Читать книгу The Benefactor - Don Easton - Страница 16

It was eight o’clock Wednesday morning when Anh Dang arrived at the Hanoi House to start his shift. He was surprised to be met by Vien Ngo who was temporarily in charge while Tom Nguyen was in Hong Kong, but pleased to discover that he was immediately being sent on another mission.

Anh Dang knew his reputation was becoming known. It had been exactly two weeks since he had driven over the woman with the dog. He prided himself as he recalled how calm he remained while the woman screamed as she was dragged under the car down the sidewalk. His passenger, Paul Cong, whose only job was to drop the empty wine bottle, squealed in panic when the woman was stuck under the car.

Anh knew when the car’s back tires finally bounced and spit her out the back that she was dead and had turned to Cong and told him to calm down. He said it was no big deal.

Anh was pleased that the comment was not lost on Cong, who later chatted excitedly to Tom Nguyen as he described every detail, including Anh’s prowess as a driver. Anh purposely added little to the conversation and pretended to brush it off as being hardly worthy of discussion.

Tom Nguyen had praised him on a job well done. It was his first murder, but Anh hid the excitement he felt and hoped his reputation for being cool would soon reach the ears of the truly big bosses.

Today he did his best not to appear excited again when Vien Ngo gave him a .38-calibre Smith & Wesson revolver, along with a rolled-up bundle of cloth that held a plastic bag containing crack cocaine. The details of the murder were simple but deadly. The victim, belonging to a rival gang, was going to be murdered near the border of the territory of yet a third gang. The drugs found in his car would make it look like he was there to sell drugs and subsequently murdered by the third gang.

Anh understood the potential consequences of such an action. The two gangs — living under a tentative peace agreement — might decide to go to war with each other. Will my own gang then step in to pluck what is left when the other two gangs have been weakened?

He glanced at Vien Ngo and solemnly realized the great position of trust in which he had been placed. If word of what really happened ever leaked out, both gangs might decide to unite against his gang. Secrecy was of the utmost importance.