“There is no greater luxury than having enough money to waste it on something exciting,” Arrow said. Then after a brief pause, he finished with, “And dangerous.”
“You know something I don’t about the craps table at your place?”
Arrow took a drink directly from the flask this time, and handed it back to Teddy who followed with his own long swig.
“A true gamble can’t be had at a table, my friend.”
“You got something in mind, spit it out, friend,” Teddy said.
“It’s just all so... glossy. So boring.”
The inflections in his voice and his body language seemed genuine to Teddy. He wondered if something about being buzzed in the back of a car together was creating a spark of bonding between them.
As Arrow finished the rest of the alcohol in the flask, Teddy realized Dale Gai wasn’t with them. Maybe she’d been released on her own and was at the casino waiting for them.
“Dale Gai was arrested with me,” Teddy said, taking advantage of their new bond as they approached the hotel entrance. “You may know her. She works at the casino in security. She was assisting me with security for the film festival.”
“I can’t be expected to know every employee. It’s a large operation. I’ll talk to someone in HR and make sure she’s provided the resources she needs locally to defend herself.”
Teddy had two paths in front of him, and neither was very good. He could push further for Dale’s release and risk having Arrow send him back to jail, with prejudice, where he might not ever be seen again. Or, he could do exactly what he’d told Dale Gai he wouldn’t do and sell her out to save his own skin.
In the end, the logical decision was clear, if unpalatable. Neither he nor Dale Gai would be well-served by him being locked up again. It only raised the odds that whoever was trying to destroy Peter and Ben’s interests in Macau would succeed.
Dale had already shown she had survival skills comparable to Teddy’s, so he had no doubt she would be fine for the time being. When the time was right, if needed, he could marshal the resources to break her out.
“You’re right,” Teddy said, as they exited the car at the casino’s entrance. “Why put what you and I can do together at risk because of a woman.”
Arrow smiled a wide, contemptable smile as he emerged from the car and escorted Teddy into the hotel as if he were an honored guest.
44
“I know people think I’m some kind of global supervillain,” Arrow said to Teddy. “And maybe they’re right. This is my lair and I can’t say it does anything to dispel that impression of me. But I like it. It’s secure and it gives me a place to work and think without distraction.”
“Is this where you inject me with truth serum or torture me until I give up all of my secrets?”
“I’m squeamish, believe it or not, and hate torture. The results are mixed, at best, and you end up looking like a jerk. No, in fact, this is where I tell you all of my evil plans so you know how powerful I am and maybe decide to join my side.”
“I’ve never been one to stick to a single side for very long, so let’s hear your plan.”
“I have many powerful friends in the U.S. government who do not care for China.”
“So far so good.”
“For a long time, certain government agencies were using my casinos under my nose to try and flip high-level officials with gambling problems to spy on the Chinese government.”
“That sounds terrible for business,” Teddy said.
“I shut it down as quickly as possible, but they wouldn’t go away until I gave them something else they wanted. That’s when I found Li Feng.
“She has information about massive spying by the Chinese government on U.S. citizens through the cell phone technology her family’s company makes. And I’ve convinced her to testify in front of Congress.”
“You sound like quite the hero,” Teddy said. “I hate to be the one to tell you that I don’t have any secrets that would be of interest to the Chinese or American governments.”
“That’s not what I need you for. I’ve been following your activities since you arrived in Macau. For a movie producer you seem to have remarkable skills at protecting your friends. You also seem to be quite discreet. I was only able to follow your activities because so many of them took place within my casino.”
Teddy already had more going on in Macau than he anticipated and had no interest in palling around with Arrow Donaldson, but this seemed like the best way to find out what Arrow’s involvement was in harassing Peter and Ben. He took the bait.
“I do what I can,” Teddy said. “You have friends you’d like me to protect for you?”
“What I’d really like for you to do,” Arrow continued, “is keep an eye on Li Feng. Discreetly. She’s under my protection right now, but eventually the U.S. government will take custody of her. But I don’t trust their capabilities. One woman has already died here under their watch.”
Teddy could see the entire galaxy of trouble swirling around Arrow Donaldson. Peter and Ben were small pieces of something much larger, and to execute the revenge he’d promised Stone and Dino, Teddy was going to have to blow up the entire thing. Keeping an eye on Li Feng would certainly help with that, but the longer Teddy was in Macau, the more likely it was he was going to uncover something even he couldn’t fix.
Arrow watched Billy Barnett leave and wondered if stringing him along was the smart move. Maybe he should have just shot the movie producer right then. He sat on the edge of the desk and thought about the gun in his drawer next to the cashbox and a box of expensive cigars. He’d always been able to get what he wanted by using money and connections, and letting other people handle the violence.
Li Feng was turning out to be a curse that had already taken down some powerful men. Billy Barnett seemed less dumb and cocksure than every other L.A. suit he’d ever dealt with — and he appeared to be able to get almost as much done in Macau as Arrow. In another world, without the fate of the QuiTel ban and Arrow’s future in that market at stake, he might try to team up with a man like Billy Barnett. But Arrow didn’t see any reason why, once Billy Barnett went against Li Feng, he would fare any differently than the others who had crumbled.
Arrow also told himself that he would be able to use the gun and put down any interference in the biggest deal of his life, if necessary. He took the gun out of the drawer and rolled it around in his hands, familiarizing himself with the grooves and contours. Then he took out one of the cigars and lit it. The cigar was definitely better.
45
After declining Arrow Donaldson’s offer to put Teddy up in a suite of his own, Teddy retreated to Stone Barrington’s suite and called Millie Martindale.
“Can you help me get in touch with the CIA lackey who told Arrow Donaldson to spring me from jail?” Teddy asked when Millie answered.
“That doesn’t sound like anyone I know,” Millie said.
“Even you?”
“That depends on the hour of the day and the day of the week.”
“What about today?”
“I may have let it slip when I was talking to Arrow that you were in jail in Macau.”
“And then he just took the initiative to hunt me down and spring me out all on his own?”
“He’s very ambitious from what I’ve heard.”
“Ruthless as well. The woman I was arrested with is still there and didn’t receive as favorable a review as myself with Mr. Donaldson.”
“Your private life doesn’t concern me, Mr. Barnett.”