9 Dragons

net boats of their catch so that they could continue to harvest. The crane was controlled from a small booth on the upper platform that protected the operator from the wind and other elements at sea.
    It was the tinted windows of the booth that Sun was pointing at. With the sun in the sky beyond the boat, Bosch could see the silhouette of a man in the booth.
    Bosch pulled himself back around the corner with Sun.
    “Bingo,” he said, his voice already tightening with the sudden blast of adrenaline. “Do you think he saw us?”
    “No,” Sun said. “I saw no reaction.”
    Bosch nodded and thought about their situation. He now believed with complete conviction that his daughter was somewhere on that boat. But getting to the boat without the lookout spotting them seemed impossible. They could wait for him to come down for a meal or bathroom break or a changing of the watch, but there was no telling when that would be or if it would even happen. Waiting defied the urgency that was growing in Bosch’s chest.
    He checked his watch. It was almost six. It would be at least two hours before total darkness. They could wait and then make a move. But two hours could be too long. The text messages had put his daughter’s abductors on notice. They could be about to make some sort of move with her.
    As if to drive this possibility home, the deep throb of a marine engine suddenly sounded from the wharf. Bosch stole a glimpse around the corner and saw exhaust rising from the stern of the crane boat. And now he saw movement behind the windows of the pilothouse.
    He ducked back.
    “Maybe he saw us,” he reported. “They started the boat.”
    “How many did you see?” Sun asked.
    “At least one inside the pilothouse and one still up on the crane. We need to do something. Now.”
    To accent the need to move, he reached behind his back and pulled the gun. He was tempted to move around the corner and go down the wharf shooting. He had a fully loaded.45 and liked his chances. He’d seen worse in the tunnels. Eight bullets, eight dragons. And then there would be him. Bosch would be the ninth dragon, as unstoppable as a bullet.
    “What’s the plan/” Sun asked.
    “No plan. I go in and I get her. If I don’t make it, I’ll make sure none of them do either. Then you go in and get her and put her on a plane out of here. You’ve got her passport in your trunk. That’s the plan.”
    Sun shook his head.
    “Wait. They will be armed. This plan is not good.”
    “You got a better idea? We can’t wait for dark. That boat’s about to go.”
    Bosch moved to the edge and took another look. Nothing had changed. The lookout was still up in the booth and there was somebody in the pilothouse. The boat was rumbling on idle but still tied to the end of the pier. It was almost as if they were waiting for something. Or someone.
    Bosch ducked back and calmed himself. He considered everything around him and what was available to use. Maybe there was something other than a suicide run at this. He looked at Sun.
    “We need a boat.”
    “A boat?”
    “A small boat. We can’t go down the pier without being seen. They’ll be watching for it. But with a small boat we could create a distraction on the other side. Enough for somebody to go down the pier.”
    Sun moved past Bosch and looked around the corner. He surveyed the end of the pier and then ducked back.
    “Yes, a boat could work. You want me to get the boat?”
    “Yeah, I’ve got the gun and I’m going down the pier to get my daughter.”
    Sun nodded. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the car keys.
    “Take the keys. When you have your daughter, you drive away. Don’t worry about me.”
    Bosch shook his head and pulled out his phone.
    “We’ll get someplace nearby but safe and then I’ll call you. We’ll wait for you.”
    Sun nodded.
    “Good luck, Harry.”
    He turned to go.
    “And good luck to you,” Bosch said.
    After Sun left, Bosch kept his back against the front wall of the warehouse and prepared to wait. He had no idea how Sun would commandeer a boat but he trusted that somehow he’d get his part done and then would create the distraction that allowed Bosch to make his move.
    He also thought about finally making the call to the Hong Kong police, now that he had located his daughter, but he quickly discarded that idea as well. Police swarming the pier was no guarantee of his daughter’s safety. He’d stick with the plan.
    He turned to look around the corner