‘Over here,’ Lily said, leading the way through the scattered tables. Irene noticed that even though many of the female guests and the hostesses were tolerating wandering hands from male companions, nobody so much as tried to swat Lily’s passing rear. She wasn’t surprised.
Then Lily stopped. The table ahead was obviously the best one in the bar, with a commanding view of the entire room. And, unless Irene was very much mistaken, there was a concealed door hidden in the wall mouldings behind it. George and Dave were both sitting at it, nursing their drinks.
So was Hu.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
‘Come and have a seat, Lily,’ George said, beckoning her forward. ‘You too, Miss Jeanette. This gentleman’s like you. An entrepreneur from out of town.’
Dave pulled out chairs for Lily and Irene. Lily took the chair on the other side of her boss, watching Hu and Irene as if she expected to see the dragon and the Librarian exchange secret codewords and meaningful handshakes. Which meant that Irene had to sit with Lily on one side and Hu on her other.
‘This gentleman here’s Mr Hu,’ George explained. ‘He’s come from Hong Kong, looking for business opportunities. And this lady here’s Miss Jeanette Smith from England, who’s doing similar.’ He smiled at the two of them. ‘All I can say is, if either of you is thinking of an exclusive contract with me, well, business is business.’
‘Delighted to meet you, Miss Jeanette Smith,’ Hu said. He offered his hand to be shaken.
Oh, so that’s how we’re going to play it. Irene shook his hand politely, conscious of everyone at the table – and quite a few at other tables – watching them. ‘Charmed,’ she said. ‘What a pleasant surprise.’
‘For me as well,’ Hu said. His eyes glittered with vicious amusement.
‘I’d love a drink,’ Irene said, turning to George. ‘Straight whiskey, if you don’t mind. I’d be interested to test the house quality.’
George snapped his fingers and a waiter was at his side a moment later. ‘Straight whiskey for the lady. Gin for my Lily. Gin and tonic for Mr Hu here, and what was it you said before? The best ice in the house.’
Hu casually lit a cigarette. ‘Do you intend to be here in New York for long, Miss Smith?’ he asked. ‘Or should I call you Jeanette . . . Or something else?’
Irene shrugged. Across the room, the piano music changed to something with a faster beat. ‘As George here knows, I just want to finish my business and get out of town.’
‘Yes, I hear you’ve been interviewed by the chief of police.’ Hu gestured with his cigarette to where a folded newspaper lay on the table. ‘Very dramatic. Do you really go round hypnotizing people?’
Irene could sense Lily’s tension on her other side, like a coiled spring. Having a dragon at the table must be grating. ‘I suppose he had to give the papers some sort of excuse for why he let me go,’ she said pleasantly. ‘Clearly the man’s wasting his time as a policeman. He should be writing cheap novels featuring sinister masterminds.’
George and Hu both laughed, and Dave joined in a moment later in quick sycophantic agreement. Lily didn’t laugh. Her gaze shifted from Hu to Irene like a gun’s sights.
‘So why did he let you go?’ George asked.
‘Why do you think?’ Irene tapped her handbag.
‘A policeman’s bank account is limited,’ Hu agreed. ‘Like most professionals, really. Doctors, policemen, even librarians . . .’
‘Not my problem, fortunately,’ Irene said.
‘Come now, Miss Jeanette,’ George said, as the waiter set drinks in front of them. ‘Money’s everyone’s problem. A sensible businessman doesn’t turn down a good deal. Nor does a sensible businesswoman.’
Irene felt a shift in the atmosphere at the table. She picked up her glass and took a sip to buy herself time. The whiskey was adequate – or at least it wasn’t obviously brewed in a backstairs still. ‘Am I missing something?’ she asked lightly.
‘Just trying to be helpful,’ George said. ‘I’ve one new partner sitting here.’ He tilted his cigar towards Hu. ‘And another new one sitting right there.’ This time the glowing tip of the cigar pointed at Irene. ‘Mr Hu’s saying that his boss would like to do some business with England. I figure it would be doing a good turn to get you two people heading up the aisle together, so to speak.’
Hu’s smile looked a little pained. ‘It’s true that my superior is looking for a suitable contact. We did have someone in mind, but he seems to have vanished . . .’ He shook his head sadly. ‘My superior was very unhappy. It’s going to take a lot to clear that slate.’
‘Yeah,’ George commented. ‘It’s a false economy wasting your time on second-raters.’
‘Such as the “contact” that Mr Hu here was using previously?’ Irene suggested.
‘But it’s not who a man buys first that counts,’ George said. ‘It’s who stays bought. Right?’
‘Exactly,’ Hu agreed. ‘And errors of ignorance are pardonable. It’s when you have continuous, knowing disobedience that one has to . . . bring the whip down. So to speak.’ His cigarette snapped sharply down between his fingers, the point making a brief arc of brightness.
Irene shrugged. ‘If your boss – sorry, your superior – can’t control his own people, that’s his problem. Not mine.’
‘But if you make a deal with my boss, then it becomes your problem . . . though such a deal could be to your advantage, too,’ Hu said pleasantly.
‘This is going far too fast,’ Irene said sharply. She took another sip of her whiskey. ‘I’ve already made one arrangement today. I’m not going to be rushed into another.’
‘Perhaps we could discuss it while we dance?’ Hu suggested, nodding towards the dance floor.
‘Perhaps not,’ Irene disagreed. ‘I’ve got two left feet. You don’t want either of them treading on yours.’ It wasn’t strictly true, but something deeply rooted in her brain, sited between the part that handled primal terror and the part that handled rational threat assessment, was very strongly against the idea.
‘I’m sure we could manage,’ Hu said, a smile coating his voice.
‘I’d rather not try,’ Irene said. She wished throwing her glass of whiskey in his face was a viable option. It would be so satisfying.
‘Are you sure you two don’t know each other?’ George asked. ‘You’re certainly talking like a couple with prior acquaintance.’
‘Our organizations have been in contact previously,’ Hu said. ‘There’s disputed territory between us. You know the sort of thing.’
‘Don’t I just. Well, I need to circulate, so I’ll leave the two of you to talk it out.’ George favoured both of them with a toothy smile. ‘Dave, you’re with me. Lily, darling, you just stay here to make sure nobody actually kills anyone else.’
‘Not unless you say so, boss,’ Lily said. Her visible eye watched Irene and Hu mockingly as George rose to his feet and strolled off, Dave a shadow at his shoulder.