Chinese.
‘We saw it was you, Tony. Come on in. Nice to see you keep good time.’
It was obvious that the upstairs vestibule and the area in front of the door were monitored by concealed cameras.
‘I’m always a good timekeeper, Luk See,’ Tony said with a smile, as the door was opened to allow them inside. ‘This is my daughter, Wanda. Just so you know and don’t get any funny ideas about her.’
Wanda thought she detected a note of serious and sinister warning in her father’s voice. This was certainly not the man who had wept and pleaded with her only this morning: now that he was on familiar ground, Tony Man Song Hing appeared to have found a new confidence.
‘Very happy to see you here, Ms Man Song Hing.’ The young Chinese was impeccably dressed in a black sharkskin suit, and Wanda felt that he was busily appraising her body, as were the two other men who obviously guarded the entrance with him. But all three of them faded as the sight that greeted her within The Broken Dragon all but took her breath away.
The interior was huge and opulent, with deep pile carpet under foot and a decor that was both rich and restrained. A black and gold screen separated the entrance lobby from the main rooms which were reached by descending a wide staircase. They were hardly inside before the man her father had referred to as Luk See beckoned to a haughty young girl in a long black cheongsam who came up the steps towards them.
‘Mr and Ms Man Song Hing. There is a table reserved for them.’
The girl nodded, hardly looking at either Wanda or Tony. She merely gestured them to follow her down the stairs leading first to a large bar and dining room, the walls of which were covered in lacquered bamboo and hung with Chinese works of art, illuminated by concealed spotlights.
The tables were placed well clear of each other, all gleaming with white cloths and ivory chopsticks. Waiters moved around silently and the conversation appeared to be conducted almost in whispers, for about three-quarters of the tables were occupied.
A waiter appeared at the table, placing glasses in front of them. ‘Champagne, compliments of the management.’ He spoke without showing a flicker of interest, banging down an ice bucket containing a bottle buried up to its neck. He opened the bottle and poured for them – a little in Wanda’s glass for her to taste. She shook her head. ‘I’m sure it will be fine.’ Long ago she had learned that this ritual should only be left to experts and much of the wine tasting that went on in restaurants was laughed at by the waiters.
‘You will not be kept waiting long.’ For the first time, the waiter gave a little smile and the hint of a bow as he left them.
‘The man at the door . . . ?’ Wanda began to ask.
‘Lee’s chief bouncer. You’ll only see him when the big man is actually here. His name is Lee’s joke, of course.’
‘Luk See?’ Wanda gave a small smile. Her stomach was churning with anxiety, while her eyes restlessly tried to take everything in. The light above them radiated from a golden, carved dropped ceiling; at the far end of the room, a pair of great arched doors were watched over by two burly men in dinner jackets, and the only time noise intruded into the restaurant was when these men opened one of the doors to usher someone in or out. For the few seconds that the door was open, the click of Fan-tan counters and the murmur of an excited gaming house was heard.
She also noticed that there were doors leading to the kitchens to the right of the long bar which took up almost the entire wall to their left, though at the near side of the bar she could see another door with yet one more bouncer in front of it. As she took her second sip of champagne, she saw this door open and the man on guard lean back to speak to someone. He nodded, then things happened very quickly.
Luk See came over to the table, gave them a mock bow and, almost with reverence, said, ‘The owner requests the pleasure of your company upstairs please. Now.’
Her father rose – a little nervously, Wanda thought – and gestured that she should accompany him. Shepherded by Luk See, they crossed to the door on the near side of the bar. Its guard opened it for them and, still with Luk See behind them, they went up a brilliantly lit, heavily carpeted staircase.
There was another door at the top, and Luk See pushed past them to knock. A voice softly called for them to enter and they were almost brusquely pushed through the door into the presence of Brokenclaw Lee himself.
The first thing that caught Wanda off guard was the emptiness of the room. After the opulence of the public rooms, it came as a shock to find that what she took to be Lee’s office was merely a bare room, its only decoration being an American Indian mask hanging directly above the long deal table that served as a desk. The second most striking thing was Brokenclaw Lee himself – huge, powerful, his handsome face and dancing, charming eyes, seemed to be inviting her to a pleasant evening’s entertainment, and when he rose she admitted to being overawed at his height and bearing.
‘This is a great pleasure.’ The voice was unaccented and beautifully modulated. ‘Tony, have you brought your wife with you?’
‘My daughter, sir.’ Wanda understood well enough why her father addressed this man in terms of respect.
Brokenclaw nodded and smiled. ‘I am sorry I cannot offer you any chairs, but this is where I conduct business when I am here, and I find it simpler to deal with business if I sit and the persons to whom I speak remain standing. Allow me to introduce these members of my staff.’ He gestured towards two other men whom Wanda had hardly noticed when they entered. ‘They are known as Wan Lo and Big Leu.’ He gave Wanda his most charming smile. ‘I realise that Big Leu looks a little small compared to myself, but among normal men he is considered large.’
Big Leu must have been around six foot one and very stocky, with broad shoulders, long arms and hands which Wanda immediately thought of as boxer’s hands. His sidekick, Wan Lo, was short, thin and wiry – a very tense man with eyes constantly moving and his body taut as though always ready for violence.
‘Now, Tony, since I have introduced my people, perhaps you will introduce your daughter.’
Her father hesitated, so Wanda herself stepped forward. ‘My name is Wanda Man Song Hing,’ she said, summoning all the deference she could command. Then quite without knowing why, she added, ‘It is an honour to meet you.’
He smiled down at her and offered a huge hand which took hers and held it in not so much a handshake as a caress.
Then quite suddenly, he stopped smiling. Still looking at Wanda, and keeping his voice down he asked, ‘Tony, have you brought my money? You were to bring it tonight.’
‘No, sir.’ Wanda could hear the surge of terror behind the words from her father. Then he repeated, ‘No, sir. But I have brought something more precious than any money.’
‘Oh. Pray what?’
‘My daughter, sir. I have brought you my daughter, Wanda.’
‘Really? And what has Wanda to say about this?’
His voice was always calm, soothing, making her think of the purring of a cat. ‘I am a good Chinese girl, sir,’ she again heard herself say. ‘I obey my father in all things.’
‘And you come here of your own free will?’
‘I do. But I must tell you that others have claim on my time.’
‘What kind of claim?’ Reasonable, relaxed.
‘I am an officer in the United States Navy.’
‘That’s even more interesting. So, when do you return to your duties, which would, of course, take you from the orbit of your father’s commands and influence?’
‘I have a ten-day furlough, sir. After that, I am free for one day a week and one entire weekend in every four.’ She kept her eyes raised towards Lee’s proud features.
‘Well,’ he smiled down at her. ‘I think we can arrange matters so that your naval duties will not interfere with your status as a gift to me.’ He let go of her hand and stepped to one side, standing directly in front of her father. ‘You appear to have done very well in bringing me your daughter, Tony Man Song Hing. For the moment, I shall suspend judgment on the question of your financial debt. Be here again at midnight in exactly ten days and I shall give you my complete verdict then. After I have sampled what your daughter has to offer.’
There was not the slightest sign of a threat in his voice, just the gentle, reasonable words of a seemingly
