"I certainly hope so. And you?"

"Ki Wong, and the lady is May Ching. What do you intend to do with us?"

"Ki Wong," said Pitt thoughtfully. "Where have I heard that name before?"

Julia was astute. Without jeopardizing Pitt's vigilance, she circled her arms around his waist from the back so as not to restrict his movements. "He's Qin Shang's chief enforcer," said Julia, slowly struggling to her feet. "He interrogates the immigrants and decides who lives and dies. He was the one who tortured me on board the Indigo Star.""You're not a very nice man, are you?" said Pitt conversationally. "I've seen your handiwork."

Without warning a guard appeared from nowhere. Too late, Pitt caught the unexpected presence from May Ching's eyes as they flashed from hatred to triumph at seeing the uniformed guard. Desperately he whirled around to face his attacker as Wong threw himself at Pitt. May Ching screamed.

"Kill him! Kill him!"

"I always respect a lady's wishes," said the intruder without emotion. The .357 magnum revolver in his hand spat fire, the deafening blast reverberating around the landing as if it came from a cannon. Wong's eyes burst from their sockets as the bullet's impact struck him square, just above the bridge of the nose. He reeled backward, arms outstretched, and careened over the railing, his already dead body crashing onto the rails far below.

Giordino regarded his handiwork modestly. "I hope I did the right thing."

"And high time too," said Pitt, hoping his heart would start pumping again.

"Damn you!" shrieked May Ching, leaping at Pitt, her fingers with their long nails curled to gouge out his eyes.

She only took one step before Julia's fist rammed into May Ching's mouth, splitting the lips and sending a spurt of blood down the front of the red silk dress. "You bitch!" said Julia fiercely. "That's for drugging me." Another convulsive movement, and Julia's next blow took May Ching in the stomach, sending the lady from the Dragon Triad to her knees, gasping for breath. "And that's for leaving me half naked in front of men."