Free The Cleaner by Brett Battles Page B

checked. Quinn's turn went just as quickly.
    The humidity of the Vietnamese morning, even in January, was stifling. Sweat had begun to form on Quinn's brow the moment he stepped off the plane, and now his shirt was plastered to his back.
    Just outside the terminal's front exit was a waist-high fence that ran parallel to the plate-glass windows of the building, creating a walkway about ten feet wide. Not your typical airport exit, but it was easy to see why it was necessary. On the other side of the fence were hundreds and hundreds of people, standing five and six deep. They were pushing and shoving each other, trying to get closer to the front. They shouted as each new passenger exited the terminal, calling out to them with offers of sodas and water and fruit and taxi rides.
    At the end of the fence, the path opened onto a parking lot. There were still many people about, but not nearly as many as lined the gauntlet Quinn and Nate had just come down. A young boy approached them – dark hair, big smile, clothes clean but worn.
    'Bag,' the boy said in heavily accented English. He pointed to Quinn's suitcase. 'I help.'
    'That's okay,' Quinn replied. 'I got it.'
    But the boy either was ignoring him or didn't understand. He reached for the bag. Quinn moved it out of the boy's range. 'I said no.'
    Undaunted, the boy quickly changed tactics, turning his attention to Quinn's traveling companion. Before Nate even realized what was going on, the boy had a hand firmly latched to the handle of his bag.
    'Hey,' Nate said, trying to pull the bag away.
    'I help. I help,' the boy said.
    'I don't need your help.'
    'Mister. No problem. I help.'
    Nate pulled on his bag again. 'Come on. Let go.'
    But the boy held on tight. Quinn watch the tugof-war for a moment longer, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a dollar bill.
    'Kid,' Quinn said.
    Both Nate and the boy looked over. Quinn held out the dollar. The boy's eyes brightened. He reached out to grab it with his free hand. Before he could, Quinn pulled it back.
    'No help,' Quinn said, nodding at the bag, 'and I give to you. Okay?' The boy let go of the bag immediately. 'Okay. No help.'
    This time when he reached out, Quinn gave it to him. Having received his fee, the boy headed off in search of his next mark.
    'Thanks,' Nate said.
    'You owe me a dollar,' Quinn told him.
    A dozen taxis were parked nearby. Several of the drivers were calling out to them, trying to get their attention. Quinn chose the nearest one, and soon the two of them were settled in the back seat, their bags on the seat between them.
    'Hello, hello, hello,' the driver said as he got behind the wheel. He was an older guy, short and skinny. 'American?'
    'Canadian,' Quinn said.
    The driver grinned. 'Welcome,Vietnam.Where go?'
    'Rex Hotel,' Quinn said.

Chapter 9
    Quinn checked them into adjacent rooms at the Rex Hotel. As they headed upstairs in the elevator, Nate said, 'I think I could sleep for a whole day.'
    'But you're not going to,' Quinn told him.
    'What?'
    Quinn took in a long breath, reminding himself that Nate was still raw, and still had much to learn. 'It's barely noon,' he said. 'You go to sleep now, you'll never adjust to the new time. Meet me downstairs in thirty. We'll go for a walk, get a look at the area.'
    The elevator door opened, and they stepped out onto their floor.
    'You're joking, right?' Nate said.
    Quinn turned to Nate and looked him straight in the eye. 'Do you understand what's going on here?' Nate was about to respond, but Quinn's glare stopped him.
    'This is it,' Quinn said. 'This is what you signed up for. You wanted to get into the game, so here you are. Everything up to the point where Gibson
    tried to break your jaw was just theory. Not anymore. Understand?' Nate stared at Quinn, then gave him the slightest of nods.
    'This is the real thing,' Quinn went on. 'This is dealing with jet lag. This is blending in with the locals. This is watching your back every goddamn second of the day because