The Last Assassin

night. Rain had told her Dox was like that, always fooling around until the moment he was about to drop someone from behind that scope. When he was sniping, Rain had said, Dox was as quiet and still as you could imagine. If you talked to him he would answer, but it was almost as though he wasn't there. Or rather, he was so there that at that particular moment you were no longer what was real to him.
    'Good, here we go,' she said. She walked on, and there they were, the two valets again, standing like a pair of living lawn jockeys. They bowed to her in unison as she turned onto the path. She nodded and kept moving and a moment later she was inside, the same procedure as the day before, the same two security guys. The hostesses behind the island recognized her this time. They bowed, then one of them picked up the phone and spoke briefly in Japanese.
    Kyoko appeared from behind the door and walked out around the island. She shook Delilah's hand and looked her over, clearly pleased with what she saw. She had probably mentioned her find to Kuro, and was glad that Laure was going to make the right impression.
    'Mr Kuro isn't here yet,' Kyoko said, 'but he will be soon. He has some business tonight and I'm not sure when he'll be free, but he is expecting you and I hope you can wait as we discussed.'
    'Certainly,' Delilah said.
    'Can we offer you something to drink…?'
    Delilah nodded and said, 'Tea?'
    'Of course. Milk? Lemon?'
    Delilah smiled. 'Just tea.'
    Kyoko nodded and gestured to the leather bench. 'Please. Make yourself comfortable. And if there's anything else you need, just let one of the girls know.'
    Delilah sat and Kyoko returned to the office. So far, so good: in a moment, she would go to take out the generator. Then, if Yamaoto arrived on schedule, she could see where the hostesses seated him and let Rain in. With just a little luck, this could be over very soon.
    A Japanese woman, one of the waitresses, brought tea in a fine ceramic pot on a bamboo tray. Delilah thanked her and sat sipping for about five minutes. No one went down the stairs, and no one came up — long enough to be reasonably sure that the bathrooms were empty.
    She stood and said to the hostesses, 'Sorry, the ladies' room…'
    The hostess closest to her smiled and gestured to the stairs. Delilah nodded and started down.
    She repeated the procedure from the day before. This time, though, she turned off the generator before leaving the utility room. And, to be sure, she disconnected the electrical leads. When she was done, she went into the ladies' room.
    'Generator's out,' she said.
    Rain said, 'Good.'
    Dox added, 'Way to go, honey.'
    She used the toilet, then went back upstairs and sat sipping tea again, feeling just slightly on edge, in that good way you get when the op has begun and things are going smoothly.
    Twenty minutes later, she heard Dox in her ear: 'All right, Mr Big Liu just arrived. Along with two bodyguards and an associate of some type, from the look of things. The valets are taking their car right now.'
    'Got it,' Delilah said quietly.
    'Yamaoto should be coming soon,' Rain said. 'Be ready.'
    'Roger that,' Dox said.
    A moment later the buzzer sounded. The hostesses nodded to the security guy, who opened the door and bowed. Four men walked in. She recognized Big Liu from the photos Rain had shown her. The next two were younger and in good shape, and at least as tough-looking. She looked them up and down. Both had bulges on their right hips and a right pants leg riding an inch too low. Pistols in hip holsters — bodyguards. The other guy looked a little more put together, more in charge — management. All as Dox had surmised.
    The hostesses came out from behind the island and took the men's coats. Big Liu looked around, smiling, then noticed Delilah. The smile broadened, and lingered to the point of lasciviousness. Well, Rain had mentioned that the man liked blondes.
    One of the hostesses led them to the main room. As they went through the swinging doors, Big Liu glanced back at Delilah, still smiling.
    Two minutes later, the hostess came back. But rather than returning to her post behind the island, she went into the office. Delilah wondered what was happening.
    She heard Dox in her ear again: 'Yamaoto's coming in right now. He moved too fast and had bodyguards in the way, I didn't have a shot. You'll see them all in a second, with Kuro, too.'
    'Got it,' she said.
    'All right,' Rain said. 'We weren't really expecting to be