Chapter 1
The first thing Jay Jones noticed when coming to his senses was a thundering continuous noise with no origin and no direction. He was encompassed by this annoying din as if it was a part of him. Next conscious sensation was a huge whirl he floated amidst. It was as if the world had liquefied and was spinning altogether with elusive shapes and no definite form. Gradually, the whirl become smaller and smaller until was confined to Jay’s head only. He started to feel the hard surface he was lying on face down. The noise also subsided to a bearable level and sounded like an engine purring. The world swirled no longer with him but the floor wasn’t still, it swayed and wobbled. It moved and so did Jay with it. Occasional bumps and turns here and there suggested to Jay he was in some kind of motoring vehicle traveling at moderate speed. No flashlight stops, no sudden stops: they must have already left the town and be in the countryside. He carefully opened briefly the available eye; yes, it looked like he was on the floor of a moving van. Pairs of feet in shoes, socks and trousers fringes were ranged just in front of his eye. The other eye touched the floor and couldn’t be opened without changing his body position. Jay didn’t try to. His hands were cuffed at the back and he knew the visible feet belonged to the men who attacked him. His nape was still sore.
He recalled hazily that he felt a blow to the back of his head out of the blue. They must have waited for him in the street when returning to the hotel. As soon as Jay passed the newsstand they attacked from behind, unnoticed and silent. ‘They are pros’, thought Jay. The poorly lighted street, the late hour with but a few of the passersby, the van already ready near the curb, chances were nobody saw the kidnapping. He wouldn’t be looked for the next few days and the only person who would be reporting to the police would be the hotel owner thinking he skipped the bill. Nobody talked in the van. If they saw him opening his eye, they didn’t care and said nothing.
He did the trick again and opened the eye. This time he caught with the far edge of his sight the fact that the van had no windows. Jay began to feel his body and his nape still hurt. He was in a state of marked torpor and felt exhausted and heavy. He fainted again. After a time he couldn’t asses, Jay woke up and found himself tied to a chair, arms at the back. He was dripping real cold water thrown from a bucket onto his face. To his surprise, in front of him stood … Tanaka. Jay looked straight at him, ostensibly trying not to exhibit fear, but glanced furtively around. The room was empty, apart from Tanaka’s steel desk and his chair. Two bodyguards, Tanaka’s Thai henchmen, were placed at Jay’s right and left, standing a foot back. The Japanese was smoking a cigar with large and slow gestures, leering at Jay with spite and concentration. The room had an entry door and one single small window, high up, close to the ceiling.
The Japanese signaled the guards to retire and broke the silence:
“You remember me, waiter, don’t you?”
Jay thought it better to not say anything. He was taken aback quite a bit by his unfortunate capture and was trying to figure out a strategy to deal as best as he could with the interrogatory that was coming up. So far, he was at a loss to find his gameplay and the only action he could take was to wait as much as possible.
“You stole my woman’s bracelet, thief. Right from under our noses, at my anniversary party. A nice and considerate gift…” continued Tanaka.
Jay still stood in silence.
“C’mon, there is no point in not talking. I know all about it.”
Jay considered it was wise to not break his silence just yet.
“Man, I’ve talked to Henri and got a full confession out of him. I know all about him.”
“How did you get to Henri? What gave us away?” inquired Jay. Once Jay established the fact that Tanaka was in the know, there was no point of defying him with silence. Establishing a dialogue and politely answering the questions could diminish the Japanese’s ire. If he was to suffer consequences, it was better that his opponent make decisions when calmed.
“It wasn’t hard at all. After the search, we were satisfied the jewel was no longer at the party’s location. After that, we just had to figure out how it could have disappeared. The only thing leaving the party was the paper lantern. That had to be the means of conveyance out of the suite. You were the person in contact with it and the only one well placed to manipulate the lantern in a way suitable to an extraction.”
Jay chose not to say anything at this moment and let Tanaka do the talking. There was absolute nothing for him to say or do but expect the continuation at Tanaka’s initiative and pace. Jay must try to keep his calm and not make any mistake.
“Your ID card, which I took from your pocket, says your name is Jay Jones. Who hired you, Mr. Jones?”
“The real owner of the bracelet. His wife lost it and I recovered it for them,” Jay considered best to avow the truth. He was in the right, in his opinion, and there was no point in denying for Jay.
“When I identified you as the sole possible author, by deduction, it was an easy job to elicit information from Henri,” continued Tanaka. “You were a waiter supplied by Henri, so he was the person who could supply us with information. And he did so, exceedingly.”
Again, there was nothing Jay could say.
‘As I see things, you owe me... big time’, said Tanaka.
Jay remained silenced. He was waiting for Japanese to make a request, a proposition he wasn’t in any position to reject. If Tanaka wanted him finished, his abduction and this discussion would not have been taken place. Unless... Unless the mobster was the sort of man who liked to give moralizing speeches, boast of being in the right, watch his victim in the eyes before pulling the trigger. Jay opted to hope for the best and wait to be asked something, but what exactly, he had no idea. Anyway, he was ready to accept it. The most important thing was to get out of there alive. Afterwards, he would weigh his carefully options and select either to comply or abscond to another continent. The trick was not to look too eager to accept and to show just enough reluctance to allay the Japanese’s suspicions and make him convinced of Jay’s commitment to the task. So, a deferred and slightly reluctant agreement from his part was what Jay intended to feign.
Slowly he raised his head to a vertical position, having kept it down ever since Tanaka started recounting his exploit in Nice where he spectacularly retrieved the rubies bracelet form the hands of the Japanese’s mistress. He looked straight at Tanaka but still said nothing. Jay looked forward to hearing what was that he ‘owed’ to the Japanese.
Tanaka pressed on:
‘Fortunately for you, there is a way you could pay up your debt. You see, Mr. Jones, I happen to be in need of a resourceful person with grits/guts and determination and a lot of imagination and inventiveness. And I recognized you for what you are, a skilled man of action.’ Jay once again lowered his head and stared blankly at the floor. He was somewhat relieved knowing a bargain could be struck/was possible and he could walk away alive from this dungeon. He decided it was not yet his time/turn to speak.
‘I need someone for a dangerous and difficult job and I think you may be that someone. Not to mention that you are by far the cheapest... If you do it, we are square.’
‘And what if I don’t want to?’, Jay ventured to speak.
‘You really wish to hear that?’
‘What if I do it? And succeed.’ Jay raised his head impatiently and faced his interrogator.
‘We would be even and call it a day. I’ll give you a pat on the back and we part ways. Peacefully. Maybe, just maybe, if I feel generous enough and think the tactics devised and employed here by you could be replicated by me elsewhere, should the need arise again, I might throw in a bonus of some sort...’
‘And if I don’t? Or if I fail?’ Jay squinted at Tanaka waiting resigned an answer already foreseen (easily guessable).
‘Probably I’ll get you killed. That would be the obvious and just riposte to your meddling into the rubies bracelet affair. On top of that, if you fail you have just cost me three million dollars. Or perhaps I will spare your life and restrict myself strictly to maiming you – a great deal (a lot). Anyway, you will be bodily harmed and greatly incapacitated on a permanent basis, completely or in a considerable proportion. My bodyguards, all ex-military from the special forces, would love to get their hands – and knives – onto you. They don’t get to butcher people very often nowadays...’
Jay stared intently at Tanaka’s harsh, angular, inscrutable face, and could read no emotion on it. The Thai was dead serious and there was no doubt about it. He couldn’t move this man with words and it was useless to try to plead with him or bargain his way out of this mess. Jay knew he would leave this room in one piece only if he acquiesced to Tanaka’s demand.
“I understand you have a lawyer girlfriend who also aided and abetted you. Imagine I go against her, too,” menaced Tanaka.
Jay’s arms were aching badly and the rope ties were biting deep into his wrists. Sophie Durand was Jay’s girlfriend, a young French lawyer who helped him recuperate Meuniers’ bracelet from Tanaka’s Russian mistress. On top of the physical discomfort, Sophie’s fate weighed heavily on his psychic. He faced Tanaka grinning, but feeling far from confident:
“And what is this job you need to have done?” inquired Jay. “I would like to have an idea, of course, of what you are asking from me.”
“Do you know what the FA Community Shield is?” asked Tanaka.
“Of course I do.”
“To be concise: I am to place a large sum of money betting on a draw. A draw pays 3 times the stake or more. That’s at least tripling the money on a single operation.”
“Where do you place the bets? And what figure are we talking about?”
“In Asia. That’s the biggest betting market in the world. I’m thinking of putting in 3 million USD. You don’t come anywhere close in Europe. This year the bets should exceed 30 billion dollars. My 3 million won’t be noticed… If properly fractioned, that is.”
Tanaka was right. About 40% of bets worldwide are placed in Asia, underscoring the region's prominence in the global betting landscape.
The sports betting market in Asia was experiencing significant growth, driven by increasing internet penetration, smartphone usage, and a rising interest in various sports.
In 2023, the Asia Pacific sports betting market was valued at approximately USD 28.09 billion and is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.5% from 2024 to 2030, potentially reaching USD 60.34 billion by 2030.
And online sports betting is a substantial component of this market. In 2025, revenue in the Asian online sports betting sector is expected to reach USD 4.02 billion, with an anticipated annual growth rate of 4.86% from 2025 to 2029, leading to a projected market volume of USD 4.86 billion by 2029. These figures meant that the vast majority of bets were still placed physically at counters all over Asia, just like Tanaka liked.
The market's expansion is further supported by the growing popularity of sports such as football and basketball, as well as advancements in technology that enhance the betting experience.
“How do you move the money to Asia? I suppose you don’t want to post online bets, somebody might get alarmed at large sums placed on draw in that match. Bank transfers are easy to track and monitor.”
“I don’t have to tell you. But yes, it’s nothing online and the money is not traceable. I only deal in cash for such matters.”
“But you don’t have the money in Asia and don’t tell me you would move it physically to three or four locations in order to bet…”
“Never mind about the money. The money would be in Asia where it would be needed at the proper time.”
“But how?”, asked Jay. “Call it curiosity, but I really would like to know. Not that I have the amounts requiring me to worry about moving…”
“All right. Have you ever heard about hawala?”
“No. What’s that?”
“It’s a money transfer system completely outside the reach of states. It is informal and does leave a paper trail. There is a huge worldwide network of brokers operating this amazing machine, primarily in North Africa, the Middle East, East of Africa and Asia. You go to the local hawaladar, that’s the broker’s appellative, you deposit a sum and he gives you a number. Then you go to the hawaladar in the city you want to have the money, or you send a representative, as in my case, say the number and get the cash. The brokers would deduct among them the payments made for each other and settle the remaining net residue by paying the value. It’s cheaper than the banking system, more secretive and at least just as secure. I collect my money in Thailand and divide the sum among twenty or so agencies in Hong Kong and bookies and in Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia. Thus the bets won’t trigger any alarm bells. The whole operation will be under the radar, in fact, under all radars possible.”
“I wouldn’t let my money to such a broker and have no proof of transaction, it’s just too risky,” said Jay.
“You’re wrong,” Tanaka pointed out, “the people involved are men of honour. I know, you are not familiar with the concept in the West… A man is as good as his word. No need for papers and notaries and the likes.”
“I found it hard to believe there are still men of their word. It’s just not congruous with this modern world”, opined Jay.
“And yet, there are such people and this informal system works perfectly. A relic from a bygone era. They follow Islamic traditions but the system’s use is not limited to Muslims.”
“Where do I come in? I suppose you don’t want me to be your straw man in an agency in Hong Kong.”
“You will be my insurance policy. The bets’ stakes will be returned if the match is aborted. Have the game interrupted and abandoned at my signal. How do you that, the means employed, the plan and the execution, are totally up to you. You have free rein. All I ask is the outcome, should I need it. If the game goes my way and it’s a draw, you walk. We’ll call it even and you don’t hear from me ever again. I make my 9 million dollars and retire to a nice cozy place to bask in affluence. If the game goes against my bet, you should be able to and should provoke the abandonment of the game. Beware, it must happen instantaneously, maybe even in the last 5 minutes or so. I get my money back and escape a huge scare. And you’ll walk.”
“You are asking me something surreal, absolutely impossible. We are only two weeks until the match. And even if there was plenty of time, the thing is utterly undoable.”
“If you don’t do it, then… all bets are off, if I may use this play on words. Think about it. And most of all, think about the consequences of a rejection. Or of a failure, for that matter. I’ll expect your answer tomorrow morning. I’ll come back at 9 AM. Meanwhile, you remain here and do all the thinking you require.”
Tanaka left the room and shut the door. Jay was still reeling from the shock of the proposal. Ha was in extreme danger; this was not some joke, but, at best, a cruel, cold, dangerous job. Or a deadly refusal…
Chapter 2
As the readers of the first novel of this series would recall, Hikaru Tanaka is a former Yakuza member, who initially relocated to Thailand to pursue his mobster career after Government’s crackdown on organized crime in Japan.
There he attached himself to Thai drug suppliers, mainly high ranks from military, slowly worked his way up the hierarchy. The Thai bosses thought they might use him in Europe, as he would be a better fit than a rugged Thai for the job. Tanaka became a mercenary for a big Thai organization and began importing clandestinely heroin from Thailand via the ports of Nice and Marseilles. He based himself in the South of France, in Nice, on the French Riviera, where Jay Jones also resided.
As a simple link between his producer and the consumers’ market in Europe, Tanaka knew he was exposed and that it was a matter of when, not if, the locals or his own bosses would dispose of him, preferably by giving him over to the police.
Consequently, Tanaka started a side business, secretly smuggling hashish from North Africa with his own yacht, a few trips each year, hoping to gather enough cash to retire to a safe haven in England he was working to establish. For this purpose he already had several fake passports of such quality that they were virtually undetectable as well as a considerable stash of hashish. No one else knew about this hashish business and in case he had to lie low and disappear he could get to England and live comfortably off his stash of drugs.
This reckless gamble indicated that Tanaka was feeling the heat more and more and was desperate to speed up his escape.
He had only one million of his own to put into this scheme and was forced to borrow 2 million USD from the Corsican mafia, giving them a share in his enterprise, at 2 to 1, if the match would be a draw and money back if not. He stood to make 2 plus millions off the Corsicans’ money and 2 plus millions off his own million, should the draw occur. That would add to 4 million USD at least, on top of his one million. With five million dollars, his warehouse of drugs in England and his own yacht to leisurely moor anywhere on the South East of England, he felt he could disappear, retire and live large for the rest of his life.
Of course his Thai bodyguards, at the same time his supervisors, or jailers, to be more accurate, didn’t know about his dealings with Jay. Officially, they apprehended him in order to exact revenge for the bracelet’s theft, as Tanaka considered it to be.
Tanaka had a girlfriend, Olga, formerly a Russian escort and exotic dancer in the bars of Thailand. He took her out of there and made her his kept mistress. But he ended up falling for her and his future included Olga, even if he would bolt from his Riviera drug importer. His splendid blonde would be an integral part of his retiree life in England.
It was in connection with this Olga that Jay and Tanaka’s paths crossed and their beef arose. Jay was employed by Richard Meunier to recover an antique Byzantine gold bracelet, a family heirloom of several centuries, lost by his wife. The jewel was located by accident and pure luck by Jay at Olga’s wrist and he eventually managed to perform a swift “recovery” of the bracelet in a spectacular fashion right from Tanaka’s birthday party, with the help of his girlfriend, Sophie, Henri, the maitre d’ who spilled the beans, and the Meuniers themselves.
For this feat of cunning and daring decisiveness, Tanaka was after him for payback. But, in Jay’s humble opinion, the Japanese idea of revenge was hugely disproportionate.
Jay listened attentively to Tanaka and didn’t detect any trace of simulation or compassion. The man meant what he said and he would do exactly what he threatened. It was a daunting task he laid in front of Jay, adventure on a huge scale. It was a tall order. Jay didn’t even know if it could be done and under what circumstances, had absolutely no idea. First thing first, he needed to get out of there, by hook or by crook, even if it meant a fake acceptance. After that, he would figure out what to do.
A Thai bodyguard brought him a stack of sandwiched and a plastic bottle with water. He untied Jay’s hands and left the room. Jay knew the guard was posted just outside the door and was armed to his teeth and probably not alone. He ate ravenously, not knowing when – if ever – his next meal would come.
Having fed, Jay started examining carefully his options and found out that every which way he would take the result would always be unsatisfactory. First, he must get out of this prison-like enclosure.
He walls of the chamber consisted of concrete blocks laid out as masonry fastened with mortar. The width of this wall must have en at least 30 cm and there was no way he could have penetrated it without power tools and a noise that would alert all neighborhood, all Mr. Tanaka’s personnel and most of all the two guards posted just outside the door. And if somehow he would succeed in breaking the wall, he would still have to get through meters of earth, because Jay was sure he was somewhere in a basement at least partially underground.
What about attacking the guards? He could lure them by some trick inside and then have a go at them. Instinctively, Jay reached for his pocket only to find that his folding knife he usually carried was missing. Undoubtedly, he was already thoroughly searched. He felt through all his clothes and found all the pockets empty. They even stripped him of his leather belt and shoelaces. Just like a real prison inmate, thought Jay. He wouldn’t have any kind of weapon against the guards. Anyway, Jay discharged the idea of attacking the guards altogether. He wasn’t much of a fighter before; moreover, both of them were armed and looked very menacing and martial.
So he couldn’t pierce through the wall or subdue the two wardens. No possible escape through the door either. It was probably reinforced with a steel frame and the guardians would easily notice any attempt on it. It remained the window to consider, about two meters above and approximately 60 by 40 centimeters, almost too tight for an escape route. He would barely squeeze through there. Jay could comfortably climb up there with the help of the few furniture he had at his disposal. Tanaka’s table was bolted on the floor and so was his chair. But Jay’s chair could be moved freely as he discovered even when tied up by trying to slightly rock it to and fro.
Suddenly, Jay shook his head and discarded his thoughts as being really stupid. ‘What am I thinking? It’s utterly useless to try and escape in so little time and guarded like this. Surely there must be around some video cameras watching my every move...’.
Jay abandoned the idea of forcibly or furtively escaping his prison-like room and continued his interior monologue, his struggle to come to grips with his situation and decide for a course of action which will be less damageable to himself.
“Well, it’s quite a classic position between a rock and a hard place,” thought Jay, “and I can’t even dodged two ways, left or right, because I have just one direction to elude the crushing. I can’t say anything else to Tanaka but that I agree wholeheartedly and make it look as genuine and truthful as I can. Once out of here, I’ll see what I can do. But what exactly can I do? Leave South of France for good and never come back. That’s feasible, up to a point. A man’s trace could be found nowadays simply by bribing some customs officers. Would Tanaka be willing enough to stage an attack on me in the United States? Would he still have the financial means for coming after me following his betting debacle? Perhaps… He might not bet if I bolt and still keep his dollars.
In this case I would have to live “on the run” and that would be mighty tough. Look at you Jay, you’ve come to Europe for adventures and to escape boredom and you dodge the first clear danger.
“Can’t I be a villain for a change? Technically I have already crossed on the other (wrong) side of the law by stealing back the bracelet.”
Weighing his options, Jay was surprised to perceive that, gradually, his ideas were leading him into agreeing.
“I wasn’t to England for such a long time, and I didn’t get involved in any football matter since leaving the United States. Maybe it’s time to reconnect with my former passion.” Jay was an Englishman who went to the States to study and remained there afterwards. He was also a former soccer player at the university level, quite good in his sporting days.
“And what about Sophie? Since Tanaka found me, it’s clear he knows all about her as well. Could this madman take his revenge on her if I disappear? Without a doubt. Can I take her with me and spend our lives in hiding? Will she come with me?” His conclusion was that Sophie would never go along with his plan of running away permanently. She had her career and her life in Nice and would never assent to such a wild change in her lifestyle.
“Let’s think at it like just another adventure. If I have no other way out, I just might end up doing the job,” concluded Jay. He left his final decision for after he would be free, but he already felt inclined to do it. For the rest of the night he tried to get some shuteye in this precarious accommodation, but didn’t manage anything.
Tanaka came back to him in the morning. Jay announced abruptly:
“OK, I’ll do it. But this squares us completely. We will be even and never will hear again of each other.”
Jay prayed that his agreement wasn’t too rushed and that Tanaka would buy it.
The Japanese seemed to read his thoughts. He menaced to do Sophie in if he bolted and disappeared and after that he assured Jay their paths would never cross again, should Jay fulfill his end of the bargain. Tanaka also reminded him that he will hunt down Jay across the globe if necessary for as long as it took. Jay was now sure that Tanaka knew about Sophie and that she was also at risk. He was pushed ineluctably into doing Tanaka’s bidding.
The Japanese gave Jay a burner phone and a walkie-talkie. “Keep the phone charged all the time. I am monitoring you on it and if the signal disappears, then it’s war. You will not receive or make any calls from the phone. Have it on you constantly. If I need the job done, I will text you “NOW”. That means you must get the match abandoned. The walkie-talkie is to be used in case you need help in an emergency. Your shadow has one also and he will be around on the day of the match, not sooner, nor later, only on that day. You can contact him if he can be of any assistance.”
Jay took the two objects. He couldn’t wait to get out of there, have a proper rest and think about his predicament.
“Forget the walkie-talkie. I do it on my own, no backup necessary. If I know I can have some assistance at hand, unconsciously I will program myself to get to a point of needing help or just to overcomplicate things to include the potential helper. It’s better to make it a situation of sink or swim.”
“That’s too bad. It would have had to me the one present on the spot. And I was looking forward to a score together. Maybe some other time…”, Tanaka teased Jay.
“Don’t bet on it,” replied Jay. “I do this and I’m out. We never hear of each other ever again.”
“There will be no further contact between us. You get to choose your way of doing the job as you see fit. No interference from me or anybody else. I am only interested in the result of your actions, should the need for it arose”, concluded Tanaka.
“What about my expenses?” asked Jay. “It’s going to cost me some money, will I be reimbursed?”
“Of course not”, said Tanaka. “You can help yourself from what you gained stealing Olga’s bracelet”. He left the room and motioned something to his bodyguards. They immediately untied Jay and took him out of the house.
Jay was moved away form the place in a car and was left in the center of Nice. He was by no means a coward, but he almost could feel his body trembling. He never experienced that kind of malaise before, was sick, exhausted and extremely worried. Jay headed straight for his beach house. He needed to steady his nerves, get some solid sleep and think about his dire situation on a clear head.
