Indigo Slam

Clark saw us and said, 'Oh, dear.'

Dak's eyes flashed angrily, and he jerked the cigarette. 'Get him out of here.'

The younger guy was pulling Clark back into the hall when I said, 'The Russians are in LA, Clark. I've got your kids stashed, but they're in danger.'

Clark jerked his arm away and came back into the room. 'Where are they?'

'At a friend's.'

Dak told the younger guy to get Clark out of there again, and when the younger guy grabbed his arm, Clark swatted at him. 'Get away from me!'

I looked back at Dak. 'I've got his children, goddamnit. Shooters from Seattle are down here looking for him, and he knows it's a fact.' I looked back at Clark. 'The Russians killed Wilson Brownell, and that means they know everything that he knows.'

Clark 's face worked. 'They killed Wil?'

The AK screamed again, and this time he shoved past the others and leveled the gun at us. When he did, Clark shrieked, 'No!' and lurched forward, shoving him away. Both Walters and the other Viets swarmed around him, and Dak slapped him hard, twice. Clark didn't quit. He punched at Dak, throwing awkward punches with nothing on them, but he kept throwing them until a Walter hung onto each arm and a third man had him around the neck. Clark was just full of surprises.

Pike said, 'Payback's going to hurt.'

The three men pulled Clark out of the way, and Dak waved at us, saying, 'Kill them.'

Clark said, 'If you kill them I won't print your goddamned dong.' Vietnamese money is called dong.

Dak's face went dark, and he shook Clark 's arm. 'You agreed to print for us and you will make the money!'

Clark said, 'Like hell I will.' When he said it a little bit of spit hit Dak on the shirt.

The AK had had enough with all the talk. He pushed past Dak and ran at us again, barking in Vietnamese. When he did, Dak yelled 'No!' and grabbed him from behind.

Dak and the AK and the other two older guys shoved and screamed at each other, and I knew what it was about. They were revolutionaries, but they were also businessmen with families and property and things they would lose if they were discovered. They were shouting about killing us, and it was clear that they wanted to. Pike tensed beside me, probably thinking that if the younger shotgunners looked at the older guys he would come out of the chair and risk the charge, maybe hit the near guy hard enough to knock free the gun, maybe get the gun and do some damage even with his hands tied behind his back.

Helluva morning. Drive down to Orange County to die.

I said, ' Clark, whatever Brownell knew, the Russians know. They'll have your address and phone number, and that gives them a place to start looking. If I can find you, they can find you, too.'

Clark was nodding, trying to hear me past all the yelling. A faint sheen of sweat covered his face, and he looked pale and more than a little nauseated. I thought that even with the dope whatever was eating him up must hurt like hell.

I said, 'I've got the kids stashed in a safe place, but you're going to have to do something. Either go back into the program or get out of town.'

Clark was looking from me to the Viets, me to the Viets, over and over again. 'I need this money.' Whatever they were paying him to do the job.

' Clark, what good's the money if they murder your children?'

All the screaming had peaked, and Dak jerked the AK away from the other guy and used it to shove Clark toward the door, screaming, 'We have the paper now, we have the machines! Go into the other room and print the dong!'

But Clark didn't go into the other room. He grabbed hold of the AK, and shouted, 'I'm not going anywhere! If you kill them I won't print your money.'

Dak was breathing so hard he sounded like a bellows.

One of the other guys ran up beside him and tried to wrestle the AK away but Dak shouted a single Vietnamese word and the man stopped. Now they were both breathing loud, and Clark was breathing loud, too. Clark grabbed Dak by the front of his jacket and shook him. Clark 's face was so pale I thought he might keel over. He shouted, 'My children are in danger and these men are taking care of them.' He looked back at me. 'If they let you go, you won't tell, will you?'

'No.'

'You won't stop me from printing the dong?'

' Clark, if they let us go, we'll do everything we can to help.' I wanted Clark Hewitt to get his money.

The other man shouted and Dak raised the gun. Dak was shouting, too, and with all the shouting I thought that no one could understand anything and that the moment had taken on an inevitable life of its own. I thought that Dak would shoot right through Clark, the 7.62 mm bullets ripping through Clark into me and Pike and ending us all, but then the shouting stopped and Dak muttered a single coarse Vietnamese curse, and he looked at me with an expression of infinite weariness. He said, 'All right.'

He told Dak to cut us loose.

My heart began to beat again.

CHAPTER 26

The one named Mon didn't like it. He stomped around, waving the AK and making a big scene until Nguyen Dak slapped him and took the gun away. The others started shouting and arguing, but when Dak finally had them quiet, he said, 'Make the dong and let's be done with this.'

I said, 'How long will it take to print the dong?'

Clark frowned. 'Well, after I make the plates, a couple of days.'

'How long start to finish?'

'Three days.'

'Okay. Your children can stay with you here while you print the dong, and you can decide what you want to do.' I wanted to get the kids out of LA, and I was hoping that I could work on getting Clark and his children back into the witness protection program while he was down here guarded by Dak's people. 'When you have the money you can leave from here without going back to Los Angeles. That way it's a clean miss for the Russians.'

Clark was liking it. 'That sounds good.' He turned to Dak. 'We'll have to go to Los Angeles to get my family.'

Dak shook his head. 'Absolutely not. Print the money first, then do what you want.'

I said, 'Forget it, Dak. His kids are in danger as long as they're in Los Angeles. So is he.'

Dak glared at Clark. 'You agreed to make the dong.

We've bought the press and the materials. We have an enormous investment.'

Clark frowned. 'I'm still going to do it. I'll make the dong when I get back.'

Dak shook his head again. Adamant. 'No dong, no money.'

'I'll make the dong. I just want to get my children.'

Dak waved at me and Pike. 'You stay and make the dong. They can go get the children.'

Clark pursed his lips and scowled, and suddenly I could see Charles in him. 'No, I'm their father and I'm going to get them.'

I said, 'They're just up in Studio City, for chrissake. It's not like they're on Mars.'

Dak put his hands on his hips.

'We're talking about three hours round-trip.'

'No.'

I spread my hands. 'Look, if you're that scared Clark won't come back, why don't you come with us.'

Pike stared at me.

Dak huddled with the other Viets. There was more handwaving, but this time no one was shouting or pointing a gun at us. I guess they were getting used to the idea. Finally Dak came back to us and said, 'All right. Let's go get them.'

Pike sighed. 'Now it's 'us.' '

Dak looked at Pike. 'We have a large investment here that's worthless if he doesn't come back. We're going to protect it.'

Pike shook his head and stared at the floor.

I said, ' Clark, are you up to this?' He looked pale and clammy, and I was wondering just how much longer he could stay on his feet. He looked like he should be in a hospital.