shuhaige
Chapter 19
After I hung up with Niccolo, I considered what I should do next.
I couldn’t call Lau yet. I felt like a truck had run over me, and I didn’t want the old man to hear it in my voice.
Instead, I plugged my phone into a charger and prepared for my day.
Exercise was out of the question. I would probably vomit if I tried.
Instead, I took a freezing cold shower. I stayed under the icy water for a full 10 minutes. It was torture, but it cleared away the fuzziness in my head.
I toweled off, shaved, brushed my teeth, combed my hair, applied a dab of cologne, and dressed in the crisp white shirt and dark grey suit in my garment bag.
I hadn’t brought many clothes – I’d anticipated being in Hong Kong 48 hours at most – so I called the front desk and had the suit I’d worn yesterday picked up for dry-cleaning.
Then I called room service and ordered some food.
Twenty minutes later, breakfast was delivered on a white linen-covered table.
I wasn’t in the mood for a so-called ‘continental breakfast,’ so I went with a more American selection.
An order of toasted whole-grain bread with butter on the side…
Half a grapefruit…
Scrambled eggs…
And a carafe of espresso equivalent to four small cups.
I was used to Italian espresso. The hotel’s version was mediocre at best, but it did the job of jolting me awake.
At least the food was fairly good.
After I’d eaten and felt somewhat back to normal, I called Mr. Lau.
His secretary put me right through.
“Mr. Rosolini,” he said pleasantly. “I trust you had an entertaining evening with Mr. Han?”
“It was nice,” I lied.
Meeting Mei-ling had been extraordinary. The rest of my time with Han – dinner and gambling – had been dull. Certainly not ‘nice.’
“Excellent. Are your accommodations adequate?”
“Much more than adequate,” I said truthfully. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
“It’s my pleasure. What can I do for you?”
“I’d like to know what the other investors said about my request for a meeting.”
Lau chuckled. “I thought that might be why you were calling. I haven’t heard back from Mr. Gota or Mr. Xi yet. I’ll let you know when I do.”
Niccolo’s warning echoed in my memory:
I think Fausto might have already gotten to your so-called ‘friends’ in the Syndicate.
Lau was doing nothing to dispel my worries.
“You do understand that the situation with my uncle is an emergency, yes?” I asked.
“I understand – but being in the same line of business as Mr. Gota and Mr. Xi, I hope YOU understand that they might not be able to drop everything to accommodate you as quickly as you would like.”
Translation: you’re a gangster. Surely you know that other gangsters have gangster things to do.
“Patience, Mr. Rosolini,” Lau advised me gently. “While I wait on word from Gota and Xi, take the opportunity to enjoy all that Hong Kong has to offer. I’ll send Mr. Han to you this evening so he can take you out again.”Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
“That’s not necessary.”
“But it is. Unfortunately, I am busy again tonight – but I wish to make sure you’re well taken care of.”
Translation: Lau wanted nothing to do with me. He was going to pawn me off on Han again…
So his subordinate could watch my every move.
“I’ll be fine on my own.”
“I’m sure you would be. But as long as you’re with Mr. Han, you’ll have access to the company helicopter if you wish to return to Macau. Or, if you wish to stay in Hong Kong, he can get you into places that might otherwise be off-limits.”
That stopped me cold in my tracks.
I wondered if Han had told Lau about what had happened at De Sade.
Pff – of course he had.
Or he eventually would, whenever he ended up speaking with his boss.
It was information that Lau could use to gain psychological leverage over me in our negotiations.
I cringed. I didn’t like Lau knowing about my even being at the club, much less my humiliating interaction with Mei-ling…
But I put all that aside.
There was only one thing that truly mattered:
Seeing her again.
Unfortunately, I didn’t know the club’s address.
And Lau seemed to be hinting I wouldn’t be able to get back into De Sade without Han’s help.
Which made sense, considering my previous interaction with the club’s owner.
“Actually, I’ve changed my mind,” I said. “I would be happy to have Mr. Han’s company this evening.”
“Excellent. What time should he arrive at your hotel?”
I paused as a plan began to form in my mind.
“How about 5 o’clock?”
“I’ll tell him to be there promptly at 5. Have a wonderful evening, Mr. Rosolini.”
“Thank you.”
And then I hung up.
I had preparations to make before Han arrived.
I did a bit of research on my cell phone and came up with several possibilities.
I called the hotel’s concierge and explained what I had in mind. He told me that one of the options was far superior to the others and that he could put me in direct contact with the person in charge.
A few minutes later, I was speaking on the phone with the exact person I needed. He proved amenable to what I wanted. After we ironed out the details, I thanked him and hung up.
The stage was set.
Now all I needed was for Mei-ling to say ‘yes.’
That might take some finessing.
I ordered a late lunch from room service: a bowl of char sui, a noodle soup with shrimp and pork. Afterwards, I rested until I felt my hangover recede.
As promised, Han knocked on my door at 5 PM sharp.
He was back to his usual taciturn self. He also looked like I’d felt a couple of hours ago, when the worst of the hangover had abated but was still lingering on the fringes.
“So, what will it be tonight?” he asked in a monotone voice.
“I’d like to go back to De Sade.”
He lifted one eyebrow. “…really.”
“Yes. Is it open this early?”
He smirked. “De Sade is always open.”