Barry Eisler - The Last Assassin

Delilah covered her mouth and looked down. She stood like that for a moment, very still, and then she started laughing. I looked at Dox, half incredulous, half enraged at the shit he was constantly pulling, but he didn't even notice because he was laughing, too.

There was nothing I could do but stand there while their laughter fed on itself and grew. Dox was wiping his eyes and saying, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry,' while Delilah just stood shaking with her arms crossed and her head down.

After an unpleasantly long time, it subsided. Delilah breathed in and out deeply a few times, then said to me, 'I'll call you tomorrow?'

I nodded and said, 'Yeah. Sure.'

'Good night,' Dox said, and I could tell he was struggling to hold it in.

She made it out without either of them losing it again, but I had a feeling she laughed all the way to the elevator.

I looked at Dox.

'I'm sorry, man, I'm sorry,' he said. 'There's just something about you that brings it out in me!'

'I think that's known as blaming the victim.'

'Go ahead, make fun of me for hitting on Tiara the tranny, it'll make you feel better.'

'No, it would make you feel better. That's why I won't do it.'

'Ah, you're a hard man, John Rain, a hard man,' he said, and this time I couldn't help it, I started laughing with him.

The next morning, I took a quick run past Whispers, just a local guy out for his morning jog in his shoes and tracksuit, a hat pulled low against the chill air.

I followed one of the alleys to the back of the club. Given their business hours, I doubted anyone would be about this early, but if I were seen, a jogger looking for a place to take a leak wasn't about to raise anyone's hackles.

In keeping with that possible cover story, I paused and started undoing the snaps on the pants of the nylon tracksuit while I scanned the perimeter for cameras. I saw none, just a windowless concrete façade with an emergency exit door on the left, plain steel with no handle or other hardware. A cement path ran the length of the building.

I resnapped the pants and walked over to the door. As I had expected, the hinges were on the outside. A one-meter steel bar jammed in tight at a low angle, with the bottom in one of the expansion joints in the path, would seal it.

I repeated the procedure on the west side of the building, where the basement exit was located at the bottom of a utilitarian concrete stairwell. This door was identical to the first one. Okay.

I continued on my morning run, stopping at Aoyama Park to call Tatsu at the hospital. The phone rang several times, then I heard his voice, almost a groan: ' Hai.'

'It's me,' I said. God, he sounded terrible. 'I'm sorry to bother you.'

He said nothing for a moment, and I could tell he was trying to catch his breath. 'Bother me?' he rasped, finally. 'These calls are all I look forward to. And visits from my grandson.'

'Any further word on tonight's meeting?'

'Yes, the informant just confirmed. No wonder I'm in pain, no one will let me get any sleep. The meeting is at ten o'clock.'

'Good. We're done with the initial pass. And I'm going to have that man inside tonight, after all.'

'What else do you need from me?'

'Like I told you last time, someone positioned to take out the place's power on my signal.'

'You want the lights out.'

'Yes.'

'What about the backup…'

'It's taken care of

'I have a man who can help with this. But… you're going to have to work fast.'

'What do you mean?'

'From the substation my man can access, he can't shut down power to individual buildings, only to entire blocks. And if the power goes out on an entire Tokyo block for more than two minutes, city regulations require an investigation.'

'Can't you just…'

'City regulations. I'm federal. Trust me, we don't want an investigation. It would jeopardize good people. Can you do what you have to do in under two minutes?'

I thought for a minute.

'I guess I'll have to,' I said.

'Good. I'll have someone standing by tonight with clear instructions.'

'I'll need his mobile number. I want to talk to him directly, make sure he understands the plan. And I'll need to be able to signal him when I'm ready to go in tonight, too.'

'I'll have him call you.'

'All right. Good.'

We were quiet for a moment. I said, 'You holding on?'

There was a pause. He said, 'Finish it tonight.'

I nodded, feeling grim.

'I will,' I said.

Delilah called later that morning. We all headed back to Dox's hotel room. I brought in another Dean & DeLuca meal.

'Here's what I've got in mind,' I told them while we ate. 'We'll be wired up the way we were last night. But this time, Delilah will wear her hair down and keep the earpiece in. There's a construction site just north of the club entrance. Dox, have you checked it out?'

He nodded. 'Last night, like we discussed. I can get in fine, and there's good cover and concealment. The problem is the angle. I'll be a hundred yards out but only ten feet up. That means the possibility of unanticipated, moving obstructions becomes significant.'

'You mean other people,' Delilah said.

Dox shrugged. 'Could be people, could be a car. Hard to say. I do know it won't be like shooting from the top of the University of Texas tower. But that path in from the street runs about fifteen feet before turning right behind a wall. That'll give me time, if nothing's in the way.'

'What about body armor?' Delilah asked. 'You've said Yamaoto is paranoid. You sure he won't be wearing it?'

Dox shook his head. 'Most concealable armor won't stop a high-velocity rifle slug. There are a few that do, but they weigh close to twenty pounds and they're still bulky. Not something you'd want to strap on under a suit.'

'All right,' I said. 'If the shot is there when Yamaoto arrives, Dox takes it and we can all go have a beer. If the shot isn't there, Dox remains as backup, in case Yamaoto manages to make it out of the club despite my best efforts inside. And Delilah, if you get a chance, look Yamaoto over and if you think he's wearing armor under his clothes, you let us know. Questions or comments so far?'

They both shook their heads.

'Delilah, you arrive before ten. We want you there before Yamaoto so you can see where he goes when he gets inside…'

'If he gets inside,' Dox added.

I nodded, 'If he gets inside. But the main thing is, I need to know where Yamaoto is inside the club. Who he's with would also be useful. And so would confirmation on the numbers and positions of club security and any bodyguards. With just a little luck, you'll see Yamaoto and Kuro when they arrive, and you'll be able to watch them to see wherever they go. Don't wait. As soon as you have Yamaoto's position, let me know, and go take out the generator. Or, better yet…'

'Take it out before Yamaoto arrives,' she said.

I nodded. 'Yeah, that's good thinking. It's not as though anyone's going to notice until afterward. And it'll be one less thing for us to worry about once he's there.'

'But how do we take out the main power?'

'My contact here will have a man in the appropriate electrical substation. But there's a catch. He can only give us less than two minutes of darkness. More than that, and there'll be some sort of investigation by the city authorities, which my source doesn't want.'

'Two minutes…' Delilah said.

'It should be enough. Because before I call our man and the lights go out, you'll already be next to the emergency exit to let me in. In fact, you'll have to be.'

'Because once the power is cut, the front door will be inoperable. It's got an electronic lock.'

'Exactly. And at the same time, we can't use the emergency door before the power's out – otherwise, the exit alarms would give us away.'