Harlan found a place at the busy bar and ordered a beer from the bartender he'd met earlier. The room was loud and crowded with men and women in fancy clothes. Music blared from a small trio crammed into a balcony alcove; the whole effect was giving Harlan a headache.

"How do you stand this?"

"Eh, what?" The bartender cupped an ear and leaned forward, grinning.

"I said how- ?" The joke suddenly hit him and he nodded good-naturedly. "Okay . . . are the poker players here tonight?"

"Every night but I warned you about that."

"Just want to watch, I can barely afford the price for this," he said, holding up the beer.

A small circle of observers surrounded the large table where several serious looking men studied cards and fingered the chips before them. Harlan squeezed into a space by the wall and saw Hubble immediately; he was dealing. He backed off a bit so as not to be seen himself and bumped into a woman looking at him as if he was prey.

"Care to buy a lady a drink?"

"You can finish this if you like, it's about all I can afford." He smiled at her reaction.

The harshly painted features reassembled into a leering smile and she leaned back, sizing him up.

"I don't know, you look like you might have a lot to offer."

"My mom used to say that; she didn't mean it either." He raised the beer mug questioningly. The leer turned to a sneer and Harlan watched the woman flounce away with a gait that suggested it was his loss. Behind him at the table voices suddenly raised in a protest of anger and the crowd watching backed away quickly.

"You couldn't have drawn that card, mister; you cheated."

Right away two large men in derby hats and bulging jackets pushed through with small clubs, parting the mob by the table. Chairs scraped back and there was a burst of sound from some of the players as they scrambled for cover from the bouncers. Hubble was on his feet, gun slipping from the holster on his hip when the club hit his arm. He yelped and turned away from another blow glancing off his back. His opponent suffered similarly and both men were dragged unceremoniously to the front doors and tossed into the street.

Harlan made his way to the door and watched as Hubble waved a dismissive hand at the other man and staggered away up the street, one hand massaging his arm. He waited a moment then followed, pausing when he realized he still had the beer mug.

"To hell with it," he said, dropping it on the side of the walkway.

He followed Hubble at a distance and saw him turn into the doorway of a building that had a grocery business on the street floor and rooms to let in the two floors above. Hubble was enjoying similar accommodations to his own, Harlan thought. That was a surprise considering the amounts of money he seemed to win and the fact that he was getting a cut from the trafficking. He didn't need to know a room number, he decided, just needed to know where his target stayed . . . for now.

******

Harlan found the street where he was staying and as he approached the door it opened and the young woman that had served him came out. He paused and admired the clothes and the slight figure apparent beneath them.

"Good evening. All done for the day?"

Chenguang bowed and folded her hands in front. "Sir."

"Harlan. My name's Harlan uhm . . . Chu- Wang . . . "

"Chenguang."

"Right. Sorry, just not familiar with Chinese names." He smiled and slapped a short rhythm on his thighs. "So, you live nearby?"

Her face went blank and she began to move off. He stepped toward her, holding up a hand in a peaceful gesture. "I'm not trying to be personal, Che- miss. I thought if you didn't mind I could walk you home. I'm completely lost in this area and hoped maybe you could give me some pointers about getting around." His smile seemed to make her pause and she stopped, looking at him.

"May I, see you home . . .?"

"I only live next street." It sounded like no but she didn't move.

"That's good," he said, still smiling. "I won't get too lost then." He took off his hat and offered an arm.

"It would be trouble if we seen like this."

"Trouble? Why? Who would give us trouble?"

"Many bad men here. They don't like- white men."

"Well they won't bother me; I'm a very likable guy." His smile drew a fleeting one from her and he jerked his offered arm toward her once more.

Tentatively, she reached out and took it and they started up the road.

"There you go. That wasn't so hard. Now, tell me, why don't the men here like men like me?"

******

The building was old, dirty and uncared for. Chenguang stopped and looked around, Harlan could sense her embarrassment and he waited for her to go inside.

"Do you live here with your family?"

"My family in China."

"You came here alone?"

She paused and looked around, her hands clenched nervously. "I came with many other young women."

Harlan knew right away what she was nervous about but he wondered how come she escaped the Tong.

"You uhm- you- the other women . . .?"

Before an answer could be had, the door flew open and two men barged out into the street. They stopped and stared at Harlan then turned to Chenguang. An angry burst of words had her cowering, head down and shoulders hunched. A hand was raised and Harlan stepped forward, grabbing the wrist before it connected.

"Whoah there, fella."

The second man immediately shot a flattened palm at Harlan's neck and he ducked just enough to avoid a serious strike. Nevertheless, it hurt enough to loosen his grip and in the next moment they were both on him, punching and kicking. Chenguang began screaming and shouting in her language and the struggle broke off, both men hesitating before running off. She knelt down and helped Harlan sit up.

"I- are you well, sir?"

He rotated his neck and winced. "Not really, but I think if I can stand I'll feel better."

Using her back for support while her arm supported his, she helped him to the wall of the building.

"Aah . . . better. Thanks." He stretched his back against the wall and rubbed at a few developing aches on his shoulders and arms.

"I am so sorry-"

"Hey, you didn't do it - and you did warn me." He tried to smile to reassure her and felt the split in his lip come to life.

"Please, come in I will fix those cuts." Without waiting she took his arm and steered him through the door into the building.

******

In spite of its size the tiny room was quite comfortable. Clean, organized and functional. Chenguang's earlier shyness seemed to have no place in her room. She had settled him on a mat with supporting cushions and had him remove his shirt. Stepping behind a small screen, she slipped out of her street clothes and into a colourful gown that Harlan thought looked like a long shirt.

"You seem very good at this doctorin'"

Little frown marks disturbed the smooth calm of her face and he pointed to the bandage on his shoulder.

"You did a nice job."

She handed him his shirt with slight bow and went to the little counter where she had heated some soup and made tea.

"Who were they, Cheng- listen, I'm really bad at sayin' your name, can I call you somethin' else? Do you have a nickname - a short name your friends call you?"

"My name means, morning light."

He chuckled. "I know but, well that's a bit long for conversation. How about if I call you . . . Dawn? That's like morning light in American. Just between us - like now. A private name."

A soft glow spread on her cheeks and she looked down, smiling. "I like private name."

"Great. And you can call me Harlan, okay? Private? Not sir."

"Yes, Harlan sir, private name."

"No, just Harlan. Harlan." He took her soft hands and held them gently. Her face came up, fingers tightening on his and they searched each other's eyes with a growing intensity.

******

Harlan stayed longer than intended but the calm setting and the girl's gentle manner had him so relaxed he didn't want to go. She would occasionally check the scratch on his shoulder, dabbing it with the lotion she had on a cloth from her little kitchen.

Over yet another pot of tea, Harlan repeated his question from before the attack and Dawn told him of her journey from China with her friends, how the man she worked for knew her family in China and bought her from the Tong. She fell silent for a bit then related the fate of her friends.