A giant slab of a man was walking out. Henri and Yves acted as though they were going to walk past him, then turned suddenly. Before the big man was even out the door, Henri had pushed the gun in his gut and told him to get back in.

"Nein, " he said.

Either the man was devoted to his boss or he was wearing a bullet-proof vest. Hemi didn't bother to repeat the request. He simply drove his heel down hard on the man's instep and pushed him back inside. The big man fell moaning against the bar and Henri put the gun to his forehead. Yves also pulled his gun and disappeared into the darkness, to the right.

"Richter," Henri said to the man. "Ou est-il?"

The Auswechseln bouncer told him to go to hell in German. Henri knew what Hölle meant. The rest he figured out from the man's tone.

The Frenchman slid the gun down to the man's left eye. "Le dernier temps, " he said. The last time. "Richter! Tout de suite!"

A voice said in French from the darkness. "No one enters my club with a gun and makes demands. Let Ewald go."

Footsteps came toward them from the back of the club. Henri kept the gun pushed against the man's eye.

A shadowy figure appeared at the end of the bar and sat on a stool.

"I said let the man go," Richter repeated. "At once."

Yves approached him from the right. Richter did not look at him. Henri did not move.

"Herr Richter," Henri said, "my companion is going to punch in a number on the bar telephone and hand it to you."

"Not while you're holding my employee at gunpoint," Richter said firmly.

Yves reached Richter and stepped behind him. The German did not turn.

Henri looked at Richter in the darkness. The Frenchman had two options. One was to let this Ewald go. That would give Richter his way and set a bad precedent for the afternoon's proceedings. The other was to shoot Ewald. That might rattle Richter, but it might also bring the police. And it was no guarantee of getting Richter to do what he was told.

There was really only one thing to do. M. Dominique's instructions to them were to get Richter on the telephone and to do the other thing he had told them. They were not here to win a contest of wills.

Henri stepped back and released the bouncer. Ewald rose indignantly, snatched a quick, angry look at Henri, then walked protectively toward Richter.

"It's all right, Ewald," Richter said. "These men won't hurt me. They've come to deliver me unto Dominique, I think."

"Sir," the big man said, "I won't leave while they're here."

"Really, Ewald, I'm quite safe. These men may be French, but they aren't stupid. Now go. Your wife is waiting and I don't want her to worry."