“Edward said he’s making sure the shipment reaches us okay. He’ll see you when you’ve got the American side of the trip ready. Not before.”
I could hardly ask if Yasmin Zaid was here. “Is this all I have to work with?”
“What do you mean?”
“There are four of you, including Piet. I need more people to grab a shipment.”
“Piet was hired to arrange the shipment. We’re not helping you at all.”
“But we need more people.” I gained nothing by taking down this group; it wasn’t all of them, and Yasmin and Edward weren’t here.
“You don’t get to talk to Edward, or anyone else, until you’ve fixed the cargo problem.”
I glanced around the den; it wasn’t the room where they’d shown Yasmin shooting the Turk. This wasn’t their base of operations. This dump was a backup safe house for them.
I was going to have get Edward’s operation back on track. That was the only way to get him and the whole gang within reach, close enough to kill, close enough to get answers.
No choice. Starting tomorrow, I was going to have to steal a shipment of cigarettes from gun-toting Chinese smugglers to give me the man I was hunting.
Lucky me.
59
Gregor said, “I don’t do a lot of business with the Chinese.” He looked at me and then at Piet. He swallowed. “Seriously, guys, I don’t think I can help you.”
“I just need someone in the counterfeiting chain,” I said. “You must know someone. No way are all these Rolexes entirely real.”
“I beg your pardon, Sam, but they are.” Gregor managed a moment’s outrage. He turned to Piet. “I honestly can’t think of anyone to aim you at.”
I was going to owe Gregor big-time. But killing Piet and removing all danger to him would probably be a good settling of the accounts. “I need to know, Gregor. You must have a contact among the Chinese.”
Gregor looked gaunt and frightened and once again like he was fending off a cold. He shook out a garlic lozenge from a package and slipped it between his lips, sniffling.
“I have one or two. But I’m not sure they’d appreciate me giving you a name. The Chinese counterfeiters are very, very careful about their associates.”
“They are also very, very entrepreneurial,” I said, “and I’m sure that we can make them an appealing offer.”
“What do you want them for?”
“We want to hire them to smuggle goods for us,” Piet lied.
Gregor clicked the garlic lozenge against his teeth. “Ask your friend Nic. Wouldn’t he know?”
“Nic is dead,” I said.
Gregor dragged a tissue across his nostrils with a wide swipe. “Really?” He looked at me as if to say: Well done.
“Yes. So. We need a name with the Chinese. We’ll pay, Gregor.”
He pulled a piece of paper close to him, wrote down a name and a phone number. “You want Mrs. Ling. She handles a lot of trade coming into Holland. I’ve gotten watches from her before. She has a legit export company, but she uses it as a front. I take fake Swatch watches from her, sell them online.” He finished his cigarette. “I would not cross Mrs. Ling.”
“I’m supposed to be afraid of a woman?” Piet snorted.
I had no intention of playing the fool. “Tell me about her.”
“She goes nowhere without her three sons. I suspect their father is the devil and Mrs. Ling won custody. These are vicious people. I do not deal with them unless I have to.”
“Where are the Lings?” My impatience showed. Fine. I’d face the badass Lings. I just wanted to get close to Edward. I’d thought of my child in that moment when I thought I might die, and now I couldn’t shake the thought of my baby.
“You can call them,” Gregor said. “Don’t involve me. Tell her you would like to propose a business deal to your mutual advantage.”
“He sounds like a Dickens novel,” Piet muttered. I hadn’t expected literary knowledge from Piet. I reminded myself not to underestimate him.
“Thank you, Gregor,” I said. It occurred to me that Gregor could solve a couple of problems for himself as soon as we left by calling the Lings and telling them we intended trouble. Or that we were trouble. “C’mon, Piet.” The plan on how to use the Lings to get rid of a chunk of the gang was already forming in my head but Piet said, “Wait.”
I turned back. Piet stared at Gregor, who stared back.
“What?” Gregor said. “What’s the matter?”
“He’s real nervous today. He’s afraid you’ll warn the Lings about us and so he’s thinking about killing you,” I said. I believe in honesty in all dealings with people like Gregor. He was a crook, but he was not a vicious killer and rapist like Piet. Garbage has different levels.
Piet shot a look at me.
“But if he kills you, I’ll kill him,” I said.
Piet shot out his arm and grabbed Gregor by the throat. Gregor tried to wrench away, his thin, delicate fingers plucking at the sausages that made up Piet’s hand.
“Listen,” Piet said. “You keep your goddamned mouth shut and you’ll get a cut.”
“All right, all right,” Gregor choked. Piet pulled out the short sword and ran it along Gregor’s jaw with a frightening tenderness.
“Let him go,” I said. “Now.”
Piet pushed Gregor away. Gregor gagged and fell to the floor. He spat out the garlic lozenge, huffing for breath.
“We’re all cool. All cool.”
Piet stormed out of the watch shop.
“It will be okay, Gregor. He won’t bother you again. I promise.”
Gregor didn’t look at me. “Please don’t come see me again. Please. I don’t want to stay in the business. I don’t want to be tied to whatever you’re doing. I have a wife. A child. Please. ”
I’d pushed him too far and he wanted out; I couldn’t blame him. He’d given me a lot.
“Okay, Gregor. Thank you for helping me.”
Piet had repaired to a cafe across the street.
I sat down across from him and he said, “You do not issue the orders. The next time you do that in front of someone, I will take the wakizashi and I’ll lop off a finger. Do you understand me? You’re nobody here. Nobody. ”
“I’m a nobody who’s saving your ass and don’t you forget it. The next time you decide to strangle someone who’s helping us, I will take your wakizashi and drive it into your back. You understand me?”
He glared at me. “Fuck you.”
“Listen to me. Edward and his people are just about done with you. That’s clear to me if not to you. They’ve had their fill of your screwups. So either we get the shipment or they’re going to kill us both.”
Piet said nothing as his beer was put on the table. I shook my head at the waiter. “I will find out where the Lings have a shipment heading for Amsterdam, one we can intercept.”
“How will you-?”
“I will. Trust me. But give me tonight to do it.” I stood. Piet stared down at his beer. “Give me a number where you can be reached.” He spouted one off and I memorized it. I didn’t want to leave him but I had to. He could duck and run now. But I couldn’t show him how I intended to find the Lings without tipping my hand on my past.
