The Aftermath

The shootout at the Jade Scorpion didn't last long. The ship gurgled its last breath as Dolan's men swarmed the decks. Lt. Frank Dolan stood amid the chaos, trench coat flapping in the salty wind like some war-weary scarecrow. He lit a cigarette and gave me the nod.

 

“We got it, Malloy.”

 

And so it ended. The recipe was retrieved code intact. But General Kwan Lo? He was gone. Slipped out during the firefight, probably dressed like a stevedore or a priest. Word on the street is he boarded a freighter bound for Macau.

 

And me? I was left with an empty feeling as I walked through the streets of Chinatown. It was the kind of feeling that comes from having to tell a beautiful woman her dreams had vanished--the feds had confiscated the recipe and "The Wok and Awe" restaurant would have to move forward without its signature dish.

 

Tune in tomorrow for the final poignant scenes of this Chinatown drama, where Eddie Malloy bares his soul.

 

Image imagined in MidJourney AI and finished with Topaz Studio and Lightroom Classic.

 

 

 

Done