White Tiger Read Online Free

‘Ex-Lax’?”

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    The trip to Narita International Airport was quiet. Chen Gui was content to stare out the windshield, gazing at the passing scenery as Manning switched off the Shuto and onto Route 1. They hurtled past Tokyo’s fabled shopping mecca, Ginza, and past Chiba. In the distance, the Saitama River could be seen, lazily flowing into Tokyo Harbor, miles to the south.
    For his part, Manning drove at a fast clip, keeping a sharp eye out for his would-be pursuers. He instructed Chen Song to keep watch out the rear window; he’d seen the car too, so he might yet prove useful.
    “Aren’t you driving a little fast?” Chen Gui said at last. “The Japanese highway police are very vigilant, after all!”
    “I’d rather take my chances with the police than with our Fujianese pals,” Manning replied smoothly as he switched lanes. He tucked his car in on the far side of an ambling tanker truck and reduced his speed.
    “So why are you slowing, then?” Chen Gui asked.
    “Just putting some bait in the trap,” Manning said. “If they’re after us, they’ll be rolling up pretty quickly. Chen Song! See anything?”
    “No,” Chen Song said.
    “Don’t just look behind us. Look around. Look under the tanker’s trailer. You see anyone pacing us from the other side?”
    Chen Song was silent for a moment, and Manning could see him craning his neck, looking this way and that.
    “Nothing,” he said after a time.
    “So we lost them.” Chen Gui sighed in relief.
    “Looks like,” Manning said. “Chen Song, keep your eyes sharp.” With that, he accelerated away from the truck.

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    The Higashi Kanto Expressway eventually led them to the Shin Kuko Expressway, and then Narita International itself. Manning merged onto the Shin Kuko Expressway interchange. Traffic was thick at the tollgate; Manning weaved his way in and out of the flow, almost brushing against a filled airport limousine bus in the process. He aimed the Legend’s grille in the general direction of the Terminal 2 car park, the only multistory parking facility at Narita.
    “Even in traffic, you drive like mad!” Chen Gui groused. “You make my driver in China look like a considerate man!”
    “Time’s a little short, I’m afraid,” Manning replied. “And the quicker we get out of here, the better.” The fact of the matter was that the slow traffic made Manning feel extremely vulnerable. The Fujianese had guns, items that were quite difficult to obtain in Japan. That they had evidently been willing to shoot Chen Gui in the hotel restroom meant that their grudge against him was something they weren’t about to give up easily, and that also meant Manning himself would be a primary target. In many ways, being a gaijin was a benefit in Japan. However, the quickest way for the Fujianese to get a tally on Chen Gui would be to sight Manning himself, and if he was seen caught in slow-moving traffic, there was no easy way to defend himself...or his charge.
    In the back seat, Chen Song suddenly stirred.
    “I see them!” he announced.
    “Aiyah — !” Chen Gui began.
    “Bie shuo le!” Manning snapped— Be quiet! He looked in the rearview mirror, but a commuter van had just merged in behind them. “Chen Song, where are they?”
    “Two cars behind us,” Chen Song replied, a little breathlessly. “They definitely saw us—both men in the front of the car locked eyes with me!”
    “What will we do?” Chen Gui fairly shrieked. “You can’t let them catch up to us!”
    “I’m not about to. Please relax.” Manning checked the rearview mirror again, but saw nothing other than the commuter van still tailing his car. He thought he glimpsed a silver-colored car through the left side view mirror, but couldn’t be sure.
    “Chen Song, is the car silver?” he asked.
    “Yes, yes, the same as before!” Chen Song snapped. Manning heard the unmistakable sound of metal sliding across leather. A glance in the rearview mirror confirmed that Chen