Gale Force

102

The hit man went down easy. Crashed to the carpet, Harrington on top of him. Had a moment while falling to choose what to hold, chose the phone. Chose wrong. His pistol flew sideways, landed under the couch.

A struggle ensued. Harrington pushed off of Tanaka. Dove for the couch, didn’t quite get there, felt the smaller man clawing at him. Prayed the guy didn’t have another gun hidden somewhere, kicked like swimming lessons until the guy let him free.

The hotel phone was still ringing. The TV was blaring. Harrington hardly heard it, leaped again for the gun.

This time, he got hold of it. Rolled on his back and aimed it at Tanaka, who’d climbed to his feet and was coming for Harrington. The hit man stopped when he saw the gun. Smiled a little bit.

The bastard was still holding the phone.

“Back,” Harrington told him, pushing off of his back and to a standing position. “Back way up, buddy.”

Tanaka did as instructed. Stood there, waiting. The hotel phone was still ringing, and then it stopped. The TV was still on. Harrington had a pistol, and he had no idea what he was supposed to do next.

He had an idea.

“Give me your phone,” he told Tanaka. “Toss it to me. Don’t move.”

Tanaka obeyed. Tossed the phone softly to Harrington, who managed to catch it, though not at all gracefully. Harrington kept the pistol trained at Tanaka, as he’d seen Tanaka do all night. With his other hand, he brought the phone to his ear.

“I’m going to make a few assumptions,” he told whoever was on the other end of the line. “I’m going to assume you’re involved in this scheme Mr. Tanaka is running, first off.”

Silence.

“Second, I’m going to assume that you’re calling because you just saw the same news story we did, and now you know your buddies were, you know, foiled in their little act of piracy.”

Silence, still.

“And I guess I’m going to assume you were calling to tell Tanaka what to do with me, because you still don’t have what you’re looking for.”

More silence. Harrington was out of assumptions. Fortunately, he didn’t need any more.

“Suppose you’re correct,” came the reply. The man on the other end of the line sounded measured, composed. He wasn’t nearly as riled up about this whole escapade as Harrington. “What is it you’d like to tell me?”

“What I’d like to tell you?” Harrington went to scratch his forehead, remembered he was holding a gun. Nixed that idea. “I’m telling you, I’m in charge. I got your buddy’s phone, and I got his weapon, too. So that means, whatever you were planning to do with me, you can’t. Understand?”

More silence.

“Understand?”

The man actually chuckled. “Yes, I understand. Go on.”

“You come after me again,” Harrington said, “I call my buddies, and they dump that case of yours over the rail, never to be seen again. Get it? And that goes for my parents, too. Whoever you have watching them, call them off now.”

Another pause. Then, before Harrington could prompt him, the man sighed. “We won’t harm you,” he said. “You, or your family.”

“Swear it.”

“I give you my word.” He said it as though Harrington should know his word meant something. Harrington figured that was as good as he was going to get. He tossed the phone back to Tanaka.

“Talk to your boss,” he said.

The hotel phone began to ring again. Harrington nearly shot the thing. Instead, he kept the gun trained on Tanaka. Crossed to the phone, picked it up. “What?”

“Court?”

McKenna. Harrington blew out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “McKenna—Captain Rhodes—you guys all okay over there?”

“We’re fine, Court,” the captain said. “Are you okay?”

Tanaka was ending the call with the big boss. Harrington kept the gun where the hit man could see it.

“I’m fine,” he told McKenna. “All good. Never better. Just in the middle of something here, you know? I’ll call you back in a bit.”

The captain started to protest. Harrington hung up on her. Felt bad about it briefly, but he had other things to worry about. “We square?” he asked Tanaka.

Tanaka frowned.

“Are we okay?” Harrington clarified. “Like, you’re not going to try to kill me again?”

“I will not,” Tanaka said. “Katsuo Nakadate gave you his word.”

“Perfect.” Harrington kept the gun on Tanaka. “Then I’m leaving. Follow me, and I’ll call my friends on the tug and get you in deep shit with your boss, get it?”

Tanaka was smiling again. “Get it,” he said. “Okay.”

“Okay.” Harrington backed to the door. Tanaka hadn’t moved, so Harrington lowered the gun, tucked it under his shirt. Felt around for the door handle and let himself out of the room.