Killing Rain

more than a few minutes would stick out. It wasn’t going to work.
    Of course, if he weren’t alone, it would be a little more doable. If he were with, say, an attractive European executive.
    I pictured Dox in a Hong Kong–tailored, conservative suit, across from Delilah, probably in a chic but tasteful pantsuit. Dox could be a local corporate expat; Delilah would be the smart European advertising executive trying to land an account with him. That’s the kind of deal that got done at the China Club every night. They’d look completely at home.
    What the hell, I couldn’t sleep anyway. I got up, turned on one of the reading lights, and picked up the cell phone. I slipped in a new SIM card and powered it up, then called Delilah. She answered on the first ring.
    “Hey,” I said. “Hope I’m not waking you.”
    “You’re not. I’m still jet-lagged.”
    “Okay time to talk?”
    “It’s fine. I’m just sitting in my room.”
    I thought about asking her again if she wanted to meet. It seemed like such a waste, with both of us in the same city. Hell, for all I knew, she was in the same hotel, maybe in the room right next to me.
    I supposed she was right, though. It would have been stupid to meet now, with Gil watching her. If she had to lose him, she might only get one chance, and I wanted that chance to be the China Club. Also, part of me, maybe not the most mature part, didn’t like the idea of being rejected a third time, even if the rejections were for sound reasons and not at all personal.
    “I think I’ve got an opportunity to wrap this whole thing up tomorrow,” I said. “Finish what I started.”
    There was a pause. She said, “Okay.”
    “But I could use your help. If that’s a problem, I’ll understand. This isn’t your mess.”
    She chuckled softly. “If only that were true.”
    “All right. If you want to help clean things up, can you get to Hong Kong tomorrow?”
    There was another pause. “I already told Gil that I would stick around Bangkok for a few days in case you contacted me. I don’t know how I could explain my sudden urge to travel.”
    I thought for a moment. “Tell him I contacted you. That I apologized for bugging out on you and asked if you could join me in Hong Kong.”
    “If I tell him that, he’s going to go out there, too, just like he came to Bangkok. To be closer to wherever you resurface so he can get to you right away. And he’s suspicious of me now. He’s going to want to stay close.”
    “Can you manage all that?”
    I could feel her weighing the pros and cons. She said, “Probably.”
    “Can you get a flight out first thing in the morning?”
    “Of course.”
    “Okay. Do it. Check the bulletin board when you get there. Or I’ll call you again.”
    She was quiet for a moment, and I thought, Meet me tonight. Just ask me.
    But she didn’t. She said, “Okay. I’ll be there.”
    I thanked her and hung up.
    I powered down the cell phone, turned off the light, and sat down in the chair again. I crossed my legs under me and watched the city lights through the window until one by one, almost imperceptibly, they started to go out.
    I thought about Delilah, so near and yet so far.
    I hoped I could trust her. I supposed I needed to. But none of that was what worried me.
    What worried me was how much I wanted to.
    EIGHTEEN
    HILGER FINALLY FINISHED UP the day’s financial work—certain aspects of which constituted his cover in Hong Kong; others of which had more to do with his real business, his real mission. With everything that had been going on lately, it hadn’t been easy to stay on top of it all.
    He stood up from his desk and stretched, then checked his watch. Shit, two in the morning. He had to get home and get some sleep. He had a big day tomorrow.
    The phone rang. He sat back down. The caller ID readout indicated a blocked number, which, he hoped, meant it was Winters calling with good news. He’d been wondering what had been taking so long.
    Instead, it was Demeere, another man from his network who had gone to Thailand to help Winters interrogate Rain. Before
    Hilger had a moment to consider why it was Demeere calling rather than Winters, the team leader, Demeere said, “Bad news.”
    “All right,” Hilger said, his voice calm.
    “Winters and the Thais tried to take Rain outside a club in Pathumwan. Rain got away. Winters is dead. So are two of the Thais.”
    For once, Hilger’s calm came slightly unstuck. He said, “Shit.” He tried to