Page 106 of The Big Fix

Ten minutes later, as Darius’s intel had told him to expect, I heard a car pull up and stop before driving off again. I listened as the home’s sole occupant entered and moved through the rooms to the living room. As the Asian woman entered, she stopped abruptly when she saw me rise from the chair.

“Colonel Colter, what a surprise,” she said, her composure returning fast.

“Who are you?” I asked, needing to know.

“I’m Ming Gray.” She dropped her Prada handbag on the couch and crossed her arms as she stared at me.

I found myself studying her face, trying to place her. But there was nothing, not a sliver of recognition. She was a mere slip of a woman, beautiful, willowy, her Chanel suit fitting her perfectly, and her hair and makeup were immaculate. I was guessing she was in her midfifties, but I really was shit at telling how old people were.

“Would you like a drink?” she offered.

“No,” I answered, studying her. “I don’t think us drinking together is prudent, and honestly, when I looked around earlier, there weren’t any labels I knew.”

“Yes. Just blended whiskey in my cabinets,” she said with a sigh. “Personally, I prefer the Glenlivet Winchester single malt, but the cheap ones, they were my late husband’s favorites. He always had…simpler tastes.”

“Won’t you sit?” I said.

Opening her jacket, she sat down on the end of a couch near the armchair I occupied, and crossing her legs, she waited. Her gaze bore into me, the hatred palpable.

We sat there in silence, just staring. It was eerie. The day before, Dante had basically told me to exorcise my ghosts, but now I felt like I was looking at one.

“May I assume you’ve killed my men?”

“I have, yes.”

“So, not a social call, then?”

What was she playing at? “You weren’t expecting me?”

“No. I was expecting a video of your death.”

“You thought they were still torturing me? For nearly a month?” I was surprised. “I don’t know whether to be horrified or humbled that you think I could withstand that kind of treatment for so long.”

“I told them to draw it out. I assumed they were.”

“You didn’t check?” That seemed odd.

“I have other pursuits, Colonel, and just the idea that you were being slowly killed made my sleep peaceful.”

“Still, you should’ve checked in.”

“I like to think I employ an excellent caliber of killer.”

“Your man Suwan was a nasty enough piece of work. He didn’t disappoint.”

“Up until the point where you managed to kill him.”

The woman understood kill or be killed. “You overplayed your hand with Suwan and his enforcer. They took their best shot and came up short.”

“Suwan was a fool, a thief, and a traitor who thought his skimming went unnoticed. He had to die for that, whether by my hand or yours, matters little to me. As a soldier, I’m sure you recognize the necessity of keeping discipline in any chain of command. His dishonor followed him to the grave.”

“How do you know? You haven’t checked.”

“I assume as you’re here, and he’s not, that he’s no longer among the living.”

It was a good guess.

“Tell me, Colonel, how is it that you found your way to my doorstep? I know my men didn’t give me up. They’re too scared of me.”