Bulletproof Mascara: A Novel (38 page)

“I hope not,” said Lawan, brushing past her. “Because I need you.”

“What are you talking about?” Nikki asked, shutting the door.

“I thought I could take Sarkassian on my own, but . . . he’s got my daughter and I’m not any closer than I was two weeks ago. Laura called me. She said you found out about how Sarkassian’s been using the clinic. I went to meet her at the clinic tonight—it was on fire.”

“Laura . . .” Nikki said, picturing the worst.

“She wasn’t inside. She got everyone out in time. But it’s just the latest . . .” Lawan paused, clearly trying to maintain control. “He’s going to take everything from me. I can’t let him do that. Laura said you could help. I’m hoping she’s right.”

“Why’d you disappear?” Nikki asked, stalling and looking for a few answers.

“I thought that if they couldn’t find me, they couldn’t threaten me, and they’d have to wait until I turned up to make demands. Only, I guess they’ve learned from their mistakes. While I was talking to Laura, a child rode up on a bike and gave me a cell phone. Sarkassian says no waiting. A straight trade. Me for her.”

“Wait, back up,” said Nikki. “Just what the hell happened to you?”

“Bangkok happened,” said Lawan with a shrug.

“Don’t give me that crap,” said Nikki harshly. “Don’t shovel that ‘it’s a big city, mysterious East, you’re a foreigner, you wouldn’t understand’ line of horse pucky because I’m not buying it! What happened? You were investigating the port, weren’t you? Because of the antiterrorist bill.”

Lawan made an impatient gesture that ended as she sank down onto the bed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “That’s where it started. I didn’t give a crap about terrorists. I mean, sure, crack down on them, but really . . . it’s about slavery. Women and children are being sold into slavery and shipped out through the ports. The problem has only gotten worse since the tsunami—so many children lost parents and support systems. They are even more vulnerable now than they used to be. I figured if they passed the antiterrorist bill that they’d catch more slavers. Two-for-one special, as it were.” She gave a hollow laugh. “So I was looking into it. Trying to find the biggest offenders and the most efficient ways of catching them. I didn’t expect to catch one selling people out of
my clinic.
” Her eyes sparkled in anger, her fist thumping on the bed.

“What happened after you found out?” Nikki sat down beside Lawan, wanting to hug her, but not brave enough to actually reach out.

“I tried to stop it. I couldn’t wait for the police. I had to save the girls now. And that’s when they took my daughter.”

“How’d they get her?” Nikki asked.

“Airport. They tried to get me, but I fought them off. Then they took Lindawati.”

“Laura said she called Lindawati’s school after you disappeared, but the school wouldn’t confirm that you’d been there.”

Lawan nodded. “I pay them a lot of money not to answer questions from inquiring strangers, but, yes, I went to get her. With Sarkassian’s international contacts I couldn’t trust that he wouldn’t be able to get to her. I was taking her to Saman’s relatives, up in the hills. Once up there, I knew she’d be safe. But we never made it that far. Ever since then, I’ve been moving around the city, never in one place for more than twenty-four hours. I thought I could figure out a way to take him down, but he’s got
too many people and too much money. I can’t trust the police. And now he’s offering a trade—her for me. I have to risk it for my daughter’s sake.”

“He’s not going to let either of you live,” said Nikki.

“I know that,” Lawan said. “That’s why I’m here. You’re my last hope. Laura says you help women in trouble—that you can’t be bribed or bought or scared off.”

Nikki stared into the mirror above the desk. Her skin, always pale, had taken on a greenish cast and her eyes looked shadowed and frightened. Her hair formed a sort of golden-red nimbus around her face. She looked like a candle flame and she felt just as easy to extinguish—as if all anyone had to do was blow hard enough and she’d dissipate like smoke.

“I . . ., ” she began. What could she do? She was alone. She had already failed. Her phone rang. Numbly, she reached for it.

“Hi,” Jenny said. “Guess where we are?”

“What?” Nikki couldn’t form a coherent thought. “Guess, what?”

“Nikki? Nikki, are you all right?” Jenny sounded irritated, like she always did when she was worried.

“No,” Nikki said flatly.

“Where are you?” Jenny demanded. “We just landed here. We’ll come and get you.”

“Who’s we?” Nikki asked, trying to keep up. “Where’s here?”

“Ellen and me. In Bangkok. We came to help. Where are you?”

Nikki took a deep breath and felt her lungs expand with relief. Things were going to be OK. She wasn’t alone.

“I’m at the hotel. What’d you bring with you?”

“Just the basic equipment,” answered Jenny.

“Guns,” said Nikki. “You need guns, and I wouldn’t mind having a helicopter.”

“I can get you a helicopter,” Lawan said.

“What time is the exchange?” Nikki asked, looking at Lawan.

“Ten,” she answered.

Nikki checked her watch. There was less than three hours to go.

“What’s the location?”

“They’re going to call a half hour ahead of time and let me know.”

Nikki nodded. That was smart of them.

“Nikki?” Jenny’s plaintive voice sounded from the phone.

“Forget the hotel,” said Nikki. “We don’t have time.” She gave directions to Jenny and hung up the phone. “Were you serious about the helicopter?” she asked Lawan.

“Yeah, it’s just a little commuter chopper, but it’s a helicopter. My friend uses it for tours and to chauffeur rich people around.”

“How does he feel about maybe getting shot at?”

Lawan looked thoughtful. “Probably OK. Some of his clients are drug dealers.”

“Great,” said Nikki. “Then we’ve got a chance.”

THAILAND XV

Second Gear,
Hang on Tight

It had taken a few minutes to get dressed and get Lawan committed to the plan. And a couple more minutes to convince Lawan to lend her a motorcycle, but eventually Nikki found herself staring through dirty windows at elephants, with their perennial layers of dust, at the antiques store where she and Val had purchased the guns.

She slipped down the back alley to survey the back of the shop. It wasn’t any cleaner, but it did at least have the appearance of use. Using a conveniently placed drainpipe, she climbed up onto the second-story balcony of the neighboring building and then onto the roof. There was a small roof garden and a few sun-bleached wooden chairs. Nikki took out her gun and tried the handle of the flimsy door that led to the inside of the shop. It was locked, which surprised but didn’t deter her.

Her phone rang, buzzing in her pocket.

“Hey, Ellen,” she said, flipping it open.

“We’re here,” said Ellen. “I think. Elephants in the window, right?”

“That’s the place. I’m going in through the back. Give me . . .” She checked her watch and eyeballed the door. “One minute twenty and come in the front.”

“Got it,” said Ellen. “Starting the clock now.”

“Yup,” agreed Nikki, and she hung up.

A firm stomp from Nikki’s foot ended the door’s resistance. No one came running, so she continued her journey down the stairs.

The stairway from the roof was a narrow, dark place with low ceilings. She crept out of the stairway and into a second story filled with large wooden crates. A quick peek in the crates revealed stack after stack of guns, in all shapes and sizes. A foldaway cot and small electric range burner, along with various other living items, told her that this floor was used for more than storage.

She ignored it all and opened the door to the first floor. Downstairs she could hear Kovit yelling loudly into his phone. He switched frequently from Thai to English, and it was difficult to follow the conversation. He hung up the phone and threw it across the room.

“Jeez, Kovit, that’s no way to treat the hardware,” Nikki said, strolling down the stairs, her gun leveled at his chest. He spun around and swallowed hard. He made a sort of jerking motion toward the desk, but Nikki beat him to it and then cracked him across the face as he ran toward her. She removed his gun from the drawer and leaned against the desk, trying to look cool. Her free hand was beginning to shake, so she stuffed it into her pants pocket. She’d never questioned anyone before.

“What do you want?” asked Kovit, wiping blood out of his eyes.

“Mrs. Robinson,” Nikki said.

Kovit laughed. “Do you know who her boyfriend is? Do you know who my main supplier is?”

“Jirair Sarkassian,” said Nikki. “I want him, too.”

“And Victor, too, I suppose,” Kovit said bitterly.

“Nope, he’s taken care of.”

“I suppose you’ve got him tucked away somewhere, while Sarkassian scours the city?” He was slowly edging toward the door to his showroom. She wondered if he thought she was too stupid to notice. There was a wide filing cabinet by the door, and she guessed there was a gun hidden in that general area.

“Not exactly, but let’s just say Victor is out of the way. Why don’t you give me Sarkassian and Val, and we’ll make it a clean sweep?”

“Well, aren’t you smart?” he said bitterly.

“Smarter than you,” she said, as he dove for the door.

There was the sharp smacking sound of fist on flesh, and Jenny dragged Kovit back into the room.

“Hi,” said Jenny.

“Hey,” Nikki said.

“There’s more of you?” Kovit sounded furious.

“There’s a whole freaking army, sweet pea,” Jenny said, patting him on the side of the face with a soft slapping sound.

“Hi, honey,” Ellen said, coming in. “What do you need us to do?”

“Clean him out,” Nikki said. “The guns are upstairs. Take whatever you need.”

“What?” yelled Kovit, lunging forward. Jenny yanked him back by his hair. “You can’t do that. That’s my merchandise.”

“Not anymore,” Nikki said. Ellen marched upstairs, taking a couple of duffel bags with her.

“Mrs. Robinson is going to kill you,” he said sullenly.

“She already tried that,” said Nikki, ignoring Jenny’s startled look. “It didn’t take. But wouldn’t you like her to have a second try?”

“Yes,” he said, squirming under the pressure of Jenny’s hand.

“Then tell me where they’re meeting this morning,” said Nikki reasonably.

“I don’t know,” he answered, watching her with angry eyes.

“But you know people,” Nikki pointed out. “You can find out.”

“They’ll kill me,” he said.

“Hell, son,” Jenny said. “I’m going to kill you way before they do.”

Kovit looked from Jenny to Nikki as if trying to assess how serious they were.

“She’s probably serious,” said Nikki. “But let me put it to you this way . . . if you’re so sure they’re going to win, then what’s it hurt to send us to them? And if we win, then they can’t kill you, can they?”

“She’s right,” Jenny said, pulling his head back to look him in the eye. “It’s a win-win situation for you.”

“I found lots of good stuff,” Ellen said, lugging the first duffel bag down the stairs. “Did you know he has a whole crate full of the old-school Dragunovs?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kovit said, “there’s been a glut in the market since the Soviet Union fell and Russia upgraded the stocks. Take as many as you want.”

“No, thanks,” Ellen said cheerfully. “I took one of the H&K PSG1s.”

“What? No! Do you know how much I can get for that? Put it back!”

“No,” Nikki said. “She’s going to take that one and whatever else she wants, and you’re going to tell us where the meeting is this morning because you want us to leave.”

Kovit glared at her.

“If you don’t think she can get a truck here in twenty minutes to take
all
of your merchandise, you are sorely mistaken, my friend,” said Jenny, beaming at him.

“I need a phone,” he said. “I have to make some calls.”

“Sure,” said Nikki, flipping open her phone, “but let’s put it on Speaker.”

Twenty minutes later, they had a location.

“Yeah, sure,” said Kovit’s contact. “Everyone knows it’s going down over at Ratchadamnoen and Atsadang. Sarkassian owns a building there. I think he wants to remodel anyway, so no biggie if shit goes down, right?”

“Right, right,” Kovit said. “Thanks, Racha.”

“Yah,” said Racha, and he hung up.

“Ratchadamnoen and Atsadang,” Kovit said. “Just before the bridge on the north side. You leave now? Yes?”

“Sure, sure,” Nikki said, imitating his speech pattern and yanking his phone line out of the wall. “After we tie you up.” She tossed the cord to Jenny. Jenny went immediately to work trussing him up like a calf at a rodeo.

“What was my time?” she asked, stepping back and throwing up her hands.

“I wasn’t timing,” Nikki said.

“Oh shoot,” said Jenny.

“You’re going to pay for this,” Kovit yelled.

“Nope,” Jenny said, shoving a shop rag in his mouth. “I don’t really think I am.”

The girls walked out of the shop, with Jenny and Ellen each carrying a duffel bag full of weaponry. They had left a cab waiting for them

Nikki paused, looking at her friends.

“How are you guys even here?” she burst out, and Jenny laughed, running to hug her.

“Mrs. Merrivel sent us,” Ellen said, hugging Nikki, too.

“I thought we were being recalled?” asked Nikki, mystified.

“That’s Dr. Hastings,” Ellen said. “There’s some sort of situation going down back at headquarters, I think over you and Val, but Mrs. Merrivel was pretty tight-lipped. She just said she thought you’d need us. She didn’t exactly tell us to go, but she made it pretty clear.”

“And she left her planner open on her desk,” said Jenny. “It had your name and an address for the Mandarin Hotel.”

“So we figured we’d better come,” Ellen said.

“I’m really glad you did,” said Nikki gratefully.

“Well, good,” said Jenny. “I’d hate to spend that long on a plane and not be needed.”

Nikki laughed and hugged her again.

“Enough with the hugs,” said Jenny, looking embarrassed. “We’ve got to go save people, right?”