Chapter 424: Tangers XL—Another Damsel
We only
lasted a half hour back at the video game establishment, even with the eight
hundred dollars because, to be honest, I was starving to death and so was
Danny. So by
“Hey that looks kinda good,” Danny said. “Chinese at one in the morning, we won’t be too full, and we’ll be hungry for breakfast in the morning. Heh, lo mein sounds good right about now.”
I nodded, for once I agreed with him. “Yup, dumplings would really hit the spot you know? And they don’t hurt my tummy!” To put the point home, my tummy even roared. Danny grinned and I scowled at him, just to show him I’m not exactly ready to make nice yet.
Rubbing his hands together, Danny nodded. “Yup, let’s go in!”
“Welcome, welcome, nice young men,” the hostess, a round, dark blue satin draped Asian woman with a huge smile greeted us as we entered. “You come for food huh? Need refreshing from night on town?” Her hands were tiny in shining satin kid gloves, and she kept them clasped, walking to us and leading the way to a table. “We have everything for every taste, enjoy yourself, have nice stay, would you like tea or ice water, or plum wine for refreshing?”
I swear Danny’s smile reached from one end of the room to the other, I don’t know how anyone could be dorkier than him. “Hey I like this place, Tangs, I really do! Bring us ice water and plum wine! Unless you’re wanting tea Alex?”
“Of course
not!” I said crossing my arms. And I smiled at our nice hostess. “
“Your server will be Alais, you will like her, have a nice stay,” she nodded curtly to us, her hands still clasped and the hostess left us to put our drink order in, her feet not even making a sound on the floor. I bet she had teeny feet like her hands.
“Wow, huge menu,” Danny said picking the menu off the table, it creaked, made of bamboo and weaving and he flipped through the pages, “Woah there’s a lot more here than lo mein and Kung Pao, I think I’m gonna try me something new, what about you?”
“I must have dumplings,” I said. “And I’ll be happy.”
“Hmm Chicken Cherry Delight, hey I wonder if that’s any good…”
“What fond memories of cherries?” I couldn’t resist saying.
Dan scowled in reply and I smiled.
Our waitress was just like all the other young servers in the establishment, pretty, friendly and exotic looking. I really liked her shining satin dress and her soft voice. Alais, a French name, and just a joy to be around. I made a mental note to remember the name of the place to tell the guys, they’d love it here. The food came and it was great, and just everything we hoped for. I don’t think Dan and I talked a whole lot, but mostly because we ate and drank so much! I even sampled some of Dan’s Chicken Cherry Delight, and found it just to be so. Not too sweet, kinda spicy, ruby red and just plain yummy.
“Well I’ll say this is a success!” Dan sighed sitting back in his chair, burping and patting his tummy. “But hell if I’ll even be hungry by breakfast then. What about you Tangs?”
I shrugged and picked up the bill, “I could go with another set of dumplings.” My eyes widened at the price, “Or maybe not.”
“That bad huh?” Danny grinned. “It won’t use up the rest of the eight hundred will it? Need any help.”
“Nope,” I replied putting the cash in the bill wallet. “Let’s go, we need to get back to the hotel cause I’m tired and you know you’re tired, and I don’t want to hear no arguing okay?”
Dan nodded and yawned. “I’m not gonna argue nothing.”
So what did I think of Danny Hinote as we stood on the sidewalk outside of the restaurant, waiting for a cab? At that point, sleepiness and a full tummy dulled everything really and I couldn’t bring up too many angry feelings against him. After all, no real damage had been done had it? It could be easy just to say, hey it’s all okay Danny and we can be friends again and don’t have to bicker and be distrustful. But the fact remained, Danny had taken my trust and tried to stomp all over it, and I don’t think he was really that sorry about it either. Oof see if I forgave him that easy!
“Yeah I could do with eighty hours of sleep right now,” Dan yawned.
“If that cab gets here, ever,” I muttered and I looked up and down the well lit street, people still staggered up and down the sidewalk, cars whooshed past, the city still alive and pulsing. How could a city hold so much energy? It made me even more sleepy thinking about it. I closed my eyes just for a second.
“Hey, Tangs,” Dan said in a whisper, hitting my arm. “Look over there.”
I squinted and looked to where Dan pointed. “What?”
“There,” Dan replied. “See that woman over there, see those guys she’s with?”
My alarm bells rang. I saw the woman in question, a small Asian in a long jacket with long black hair, and she had her arms crossed tightly over her tummy as she crossed the street, her purse swinging from her arms. Right behind two men followed, making no move to hide how obviously they were watching her.
“Oh no, not again!” I said, not that I minded helping out a lady, but really, superheroes?
“Yeah, again,” Dan said slowly. “Those guys definitely don’t look like her brothers.”
We stood still at first, just watched them a little. Both guys didn’t look outwardly dangerous, they were young, dressed well enough, combed but just looking at their faces; I could tell they were up to no good. And the young lady didn’t look comfortable either, she walked briskly and she frowned.
“Ok, you take the blond, I’ll get the brunette?” I said and I slowly began to make my way to them, Danny at my side. We didn’t rush, because we still didn’t know if anything even was really happening to begin with.
The woman seemed to be looking straight at the restaurant now, as she made her way onto our side of the sidewalk, and she even opened her mouth slightly, a sigh of relief maybe. She held her chin up high and took a stride when the blond man stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her waist, “Hey I don’t like girls who are rude, baby,” he said, “I know you want to apologize.”
“No!” She snapped.
The blond man laughed and the brown haired guy laughed as well and they steered the woman quickly into the alleyway right next to the restaurant. I didn’t hear her scream; I’m sure because they had her mouth covered. Those fiends! They needed a good bopping upside their heads and a kick up their asses.
Dan sighed, “Here we go Tangs.”
I nodded, “Here we go.” I flexed my fingers, and I didn’t feel sleepy or tipsy anymore just really angry, and really calm and really glad that Danny was at my side.
We jogged down the sidewalk to get to the alley and along the way I looked around for a cop, or anyone who would assist but people seemed to be scurrying away. They’d seen the same thing as us, I bet, but they just didn’t want to get involved. Oo that made me even angrier knowing how awful people were in these big cities.
“I said be nice!” I heard one of the guys snap.
And then I heard a strangled, smothered sort of squeal and whine, the woman terrified and thinking that no one would help her. My heart broke I tell you, broke! I made a fist and dashed forward, “HEY!” I yelled and jumped into the alley. One of the men had the woman from behind, holding her still while the other one, well, I won’t get into it but I’m sure you can imagine what sort of compromise he planned! All three of them looked at me.
“Wait your turn!” The blond man said.
“Help!” The woman cried.
“Mind your own business,” the other man sneered.
“Let her go!” Danny yelled from behind me.
At that point the blond man stepped back and the other man let her go. She ran away from them and then behind us. Surprisingly she didn’t run away. “Get them!” She snapped in a surprisingly forceful voice, full of spit and anger.
“Well, you heard her Danny!” I said and I dashed forward with a yell and Dan roared flailing his fists and following.
Kinda disappointing as fights go because neither of the guys really fought well if at all. I got to the blond guy first and he said something, stuttered really, pale and cold in my hands and I punched him twice in his face. And I KNOW he yelled, “Not the face,” so I hit him again and again. Danny had his guy and he quickly pulled the guys shirt up and over his head and then pushed him to the ground and the woman came forward and kicked him with her heavy black boot.
“Let’s go!” the blond man shrieked and he shoved me aside, tripping over his friend who staggered to his feet. They both fell over each other again and scrambled away, disappearing into the night.
“We can get them!” Dan said. I was ready to follow.
“No!” the woman said, already on a cell phone. “Stay right there.”
“What?” I asked.
The woman began talking in Chinese, looking at us and nodding, and she seemed very calm and composed. I wondered what she was talking about. One of us should be calling the cops so I pulled out my phone but before I could dial the woman held out her hand. “No cops.”
Dan and I looked at each other. “No cops?”
She clicked off her phone, put it into her purse, and then sighed, “Follow me.”
Her voice really did have a lot of authority in it and I felt like it wouldn’t be a good idea to disobey her. She walked towards the restaurant, and we followed. I had to admit I felt just a little irritated at that point, I mean a thank you would be nice! But then again, maybe she was in shock.
Before we even got to the door it opened and the nice hostess ran out, hugging her and pulling her inside. We followed and she looked at us and then talked to the young woman in Chinese. The woman nodded and then the hostess let her go, and looked at us again and her face became somehow grim.
“It would be in your best interests to follow us.”
“GAH!” Danny cried out.
Right behind us a large group of men had appeared, all Asian and all dressed head to toe in black. It was pretty easy to see that they could be dangerous, they had solemn faces and, well, it just didn’t look like we had much of an option. The young woman did not look at us, neither did the hostess as we were lead away with this group of men, through the restaurant and down a hallway to an open door and an empty room. I gulped, now what had Danny and I gotten ourselves into?