Hong Kong

by Luke Richardson

  “There are other ways I can get this information,” the man at the desk repeated, “but you just telling me and then getting to keep this money is the easiest for us all.”

  “Room 12,” the receptionist said, sliding the notes from the counter, holding them inside his fist and looking again at the computer screen.

  “Are they in the room?” the man asked.

  “I don’t think so, I haven’t seen them come past.”

  “I need a key,” the voice said. Two more notes appeared on the counter. It was a lot of money.

  The receptionist hesitated for a moment, his eyes on the large, silent figure in the background. Muscles bulging beneath his suit.

  “I need a key,” the voice repeated.

  The receptionist pulled a key card from a box on the desk, programmed it and put it on the counter. Taking the card, the men disappeared into the gloom.

  Chapter 77

  Isobel had always said she wasn’t the sort of person to cry. Some people loved it, get it all out, have a good cry. That wasn’t her. She needed to sort things out, to make things better physically.

  But standing there, waiting for the bus to the airport, she cried. No one had ever given her their jacket before. No one had cared enough. With that kind gesture from one person to another something inside her broke. Then came the tears.

  As they flooded forth, Isobel rolled the hoodie into a ball and pressed it against her face.

  She tried to stutter something, but it was inaudible.

  Had she ever cried before? She couldn’t remember.

  She hadn’t cried after the terrible night at uni, the one that led her here. She hadn’t cried when she had woken up in the hotel room to find Jamie wasn’t there after all the sweet and loving things he had said. She hadn’t cried when Yee’s cold hands explored her body. She didn’t cry when Leo and Allissa gave her money for a flight and free accommodation to get her head back in the right place. But now with one tiny gesture of kindness, the tears came.

  Allissa was the first in with her arms around her, and Leo followed. They held her for the few minutes until the bus pulled out of the traffic.

  “This is you,” Leo said, stepping away.

  “Yes, I’ll…” Isobel stuttered.

  “You look after yourself,” Allissa said, holding her tight again for a moment.

  “Thank you for everything,” Isobel said to them both.

  Isobel looked towards Leo, now wearing just a T-shirt in the cold morning.

  “Take this for the walk home,” she said, unzipping and removing the thin sports jacket and putting Leo’s on, leaving the hood up.

  “Thanks,” Leo said, accepting it and draping it around his shoulders.

  As the bus accelerated into the swirl of morning traffic, Allissa and Leo watched Isobel’s waving silhouette at the window.

  Allissa looked at Leo, ridiculous with the tiny girls’ sports jacket.

  “What?!” Leo said, seeing Allissa’s smile.

  For the second time that day Allissa stepped close and hugged him. This time Leo was ready.

  “You really can change the world with kindness,” Allissa said, her voice muffled by his shoulder.

  Chapter 78

  How could anyone stay in a room like this? he thought, letting himself in. It was tiny, just two single beds against the side with a narrow gap down the middle. It was messy too, clothes were piled up and the beds left unmade.

  He squinted into the darkness; only the most persistent light made it through the grime-covered windows and dirty curtains.

  The room was empty. Good. He wanted to surprise them. Spring up when they weren’t expecting it, see how they liked it.

  He had been hoping to find somewhere to hide, revealing his presence when they arrived. The drama of it appealed to him. Looking left and right he saw there wasn’t anywhere in the tiny room. Not even a wardrobe.

  He removed a small hip flask from his jacket pocket with a gloved hand, unscrewed the cap and took a sip. The strong spirit tasted good. It invigorated him.

  To the right, a small door opened into the bathroom. It wasn’t really a bathroom, he thought, pushing it open. More like a tiled box containing a toilet and shower.

  It would have to do.

  In the past, he thought, trying to make himself comfortable, he had gotten someone else to handle things like this. But this one… this one was personal.

  It involved the girl.

  He’d wanted her for himself and they’d stopped him. He bristled with anger in the darkness. He hated it when people stopped him getting the things he wanted.

  Then there was the theft.

  Did they think he wouldn’t notice? He couldn’t let them get away with that.

  Feeling anger bristle, he dropped a hand into his pocket and felt the cold metal shape of the gun. He would sort this out, he thought, hearing voices in the corridor outside.

  He would sort it out in the way he always did.

  Chaos into order. Order where he had control.

  Chapter 79

  The light of dawn mottled the streets as Leo and Allissa walked back to their hotel.

  Leo wanted nothing more than to tell Allissa about the photo. It burned inside him. But it could wait until tomorrow. Right now, tiredness scorched his eyes. All he could think about was sleep.

  As they walked, Kowloon started to stir itself awake. Taxis buzzed from street to street, picking up people on their commute to work. The busses, which had been empty an hour before, were now filling up. And the pavements were becoming crowded with people in suits, walking towards the metro stations.

  Leo realised it had been nearly twenty-four-hours since he made that walk himself, heading towards The Peak.

  The residents of Nathan Mansions were starting to stir, too. People were leaving for work, washing was being hung and floors were being swept.

  It was fascinating that this microcosm of life existed within the city. It was so close to the brightly lit towers of glass and chrome, but yet so different. Smiling at two ladies hanging washing, Leo thought of the plans he’d read on Yee’s laptop. He still didn’t know what they could do to help.

  Ahead, a large man walked away, out of sight. His bulky shape strained inside a dark suit. He looked out of place with the residents of the building and something triggered in Leo’s memory. Where had he seem him before?

  Tiredness, Leo thought, taking the key card from his wallet and unlocking the door to their room. After 24 hours he didn’t know what he was seeing.

  “I need sleep so much,” Allissa said, walking towards her bed in the small room.

  Leo put Isobel’s hoody on a pile of clothes – the room was a mess. They would leave tomorrow.

  “I know today has been…” Leo started, but his reply was interrupted by a voice from behind them.

  Chapter 80

  “You thought you could just leave me there, didn’t you?” came the voice. Leo knew who it was before he turned.

  “I could have died on that balcony,” Yee said, looking towards them both. He seemed to have recovered slightly from his earlier drunkenness. He wore a dark suit, his hair was carefully gelled and in a gloved hand, he held a gun.

  Leo had never seen a gun before, other than in films and once when he went clay pigeon shooting.

  He’d certainly never had one pointed at him.

  Leo was at the back of the room, Allissa slightly in front. Neither spoke.

  “You thought you could just walk into my home and ruin my plans,” Yee said. “You’re not going to get away with that.”

  Leo and Allissa both stood, facing the man.

  Leo spoke first.

  “What do you want?”

  Maybe it was the madness of no sleep, but Leo felt calm. He knew what he had to do. As he spoke, he took a small step towards Yee.

  “First, I want to know where Isobel is,” Yee said, seeming not to notice Leo’s approach.

  “Why do you want to know that?” Allissa sna
pped.

  “It’s none of your business why I want to know that,” Yee shouted. “I want to know it and you’re going to tell me.”

  Leo thought of Isobel; she’d probably be at the airport now. She wasn’t safe yet.

  “We don’t know. She left,” Allissa grunted.

  “What do you want with her?” Leo said.

  “The three of you have caused me a lot of trouble. A lot of trouble. And now I’m here to tidy up the loose ends, and that includes her,” Yee snarled, exposing small, white teeth. “You can’t seriously expect to be able to mess up someone’s plans and there not be repercussions?”

  “Who are you to talk about repercussions?” Allissa said. “Treating a human being like that.”

  Yee shook his head, ignoring the comment.

  “And one of you has stolen from me,” Yee said, grimacing.

  “What are we supposed to have stolen?” Leo stepped forward again. Allissa did the same. Yee hadn’t noticed.

  “Someone HAS stolen from me!” Yee was shouting now, the gun shaking.

  “What have we stolen?” Allissa repeated, stepping forward again.

  “A ring of my wife’s. It was in the bedroom on the dresser, but now it’s not,” Yee said, sounding more pathetic with each statement. Leo and Allissa were getting closer.

  “Just go buy another one,” Leo said.

  “It’s been in my family for three generations. It’s worth a lot of money – no one knows how much. It can’t just be replaced.”

  “Well, you’re not going to find it here,” Leo shouted.

  At the same time, he and Allissa dove forwards.

  Leo lunged for the hand holding the gun and pushed it to the side. Yee fired. The bullet thudded harmlessly into the concrete wall. Then, knocking Yee off his feet, Leo smashed the gun to the ground. In the commotion Yee let go and the gun skittered beneath one of the beds.

  “Jiao!” Yee shouted as Leo held him to the floor.

  Allissa grabbed his writhing legs.

  “Jiao!” Yee shouted again, followed by words Leo didn’t understand.

  The door swung open and a long shadow fell across the room.

  Looking up, Leo knew what was about to happen. It was a pang of recognition he’d rejected as tiredness. He had seen this man before, in Yee’s office.

  Leo didn’t have time to panic as the dark outline closed in.

  The little man on the floor continued to writhe and kick.

  As the shadow moved over him, Leo looked up again. A strong arm reached for him.

  Leo looked up into Jiao’s grinning face as the arm closed around his shoulders. Then he felt the strike on the back of his neck. The world went dark.

  Chapter 81

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere as beautiful as this,” Leo says, as colour drains from the sky and the noise of the island swells. Birds flash through the twilight, streaks of pink and purple.

  “I knew you’d like it,” Mya replies in a whisper, kicking water from the ocean. Her feet dangle from the edge of the jetty.

  “How did we get here? I mean this is crazy – it’s like a different world,” Leo says, pointing towards the inky ocean in front of them – undisturbed, unbroken. They’ve been travelling for two months but this is the first time they’ve seen an ocean like this. An expanse of boundless blue.

  A bird squawks, the light of a boat creeps across the horizon.

  “Kao Tao is special because it’s hard to get to. When things are hard to find – that’s when they’re precious,” Mya says, her voice private and sexy.

  She looks out into nothing, her hands on the side of the jetty and her feet swinging freely. She looks beautiful in the way confident people do. Her smile is currency all over the world.

  “I’m just glad to be here… with you,” Leo says, looking at her profile in the glow of the dim light. “Even the extra month. I’m so happy to be here.”

  This is the time, he knows it, tonight. He’s had the ring hidden in his wallet for over a month now, waiting for tonight. This time, this place, this girl.

  Mya turns to face Leo as he lies backwards on the jetty. Water slaps the supports under the platform. Somewhere nearby, people speak in an unknown language.

  “I’ve never been anywhere as beautiful as this,” Leo says, resting up on his elbows. Now would be the perfect moment.

  Mya leans forward.

  “To be… to be here with you is so special…” Leo says.

  Mya looks down towards him – her eyes dark, glinting, mysterious, mocking.

  “…and we, I mean I, hadn’t even planned to come here…”

  “Yeah, it’s been great,” Mya says, turning back to the water. A chill passes across her body, blowing her loose-fitting top tight against her profile. Leo’s eyes follow, he can’t help it.

  He turns and fumbles the ring from his wallet while Mya looks out at the ocean. This needs to be perfect, he thinks, it will be perfect.

  He breathes in deeply. Inhales the sea air, the smell of tamarind, lime, of love, hope and opportunity. Then lets it go.

  “Will you marry me?” Leo says, looking towards her. The one-kneed stance tradition dictates not possible on the jetty. The setting and moment will make up for it, he hopes.

  An eddy of wind skips past, rushing towards the curving palm trees on the shoreline. The bay shivers. Time hangs. Leo holds his breath, unblinking.

  “I…” Mya says, following a train of thought, but cutting it before it starts. She looks from Leo’s expectant expression to the ring in his hands.

  “Oh my gosh, that’s so beautiful.” She plucks it from his fingers and holds it up. The colours of twilight refract through the diamonds. To Leo, it seems like an age has passed.

  “Come back to the cabin in five minutes,” Mya says, climbing to her feet. “Then you’ll get your answer.”

  Leo watches the sparkle of her eyes as she stands, turns away and starts to walk towards the land.

  Settling back on his elbows and watching the bruised horizon, Leo shakes his head. He tries to ignore the pangs of disappointment.

  That’s so typical of Mya, he thinks, watching the silhouette of her shape cross the causeway to the beach. Doing things her way.

  Chapter 82

  Allissa was the first to come around. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been out or exactly what had happened.

  She’d seen Jiao barge into the hotel room, knock Leo unconscious with ease, and then close in on her. She’d tried to fight, giving up Yee’s ankles as she did, but it was no good. Jiao weathered the two or three punches she got in without a reaction and closed in on her in the corner of the room. Her arm went limp as he put pressure on her shoulder and then she followed Leo into the blackness.

  There was movement and talking, she was sure of it. Who it was and where they were going, she had no idea.

  Allissa opened her eyes slowly. They were not in their hotel room. Looking around she took in the large, bare concrete space, perhaps the entire level of a building. Pillars jutted from floor to ceiling and light flooded from a wall of windows on one side.

  Leo lay next to her on the hard, dusty floor. His chest rose and fell and a dark bruise began to form on his neck.

  At first, Allissa thought it could be a new building, one of Yee’s projects. He must have access to many. But why would he have brought them here? Something didn’t fit. She’d seen buildings go up, there were always walls, wires and pipes being installed. They weren’t left empty like this.

  Allissa made it to her feet and walked, shakily at first, across to the window. The glass was covered by a thick layer of dust and grime. It was not new.

  Through the murky glass, the view was unlike any Allissa had seen of Hong Kong. The industrial landscape of the city’s docks. Monolithic ships rested in shimmering inlets of water. Above them cranes sat like vultures, some eerily still, others working to remove or add containers in a pattern of balance and weight.

  Looking down, Allissa saw t
he water, sluggish and grey. The building was right against the water. No doubt to give the business that once occupied it a first-hand view of the activity outside. From the drop she estimated they were on the third or fourth floor. There was no way she could tell whether that was the top floor, or if there were twenty more above.

  “Where are we?” said a groggy voice from behind her. Leo was coming around too. “Shit, my head.”

  Allissa turned and saw him sitting up, rubbing his head and neck.

  “Somewhere near the docks. I’m not sure where, or why.”

  “This guy’s hospitality is second to none,” Leo said, looking around. “Where’s the buffet?”

  Leaving the window, Allissa walked across to a pair of double doors at the other side of the space. They too looked old, the circular windows thick with dust. She pulled the handle, the door moved slightly and then jarred with the crunching sound of a chain. Pulling again, she looked through the thin column which opened between the doors. There was a chain on the other side, locking the doors together.

  “We’re locked in,” she shouted across to Leo, her voice echoing.

  “What is this place?”

  “I’m not sure, but I’m not feeling it. We need to find a way out. You take that side of the room, look for anything that might help us.”

  Rubbing the back of his head, Leo walked across the space.

  “There’s only one door,” he shouted back. “One way in, one way out.”

  Allissa looked around. The place had a disconcerting quiet about it.

  “It must have been some kind of office,” she said. “Probably owned by one of the shipping companies, but why has Yee brought us here?”

  They didn’t have to wait long for the question to be answered. The voice came from behind them, but it wasn’t Yee – it was much worse.

  “The scheduled demolition of this building will begin in twenty minutes. Please leave now.”