‘Sir?’

He was awakened, startled by a nurse staring into his face. He could smell her starchy uniform, hear it crackle. It was light in the room.

‘Any change?’

The nurse turned away and went back over to check on Tammy. She changed her drip and set up a new bag of blood and saline. She moved around the bed with a hypnotic calmness, a precision that Mann could have watched for hours. Her tasks were executed in sequence, in silence. Her hands moved, her starchy uniform touched the bed and creased. Her eyes watched and her ears listened. She shook her head as she finished taking Tammy’s obs.

‘She’s holding on,’ she said with that look of sympathy that Mann knew well. It said, you should go; there are worse times to come, go and get some rest. Mann knew she was right but he also knew that he had scores to settle first.

Chapter 54

Mann stormed past CK’s shrieking PA. He grabbed Victoria by the arm as she sprang out of her chair and tried to get away. He pushed her across the room.

‘Is this what you’re all about? Is this what you want me to be a part of? You pleased with yourself? A young woman lies seriously wounded in the hospital. Do you want another death on your hands?’

Victoria backed away. ‘I did not order the attack on your officer.’ But her eyes were shining triumphant; they told him that she had known he would come. He was still a piece on her chess board.

‘You sick bitch…’

She backed up until she could go no further. ‘You want someone to blame, look in the mirror. I warned you.’ She flinched as he pushed her again and she knocked into an Andy Warhol original. It juddered against the wall.

‘She is worth a million of you – you power hungry, mercenary, twisted…’

He watched her eyes flick to something behind him. He turned to face the two same bodyguards from the Oceans bar. Mann reached inside his jacket and took out a set of six two-inch-diameter stars. He sent them out in an arc and they spun through the air and cut into the face and arms of the two square-set guards. One of them pulled his gun. Mann unleashed Delilah, her cord attached. She struck the bodyguard’s hand before he had time to aim. The gun fell to the floor, his forefinger still attached. He shrieked in pain and clutched his bleeding hand. Delilah recoiled back into Mann’s hand and he held it to Victoria’s throat.

‘It’s all right, leave us,’ she hissed.

The bodyguard reached down to pick up his gun and retrieve his finger.

‘Leave it.’ Mann glared at him. The bodyguards shuffled out. The PA hovered. ‘Get out,’ shouted Mann, ‘before I cut your fucking head off.’

‘Leave,’ Victoria rasped.

She turned to him when they were alone and he released his hold, took Delilah away from her throat. ‘You ought to learn some manners if we are going to work together.’

‘The only thing I am interested in doing is watching you die. Slowly. You disgust me.’

‘It is your fault the young policewoman got injured. If she dies, it will be blood on your hands. I merely passed on the information that she was an officer in the Hong Kong police. The Outcasts have their own rules.’

Mann relaxed his grip on her and threw her down into her chair. She landed awkwardly with a muffled scream; her tight dress rose up over her thighs.

She smiled up at him as she turned her chair to face him. ‘I told you I would play dirty. I warned you when we met. You did not listen. This is my time to get what I want. I didn’t suffer all those years of living with a bully like Chan for nothing and I will stop at nothing to get what I want. And there is so much more to come. The wheels are set in motion. But you can change everything. You can stand in the road and stop it from happening. Only you have the power. I want you to take it.’

She reached down to the hem of her dress and eased it slowly back down over her legs. ‘You have a bad temper, Inspector. You should learn to step back from your feelings. I could teach you.’ She brushed her hair back from her face. ‘I could share many things with you.’

‘You did all this to set me up? You knew all about Operation Schoolyard?’

‘Knew? Not exactly. Let me just say, I knew enough. This is Hong Kong. I have the power and the wealth to buy most things. I have friends in high places. Don’t think you have any secrets from me, Inspector.’

Mann shook his head, nothing made sense; all he knew was that he had let Tammy down.

Victoria smiled at him, malice in her eyes. She could see his pain, his doubt. ‘You think your world is safe. You think you can trust those nearest to you? Think again. You have a traitor for a friend. I knew just enough to use the information. It is not my fault she got injured, it is yours. I told you to listen to me. I told you I had the power to pick up your world and smash it down over your head and all those you care about. I can destroy you, Mann, never doubt it. But I don’t want to. I want us to be friends. How long do you think you’ll be allowed to stay on in the police force when you are clearly such a risk to your fellow officers?’

‘You low life. I find you repulsive. You are an evil bitch. If you were the last woman on earth I wouldn’t have you.’

Mann saw her face tighten, her mouth twitch. He saw her weakness. She didn’t like to be turned down. He grinned. ‘Be assured: I’ll be watching every step you take from now on. You want a war. You got it.’ Mann walked out, picking up the bodyguard’s finger as he went.

Chapter 55

‘Yes sir, I do understand but I am following up on the arrest of your son.’ Shrimp was standing his ground with PJ. He’d left Rizal to it and come in search of Nina. ‘I need to speak to the other members of your family.’

From the corner of his eye Shrimp saw Nina pass them on the way into the kitchen, head down. She had her sari pulled up over her head and had wrapped the fabric around to cover her face.

‘She knows nothing. She is busy. Let her go. Please, I assure you, Nina is a good girl. She works very hard. She doesn’t have time to talk…’ PJ looked ready to burst into tears as he wrung his hands and shook his head.

‘I just need a few words. I won’t keep her long. I am only trying to help Mahmud.’

Nina had just returned from her encounter with Rizal. She was upset. She hadn’t seen Shrimp. She was hurrying through the restaurant laden with groceries.

‘Excuse me, miss?’ Shrimp said. Nina hesitated but did not turn to look at him. ‘Can I have a word?’ Shrimp stepped around PJ.

PJ flushed with panic and exasperation. ‘Okay, okay. Nina, come!’

Nina walked over and, recognizing him, smiled at Shrimp. PJ signalled to Hafiz to fetch Ali. ‘Sit at the table over there. We will get busy soon but it will be all right for a few moments.’ The place had just a few stragglers in.

‘Sorry miss, I just need a quick word.’ Shrimp wished he didn’t feel so nervous.

‘You don’t have to answer anything,’ PJ snapped at his daughter but he smiled at Shrimp, obviously flustered but still remembering to be polite.

Nina’s eyes flicked back and forth across Shrimp’s face. ‘The detective won’t keep me long. I am happy to speak.’ She set down her packs of shopping and gestured to Shrimp to follow her as they went to sit where PJ had said.

Shrimp could see the sorrow in her pretty face. Her eyes searched his, she looked away, shy. Shrimp’s heart was beating fast. He knew he was blushing. He had an overwhelming desire to kiss her. He shook it off and his voice came out a little cracked. ‘Thank you,’ he coughed to clear it. ‘Thank you for talking to me. I just wanted to ask some general questions about the circumstances leading up to the stabbing of the officer in Mong Kok. Did you know your brother was involved with the Outcasts?’

Nina shook her head. ‘There is no way Mahmud is guilty of hurting the police officer. Mahmud wouldn’t hurt another human being. He is the most gentle of boys. He hated the gangs. He did not belong to the Outcasts or any of them. He didn’t need to – he was set to become someone all on his own.’