“So did I. It hurt.” Chu jerked and immediately grabbed his gun. “Where Sing?”
“Sing is dead.”
“Dead? How?”
“After he shot you, he turned the gun on me but it jammed twice. He kept shaking it and pumping the rifle to get it to work and then it went off. Took his head with it, too.” I pointed at the blood splatter on the ceiling. “I have no idea where it went but his body is on the other side of that table by the door.”
“Shit,” Chu said.
I laughed. I didn’t know why I thought it was funny but it was the funniest thing I had heard in a long time.
Chu’s phone chirped as I helped him to his feet.
The conversation went back and forth. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but from the look on Chu’s face, there was some good news.
“We find your friend,” he announced, still grimacing.
“Yeah?”
“Down by the docks. There some Wo Shing activity outside an abandoned cannery.”
“What do we do?” I asked as I looked around and motioned to the headless body that lay crumpled a few feet away.
Chu pulled out his phone and direct-connected with someone else. A few words later, he pocketed his phone. “I have someone take care of mess. We must go now.”
Chapter 130
This was no ordinary night. Without the typical cloud cover, the docks were lit up like the sun was shining. There was very little shadow except for the areas near the sides of the warehouses, yet the four brothers came out of nowhere and were upon us before I knew it. While they debriefed Chu, I scouted the area. There were two black cars parked outside a warehouse about a hundred yards away. Is that where they’re keeping Tav? Was he still alive?
Chu rallied back to me. “They think your friend in there,” he said, pointing toward the cars. “We make move now.” Chu and the other brothers took off like the wind. I had to run to catch up. In single file, the six of us crept along the sides of the old warehouses.
“What if they have men hiding in the cars?” I whispered.
Chu made a slashing motion along his neck. “They took care of driver.”
We were about twenty feet away from the cars and the entrance to the building. It looked like the cannery hadn’t been used in years. Chinese characters painted on the building had faded to a shadowy outline. Rust had set in around the door and a few of the windows. Near the back of the warehouse, a soft glow of light barely made its way out of a tiny window.
We quickly crossed the open expanse between the two buildings and made our way to the two back windows. When we were crouched about five feet away, Chu motioned for a brother to push ahead and look inside. He stood up and peeked through the window. Five seconds later, he was back with the group.
“Your friend is still alive,” Chu said.
“Thank god.”
“He’s hurt––they beat him. There are five Wo Shing Wo in there. Chan is one of them.”
“Now what?”
Chu said something to Lee Tai, who reached into a black backpack and pulled out a grenade.
This wasn’t getting better. I had to put my foot down. I couldn’t risk blowing the place up with Tav inside. It was bad enough everyone had guns, but now explosives? I shook my head vehemently at Chu.
“Bang. Make big noise and light. Bang. It confuse enemy,” Chu explained.
“Flash-bang?” I guessed.
Chu’s eyes lit up and he nodded. “Flash-bang, I keep forgetting name.”
That actually made sense for a plan. Throw it in, disorient the gang, and then take them out. I hoped it worked.
Chu led the way to the entrance at the front of the warehouse. One of the brothers stayed behind by the window. He would toss two flash-bang grenades inside while the rest of us came in through the front door.
Chu turned to me and said, “We first. You follow. You find friend and take him outside. You don’t stop. We take care of Wo Shing.”
This was not the same Chu I had met that first day outside his building. This was a decisive, confident Chu––one who had led his men fearlessly so far tonight, and now was about to take them into battle. They, including me, were all willing to go along without question. Why? We believed in him.
Chu gave the signal. The brother put a bullet through the window and tossed the grenades inside.
Chu waited. One bang, two bangs, and then a third. He kicked the door open and went in. The other three brothers were right behind him. The gunshots were almost immediate from both sides and I hesitated for a split second.
The hell with it. I pushed through the entryway and the first thing I saw was a ball of fire rising up to the roof. That explained the third bang: The grenades must have ignited something. There was already a lot of smoke. I stayed low to the ground and pulled my shirt over my face.
I spotted Tav. He was lying on the ground practically in the middle of the warehouse. A Wo Shing Wo gang member stood near him. I could see the repeated muzzle flashes coming from his gun. It was an all-out war. There were so many gunshots going off, I couldn’t be sure who was winning. Hopefully us.
The fire lit up most of the warehouse but it was still dark around the perimeter. I crouched and stuck to the edges of the building and worked my way toward Tav. Most of the fire was opposite me on the other side of the building. It climbed up the sides of the walls, licking at the roof. Dark, billowing smoke began to fill the warehouse.
I had to move fast before I lost visibility or, worse yet, mistook a Wo Shing for a Fan Gang. I circled around the warehouse until Tav was straight in front of me, about twenty feet away. I would have to leave the comfort of the dark to get to him. I dreaded it.
Looking around, it didn’t appear like anyone noticed me. The Wo Shing Wo that was near Tav now laid awkwardly on the ground. Dead? Hopefully Tav wasn’t. No one else was near him. Go now!
I bolted straight out. A bullet whizzed by my face. I didn’t stop, though. I kept running toward Tav, focused until I was close enough and slid to a stop on my knees.
“Tav!” I screamed. I turned him over. His eyes were swollen shut from a pummeling. His nose a flattened mess covered in dried blood. But he was alive.
“Come on, buddy, we gotta go.” I sat him up and tried to get him to his feet. “Tav, we have to move now!”
Tav was disoriented. The flash-bangs did him no favors. His mouth was moving but nothing was coming out. I hooked his arm around my neck and pushed with my legs as hard as I could, standing us both up.
I dragged Tav alongside of me. If we could get back to the shadows, we would be safer. Only a few feet more, buddy. We were almost in the clear when a hulking figure appeared in front of us. Chan!
He raised a handgun to within inches of my face and smiled. This was the second time in the same night I had stood unarmed in front of a man with a gun who wanted nothing more than to kill me. What were the odds of his gun jamming?
By the time I saw the muzzle flash, Chu was already riding Chan down to ground. He blindsided him. Chan never saw him coming and I wasn’t about to stick around to see how his tackle played out.
I kept moving, focused on getting us out of the building. The smoke filled the warehouse fast and it was getting harder to breath. I couldn’t stop coughing and Tav was doing a helluva job playing dead weight.
There was still automatic gunfire and lots of yelling all around us. I didn’t look back. As much as I wanted too, I couldn’t. I could only hope team Fan Gang had the upper hand.
We finally reached the exit and I shoved Tav out the door. We were both coughing and gasping for fresh air. I leaned Tav up against the hood of one of the cars. There was rapid gunfire getting louder and closer.
“Come on, Tav,” I said, urgently, looking around. “We need to keep moving.”
Tav couldn’t move, didn’t want to. He had had all he could take. I could hear the pounding of footsteps, many of them, nearing the door. I screamed at Tav. “We’re not safe yet!”
I could hear them just on the other side.
Any second now…
Chapter 131
San Francisco, California
The fog decided to give San Francisco a break and let the postcard photographers have a field day. Life was good. I couldn’t complain. Sitting in my mostly new Aeron chair, I kicked my legs up on the windowsill and enjoyed the view. And boy was it one. I could see the entire Bay area from downtown San Francisco all the way past Coit Tower to the Golden Gate Bridge.
I had been a fully recognized heavy-hitter for about a month and a half now and I loved every minute of life on the twelfth floor. The other heavy-hitters weren’t as bad as I thought they would be. Gerald Thorn threw a little welcoming party for me. And the HAM trio, Hillary, Alix, and Maggie, now recognized me as being human. That’s a step I’ll gladly take.
It had been two months since that night in Hong Kong––the longest, most terrifying night I ever experienced in my life. On the flight back to San Francisco, Tav and I agreed that our cover story would be a skiing accident. No one questioned it. We never brought it up. It took Tav awhile to forgive me. But eventually he healed and so did our friendship. It always did.
In the mêlée that night, Tav had scored a broken nose and a crushed cheekbone. I made sure he had the best doctor handling the work on his face. I also picked up whatever medical his insurance didn’t cover. He had a scar on his chin now, but I thought it added character.
When we exited the warehouse that night, I had no idea if Chu and his men were alive or dead. I had only seen Chu when he tackled Chan, and I couldn’t recall seeing the other brothers––not that I was looking to do a head count.
I only knew someone was following us out the door. Luckily it was Chu and his crew. We all piled into the cars left by the Wo Shing Wo and headed straight to a safe house. The next day, Tav and I caught the first flight back to San Francisco.
A week later, Chu officially took over as the leader of the gang. He continues to grow “LC Toys, Inc.” and do business with Teleco. My involvement now is that of a typical sales associate, which is very minimal. A few emails explaining new product are all that’s required. The gang no longer needs my consulting services. And that’s the way it should be.
As for Leslie, well, it never would have worked out anyhow. She has her life there. I have mine here. In fact I’m beginning to think I have a shot with HAM. Not sure which one yet, but I’m breaking them down.
Driving away from the docks that night, I remember passing two fire trucks and a couple of squad cars. Leslie was sitting in the passenger seat of the second black-and-white. She stared right at me as our cars passed each other. To this day, I still believe the windows on the Mercedes were tinted.
At least, I think they were.
COMING SOON
DESCRIPTION
STROGANOV is the second book in the ever-popular Darby Stansfield thriller series.
Discover how one act of kindness can bring on a world of pain. In Stroganov, a smarter, more confident Darby Stansfield continues his life as the telecommunication consultant to the criminal underworld. This time he’s in bed with the Russians and everything is peachy, so far.
With his career back on track, Darby focuses on improving his personal life. However, his unconventional methods for finding love land him in the middle of a war between the Ukrainian government and a dangerous sex trafficking ring. That’s his life. Wrong place. Wrong time. All of the time.
Anxious to get out of the situation, he reluctantly offers his help to the authorities in hopes of a clean break. What he gets instead is the attention of Russia’s most feared criminal.
Chapter 1
Odessa, Ukraine
The gray, windowless van chugged along the single-lane road, occasionally braking only to speed up again. Inside, four men avoided conversation—it was not needed. As they headed into the concrete valley, their eyes focused on the colorless apartment blocks that stood side by side, lining both sides of the road. Each building had a number as an identifier; building 14 was their destination. When the Ukrainian government first issued these apartments to its citizens, it was widely known that preferential treatment was given to young couples with at least one child. Most of those young children were now teenagers, making this district the perfect hunting grounds.
The van slid to a stop in the slushy mix of icy-dirt and road. The diesel engine gave up a few smoky coughs before it went silent. The passenger door creaked open and a burly man dressed in bulky black clothing, complete with a skullcap, exited the vehicle with a toothy grin.
“Privet,” he called out with a wave.
The couple standing near the entrance to the building waved back. Their teenage daughter was much more excited to see the man than they were; her giggling was proof of that. She was finally leaving for a work-abroad program that many of her friends had already enjoyed.
“Be careful, Oksana.”
“Papa, I’ll be working at a hotel in Greece, not a factory. Don’t worry,” she said as she kissed his cheek. “I’ll miss you Mama,” she said, turning to the woman. “I promise to call once a week. It’s only for three months and then I’ll be home.”
Her mother gave her another long embrace and showered her with kisses.
The man from the van held out his hand. “My name is Sergei. I’m from the International Work & Travel program. Your daughter will be fine. She’ll have a good time.”
Smiles finally appeared on the parents’ faces. Yuri turned to his wife. “Don’t worry, Galina. This will be good for her. It’s worth the expense.” A tearful Galina nodded as she grabbed a hold of his arm. The cost of the program required most of their savings and that they borrow from relatives, but it was worth it for their daughter to have this experience.
Sergei picked up the teenager’s luggage. “Come, Oksana. It’s time.”
Oksana gave each of her parents one last hug and then hurried to catch up with her chaperone. “Sergei, where are we going now? Are there others or is it just me?” She couldn’t believe her journey was about to begin.
Sergei looked back at the teen trailing him. She was looking off into the distance, her eyes already dreaming big adventures. “There are other girls. You will meet them soon.”
Oksana focused back on the big man. “I’ve been wishing and hoping to go on a work abroad program for years now. Do a lot of people do it more than once?”
“Very rarely. Once is enough.”
“Not for me. The chance to see other countries and meet people from the west; how could anyone get enough of that?” Oksana fell behind again as she drifted away.
“Oksana,” Sergei called out, snapping her out of La La Land. “It’s easier to enter the van from the door at the back,” he said motioning to the rear of the van.
When she knocked on the back door of the van, the thin metal slabs squeaked open and a friendly face appeared with an extended hand to help her inside. Sergei tossed her belongings into the van behind her and slammed the doors shut.
Right away Oksana noticed things were not right and started to back up, but one of the men grabbed her coat and yanked her towards him, slamming his hand over her mouth at the same time. Their faces were now inches apart and his sour breath was unavoidable. Oksana twisted her body from side to side hoping to loosen his grip, but he was stronger. The sudden screech of duct tape near her face caught her attention. Before she could react, her mouth was sealed shut. That alone would be enough to frighten anybody but that’s not what had Oksana trembling, unable to let out a quick scream while she had the chance.
Lying on the floor of the van, partly covered with a tarp, she saw two other girls whom she recognized from the neighborhood. Their mouths were sealed and she could see that one had her hands tied behin
d her back. Their bulging eyes screamed one word: Run!
Chapter 2
The back tires spun out in the soupy mess before the van gripped a hold of the asphalt. Sergei smiled once more and waved to the parents. Oksana was already helpless on the floor of the van with the other girls. No doubt her parents were smiling outside and waving back, completely unaware of the horror that was happening. The wide-eyed girl searched for answers. Why me? Why these other girls? What have we done wrong?
The driver turned to Sergei. “Viktor we have three. Should we head back?”
Viktor unclipped the fake nametag he had been wearing on his jacket and threw it into the glove compartment. “Let’s see if Igor has caught anything.”
“What do you think so far?” The driver asked.
Viktor shrugged. “They’re young and the right age.”
“You don’t think we have the prize? We collected eight girls over the last two days.”
“We must catch a special one. Only then can we get a premium price for all the girls.”
•••
The cold snap that whistled through the seaside town of Odessa, Ukraine was unusual for the spring, but it wasn’t enough to keep people holed up inside their apartments. The owners of the outdoor café had stretched a large tarp above the plastic tables and chairs to provide shelter for its customers. It mostly worked.
Underneath, tucked away in the far back, were four obnoxious teenage girls, oblivious to others around them. Their shrill laughter drew the ire of the three babushkas sitting only two tables away. They were trying to have a conversation while sipping black tea and eating chocolates. One of them scowled as she tried to ignore the girls. Her huffing and puffing did nothing to curb the behavior of the girls.
Gathered next to a table of empty Coke bottles, the four girls were busy striking poses straight out of a fashion magazine for the tiny Canon Elph camera that one of them received as a birthday gift. They pouted lips, flicked their hips to the side and whipped their hair around letting the camera document it all.
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