by Haus, Jean
Mali squeezes my father’s shoulder and shakes her head sadly while he studies Jai. My father slowly clears his throat. “It’s possible you are trying to help my daughter. That doesn’t mean she’s telling the truth.”
I’m about to fall out of my chair. My father’s the one who has totally lost it.
Jai shakes his head. “No disrespect sir, but getting people to attack her?”
“Perhaps she’d go to such lengths to get her way,” my father snaps. “Especially if she has a drug problem.”
Jai’s only response is the hardening of both his jaw and eyes. While I, trying not to go off on my parent, grip the seat of my chair until my fingers have to be blue. We may not be close, but for him to think I’m on drugs and a devious liar makes me realize he doesn’t know me at all.
“Now Drew,” Mali rubs his upper arm, “let’s look at this from a different angle. Nivea needs our help. It’s not so much what she’s done but why.” She gives him an imploring look. “You need to be patient and understanding with her.”
The shit is getting so deep in here it’s amazing I can see past it. I really wanted to get along with Mali for my father’s sake. Right now, my dislike has my teeth grinding.
My father pats her hand before his eyes flash to me. “I’m going to try and listen to your mother, but you’re going back to your therapist, today. And you’re taking a drug test. If it’s positive, you’ll be going to rehab immediately.”
This is freakin’ unbelievable. His attitude has my blood boiling. The fact that I’m in serious danger and he’s just blowing it off is nearing the point of ridiculousness. And the mother comment so doesn’t help. I stare at him while anger and hurt bubble until they erupt. I jump up and my chair falls over with a thump on the plush carpet. “She’s not my mother! I’m not! I won’t!”
“Sit back down,” my father says from behind clenched teeth as he grips the edge of the table.
I take steps back until my thigh smacks into another table. I’m completely floored by his reaction along with completely furious. Unable to talk, not sure what to do, and not trusting myself to speak, I just keep frantically shaking my head.
Suddenly Jai’s pulling me out of the dining room. “You can’t stay here, your father’s an idiot,” he says under his breath. While he pulls me into the hall I realize, he’s right. I’m not going to get any help from my father and we need to leave. Now. If I stay, my father’s going to send me to rehab—there has to be drugs in my system—and eventually the loony bin.
“Drew! Don’t let her leave! Go get her!” Mali yells behind us.
Jai’s fast walk turns into a jog as loud footsteps sound behind us. He practically shoves me out the door. Together, we race down the steps and then down the block toward his motorcycle. We jump on the bike on top of the waiting coats. I slam the helmet on and paste myself to Jai as he revs up the engine.
The motorcycle lurches onto the street behind a slow taxi and I look back. In front of the townhouse, my father is bent over yelling into the passenger window of his Rolls Royce. The tinted windows make it hard to see inside, but I’m quite sure who is behind the wheel. My father stands and the Rolls flies into the street. This is so not good.
“He’s behind us!” I yell into Jai’s ear.
“Who?” he shouts back over his shoulder.
“The guy who drugged me! Her chauffeur!”
Jai glances behind us, just as the Rolls’ bumper is about to nudge his back wheel. He hits the throttle and we speed between the car in front of us and a parked car. I suck in my stomach as if that will help the tight squeeze. The bike’s handlebar knocks the parked car’s mirror off, but somehow we make it through.
My relief is short lived when Smith changes lanes, speeds up, and almost pulls next to us. We change lanes again. He changes lanes. The light ahead turns red. Crap, crap, and crap.
I’m thinking of jumping off the bike and making a run for it, when Jai squeezes between two moving cars. Horns blare around us and drown out the sound of my beating heart. When we make it through, our eyes meet in the bike’s side mirror before Jai’s narrow on the Rolls. He puts his feet down while we wait for the light to change. Now two cars and one lane separate us from Smith, and we’ve stopped.
The Rolls nudges closer.
My fingers dig into Jai’s ribs.
The Rolls door opens.
Cars honk.
Smith steps out.
Just seeing him turns my palms sweaty, accelerates my heartbeat.
As Smith comes at us, Jai hits the throttle and I clamp onto him or I’d fall off. He cuts off the car next to us and makes a hard right turn. I’m swallowing fear down my dry throat when he nearly sideswipes the throng of people waiting at the corner.
Behind us, Smith jumps in the car. He’s stuck in the other lane.
Happy, happy, joy, joy.
Jai keeps moving, changing lanes, and getting farther away. Though the car is built for luxury not speed, I keep checking over my shoulder, but the Rolls is nowhere in sight. After about the fifth check, I bury my face into Jai’s back in relief.
Once we’re in Chinatown, he parks on a side street. “We can get to my apartment through there.” He points at a restaurant across the street and steps onto the road. “Now that they know my bike, I don’t want to park near the apartment.”
As we cross the street, I realize he’s a pro at this kind of thing. And I’m not sure it that’s good or bad at this point.
Jai pauses at the door and says, “Act natural.”
I put all my concentration into smoothing the tension from my face and step inside. The lobby is jammed with waiting people. Laughter and conversation erupt around us. Words blare and blend with bright red walls and golden color lights. After our harrowing ride, the energy of the room suffocates me.
Seeing my disorientation, Jai wraps an arm around my waist and steers me past the host stand into a long corridor. We pass restrooms and an alcove with pay phones. A door swings open at the end of the hall and a waiter appears with a large tray on his shoulder.
“Damn,” Jai mumbles under his breath. He pushes me against the red wallpaper, brings his hands to my jaw, and nearly presses his lips against mine. “I know him. Wrap your arms around me,” he whispers against my mouth.
From far away, I hear the door swing shut as I stare into the ebony eyes mere centimeters from mine. When he talks, his lips touch mine. Sparks fly. A shocking yearning bubbles up. Past distortion, my world is raw feeling. His hands cupping my face. His lips brushing mine. His body pressed against mine. His scent surrounding me is agony and elation at once.
“Now,” he hisses. I taste his breath and somehow force my body to follow his directions. “Wait until he passes.”
I feel the words more than hearing them. More sparks. More yearning. Back muscles under my palms. I want him to kiss me for real. The thought lodges in my throat, making breathing difficult. I stare into his black velvet eyes and try to concentrate on the passing footsteps.
Too soon, Jai jumps away from me. “You okay?” The words are low and breathless. I can only nod. “Come on.” He opens a door with the words ‘employees only’ on it across from us.
Still in a cloud of longing, I almost trip across the threshold. Down a flight of stairs and we’re in the basement maze again. In the darkness, the sound of voices comes at us.
Chapter 19~Snow
Jai slaps his hand over my mouth and pushes me under the stairs. Ugh. Dust and cobwebs brush my skin and cover my hair as he pulls me as far back as we can possibly go. I push at his hand. He won’t budge. Does he think I’m a total idiot? I know we need to hide. The voices get closer and Jai’s hand tightens over my mouth.
“Half a million?” a raspy, ancient male voice asks.
“Yes, just to deliver her,” a younger male voice answers.
The old man lets out a cackle. “No girl’s worth that much.”
“Apparently this one has a very rich father.”
Fear
and unbelief shoot through my body because it sounds like they’re talking about me. My sweat-slicked palms clench Jai’s arm. My grip is going to leave marks.
Through the slats in the stairs, I can see the flash light bouncing and two dark figures walking by. One with a hop in his step, the other with a slow shuffle. Their bodies create long shadows on the cement walls. My heartbeat goes into overdrive as the older one stops right in front of us.
“And she thinks the girl is down here?”
“Not thinks. She’s sure. Somehow they got wind she’s with Jai Nan.”
My heartbeat, my fear, my unbelief all pause. They are definitely talking about us, but who the hell is this she they are referring to?
“Jai Nan?”
“Xing’s last student. The boy who was supposed to kidnap her,” the younger man says.
Those last words clang in my head. Bounce between my temples as I try to understand. Slowly I absorb their meaning. I almost have to force myself to believe the person holding me is my worst enemy. Within seconds, fury explodes within me. I should be running from him. Shocked and angered, I twist and yell but the screech under Jai’s palm comes out as a muffled whine.
“What was that?” the old man asks.
The beam of the flashlight erratically searches the corners. “It sounded like a cat.” The light flashes across the stairs. And although Jai’s grip around me tightens, I’m instantly still. The shine stops just inches from our feet before swinging to the nearest corner. After a few more swipes, the flashlight techno light display ends. “It must have took off.”
The men start walking again and my body goes back into escape mode. I try to bite Jai’s hand and wrench out of grasp. He holds me tight.
“It could take days. And others, they want the reward too,” the old man rasps.
I try to elbow my captor, but his muscular arm has mine pinned to my sides.
The bounce of the light gets dim.
“I’ll send four more…”
The last sentence is faint then the voices, along with the light, fade until we can’t hear them. Though I try to kick and bite, Jai somehow pulls me out from under the stairs while keeping my mouth covered and my body straitjacketed.
He jerks me close and nearly presses his lips to my ear. “Stop fighting me.” Yeah right! I try to stomp on his foot. He twists so I miss. “I know you’re mad, but think about it Nivi.” Think about this! I try to head butt him and he leans back. “I could have handed you over right now.” Who says you won’t! I buck and he holds me still. “I could have handed you over each time you slept in my apartment.” Ugh! I try to bite his hand again. He clamps my mouth closed. “They did ask me, but I couldn’t do it.” Whatever! “You’ve been with me for two days!” I’m not going to be with you one more second!
The fact that he had so many opportunities finally sinks in and drains some of the fight out of me and I quit, for the moment, trying to get free.
“I’m going to let you go. You have to be quiet. Those men and others are down here looking.” He lightens the tight grip on my mouth. “Okay?”
I nod. When he releases me, I push him away. “You’re a liar!” I hiss and spin away from him. I’m on the third step up to the restaurant when he yanks me down. Again locked in his embrace, I struggle.
“Listen!” he whispers angrily. “Up there that chauffeur, Kevin, Mao, and who knows who else are looking for you. Down here, the rest of the Tong. Do you really want to go out on your own?”
My elbow pauses next to his stomach. I realize he’s giving me a choice. And in reality, he’s right. I don’t stand a chance on my own. At the moment, he’s my best chance of escape. Once I’m out of this particular mess, I’ll ditch his lying ass for good. In defeat, I shake my head.
“Alright then. Stay close and quiet.” He releases my face, grabs my hand, and pulls me out into the walkway.
Desperately trying to ignore the desire to run from him, I become his shadow as we slink through the dark. We move slowly. Hide, listen, move then repeat the pattern. Even in the dark, Jai knows every nook and cranny of the underground terrain. We crouch behind stacks of boxes, under stairs, beneath ledges, and press ourselves against walls. Numerous times, we have to stop and wait for people to pass. Each time, I’m sure the bang of my heart alerts them. And even though I want to run back up to the world of light and escape this crazy nightmare I’ve fallen into, I force myself to stay patient and glued to him.
Jai’s fingers curl around my arm at the sound of footsteps ahead. We move into a narrow opening. His hands on my shoulders direct me through a tight crevice. We walk forever between two walls until he flings a door open. Light, smoke, and the smell of tobacco pour out of the opening at the same time. Faces jerk toward us. Some are shocked, others angry. A hand clenched with cards points at us.
Surprised, I stumble back into the shadows.
Jai says something in Chinese then slams the door. He whips around, pulls me down a set of stairs, through a long tunnel, and up another set of stairs. We squat behind more boxes while he listens, again.
I can’t help whispering, “Are they following us?”
He bends close. “I don’t think so. They’re just gamblers.”
Running from the smoky room has thrown us off track, but after more tiptoeing, hiding, and waiting, we finally arrive at the cabinet.
Inside the apartment, I immediately shake his hand off my arm. “You’ve got some explaining to do.” He has about five minutes, and if his explanation doesn’t sound legit, I’m so out of here. Even with no money, no family, and nowhere to go. Though I’m seriously about to blow up, I’m not angry enough or dumb enough to realize he might have some much needed answers.
“Yeah, I suppose I do.” He leans against the door and stares at me standing in the middle of the room.
I cross my arms. “Like now.”
He taps the back of his head on the door and says, “Someone wants you kidnapped.”
“Um, yeah that’s a bit obvious.”
“I was hired to do it.”
I remember him at my apartment, outside in the morning, and then in the elevator where I tried to unsuccessfully flirt with him. Ugh, all while he was planning on kidnapping me. “That rope in the basket, it was for me?”
He gives me the tiniest nod as if not wanting to admit it.
My eyes narrow slowly while questions tumble out of my mouth as quick as I can form them. “You were watching me? Why would someone hire you to kidnap me? Who the hell are you? And who hired you?” Instinctively, I take a step backwards even though the only escape out is the other way.
Jai puts his hands up in supplication. “Nivi, remember I’ve had multiple opportunities to do the job, yet I haven’t.”
His dark eyes bore into mine demanding I trust him. My limited options—none—weigh on my chest. I let out the air I’d been holding in. “Okay, tell me why you haven’t then.”
He looks away. “The more I watched you, interacted with you, the more real you became and I just couldn’t do it. So I just kept telling them I was waiting for the perfect opportunity.” His dark eyes come back to mine. “I’m guessing someone saw us together when I brought you back from Sunset Park. They knew you were in Chinatown, knew I wasn’t delivering, and sent the word out to find you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
He sighs. “Would you have trusted me?”
I look away from him now because I still don’t trust him. I suddenly feel drained and beyond confused. “I need to sit and you need to explain better.”
After setting down two bottled waters, he sits across from me and slowly unscrews the cap on one before setting it in front of me. “I do a lot of work under the table for gangs here in Chinatown.” He shrugs at my lifted brow. “It pays a lot more than a normal job. However, most of it is illegal.”
On the way to my mouth, the water bottle pauses. “Illegal?”
“I courier money and deliver imported, untaxed goods mostly.” He leans
back on his metal chair balanced on two legs. “I’ve also been hired to rough people up who don’t pay on time. And although I don’t know for sure because I never look in the package, I’ve probably delivered drugs.”
My chair clanks across the cement as I stand. “You’re a criminal!”
For a second I see hurt in his dark eyes then they turn hard. He crosses his arms. “I do what’s needed to survive.”
We stare at each other—my gaze accusatory, his rigid—I take a deep breath. He’s on his own. Who am I to judge his way of life? He takes care of four other kids. And what does it matter? I just need to find out about this kidnapping scheme. I pull the chair back to the table and slowly sit down. “This gang hired you?” He nods. “So who contacted them? Who wants me kidnapped?”
“They never told me who contacted them.” I was afraid of that. My number one bet’s still on Smith but they kept saying she in the basement. Maybe Smith has an accomplice? He lets the chair fall back on all four legs. “While you slept that first day, I did ask around. They’ve kept it quiet. No one seems to know.”
So that’s why he left me alone with Song. I drum my fingers on the table. “Why hire you?”
“Many of their members are known to the police. I’ve yet to have a run with the law.”
“What were you supposed to do once you—you kidnapped me?”
“Just deliver you to them.”
My fingers dig into my temples. This is so going nowhere. Jai quietly watches my frustration. His dark eyes look worried and concerned, which actually annoys me. At this point I don’t want him caring about me. I have to get away from his dark gaze so I can actually think. I stand. “I’ll be back in a minute.” At least in the bathroom, I’ll be able to escape the concern in his dark eyes. Concern that I refused to be swayed to trust.
Chapter 20~Snow
In the bathroom, I rinse my face and brush the cobwebs from my hair with trembling hands. Leaning against the back of the door, I try to calm myself, but half a million dollars on my head makes inhaling air difficult. Along with being in the home of my would be kidnapper. What I need to do is just go. I have enough money from my mother’s life insurance to live off for a few years, if that’s what it comes to. It pains me to think of leaving my father even with our complicated relationship. After the way he acted today, I don’t see another option. First, I need to get the hell out of Chinatown. And tomorrow as soon as the banks open, that’s what I plan on doing. Not even close to calm, I open the door and the argument from the main room spills into the hallway.
