Cheng watched to make sure the rude waiter had given the note to the right person and then he slipped into the handicapped bathroom.
When she knocked, he unlocked the door and stood back. She was wearing knee-high boots, a short skirt, and a flimsy top. Stepping into the small space, she kicked the door closed behind her and shot daggers at him.
“Lock it,” he said.
Her cold gaze was averted only long enough to turn and do as he had asked. When she turned back around, he reached out and wrapped one of his hands around the back of her neck.
“Give it to me,” he demanded in Chinese.
The daggers were gone. Her eyes were now wide with fear. She didn’t like his hand on the back of her neck like that. “Give you what?”
He was done playing games. He ran his free hand over her body until he found it. She had tucked her iPhone in her bra and he brushed roughly against one of her breasts pulling it out.
“Hey!” she exclaimed.
“Shut up.”
“My grandfather will—”
Cheng tightened his grip around her neck, forcing her to look at him. “Listen to me, princess. We are not in Beijing. I don’t care who your grandfather is. I’m in charge. Do you understand me?”
The young woman didn’t reply, so Cheng squeezed even tighter. When she nodded, he released his grasp.
“Do you know that you have an FBI agent following you?”
The girl rubbed her neck, hoping he had not bruised her. “I didn’t see anyone.”
“Of course not. You were too busy talking and texting on your phone.”
“Where is he?”
“Shut up and pay attention,” he snapped.
Pulling out one of the new, prepaid phones he’d had Wei Yin purchase when they had arrived in Boston, he handed it to her. “Take this. Then I want you to go back into the restaurant, sit down, and order dinner. When this phone rings, you will pick it up and you will do exactly as I tell you. Is that understood?”
The young woman shrugged.
He was ready to grab her by the neck again. “This is not a game, Daiyu. This is very serious. Do you understand me?”
“I guess,” she replied. “Now give me my iPhone back.”
“No,” he said, unlocking the door. “Time to go.”
As she stepped past him, the daggers were back.
“Enjoy your dinner. I’ll call you soon.”
He watched her disappear down the hall and back into the restaurant. He didn’t need to look for the FBI man. He was out there somewhere.
Exiting the restaurant, he turned off the iPhone and then tossed it down a storm drain. Stupid, arrogant girl.
Back at the safe house, he checked on the other four princelings. They had eaten and were watching a Chinese DVD. He’d been loath to leave them alone, but he’d had little choice. To their credit, they had behaved themselves. Even the smokers had done as he had asked and had limited themselves to smoking in the bathroom with the window cracked. He had no desire to draw undue attention to the safe house, or to his charges. As soon as he could bring Daiyu in, they’d be able to get some sleep, and then they would be on their way.
The FBI agent, though, was now an issue, and there were only two ways to deal with him. Either Cheng could come up with a suitable distraction to help Daiyu slip away, or he’d have to pick the right spot and put a bullet in the back of the man’s head. While a bullet in the back of the head was a lot easier to accomplish, it brought with it a host of new problems, not least of which was the possibility of a police dragnet if they found the body before the Chinese had been able to flee.
He couldn’t risk it. He’d have to find a way to help her shake the tail without the agent’s knowing he’d been spotted. The easiest way to do that was to pick a business that had multiple entries and exits.
After changing clothes, he left the safe house and found a small store where he bought Daiyu sweatpants, a sweatshirt, and a Boston Bruins baseball cap. Just changing her appearance was going to go a long way toward helping her disappear.
Next, he walked over to Avenue De Lafayette to explore the Hyatt Regency Hotel. It was a large, busy building with a restaurant, a café, and, most important of all, many ways in and out. It would be perfect. There was even a