The Dragon (G.O.N.Y. - Double Dragon)

by Dubrinsky, Violette

  “You’re late.”

  At Ramsey’s observation, Kwan’s lips curled up and he bared his teeth. In no way did Ramsey mistake it for a smile.

  Before he could answer, a waif-thin teenager wearing the black and gold uniform of the shop walked over to them. She dipped her head respectfully to Kwan and asked for his order. The old man waved her away like he was brushing a fly from his space. Flustered, the girl looked to Ramsey.

  “Thank you. I’ll send for you if we need anything.”

  With a nod, she took his mug and retreated quickly.

  “Why did you ask me to come here?” Kwan demanded, leaning forward and glaring at Ramsey.

  Ramsey smiled, which only made the man’s eyes harder. “You had a meeting with Chang Chul-Moo a few days ago.” At Kwan’s lifted brow, Ramsey continued, “What did you two discuss?”

  The older man inhaled swift and sharp. A few breaths later, he leaned back in his chair, seeming to lose some of his tension. Ramsey wasn’t fooled. Kwan was of his grandfather’s ilk. Men like him were always coiled, even at their most ‘relaxed.’

  “Is that what this is about?” Kwan asked.

  At Ramsey’s lifted brow, he waved a hand in the air. “Why I am suddenly being treated like a stranger by my own family?”

  When Ramsey didn’t answer, Kwan leaned forward again. “You listen to me, boy. I may be many things, but I am not disloyal. Family comes first and as long as you have my daughter in yours, you are part of my family.”

  Unperturbed, Ramsey asked, “What did you two discuss?”

  “You don’t get to question my loyalty―”

  “I am questioning your loyalty,” Ramsey interrupted. “I’m questioning why Chang Chul-Moo has been meeting with the heads of various families, one after the other, after Kim Hyun-Bin went missing.”

  “He mentioned that.” Kwan’s eyes narrowed to slits. “He thinks it was you.”

  Ramsey smiled. “It was.”

  Kwan looked shocked and he couldn’t blame him. Even gangsters had rules, and at the top of the list was that family was untouchable. The older man shook his head and glared at Ramsey. “Kim was his son-in-law!”

  “Lily was your granddaughter.”

  He drew back as if slapped, but Ramsey held his stare. “What are you saying?”

  “You know what I’m saying.”

  The white noise of faint chatter and the easy wind outside, was the only sound heard for long moments as Kwan’s shock gave way to anger, then rage. His face pinched, his mouth thinned, and he finally spoke, “You’re certain?”

  “Very.”

  “How certain?”

  The old man wanted hard facts and Ramsey obliged, describing Lily’s death, the lilies tossed from the car window, Kim’s hunting Jezebel, his plan to torture and murder Jezebel and his child.

  “And Lily?”

  “He eventually admitted involvement.”

  Kwan nodded slowly. “Chang attacked your family, my family.”

  It was clear to anyone with a working brain that this was a chain of events, a sequence meant to bring him down. “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Why else? He wants his power back.”

  At the man’s confused look, Ramsey went on, “He was railroaded into agreeing to my business proposition.” Months ago, Ramsey had gone to Seoul to negotiate a partnership between himself, Kwan and Chang. It was legitimate, although it would be funded by copious amounts of unlaundered money left over from Kwan’s, Chang’s, and his grandfather’s reign. The future was in startups, in creative thinking and new technology, and with the money sitting in chests and barrels, and not earning any interest, Ramsey saw a win-win situation for them all. Because it was his idea and he was putting down more capital, and taking on the risk in washing the money before it went into the company, he wanted 51% of the shares. Kwan had taken 25% and Chang had been left with 24%. This way, they would put the money to use and turn a profit. Additionally, having the relationship would keep everyone pacified and in their respective corners, or so he’d naively thought. He’d treated two old-school gangsters like businessmen.

  Kwan shook his head in disgust. “What are you going to do about the situation?”

  “I intend to handle it.” He didn’t have to go further than that. They spoke the same language, understood the meaning.

  “When?”

  “Soon.”

  Kwan inhaled sharply and nodded. “Do it soon or I’ll do it for you.” He stood, but paused. Sadness fell from him in waves. “How’s my girl?”

  “As good as she can be in light of the situation.”

  He nodded. “I want to see her.”

  “You will, after I’ve secured my family.”

  The man grew angry. “She’s my daughter.”

  “Yes, and your daughter, my brother’s wife, is under my protection at the moment.” Ramsey stood as well, putting him head and shoulders above Kwan. “Let me protect her, Kwan. Let me protect our family.”

  Kwan held his gaze for what seemed like hours, before a reluctant smile curved his lips. There was no humor in it. “You don’t trust anyone do you, Ramsey? Not even family.” He held out his hand, and Ramsey shook it. “Your grandfather chose well. He chose himself.”

  ***

  “…zebel…Jezebel…”

  She jumped, clutching her chest as she came awake, stretched her eyes wide and looked around. Where was she? On a lounge chair? In a garden? It was so warm and birds were chirping. The easy chortle of laughter brought her attention to the woman who sat next to her. Hannah seemed more amused than anything else. “I don’t know when you fell asleep, but you seem too disoriented for just a light doze.”

  At her confused stare, Hannah continued, grinning all the while, “One moment I was telling you how I met Ramsey’s father at Cambridge, and the next, you’re snoring.”

  Right. She was in the indoor garden with Hannah, who’d been telling her the story of how she, a South Korean student, had come to marry an Egyptian man. Jezebel remembered Hannah mentioning studying at Cambridge and meeting Ramsey’s father there, but that was it.

  Embarrassed, she managed a scratchy, “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I should apologize for exhausting you further with those stories.” She chuckled. “You’re probably tired from walking around with that belly, and not to mention the night you had night before last.”

  When Jezebel’s eyebrows shot into her skull, Hannah smiled and patted her arm. “The thunderstorm, Jezebel, remember?”

  She didn’t remember the thunderstorm but she remembered telling Hannah she hadn’t heard it. Deciding it was best to keep silent on the matter, she did just that.

  “Tell you what, why don’t you go upstairs and lie down for a few hours?” She patted Jezebel’s arm again. “I’ve neglected Ike, my husband, enough as is, so I’ll give him a call and talk his ears off instead.” Hannah stood and helped Jezebel to her feet, leading her toward the entranceway. Jezebel’s brow furrowed when Vince, who’d been seated next to the door, stood and waited for her to pass. Why was he there? When did he get there? Where was Ramsey?

  She looked over her shoulder and he smirked. As if she hadn’t seen the man, Hannah continued, “Ike’s probably looking into ways to annul the marriage by now…”

  ***

  The rest of the meetings went smoothly.

  Kwan had been the one he was most concerned about, and their encounter had placated Ramsey as to where the man’s loyalties were. Every other meeting was a formality, him showing face, letting them know that despite the picture Chang had painted, more than likely one of some Americanized hothead attacking his family without cause, he was very much Korean and his problem with Chang wouldn’t extend to them unless they brought themselves into the feud. Most seemed relieved, and Ramsey didn’t anticipate any problems from them, though he kept alert to the possibility.

  His next step was repaying Chang Chul-Moo in kind. Chang was of his grandfather’s time, a man accus
tomed to sitting at the head of a dynasty. Ramsey intended to destroy him, wipe out his legacy, but before he did that, before Chang left this world for whichever hell he’d earned, Ramsey was going to crush his spirit.

  ***

  The twins were with their mother.

  Too big to be lifted, the six year olds ran to keep up with her quick, purposeful strides. Both ahead and behind them were four men whose eyes seemed to scan every inch of the parking lot. Standing in the darkened alcove of the underground parking lot, he waited.

  “Omma!” one of the twins screeched, tugging at her hand as if trying to stop her quick pace.

  The other soon joined in, whimpering and hiccupping in what was the beginning of a wail.

  The woman, beautiful, slim, and incredibly flustered, only walked faster. They were closing in on his hiding place now, close to her Lexus SUV, when the man bringing up the rear fell. As the other turned to the sound, there was a pop and a splash of blood pitched from his temple. He went down instantly. The other two turned at the commotion and began screaming to the woman. A bullet caught the one closest to him in the neck. Before he could hit the ground, two bullets ripped through the chest of the last man standing.

  The woman turned on her heels, gripped her children close, and began to run for the Lexus. Only then did he step from his hiding place, grabbing her around the middle and placing the chloroform-covered handkerchief against her mouth and nose.

  “Don’t fight it,” he whispered as she bucked against him, clawing at his gloved hand and trying to ram her rose-scented head into his face. He watched as several car doors opened and masked men stepped out, harnessing guns with silencers at their tips. “That’s it.” She bucked again once, twice, and then went limp. “Sleep.”

  Seconds later, he was kneeling before two wailing children.

  ***

  Jezebel gasped as the cold gel was applied to her belly but managed a smile soon after as a strong, steady heartbeat filled the room and an image of a tiny face appeared on the LCD screen.

  When Ramsey said he’d bring the doctor to her, Jezebel had been more than skeptical since there was heavy machinery involved in a checkup. Barely three days later, Dr. Chen, OB-GYN, and a team of assistants, including a scrub nurse and technicians, rolled an ultrasound machine into the spa room on the first floor and hooked it up. By the time Jezebel arrived downstairs, the room smelled like a hospital, disinfectant clean, and even looked like the interior of one.

  “And there’s the face…” Dr. Chen began in lightly accented English. She pointed to the monitor with one hand as she pressed a part of the machine into Jezebel’s belly. The baby opened his mouth and moved his arm, stretching upward. “He’s very active right now.”

  “It’s a boy?”

  The question came from Ramsey, who was standing on the opposite side of the makeshift bed, staring at the screen in awe. He even seemed a few shades paler. Jezebel smirked. She’d been like that the first time she’d seen the baby, and that had been a regular 2d ultrasound.

  “Let’s see…”

  There was a glob of movement as the doctor moved the instrument along her belly. She moved it a few more times before she chuckled and said, “He’s hiding from you.”

  “What?”

  Dr. Chen’s smile widened further. “Your baby just curled into himself, Ms. Carter.” She moved the handle along Jezebel’s belly again, this time going further to the side. “Don’t worry, he’ll probably shift soon and we’ll know the sex―”

  “No.”

  The doctor looked down at her with a raised brow.

  Jezebel shook her head. “No. It’s fine. We don’t have to know now.” She turned to Ramsey, who seemed on the verge of disagreeing with her, and smiled. “We can wait.”

  “Are you sure?” Dr. Chen asked, but she looked to Ramsey as she asked the question.

  “I’m sure, doctor,” Jezebel replied, calling the woman’s attention back to her.

  “Thank you, Dr. Chen.” When Ramsey spoke, Jezebel held her breath. He wouldn’t force her this, would he? “We’ll wait.”

  The doctor nodded and gave Jezebel an easy smile. She drew blood and ran a few more tests, all the while answering Ramsey’s inquiries into Jezebel’s pregnancy. The man had come with a list of questions, some of which had brought her very close to strangling him. What types of food should she be eating? Was it a high-risk pregnancy? Was bed rest necessary? Those she understood. He was concerned about his child. But then he’d gone into other questions that were in no way any of his business. Could she have sex? When should she stop having sex? Were there certain positions she should avoid? As Dr. Chen patiently answered and looked impressed, Jezebel glared at him and considered leaving the two to their own devices. She only stayed because the 3d image of her baby hadn’t finished printing.

  Back in her room, Jezebel placed the images of her ultrasound on her end table and turned to face Ramsey, who’d escorted her. He didn’t have to follow her to her room but had insisted. Jezebel hadn’t felt like fighting today, not with her baby’s face fresh in her mind.

  “You didn’t want to know?” he wondered.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she replied. “Not to me.”

  “Or me,” he added, warmth infusing his eyes. “But I’d still like to know.”

  “We have a dilemma there.”

  Ramsey closed the distance between them. This close, she could feel his heat and smell the masculine aroma that wafted from him. Instantly, she grew wary.

  “May I?”

  “What?”

  “May I touch you?” he asked in a soft lull. “Your belly?”

  She looked down to find his hand hovering over her bump. “Oh…” She nodded.

  His fingers brushed over her belly through the cotton tee, stroking her slow and steady.

  “That was amazing,” he muttered and she couldn’t help her smile of agreement. “Five and a half months…”

  He continued stroking and Jezebel gasped, but didn’t protest when his hands were suddenly on her bare belly. Her shirt had been pushed up to just under her breasts. Closing her eyes, she sighed and allowed it. Jezebel’s head was almost on his chest before she realized what she was doing and pulled back. He came forward, stopping only when the front of his body was pressed against hers.

  “Ram…”

  The lazy brush of his lips silenced her. Her body, already relaxed, heated. She could feel the tingle between her legs. His lips turned to her ear. “Thank you.”

  “Hm?” was all she managed.

  “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

  Jezebel swallowed hard and took a step back. Right. He’d wanted to be there and Jezebel hadn’t protested. Regardless of his affiliations, he was her child’s father, a father who actually wanted to be in his life. As a child raised without a father’s attention, Jezebel had been unable to fault Ramsey’s dedication. As she focused, she realized her belly was still exposed and hastily pulled her shirt down.

  “I need to take a shower,” she finally said.

  Ramsey stared at her, his face relaxed but controlled, and although there seemed to be something lurking in the depths of his dark gaze, he only nodded. “Take your shower, Jezebel. We’ll continue this later.”

  Continue?

  She shook her head. “We don’t have anything to continue, Ramsey.”

  “You don’t want to continue our discussion about the baby?” he asked with a little frown.

  “No…not that…” As a teasing grin spread across his lips, she glared. “You know what I’m talking about.”

  Ramsey moved to the door. He looked over his shoulder and smirked, “We’ll discuss everything later.”

  ***

  “It’s done.”

  He moved to one of the windows overlooking the sea and peered out. The sun was setting and all was still on the water. “Everything?”

  “Yes.”

  “Any casualties on our side?”

  “No.”

 
“Good.”

  “He’ll want blood.”

  “He’s already drawn blood.” Ramsey felt anger coil in the pit of his belly as he saw Lily, blood-streaked and broken, in that parking lot. That was one of the two images that haunted his subconscious. The other was of her tiny body, gauze and cast wrapped, as she lay in that hospital bed attached to a breathing machine. It had taken months, but justice was nearing. As soon as he made Chang and everyone involved pay, he’d be able to let her go. Until then… “It’s time he tasted his own.”

  Chapter 9

  “All’s fair in love and war.”

  ―Francis Smedley

  He wasn’t coming and there would be no continuation of anything.

  The thought should grant her relief, but Jezebel continued to shift restlessly in her bed. It had nothing to do with Ramsey and everything to do with the conversation she’d had with Delilah before she lay down. Her sister hadn’t supported her decision to have Ramsey with her for the ultrasound. In fact, Delilah had been so against it, she’d chosen to stay in her room as Jezebel went downstairs. A few hours ago, she’d gone to her sister’s room to show her the images of her future niece or nephew and make peace. Delilah had been distracted for a good ten minutes before she began asking if Jezebel had discussed with Ramsey when they were leaving and the next steps to being Ramsey-independent. That had led to an argument, and Jezebel returning to her room upset. And now, here she was, slithering around in her bed like a fish out of water because she had a lot on her mind and wasn’t the least bit tired.

  Almost an hour later, and noticing that it was just a few minutes before 11 p.m., she turned the TV on. She eventually found a movie channel where the actors were speaking English and tried to focus. It didn’t work. Despite the huge robots fighting on the screen, Jezebel thought of Delilah, Ramsey, her unborn child, her emotional fragility, and the kind of life she’d have after…this. Closing her eyes and snuggling further under the duvet, she hoped the darkness and white noise in the background would push her into dreamland.