Monsters of the Deep by Wingrove David

Author:Wingrove, David [Wingrove, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781912094561
Publisher: Fragile Books
Published: 2017-10-19T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 83

SMOKE RINGS AND SPIDERS' WEBS

“You’ve checked everything?”

Soucek nodded, a feral grin splitting his narrow face. “Not so much as a cockroach could get out of there unless we willed it.”

“Good.” Lehmann drew a long breath, then nodded. “All right. Let’s go meet them.”

They passed through the cordon, some of the men familiar, others strangers, all of them wary, nervous, but under strict orders to start nothing. If things went wrong today there would be war such as the Lowers hadn’t seen in decades. A war that was certain to draw in the Triads.

The deck had been cleared for the meeting, and only the tong were present. The big men – all nine of his rival gangleaders in the Kuei Chuan’s territory – were waiting for Lehmann in Main, standing out in the broad open space. They formed two groups, one of five men, one of four. Lehmann paused, taking in every detail, then walked on, Soucek at his side.

He could see in their faces that word had gone before him. His height, his deathly pallor, the whiteness of his clothes, his holstered gun. Some of them feigned indifference, but there was no mistaking what their eyes told him. They were afraid of him. They had only come here today because they were afraid. Like K’ang and Lo Han before them they had tried other means of dealing with him. Now they were forced to come to terms. Or risk a protracted guerilla war that would waste their resources and distract them from the business of making money.

He raised his empty hands as if holding a large bowl, the fingers spread unnaturally wide, like long, fine needles of ice. The gesture seemed to stress his alienness; his long, thin arms held awkwardly, his whole body crouched slightly, like a fighter’s. The pose was half challenge, half greeting. It distinguished him from the relaxed, almost slovenly postures of the men facing him.

“Gentlemen?”

He let the archaic word hang in the air between them, its irony unexplained, and saw them frown and look amongst themselves. And though it amused him, he let nothing show in his face, only an intense watchfulness – an almost machine-like attentiveness.

“What do you want?” one of them asked.

It was the first question, the primary question one man asked of another, openly or otherwise. Lehmann turned slightly to face the man, taking in at a glance the fact that they had chosen for their spokesman one who seemed stronger, more aggressive than the rest; a fierce-eyed, bearded man of bull-like stature. Unlike the rest he dressed simply, his fingers free of the heavy rings that seemed a mark of status down here. Lehmann raised his chin slightly, then answered.

“I want what you want. Peace. A truce. Concessions.”

The bearded man smiled, showing strong white teeth. His name was Ni Yueh and Lehmann knew all there was to know about him. All that could be known without entering Ni Yueh’s head. It was a surprise to him, however, that they had chosen Ni Yueh.

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