Rail Black 02 - Wildcase by Russell Neil

Author:Russell, Neil [Russell, Neil]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

It was after dark when they loaded Cheyenne and the others onto the Richer Seas. During the long wait, the officer had put Cheyenne in his office, where he had spoken to her in impeccable English. “Stay in here no matter what happens. And if anyone speaks to you, do not answer them.”

Cheyenne was too sick to do anything but nod. The officer summoned an old Chinese woman from the throng, who gave her what looked like a piece of dried sweet potato. Willing to try anything, Cheyenne took a bite and immediately felt her mouth go numb. A few minutes later, she was no longer nauseous. Cheyenne was out of money, but seeing the old woman staring at the fur collar of her coat, she unzipped it and handed it to her. The woman pressed it to her face and retreated like she had just seen heaven.

Cheyenne thanked the officer but was afraid his kindness might only be a prelude to having to fuck him. Trying to take that off the table, she said “I’m having my period.”

The officer looked bemused. “If I were such a man, that would be of no concern. I’m Major Soong. And you are . . . ?”

“Cheyenne Rollins. Your English is excellent.”

“It comes and goes. This is not a good time in my army to be too fluent.”

“You didn’t learn to talk like that here.”

“I’ve never been out of China. My parents studied engineering at Berkeley. Do you know the place?”

Cheyenne raised an eyebrow. “I’m from Vegas. People from Berkeley consider us barely human.”

The major hesitated. “I’m sorry, I am not so good with . . . what is the word?”

“Sarcasm. My apologies, one of my failings. Where are we?”

“On the mainland. Thirty-seven miles north of Hong Kong.”

“I don’t remember crossing any water, but I was so sick I could have missed Paris. What did that old woman give me? I feel like I’ve been gargling Novocain.”

The major smiled. “Every family has its own remedy, and they keep it to themselves. If you’ll excuse me, I have things to attend to. I’ll be back when it’s time to put you on the ship.”

Now, while the Chinese passengers stood in long lines and handed over bricks of cash to be able to board the Richer Seas, Major Soong escorted Cheyenne to a small cabin, which he said she would not have to share. She thanked him profusely. “May I ask you one more question?”

“As long as it is not about what you saw today.”

“Not what . . . who. The general and the man in the white shirt. I want to know their names.”

The major regarded her for a moment. “Why?”

“It’s personal.”

The officer walked across the cabin and stared out the small porthole. “The general I will not tell you. The other man is the leader of the Hu-Meng. The Tiger People. They live in the mountains not far from here.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“He goes by Zhang, but that’s not his name. The original Zhang warlords are long gone, but the honorific remains.

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