“Go figure.”

“I asked her about her boss. She said she didn’t really know Mister Goldie all that well yet. I asked her if he ever mingled with the customers and she said, sometimes. I said if he did, he would soon find out that calling young women ‘madam’ was not a good idea.”

“I bet they change their policy,” replied Jack. “It’s good he mingles. Just have to get him to mingle with us.”

Good undercover operatives are friendly by nature. Within a couple of hours, Jack and Laura were on a first-name basis with most of the staff.

On Thursday night, Jack and Laura returned to the club. Patty was quick to serve them, no doubt appreciating the fifty-six-dollar tip she received on top of the forty-four-dollar bill for the two martinis and two Bellinis she served the night before. The bartender, Purvis, also appreciated Jack’s added tips in appreciation of what he deemed “the perfect martini.” He waved to them both when they came in.

Jack took a jar out of a plastic bag and handed it to Patty and said, “Give this to Purvis, will you?”

“Olives?” asked Patty in bewilderment, staring at the jar.

“His martinis are excellent, but the olives he uses are getting old. Also, mention to him that I prefer three olives.”

Later that night, Jack and Laura saw Goldie make an appearance. Purvis spoke to him from behind the bar and Jack saw Goldie glance in their direction.

The next martini was on the house. When Jack and Laura left that night, they were being treated like prized regulars by all the staff.

It was ten o’clock on Friday night and Jack and Laura were looking for a place to park at Goldie Locks when Jack received a call from Sammy.

“Interesting call on the pay phone this afternoon,” said Sammy. “We just got it translated. Wang called another Chinese man by the name of Woo. We don’t know Woo’s full name yet. The number is registered to an auto body shop. It sounds like Woo is moving to Montreal and Wang told him to try and find a new connection out there for his friend who owns the nightclub. Wang has to be talking about Goldie.”

“Connection for what?” asked Jack.

“Didn’t say.”

After hanging up, Jack recounted the conversation to Laura.

“So, what do you think?” asked Laura.

“Let’s get Goldie to tell us what it’s about.”

“Really? And how —”

“On the sidewalk!” said Jack quickly, turning Laura’s attention toward the front of Goldie Locks.

Laura saw Goldie, in his familiar moss-green windbreaker, and Wang both walking down the sidewalk. Wang checked his watch and said something to Goldie, after which both men hurried their pace.

“What do you think?” asked Laura, with her hand on the door handle.

“They’re late for something. Would be nice to find out what. Go for it, but don’t be seen or Goldie will for sure recognize you from the club. I’ll call you on my cell. I’m going to give Sammy a call first and see if he knows anything.”

Once Laura exited the car, Jack dialed Sammy on his cellphone.“Sammy … Jack again. You ever get a bug in Wang’s car?”

“Yeah. Went into his garage behind his house last night and did it. Nothing on it yet. We didn’t have time to put in satellite tracking. The asshole turned his lights on. Probably going to the bathroom, but we decided to bolt.”

“He’s walking with Goldie near Goldie Locks. You don’t know anything?”

“Nope. We heard him in his car. Just the radio on and traffic noise. No indication he was with anyone or where he was going. Sounds like he parked it about fifteen minutes ago.”

“If you hear something, give me a call.”

Moments later, Jack realized that walking would be faster than driving as he sat in a long line of traffic. He looked for a place to park as Laura discreetly followed the two men around a corner and out of sight down the next block.

Meanwhile, Laura was relieved to see that both men were in a hurry and that neither one took the time to look behind them. She didn’t look behind herself either, otherwise she may have noticed a third man who stepped out from an alley and followed her down the street.

Partway down the block, both Goldie and Wang stopped and turned to talk with one another. By the way Goldie was gesturing with his hands, Laura presumed they were having some type of disagreement.

Despite it being the third week of July, the weather was cool from the nightly wind that came in off the ocean to replace the heat rising from the tall buildings. Laura pulled the collar of her jacket snugly around her neck and took momentary cover inside a convenience store. She pretended to browse along a magazine display while watching Goldie and Wang through the front window as she whispered to Jack on her cellphone.

The man following Laura stayed back in the shadows, watching and waiting for her to come outside. A lane emerged between tall buildings onto the street a few paces down from the convenience store. The area was dark, and for the moment, deserted. He knew it would be a good place to attack and then escape.

“Okay, they’re starting to move again,” whispered Laura. “Where are you?”

“About a block behind,” replied Jack, jogging past some pedestrians. “Be there in a couple of secs and I’ll take the opposite side of the street.”

Laura saw that Goldie and Wang had moved to the end of the block and were standing at the corner.

“Looks like they’re waiting for someone,” whispered Laura. “Maybe getting a ride. I’ll see if I can grab a plate.”

“Not too close,” warned Jack.

“There’s a lane between me and them. Pretty dark. I can hide in there. They won’t see me.”

Seconds later, Laura crept into the shadows, barely visible by the corner of a building as she watched Goldie and Wang, who seemed intent at looking at the cars going past them.

“Not a fuckin’ word bitch!” a man hissed, grabbing Laura by the shoulder.

Laura gasped as she was brutally spun around with her back slamming up against the cement wall of the building. A man loomed over her, holding a syringe close to her face.

“Your purse, lady, or I jam this in your fuckin’ throat!”

“KEEE-AI!”

Jack heard the sound of Laura’s vicious, paralyzing yell from across the street and looked over, as did both Goldie and Wang.

It takes the human body approximately two seconds to physically respond to a given stimulus. In those two seconds, Laura delivered three karate punches. Her arms moved in opposite unison to each other. As one fist pulled back, the other struck. Her training caused her reflexes to automatically give her knuckles a last-second twist upon impact for a bone-crunching finish. Her first blow was delivered to the man’s solar plexus. His body was in the act of doubling over when her second punch collided with his Adam’s apple. His head snapped back and he emitted a rasping, choking gurgle as his feet staggered back to maintain his balance. Her third punch to his scrotum caused him to plop on the sidewalk like a wet sack of cement.

Jack raced across the street, dodging cars as he went, but did not arrive until a couple of seconds after Goldie and Wang did.

“Are you okay?” asked Goldie, staring down at the man who was emitting a sickening moan while lying curled in a ball on the sidewalk with his hands between his legs.

“Uh … yes, thank you,” replied Laura.

“Sweetie! Are you okay?” asked Jack, as he arrived, still panting for air. “Did he hurt you?”

Laura caught the subtle shake of Jack’s head. Guess he doesn’t want me to act scared.

“What happened?” asked Jack.

“I, uh …” Laura glanced at Goldie and Wang, who were giving her odd looks as they glanced back and forth at her and the large man moaning on the sidewalk. “I was going to go to the store, you know, for … personal stuff, before meeting you at the club. Then this guy grabs me and hustles me into an alley and tries to rob me. I’m okay. How did you get here so fast? Did you see him following me?”