A flicker of movement out of the corner of Jack’s eye caused him to lurch to one side, but he wasn’t fast enough. His wrist went numb instantly and his gun clamoured to the floor.

Dúc!

Jack ducked as a second swing of the bat breezed through the hair on the top of his head.

Jack stared at Dúc’s face and saw Bien chained to the floor in the background.

“You!” shouted Dúc.“I know you!” he snarled. His eyebrows furled over his eyes in a look of hate and he stepped forward, swinging the bat with both hands as Jack leaped farther back.

“Behind you!” shouted Bien. “Pops!”

Jack turned and placed a side kick at Pops’s naked midriff, causing him to let out a loud grunt and stumble back. Dúc reached for the gun on the floor, but Jack stepped forward to kick him in the face. Dúc saw it coming and stepped back, putting both hands back on the bat and raising it over his head.

Jack raised his left arm to try to block Dúc’s forearms, while pulling his right fist back to deliver a blow.

Bien’s second cry of warning coincided with a vicelike grip as Pops wrapped his arms around Jack’s waist, lifting him off the floor.

Jack gasped for air as he felt the muscular arms tighten under his rib cage. He instinctively used the heel of his shoe to kick back and scraped down the front of Pops’s shin.

“Get his gun!” yelled Pops.

Dúc stepped forward to pick it up but Jack gave a well-aimed kick and sent the gun flying through the passageway. Jack writhed and twisted his body. He knew that he could not free himself before Dúc reached the gun.

By the smile that appeared on Dúc’s face, he knew it, too.

“Okay, you got me,” said Jack, letting his body go limp. Pops lowered Jack’s feet to the floor but did not relent on the pressure around his waist.

“Hurry up,” said Pops. “Get his gun.”

Dúc bent to go out the door and Jack yelled, “Hey, duck face!”

Dúc looked up just as Jack spit on his face.

An unintelligible sound emitted from Dúc’s throat and he immediately stepped forward and cocked his arm to punch Jack in the face.

“No! Get his—”

Pops’s words were drowned out by Dúc’s vomit-sounding wretch as Jack kicked him in the groin, partially lifting him off the floor.

A gurgling rumble continued to emit from Dúc’s throat and he doubled over in pain. Jack grabbed Dúc by his hair, jerking his head upright, while simultaneously landing a karate chop to the back of his neck with his other hand.

Dúc’s neck broke the first time, but Jack still managed to whip his victim’s head back and deliver a second blow before Pops managed to twist him away.

“Get up!” screamed Pops. “Get up!” he yelled, before realizing that Dúc would never move again.

Jack reached behind his head with both hands in an attempt to grip Pops’s head and gouge out his eyes with his thumbs, but discovered that the numbness had gone from his wrist and the sharp pain that replaced it told him that Dúc’s swing with the bat had broken a bone.

Pops spun around fast, bashing the side of Jack’s head against the wall, before crashing to the floor on top of him and delivering a violent punch to Jack’s midriff.

The air exploded out of Jack’s mouth like a burst balloon. For a few seconds he was helpless as he lay sprawled on his back, trying to gulp in air as Pops sat on top of him.

Jack was only partially aware of Linh’s scream as she crashed to the floor when Pops yanked on the chain. Seconds later he felt a loop of chain around his neck.

Jack tried to claw at Pops’s face with his good hand, but Pops leaned back and positioned his knee, pressing Jack’s arm to the floor before putting a hand on Jack’s forehead, pushing his head to the floor while sitting upright and yanking on the chain around Jack’s neck with his other hand.

Linh screamed and came flailing at Pops with both hands. He dropped the chain and punched her in the temple. She fell in a dazed clump to the floor.

Pops picked up the chain again, yanking it tighter around Jack’s throat.

Jack felt the darkness swooning in on him. His struggle was becoming weaker.

Their eyes met and Pops smiled down at him, before leaning back and reefing harder on the chain while Jack’s legs kicked involuntarily as his body craved for air.

Pops position now gave Jack a little more movement with his good hand.

Got ya!

Laura answered her cellphone again.

“I could use some help,” yelled Jack. “I found Linh.”

“You what? Where? Is she okay?”

“Yeah, but I’m not. Get in here! Leave the guys in the car and go around back of the house. The door’s open. Just follow the noise!”

“What noise?” asked Laura, while stepping out of the car onto the quiet street.

“It sounds like this,” said Jack.

Laura heard a long, high-pitched scream over her phone and Jack said, “It’s the sound of a guy getting his nuts crushed. Want to hear it again? Listen ...”

Moments later, Laura saw Jack’s gun and picked it up as she scrambled through the passageway door with a gun in each hand.

“Who are you? Two-gun gringo?” asked Jack, as she entered the room.

Laura saw a naked man on his hands and knees as Jack knelt beside him with one hand clenching the man’s scrotum. In front of her, Dúc lay motionless on the floor while Bien and Linh, both with chains on their ankles, clung to each other in the middle of the room.

“Bien? What ... Jack? What is going on?” asked Laura.

Jack wrenched his hand tightly, leaving Pops screaming and writhing on the floor behind him, before walking over to retrieve his gun from Laura.

Jack pointed his gun at Pops, as Laura bent over to look at Dúc.

“I broke his neck,” said Jack, with a nod of his head toward Dúc. “He’s either dead or paralyzed. He’s not talking so ...”

Laura put her fingers on Dúc’s neck. After a couple of seconds she shook her head and said, “He won’t be talking again. Mind telling me what the heck just happened?”

Jack quickly told Laura what had happened.

Laura pointed at Dúc and said, “They didn’t teach that at the Academy.”

“No,” said Jack. “That was extracurricular. Bush Survival 101.”

“Bush Survival?”

“Learned how to wring a duck’s neck,” said Jack, before turning to Bien, who was holding Linh. She was sobbing in his arms. “How is she doing? That was quite a punch.”

“She says she is okay,” sobbed Bien.

“Mind telling us how you got to be here?” Jack asked.

Bien used his hand to wipe the tears from his face. In short, halting sentences, he told them of the invitation he had received to the restaurant and what led up to him finding Linh.

Bien pointed at Pops’s clothes piled on the floor and said, “The key to the padlock on my ankle is in his pants.

Jack glanced at Laura and said, “Do you mind? My wrist hurts ... and maybe Pops will think I can’t shoot with my other hand and try to escape.”

Pops glared up at Jack from where he lay on the floor.

Laura holstered her gun and quickly freed Bien. She tried to open Linh’s padlock but the key did not fit.

“Where is it?” demanded Laura, pointing an angry finger at Pops. “The key! Where is it?”

“Fuck you,” replied Pops.

“I’ll cover him,” Jack whispered to Laura. “Go back to the car and take the cuffs off the Russians. Kick them out and tell them they’ve got twenty minutes to get out of the area. That should give them enough time to find a payphone and call a cab.” He gave a nod of his head toward Pops and said, “Once he’s cuffed, I’ll pick the lock on Linh’s ankle.”

“That sounds good except for one thing,” said Laura, “and I’ll take care of that right now!” She looked at Bien and said, “Take Linh and move to the far side of the room.”

As Bien and Linh complied, Laura walked over to Pops and said, “Get up on your hands and knees! Now!”

Pops slowly obeyed.