most likely I would simply have succeeded in getting myself shot. And I don’t like to be shot.
The girl found me.
She came creeping up the hall, an automatic in each hand, hesitated for an instant outside the door, and then came in on the jump. And when she saw me sitting peacefully on the side of the bed, her eyes snapped scornfully at me, as if I had done something mean. I suppose she thought I should have given her an opportunity to put lead in me.
“I got him, Tai,” she called, and the Chinese joined us.
“What did Hook do with the bonds?” he asked point blank.
I grinned into his round yellow face and led my ace.
“Why don’t you ask the girl?”
His face showed nothing, but I imagined that his fat body stiffened a little within its fashionable British clothing. That encouraged me, and I went on with my little lie that was meant to stir things up.
“Haven’t you rapped to it,” I asked; “that they were fixing up to ditch you?”
“You dirty liar!” the girl screamed, and took a step toward me.
Tai halted her with an imperative gesture. He stared through her with his opaque black eyes, and as he stared the blood slid out of her face. She had this fat yellow man on her string, right enough, but he wasn’t exactly a harmless toy.
“So that’s how it is?” he said slowly, to no one in particular. “So that’s how it is?” Then to me: “Where did they put the bonds?”