“He might.” Cassidy locked eyes with Brie. “Keep digging. If I’m not back in a few hours, make yourself scarce and cover your tracks.”

  Brie smiled. “I always do.”

  Cassidy stood up, put on his raincoat, and went to the door. “See you when I see you, Brie.”

  “Stay safe, Hall.”

  Cassidy left the suite. Stay safe. He would try.

  He had a bad feeling he wouldn’t succeed.

  Chapter 28

  Cassidy exited the Agora Hotel, lifting his hood over his head. The steady rain had subsided, replaced by a misty drizzle that still left his raincoat dripping by the time he reached the corner. He paused there for a moment, recalling the details Jazz had sent him earlier.

  He had about half an hour to get across the city to the International District. According to the map he had consulted, the meeting place was a century-old izakaya tucked into the corner of the district, less than a block from the north side seawall. A relatively quiet section of the city, it struck Cassidy as the perfect place for two men to meet who didn’t trust one another.

  Since it didn’t make sense to cover that much distance using ground-based transportation, Cassidy made his way one block south to a building marked as a public roto taxi station. A small line had already formed for access to the station, advancing briskly enough as yellow-striped rotos dropped out of the overhead lanes to land on the rooftop one after another, while prior craft lifted off in a steady stream. It only took a few minutes for Cassidy to reach the front of the line where an automated gate allowed riders in as the six elevators lining the station arrived and departed. The entire operation was fully automated and ran with expected precision.

  Considering the conversation he had just had with Brie, Cassidy wondered if the roto-station software was a sub-process of Unity, and if so what other information the system collected as passengers utilitized the service. He had never given it much thought before. As part of the UDF there was never any reason to care much about how it tracked him. Even now, there wasn’t a lot of cause for concern. What made Unity effective was that it wasn’t subject to opinions and didn’t take sides. It operated in the best interest of humanity, unwavering in its approach, which had been proven out as successful over time. The Silent War had happened long before Cassidy was born, but every child learned how dangerously close the world had come to ending.

  He walked to the designated elevator with four other people. The three women, two brunettes and a blonde, carried umbrellas and were all dressed virtually the same, in short tight skirts and high boots. The colorful flashing bands around their bare arms and legs signaled they were headed for a club somewhere. The fourth person was a short thin man with a crooked nose and a scuffed raincoat, who didn’t look like he could afford the fare.

  They boarded the elevator. The girls huddled together for the short ride, while the man tried to insert himself between them.

  “Hey, ladies,” he said.

  Cassidy could smell the alcohol as soon as the man opened his mouth. Still, he didn’t rush to the womens’ defense. Most people out here could take care of themselves.

  “Screw off, creep,” the blonde said.

  “That’s no way to talk to your next lover,” the man replied, offering a lascivious smile. “I got six hundred.”

  “I’m not a prostitute,” the woman said. “Get the hell away from me.”

  “Aww, come on,” the man insisted. “It’s my birthday.”

  He took a step closer to the woman, whose eyes shifted to meet Cassidy’s. She didn’t look frightened, but she was still asking him for help.

  “All right,” Cassidy said, reaching out and putting his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Why don’t you leave the ladies alone? They’re not bothering you.”

  The man whirled on Cassidy. “Mind your own business, asshole.”

  Cassidy looked past him to the women. He could tell by their faces they were amused by the drunk, and they wanted to see Cassidy beat him to a pulp. “We’re almost to the station,” he said instead. “Why don’t you wait on this side with me.”

  “Why don’t you go screw yourself.”

  Cassidy smiled as he grabbed the man’s arm, turning him neatly and shoving him face-first into the corner of the cab. “I think you’ve had a little too much to drink, my friend,” he said, holding the struggling man in place with a forearm across his back.

  “I’m not your friend,” the man hissed. “Let go of me.”

  “I’ll let you go when the doors open.”

  They arrived a few seconds later. The women filed out of the elevator, the blonde lingering behind. “Thank you,” she said, before hurrying to catch up to her friends.

  Cassidy pushed the drunk out of the cab, stepping off behind him. A line of taxis waited in designated landing rings on the rooftop. The ring turned green to direct passengers to the next available ride.

  “Next one’s yours,” Cassidy said after the women had boarded one of the rotos.

  The man walked unsteadily ahead of him without responding. The next ring lit up and he started toward it, his gait becoming normal. He looked over his shoulder, smiling and waving just before he ducked into the open door of the roto, no longer the least bit inebriated.

  Cassidy stared at the taxi as it lifted away from the rooftop, shaking his head. Son of a bitch. If he hadn’t decided to leave his phone back at the Agora with Brie, he was certain it would now be missing from his pocket. Whoever the man was, besides a good actor, he had aimed to ensure Cassidy couldn’t be tracked to the meeting with Garrett.

  It was a smart but unnecessary move. Of course, Garrett had no way of knowing that.

  He hurried over to the next available roto and dropped into the back seat. The door swung closed, hissing lightly as it sealed the cabin, the outside noise evaporating as it did.

  “Please enter your destination,” the craft’s AI said. The taxi was fully automated, offering rear-facing seats in place of a pilot’s seat, yoke and other flight controls.

  “izakaya Suzuki,” Cassidy said. “International District.”

  “Destination confirmed. Please transfer payment.”

  “I don’t have my device. Manual entry please.”

  “Manual entry initialized.”

  Cassidy recited the fourteen digit account number and the even longer passcode.

  “Funding confirmed. Enjoy the ride.”

  The roto lifted from the rooftop, quickly rising above the traffic lanes and into low clouds that blocked his sight of the city. It was only there for a handful of seconds before it began to descend again, revealing the International District below and the north side seawall just beyond. From his angle, Cassidy could see how the level of the water outside the wall was significantly higher than the land behind it. If the massive barrier were ever to fail, the entire city would be submerged within a few hours.

  The district itself was an interesting intermingling of both old and new construction. All the architecture had been designed with an eye toward cultural representation from the pagoda-like fascia along the flat rooftops to holograms of dragons, geishas, six-armed goddesses, belly dancers and other symbolism of far-eastern history. The area was well known for its diversity.

  And for its black market.

  Run by the triads, the Silk Road was a poorly kept secret but a well-hidden reality. Like the Mines, it was often overlooked by the UDF, both because of its value as a source of information and because of the bribes and deals that convinced the local UDF leadership to look the other way. Hall knew the Silk Road existed, but he had no personal experience with the market. At least nothing triggered by viewing the district from the air.

  The taxi slipped into a traffic lane to make its final approach, peeling out from it soon after and climbing slightly to approach its station, similar to the one he had taken off from minutes earlier. Cassidy wasn’t surprised to spot the faux drunk just before he disappeared into the cab of an elevator, making his way to the meeting place ahead of Cassidy.

  He climbed out of the taxi while its door was still swinging open, walking briskly to the elevators as the next cab arrived. He boarded it with a few other incoming passengers, taking it to the street without incident. He didn’t see the drunk when he arrived, but he figured he would see him soon enough. He never expected Garrett to meet him alone.

  The izakaya was located a short distance from the nearest taxi station, leaving Cassidy to cover the remaining distance on foot. He headed east one block before arriving at the district’s outdoor bazaar, a popular and crowded market that filled the street from his position all the way to the northern seawall. izakaya Suzuki was in the center of it, and he could see the hologram projecting its logo from the corner where he stood.

  He joined the other pedestrians flowing through the bazaar, blocking out the sights and smells from the numerous stalls and carts set up beneath an array of colorful tarps. Instead, he focused entirely on the imminent meeting with Garrett. He was eager to get some answers.

  The izakaya’s entire front, its wooden-frame etched with dragons, samurai and a pair of large foo dogs guarding the flanks, was open when he arrived. As Cassidy passed through the wide entrance he noticed the eyes of one of the dragons was painted silver in a clear indication of who owned the place.

  The interior of the izakaya was dark and cool, with nearly a dozen small tables scattered across the floor and a bar in front. Quickly scanning the diners, Cassidy didn’t see the man from the taxi station or anyone who came close to matching the image of Garrett that Nevis had shown him.

  He made his way up to the bar, taking a seat on a stool next to the only other patron already sitting there, a woman with long, wavy brown hair. She was dressed in a maroon faux leather raincoat that split in half at the stool she was seated on, revealing an ankle-length black skirt and dark brown boots. He glanced in her direction as soon as he sat down.

  “You,” he said, eyes narrowing in immediate recognition. The woman he had seen outside the Agora the prior evening, before he had checked in.

  She looked at him and smiled. “Detective Hall. It’s good to see you again. Thank you for being so punctual.” She held up her empty glass. “Would you like a drink?” She turned to the bartender, speaking in Japanese. “I’ll have another.” The bartender nodded and looked at Cassidy.

  “None for me, thanks,” Cassidy said, also in Japanese.

  “I didn’t know you were fluent,” the woman said.

  “You aren’t Garrett,” Cassidy replied, ignoring the statement.

  “Obviously. But then, you aren’t some underground info dealer...Brando?”

  Cassidy shrugged. “I like it. Who are you?”

  “My name is Vanessa.”

  “What’s your relation to Garrett?”

  “We’re old friends. Why are you here, Detective Hall?”

  “Like I said, I just want to talk.”

  “About what?”

  “I’ll take that up with Garrett. Are you going to take me to him?”

  “I’m not sure yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “The UDF already sent someone to assassinate Mason. How do I know you aren’t assassin number two?”

  “What would you say if I told you I am assassin number two?”

  She smiled. “That I appreciate your honesty. And that I already know that. Which is part of the reason why I’m here instead of Mason.”

  “Part of the reason. What’s the other part?”

  The lighting inside the izakaya dimmed suddenly, drawing Cassidy’s attention from Vanessa to the entrance of the bar. A half-dozen thugs had moved into the opening, Silver Dragon tattoos visible on the backs of their hands.

  “You aren’t the only one looking for him,” Vanessa said. “He’s too valuable to come out in the open.”

  One of the Silvers Dragons whistled and the other patrons in the izakaya scrambled to their feet, eager to get out of the bar to avoid the crossfire.

  “I thought Garrett was working with Liao?” Cassidy said.

  “There was a complication,” Vanessa replied. “It fell through.”

  Cassidy reached for his needlegun. “Recommendation?”

  “Whatever gets us out of here alive.”

  Chapter 29

  Cassidy slid off his stool, needlegun in hand, while Vanessa pulled a more traditional G9 from beneath her long skirt and the holster strapped to her inner thigh.

  Uncowed by the firearms facing them, the Silver Dragons rushed forward. With a flick of the wrist, blades extended telescopically from the grips in their fists, snapping ridgedly into place.

  Cassidy didn’t have a chance to take aim before the first Dragon came at him, blade raised and poised to slash off his head. He grabbed the stool he had been sitting on and blocked the attack, the attacker’s momentum driving him back against the bar. With the stool between them, Cassidy had just enough time and space to draw his knee up and jam his foot against the man’s chest.

  His knee joint complained when he sent the thug stumbling backwards. It should have given him enough time to shoot the man before he could come back at him, but a second Dragon came at him from his right. He moved quickly, putting his forearm up. His raincoat caught the blade as it descended, absorbing the sharp edge without cutting through. Swinging his needlegun toward the second attacker, Cassidy fired two quick rounds into the woman’s gut. She stumbled back and dropped to her knees, blood seeping through her shirt.

  A third Dragon replaced her almost immediately, his sword a silver blur as it zipped in toward Cassidy’s unprotected chest. He barely managed to get the stool in front of the blade in time, the wood catching the brunt of the blow. The maneuver left the blade embedded in the seat, and Cassidy turned it in his wrist, forcing the sword from the Dragon’s grip. He swung the stool out of the way, replacing it with his needlegun. He fired two more shots that caught the Dragon in the head and neck, sending him stumbling back in a spray of blood.

  By then, his first attacker had recovered. He felt the man’s blade stab into the back of his coat, the sharp tip a perceptible prick trying to drive itself through his flesh. A sharp elbow jab from Cassidy caught the Dragon in the side of the head. His momentum carried him around in time to see Vanessa a few feet away. She had already put one of the Dragons down with a bullet to the chest, and another two were coming at her with their swords poised to slice into her torso from both sides.

  Cassidy didn’t hesitate. He swung his needlegun toward them, firing a pair of rounds at each of her attackers. The needles peppered their backs and detonated before they could make good on their attack, but saving Vanessa nearly lost him an eye. He saw the blade just in time from the corner of his eye to jerk his head back. The blade sliced by so close to his face he could feel the breeze on his cheek.

  Cassidy grabbed the man’s wrist, twisting and pulling before bringing his knee up into the man’s elbow, breaking his arm. He screamed, the blade falling from his hand, but Cassidy didn’t let go. He put the needlegun to the man’s temple and pulled the trigger.

  Scooping up the thug’s sword, Cassidy returned his attention to the two Dragons attacking Vanessa to find she had finished them off. “Let’s get out of here,” he said.

  “Agreed,” she replied.

  They broke for the front of the izakaya together, racing out into the narrow street. The pursuit of the Silver Dragon foot soldiers and the resulting gunfire sent dozens of screaming pedestrians running for cover. It quickly left the street eerily quiet, the shopping stalls and food carts abandoned.

  “Liao isn’t going to like this,” Cassidy said as they ran for the corner.

  “No,” Vanessa breathlessly agreed as shouts began echoing from the nearest cross-street, dozens of people screaming in Chinese for the pedestrians to get out of the way. “We need to hurry or we’ll get cut off.”

  “Why are they trying so hard? Garrett isn’t here.”

  “But I know where he is. Valuable intel, don’t you think?”

  Cassidy nodded. “This way.”

  He ran across the street to a closed door. Already expecting pain from his knees, he reared back and kicked, the force breaking the flimsy lock and throwing the door open. He and Vanessa ducked into a narrow hazy corridor smelling heavily of opium. A stairwell on the left led to the residences over the storefronts on the ground floor while a straight run through the building took them to an alley at the rear.

  Cassidy led Vanessa through to the back door, not sure where he was going but certain they needed to put as much distance between themselves and the remaining thugs as they could. This was Silver Dragon territory. Getting out of it wouldn’t be easy.

  Cassidy put his back to the door. He wasn’t about to assume the alley beyond it was clear.

  “What happened with Garrett and Liao?” he asked her. “What did Garrett want from him?”

  “It’s not for me to explain,” Vanessa replied. “But Liao’s reaction wasn’t completely unexpected.”

  “Then why did you want to meet here?”

  “There was no time to change the venue, passing notes between multiple intermediaries the way we did.”

  “If you wanted to meet me so badly, you should have used Leonidas.”

  He had dropped the name intentionally to see how Vanessa would react. If she was surprised he knew the name of the process, she didn’t show it. Of course she wasn’t surprised he had used it. He was willing to bet she was the one who had planted the drone on his coat, easy to do in a crowd.

  “What happened to the last person who contacted you that way?” Vanessa asked. “I know about the UnityComm tower that blew up last night. ”

  Cassidy froze. “What do you mean? Is Dorne dead?”

  Vanessa nodded. “Our comms aren’t traceable but your UDF issued device sure as hell is. That’s why Marcos should have lifted it from you and gotten rid of it.”

  Cassidy didn’t like the news about Dorne, but there was nothing he could do to change it. The fact that Vanessa knew about it still offered him a peek at the connection between his old captain and the fugitive. “He tried. I didn’t bring it along because it’s traceable. Where is your pal, Marcos, anyway?”