The Last Assassin

champagne and became accustomed to talking in front of her. She wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t as though she could understand, anyway.
    At one point Rain, obviously concerned about why she hadn’t yet given him a go sign, asked her to say something or at least clear her throat if she was all right. His timing was good—Big Liu had just drained his glass. She said, “More champagne?” and gave everyone a refill. Rain said all right, he wouldn’t bother her, but let’s finish this soon.
    “As I mentioned on the phone,” Yamaoto was saying, “I’m convinced that my men were blameless. But certainly someone betrayed us, someone who knew where and when the transaction was to occur and what it was to consist of. We need to list the people on both sides who had access to that information and start there.”
    Delilah glanced at Kuro. The man’s face seemed a bit too set to her. Maybe his English was limited, and he was uncomfortable not being able to participate.
    “Don’t know all details,” Big Liu said. He leaned forward and began chopping the air to emphasize his sentences. “But having man make list. Then ask people on list. Ask hard.”
    Yamaoto nodded. “And I’ll do the same.” He turned and spoke in Japanese to Kuro, whose sole response consisted of the word hai, repeated crisply several times and always accompanied by a stiff bow of the head.
    “One other thing I meant to mention,” Yamaoto said. “Your man Chan in New York. He hasn’t checked in with me in over a week. We had this problem once before and you told me it wouldn’t happen again. I’m afraid he’s now disrespecting both of us.”
    Delilah thought, Ah, merde. Rain had briefed her on all this on the way from the airport. It wasn’t going to be helpful for Yamaoto and Big Liu to discuss it now.
    “Mmm, Chan,” Big Liu said. “Have…problem there. Have to replace.”
    “I’m sorry?” Yamaoto said with a frown.
    “Chan have bad blood with soldier Wong. Wong hothead. Kill Chan, then disappear.”
    Yamaoto’s frown deepened. “When did this happen?”
    “Happen one week ago. Big Liu men look for Wong now. Find Wong, he very sorry.”
    “You’ve found Wong or you’re looking for him?”
    “No find,” Big Liu said, chopping the air again. “Look. Try to find. Will find. But…Wong was man watching woman for Yamaoto. So no report now. Need good replacement.”
    “Wait just a moment,” Yamaoto said, leaning forward. “Are you saying the man who was watching Kawamura Midori disappeared a week ago, after killing his own boss?”
    Yamaoto was becoming increasingly direct, even aggressive, in his tone and posture, and Delilah realized she was seeing some sort of default persona come to the surface. It was considerably less polished than the one he’d been displaying until now.
    Big Liu nodded. “Wong bad man. Unreliable.”
    Yamaoto shook his head as though he couldn’t believe it. “Killed him how? How do you know?”
    “Kill with knife. Find Chan, he very stabbed.”
    “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
    “Big Liu…embarrass by unreliable man. Find replacement first, then tell Yamaoto, better I think.”
    “Yes, but don’t you see? Chan was killed and Wong ‘disappeared’ just before the ambush in Wajima! You think that’s a coincidence?”
    Merde, Delilah thought again. She should have left earlier. And getting up now, in the midst of Yamaoto’s agitation, might precipitate a connection in his mind that she needed to avoid. She would have to ride this out.
    Big Liu looked at Kuro, plainly at a loss. Kuro started to translate, but Yamaoto cut him off.
    “My men told me they were ambushed by two men at Wajima. Right after your problem in New York. I don’t believe in coincidences. This is the work of John Rain. The man you were supposed to be watching for.”
    At the mention of his name, Delilah realized that everything Rain had hoped to accomplish was about to fall apart. Yamaoto had just infected Big Liu with suspicion. For the moment, Big Liu seemed disinclined to agree with Yamaoto’s theory, but if Yamaoto died this very night, Big Liu’s views would surely change. He would realize that Rain had killed no fewer than five of Liu’s people. And his men had been watching Midori in New York. They knew where she, and the child, lived. They could get to them, either as retribution or to bring Rain out in the open, it didn’t matter.
    There was only one way to prevent that. None of the three