Kiss & Die - Lee Weeks [98]
‘I don’t see that working. She’s smart and cocky. She’s not going to get caught in a bar by us. I think we should wait to go in heavy.’ Mia stood, arms crossed. ‘She’s on a roll now. She’s speeding up. The first head was a year ago, the rest have all been in the last six months. Three of the heads are within the last month. She’s bound to trip up sooner or later. If she gets freaked now and goes underground she might just emerge worse in six months’ time.’
‘I agree,’ said Mann. ‘Get Shrimp in Vacation Villas undercover. Let’s try and coax her out of her web.’
Sheng stopped fidgeting and eyeballed Mann.‘Your role in this investigation is being reconsidered, Mann. Until that time you won’t be required to attend meetings. If we want to find you we’ll contact the Leung Corporation. You concentrate on what you’re good at, sucking up to Triad bosses.’
There was a stunned silence around the room.
Mann looked across at Sheng and smiled as he shook his head. ‘It’ll take a lot more than you to get rid of me, Sheng. You’ve tried so many times over the years and yet I’m still here.’
‘Yeah, well I’ve suspected there’s been a mole in the OCTB for some time. Busts that don’t come off, tip-offs that look set up. Now Tammy’s dead. My money’s on you, banana boy.’
Mann shook his head and almost smiled ruefully. It had been a long time since anyone called him that to his face. The room went silent. They waited for Mann’s retaliation. Sheng’s racist views were well known. It amused Mann more than made him mad. He kept his cool.
‘I have access to CK’s world and I intend to use it. But I’m not the only one. CK has prior knowledge about a lot of things. Things that only someone in this department could know. You were undercover, Sheng, you reaped the rewards. Maybe you kept in contact with your old buddies? Tammy died because someone countermanded my order. It had to be someone high ranking: that’s you or Mia. You know what I think?’ Mann’s eyes turned black as he glared at Sheng. ‘I think it’s you who can’t be fucking trusted.’
‘That’s not the way it looks on paper, son of a Triad. Who are people going to trust – you or me?’ Sheng rocked on his feet as he grinned at Mann. His eyes lit with triumph. ‘Fuck off, Mann. You don’t belong here any more.’
Chapter 74
Shrimp came to find Mann on the roof. ‘What would we do if we couldn’t stand on top of the world like this?’ he said, looking out over the evening sky. The eight o’clock night-time display was starting.
The bowlights of giant tankers were blinking on the horizon.
‘Thought you might like to let off steam.’ He handed Mann the urumi. ‘I caught the boss practising with it.’
Mann smiled. ‘Knowing how competitive she is she’s bound to have mastered it by now.’ Mann took it from Shrimp. It was light. Its handle was the same as a sword. ‘Yeah, it’s a beautiful weapon, hard to defend against.’ Its three blades uncurled, shimmering in the laser lights that lit the sky around them, vibrating like a metal snake as it clacked against the roof tiles. Mann lifted it, felt its weight and balance in his hand. He whirled it overhead and brought it down, wrapped around the dummy. Bits of Hawaiian shirt and stuffing flew out.
‘It’s a hell of a weapon.’ Shrimp looked at him. He waited. Mann knew he had come to the roof to say something. He was rubbish at hiding anything. ‘What is it, Shrimp?’
‘You all right, Boss?’
He turned to look at Shrimp and smiled. ‘Sure. I will be okay. Just do your job and do it well, Shrimp, I’m counting on you. We’re still the same team we always were. Isn’t that right, Mia?’
Mann knew she was standing watching. She came towards them,
‘Yes. It’s true. We’ve always been a unit.’ Shrimp left. ‘You can take a lot worse than that, hey, banana boy?’ When he looked up Mia was smiling and frowning at the same time. ‘I used to call you that – for slightly different reasons. Do you remember?’
Mann smiled.