30
Place your bets
I f there was a place to call, knowing that the message would reach Cheng, it was the Dragon Palace.
A super-luxury restaurant, where much more than food was cooked.
If there was one thing the Chinese loved above all else, it was luxury and gambling.
It was rumored that on the lower floor of the restaurant, exclusive poker games were held, to which only people with an obscenely high level of wealth were invited.
My father had received more than one invitation, although he never accepted it, given the tense relationship with the Asians.
The establishment was managed by Cheng's right-hand man, Xīnyán Huang. He was in charge of the gambling businesses and trafficking of women.
I couldn't just walk into the restaurant and start shooting. Killing innocents was not in my code, unless it was unavoidable collateral damage. I preferred to go directly after those who were screwing up my life, not potential future clients.
The restaurant was located in the heart of Marbella's Golden Mile, the most expensive area, so it was in my best interest not to make too much noise.
If Huang was behind the massacre of my men, he was going to pay with his life. First, I had to be sure, though I was 90% convinced it was the Chinese.
As soon as we stepped into the restaurant, the ma?tre d’, a woman who could have walked any fashion runway, welcomed us.
"Good evening, do you have a reservation?"
"We're not here to eat," I clarified, more seriously than usual.
She eyed us, weighing up who we might be based on our attire. We could have passed for an eccentric rock band, or what we actually were, a gang of bloodthirsty mobsters.
The Asian woman showed discomfort upon seeing Aleksa's bare torso peeking out from under his jacket. She also didn't miss my tattoos, or the black top that barely covered my wife's breasts, over which lay a transparent shirt.
The only thing that redeemed our attire were the recognizable brand-name garments that cost thousands. A woman like her was more than accustomed to picking up on such details.
"What are you here for then?" she asked politely. "Would you like to make a reservation for later?"
"Not at all, Mei," I emphasized the name on her name tag. "We're here to accept the invitation your boss extended to my father."
She lightly touched her left ear. She must have been wearing an earpiece hidden under her straight black hair. Was this the moment they would block our way and we had no choice but to draw our weapons and start shooting? I would have been annoyed, as the restaurant was packed.
"I apologize for not recognizing you earlier, Mr. Capuleto," she paused slightly and looked at my wife, offering a nod of the head. "Mrs. Koroleva."
My wife remained serious. I raised my eyes slightly to notice that tiny red lights seamlessly integrated into the decor.
Okay, so the boss was aware of who we were and wanted us to know he was on guard.
I shifted my gaze back to her.
"Mr. Huang welcomes you to the Palace and, of course, extends the invitation he made to your father. If you would follow me."
I gestured to Aleksa to zip up his jacket; it wasn't appropriate to discomfort the diners with his abs. He zipped it up right away.
All four of us were on guard, being invited in so graciously could only mean two things: they were expecting us, or they had no idea, which would be most unsettling.
We let Mei lead us among the tables. The aroma of Chinese food was exquisite. My wife would have loved them to serve her a couple of spring rolls.
"Do you think it's a good idea to go in?" Nikita whispered in my ear as we cautiously moved forward. Aleksa and Andrey kept scanning for possible exits. "I didn't like how easily they welcomed us."
"I didn't like it either, it made me suspicious. Would you prefer to wait outside in case things go south?"
"No, I've already told you I'd accompany you, it's just that... something doesn't feel right."
"And yet it's your favorite cuisine," I joked to ease her concern. I took her hand and kissed her cold knuckles.
"We'll make it quick. Don’t stray from me."
We arrived at an elevator, and Mei turned a key that was attached to a bracelet on her wrist. A risky place to keep it, someone might be tempted to leave her handless.
"I prefer the stairs, small spaces make me claustrophobic," I commented. It wasn't true; I just wanted to see if there was a second access area.
She turned to offer me a sweet look. "I'm sorry, we don't have stairs to access downstairs, but I assure you the ride will be over in a blink."
"What if there’s a fire?" Nikita chimed in as the doors opened.
"There's never been one. Please."
Mei stretched out her hand, the four of us looked at each other tensely, knowing that as soon as the doors opened, we might be riddled with bullets.
"After you," I encouraged her. I wanted to see if she hesitated. She didn’t; she entered with total confidence.
We would have to trust her and use her as a human shield if things got ugly. I doubted Huang would care about losing her, no matter how pretty she was.
Reaching the lower floor took only a second. We all had our hands near our weapons, ready to draw quickly if needed. Fortunately, we didn’t have to.
Outside the elevator, there were a couple of men dressed in black with visible earpieces in their right ears. They didn’t even look at us. Their eyes were fixed on the only door at the end of the hallway.
The walls were lined in red, the moldings covered in gold leaf, and the background music was like that of any oriental restaurant; calm and traditional.
Mei did the honors and opened the double door for us.
Inside, there were a total of four tables and a roulette wheel. The poker tables could accommodate a maximum of five people, plus the dealer responsible for dealing the cards.
Three tables were occupied. The fourth was waiting for a couple of players. At the roulette, the game was already underway and the ball clattered on the surface, ready to change some fortunes.
At the back to the right, there was a small well-stocked side bar. A bartender was shaking the cocktail shaker while a waitress served drinks at the tables.
I didn't miss a kind of camouflaged door at the other end of the room. It was flanked by two men dressed the same as those from the elevator.
The black carpet that covered the floor sank under our footsteps. Chinese craft lamps hung from the ornate ceiling, providing the lighting needed by the players, who seemed very focused on their games.
Several cameras were hidden in small dragon heads fitted in the upper corners, stuck to the ceiling. There wasn’t a single blind spot; the room was a damn mousetrap and I still wasn't sure what role we were supposed to play.
"How many will be playing?"
Mei interrupted my thoughts as she led us towards the table.
"We would like to speak with Huang first, I have some things to discuss with him," I probed.
She rewarded me with another of her well-rehearsed smiles.
"Mr. Huang will meet with you at the table."
"We would prefer to talk to him before starting the game, if Mr. Huang doesn't mind."
I could have started shooting right there and forced his boss out of his hole, but with the exit possibilities hanging by a thread, I preferred to talk first and understand what was going on.
She paused. She must have been listening to her boss through the earpiece.
"One game and he will meet with you. Those two gentlemen have been waiting a while and it is not good to disturb the customers."
I had no choice but to accept, although inside I was boiling with anger over what had happened with my men.
"Alright, we'll play."
"Who will?"
"I will," I responded tersely.
"And I," my wife volunteered, agreeing to participate.
"Fine, the initial bet is twenty thousand euros each. Any problems?"
"None," Nikita assured.
"Then, please join me at the table. What can I get you?"
I wasn't going to drink anything they gave me; I didn't trust it.
"A bourbon," I demanded.
"I'd prefer a glass of chilled Mo?t."
Mei nodded and headed to the bar.
I pulled out my wife's chair and whispered in her ear.
"Don't you dare drink anything."
I eyed the other players. The first, a middle-aged man, introduced himself as Julio Sanchís, a businessman involved in the golf industry. The other was a foreigner, a soccer star on vacation in Marbella.
As soon as our drinks were served, the door opened and Huang emerged from his hideout.