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right hands could be deadly accurate.
    Lying flat on his back, the gunman crawled halfway under the car and looked out. He could see three pairs of feet. Two of his would-be killers had their feet spread apart: the stance of someone proficient with a powerful handgun.
Junior’s bodyguards.
    He aimed and fired four times in quick succession, hitting the bodyguards’ ankles. The men fell to the ground screaming.
    The remaining set of feet shuffled, then turned and ran.
    The gunman rolled out from under the car and charged after the young Chinese man.
    Junior had almost reached the entrance to the alley when the gunman floored him with a flying kick to the small of his back.
    He pulled Junior to his feet, pressing the muzzle of the gun into his neck. “Whose idea was this? Your father’s?”
    Junior shook his head. “No!”
    The gunman dragged Junior back toward his car and handed him the keys. “Get in.”
    Shaking, Junior unlocked the car and climbed into the driver’s seat.
    “Start it up.”
    As the car rumbled to life, Junior asked, “Where are you taking me?”
    “Nowhere,” the gunman growled. He reached in, grabbed Junior around the neck and pulled him out of the car. “Just wanted to make sure you didn’t have a bomb wired to the ignition.” He forced the young man to his knees. “You hire me to put your rival out of commission so she’ll miss today’s meeting. You don’t want her dead because that would bring her gang into conflict with yours. That’s good thinking. I applaud that. She misses the meeting and suddenly it looks to everyone like her people don’t care about your precious trade agreements.”
    “Mr. Jackson, I—”
    “Shut up. I’m not finished. So all on your own you decide that instead of paying me my two million dollars, you and yourfriends will kill me and keep the money for yourself. And Sheng Senior will never find out, right?”
    “No, it wasn’t like that!”
    “Then what
was
it like?”
    Junior Sheng didn’t have an answer.
    “I thought so. Junior, your old man is a fool if he believes that one day you’re going to be able to take over his organization.” The gunman laughed. “You actually thought you could kill me. You hired me because I’ve got the best reputation in the business. I have never failed to take down a target, but somehow you thought that you and your goons would be able to stop me.”
    He stepped back. “Get up. I’m not going to kill you.”
    Holding on to the car to steady himself, Junior Sheng got to his feet. “I’m sorry, Mr. Jackson!”
    The gunman raised his eyes. “You can’t even get my
name
right!” He shook his head. “You’re in serious trouble, Junior, you know that? Sure, I did the job. Your rival will sleep for about six hours and there is absolutely no evidence of foul play. The knockout pellet I hit her with will already have dissolved into nothing. But you had to come after me. How’s that going to look? She misses this important meeting and on the same day there’s unexplained gunfire in the alley behind the hotel closest to her apartment.”
    The young man swallowed and stared at his feet.
    “Listen, Junior, you just tell your father that I’m coming to see him today and that I want him to give me my money in person. Plus a little extra…This is a hired car and I’m damned if
I’m
going to pay for a new windshield. If I don’t get my money, I’m going to kill him. If you or any of your organization tries topull another stunt like this, I’ll let him live but I’m going to kill
you
and every other member of your family. Got that?”
    Junior nodded vigorously. “I am sorry, Mr. Jackson! It won’t happen again! I swear!”
    The gunman put his gun away. “Yeah, I’m sure it won’t, Junior. And for the last time, my name is
not
pronounced Jackson. It’s Dioxin.”

4
    W ARREN W AGNER ANGRILY STABBED AT the buttons on the remote control. “It’s on every channel!”
    Sitting on the sofa next to Warren’s