by Taylor Lee
Greg tried to cover his shriveled up cock, but Nianzu and Alex held him firmly in place. Elena walked around his naked body, pursing her lips in concentration. After a lengthy look, she shook her head.
“What can I say, Bai? There is no comparison. Now I understand why he wants to fuck children. I’m not sure even at full staff he could get past my nether lips.”
Wyatt shook his head and raised an eyebrow. Alex blushed while Nianzu gave Elena a wink. Bai chortled.
“Mon Dieu, Wyatt, she’s your daughter.”
“Hell, Bai, I never taught her that!”
Elena gave her father a quick smile.
“No, Father, you didn’t teach me to use such ribald language, but you and Lei gave me a longing for a passionate love and taught me not to settle for less.”
Wyatt hugged her.
“If I taught you that, honey, I gave you a great gift.”
Both Bai and Elena murmured in agreement.
~~~
Bai turned back to Greg and didn’t mask his revulsion. He motioned Elena and Alex over to him and pointed to the quivering, blubbering mass at their feet.
“There is one savate strike I didn’t teach you. I wasn’t sure I wanted to give Elena this weapon,” he said with a grin. “No telling how she would use it. Men are always protective of their equipment, especially like our friend here, who thinks he is well endowed,” Bai said with a sneer, nudging Greg’s shriveled up prick with his boot.
“Understandably, a man wants to protect his bollocks because one or two strategic kicks never fail to be problematic for the victim.”
He raised his heel and drove it in one testicle then the other. Greg screamed in agony and rolled from side to side clutching his groin, blood oozing between his fingertips. Bai waited for a moment to allow the full damage of his kicks to be felt, then motioned to Nianzu and Alex to spread eagle him again. Once he was stretched out on his back, Bai moved closer and in full teaching mode pointed to Greg’s penis.
“However, a true savate fighter knows that as tender as the testicles are, there is nothing quite like a full on strike to the cock.”
He nudged the end of Greg’s prick with his boot, causing Greg to scream and beg for mercy.
Bai continued, “While I’m not interested in demonstrating the move… at the moment—do know that with a single well-placed kick of your boot, one can remove the penis completely.”
He paused for emphasis.
“It’s a move that has served me well in the past.”
He took a drag on his cigarette and crouched down beside the sobbing man.
“I’m short on time, Greg. We can make this as fast or as slow as you wish. Where is your record book? Ten seconds; counting now.”
Before the words were out of his mouth Greg screamed, “Bottom drawer, left-hand side of my desk. It’s… it’s… in the lockbox.”
“The key?”
Through muffled sobs, Greg gasped clutching his swollen, bleeding testicles.
“In my bedroom closet, top shelf on a hook.”
Nianzu retrieved the book and he and Wyatt thumbed through it, comparing the list of corrupt politicians and lawmen with the list Tom had sent. Wyatt was amazed.
“Christ, Bai. If anything, this fucker had twice the number of crooks on the take as Tom thought he did. This is a gold mine.”
Wyatt and Nianzu continued to leaf through the pages, amazed grunts coming from one then the other at the range of men trapped in it pages.
Nianzu looked up from the book stunned.
“Fuck, Bai, Senator Chisholm paid this son of a bitch over seventy thousand dollars in the last two years. According to Greg’s little legend key ‘IWC’ means… Holy Christ; it means ‘incest with child.’”
“Yeah, and we didn’t have Chisholm on our list. Just think of the evil power that is contained in this small ledger,” Wyatt said with an impressed sigh.
Bai allowed himself a satisfied nod to Wyatt and Nianzu.
“Oui, evil power used to further evil ends. I expect the men in that book will be relieved to face the public and the courts rather than living under the boot of this monster,” He grinned outright, “And it will be my pleasure to see that they do.”
Wyatt and Nianzu continued to page through the ledger, commenting on one entry after another.
Elena watched Bai standing over Greg’s bloody shattered body. Bai looked thoughtful – relaxed. Those who knew the Frenchman knew what that meant. Most fighters tensed before battle, readying muscles and mind. But not Bai. The more relaxed he was, the more dangerous. His rage settled over him like a comfortable cloak.
Elena had seen the look in his eyes before and now more than ever she knew what it meant. She felt it when she attacked Greg.
Bai ambled over to the fireplace and removed the poker from the rack of fireplace tools. He crouched down and nudged the pointed end in the burning embers. He stared at it for several moments, then looked over his shoulder and asked in a quiet voice, “Were you alone, Greg, at the Palace Hotel, when you spied on Elena and me?”
Everyone froze at the question. Wyatt closed the ledger and exchanged a look with Nianzu. They both straightened and stood closer together. Wyatt’s face was stone cold and Nianzu looked like an emissary of death.
Elena felt the same rush of nausea she had when Greg told her he had watched them. She saw Bai’s narrowed eyes, gleaming yellow, and knew that he had heard Greg’s ugly words. With a sickening jolt, she realized that her father and brother and Nianzu heard them as well.
Bai lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, then repeated his question.
“Were you alone, Greg? Or did you bring a bunch of your buddies to share in the fun?”
“No Bai! No, God, no! I promise you I didn’t do that. No one else was there.”
Bai nodded and looked down at the poker. He rolled it back and forth in the embers then seemingly satisfied with the glowing white hot end tossed his cigarette in the fire and walked back to Greg with the poker in his hand.
Wyatt stepped forward raising a cautionary hand. He caught Bai’s eye and nodded to Elena with an imperceptible shake of his head.
“You’re going to kill him anyway, Bai.”
Bai quirked an eyebrow. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. He held Wyatt’s gaze without blinking.
“So I am, Wyatt. So I am.”
He looked over at Nianzu.
“His head, Nianzu.”
A second later Nianzu was sitting on Greg’s chest straddling him with his strong thighs. He held Greg’s head firmly between his hands.
Bai knelt down beside Greg and held the burning end of the poker inches from Greg’s face. Greg’s screams were deafening. Bai moved closer to him and said softly, “I wanted to give you a taste of your life in eternity. The chariots of fire are waiting for you at the gates of hell. This is the last thing you will see, Greg. This poker and my face. Take it to your grave.”
He plunged the poker in one of Greg’s eyes then the other. The sound and smell of sizzling flesh competed with the horrific screams of the tortured man.
Elena saw the muscle in her father’s cheek twitch, his only reaction to the gruesome sight. Alex gasped and hid his eyes, his face white with horror. Elena was sure her expression was as impassive as Nianzu’s and Bai’s. Her only regret was that Bai had not handed her the poker.
Bai stood. He put his arm around Elena and walked toward the door. He looked over his shoulder and caught Alex’s eye.
“You can finish him off, Alex. You’ve earned the right.”
Alex was stunned. He looked down at the sobbing twisting heap of a man then back at Bai.
“How… how should I kill him?”
Bai smiled as in sympathy.
“That’s the advantage of having all the skills you have. Your choice.”
Bai exchanged a knowing look with Wyatt and Nianzu.
“Make it memorable. They start running together after the first dozen or so.”
~~~
Outside, Bai joined up with the rest of his men and reviewed the night. After they tallied the number of prisoners and accounted for all of the dead bodies, Bai left the group and walked over to where Quitin’s body lay. He squatted down beside him and pulled back the sheet. He reached out and smoothed Quitin’s hair back from his face, smiling to himself, remembering how Quitin tried to make his coarse hair fall softly like Bai’s to no avail.
He knelt quietly for several minutes then said in a soft voice, “Mon cher ami et mon guerrier courageux. The note your mother receives will be worthy of you. Worthy of her son, of my friend, and my warrior man—second only to Nianzu among my men. Thank you, Quitin. May your spirit live in peace.”
Bai leaned down and kissed him on his forehead, then covered him with the sheet and got to his feet. He stood for a moment, then lit a cigarette and turned back to the others.
Nianzu came up and put his arm around Bai’s shoulders.
“If Quitin lived a hundred years, Bai, he would never have a prouder moment than he did tonight. Each one of us has said that our greatest honor would be to die protecting you. Just as we know you would do the same for any one of us.”
Bai grimaced. “You’re right. I would. But that doesn’t make this any easier.”
Nianzu looked down at Quitin’s body and blinked back tears.
“You’re right. It doesn’t.”
Elena, Wyatt, and Alex stood quietly behind them. Elena didn’t try to stop the tears that streamed down her face. She remembered Quitin’s last words to her and sobbed soundlessly, knowing that he died honorably protecting her. When they got home, she would reassure Bai that both she and Quitin understood the emotion behind his angry words in the governor’s office. She would tell him that Quitin died knowing Bai trusted him with his most precious possession, herself.
She heard Alex groan and turned to see her brother standing back. She thought she understood the crush of emotions on his face.
Alex looked at her and then at his father. His face and voice were wracked with pain.
“How can I ever redeem myself? I was wrong, so wrong.”
Before either of them could speak, Bai came up and put his arm around Alex.
“You already have, Alex. We couldn’t have done it without your help tonight. Moreover, you proved that you have it. Your grandfather has it, your father has it, Nianzu and I have it. Goddamn, even your sister has it.”
“Has what?”
“The knowledge that there’s nothing more honorable than killing an evil man.”
~~~
Jim Thompson stood in the background directing his deputies, who were carting off the dead men and guarding the ones who survived. Jim puffed on his cigar, then moseyed over next to Bai.
“Sorry about Quitin, Bai. He was a good man.”
“Thanks, Jim. That he was.”
Jim looked at the stack of bodies and the cluster of disgraced deputies tied together, waiting for the paddy wagon, and shook his head.
“Fuck it, Bai. You not only toppled the emperor, you took down the whole goddamn empire. You sure as hell don’t do anything half-assed, do you?”
Bai grinned.
“No need to, Jim. I’ve discovered over the years that the message needs to be clear as glass or the fuckers don’t get it.”
“Yeah but in addition to those worthless pieces of shit over there that used to be on my payroll, you got the biggest criminal in the country and until tonight, no one knew him by name. Hell, nothing like getting the bastard that murdered the lieutenant governor, a U. S. Senator, and tried to kill the sitting governor.”
“You’re right, Jim. It’s been a big night.”
Wyatt chimed in.
“Keep your eyes on the papers, sheriff. There’s gonna be more than your ugly mug gracing those scandal sheets. What would you say, Bai? Maybe as many as fifty – sixty elected officials will be spending the rest of their lives fighting the laws that they thought didn’t apply to them.”
Jim shook his head as if in wonder.
“Hell, Bai, I think we’re gonna have to start calling you Robin Hood. Fuck if you don’t take down the rich to help the poor and the rest of us.”
Bai chuckled.
“Non, non, Jim. That analogy doesn’t work. Robin Hood stole from the rich and gave to the poor. That’s not my model. I keep my riches no matter how I got them.”
He looked over at Elena, who was holding the museum necklace and earrings in her hand.
“Don’t I, cherie?”
Elena shook her head and smiled in agreement.
Bai winked at the Sheriff.
“No, Jim, I think the ‘Frenchman’ suits me just fine.”
Chapter 34
They sat around the fireplace in the private garden next to the infirmary. Platters of delicacies along with bottles of Bai’s finest brandy and his imported cigars graced the table.
Wan sat next to Bai listening to the retelling of the evening. His stern face softened when Bai told him how Quitin died. He puffed on his cigar and his sharp eyes misted.
“I loved that young man. He was always eager, willing. He never hesitated to volunteer for the most dangerous missions. He comes from a fine family. They will be devastated. I will include a note along with yours, Bai.”
“I know his family will appreciate that, Father. They honor you.”
Bai invited Jeng Ming to join the family gathering. He wanted her to hear the details of Aldo Marcello’s death and how important it was that they had taken down the Chameleon.
“You knew Aldo’s evil, Jeng Ming. But he derived his power from Greg. Greg controlled the enterprise and the politicians who sanctioned their power. And it was Greg who oversaw the slave trade that brought the young Chinese girls to this country. They were like Cerberus, the three-headed hound that guarded the gates to Hell. We had to cut off all three heads — Aldo, Greg, and the politicians. It was the troika that made their evil so powerful. We needed to destroy them all.”
Bai turned to Alex, who snagged a seat next to Jeng Ming. He spoke to his father, but looked at Jeng Ming.
“You would be proud of your grandson, Father. Alex was a hero tonight. He stepped up and took his rightful place in this family. He and Elena showed Greg why men fear the fury of kung fu masters, and it was Alex who sent Greg on the final leg of his journey to Hell.”
Wan looked at Jeng Ming, then winked at his grandson.
“Ah, yes, Alex, I can see it in your eyes. Tonight you became a man. I have always been proud of you, but tonight you took an important step. As for some of the things that have happened since you returned from China, like the rest of the men in this family – and I include you, Nianzu, in that group—you are occasionally wrongheaded. You can be forgiven your concern for your sister. You have tried to protect her all her life. But as we are all aware, Elena has a tendency to test boundaries and assert herself in dangerous situations. We men have to be on our toes.”
Elena blushed then jumped up and ran over to her grandfather. She put her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug. She turned back to Bai with a saucy wink.
“Now, Grandfather, you know that I am the model of a shy obedient young girl.”
Everyone laughed at that outrageous assertion. Wan swatted her on her bottom, then pulled her down next to him and held her close.
“I will defer to your husband to respond to that remark, Elena. But in addition to some questionable decisions you made, I understand you were very brave.”
Bai laughed along with the others, but threw Elena a warning look.
“No need to worry, Father, or you either, Wyatt. Elena and I will have a protracted discussion in our private quarters about her actions tonight. But, yes, Father, along with Alex, Elena was incredibly brave and skillful. She was a true kung fu master, physically and spiritually. I know Governor Sampson will never look at her the same way again. Indeed, he will likely insist on a bodyguard the next time they meet.”
A round of la
ughter confirmed that they all agreed.
Deshi raised his hand and looked to Bai for permission to speak. Bai had asked Wyatt to let Deshi join the group and Wyatt agreed.
Bai smiled to himself at the adoring look on the striking young man’s earnest face. He knew he was Deshi’s hero. He recognized the look. He was sure it was the same look that had been on his seventeen year old face every time he looked at Wyatt. Hell, he thought with a grin, he still looked at Wyatt that way. He nodded for Deshi to speak.
“Uncle Bai, you told me when I was skilled with the nandao, jian, and quiang I would be ready to ride with you. Now that I can use all three weapons easily, I think it is time.”
Bai smiled at the young man’s assertiveness and exchanged a quick glance with Wyatt.
“That’s a decision you and your father will need to make together, Deshi. I think you are ready but it’s up to you, Wyatt.” Seeing the pained look on Lei’s face, he added, “And, of course, your mother will have to agree.”
Wyatt reached over and took Lei’s hand.
“Bai’s right, Deshi. You have surprised both your mother and me with your skill with the weapons. The three of us will talk and decide when you can join Bai.”
Bai took a moment to light one of his Bolivian cigars, then leaned back thoughtfully in his chair. He looked over at Wan and didn’t hide the love or admiration he felt for his father. He turned back to Alex and Deshi.
“When your grandfather came to this country, the Tongs were very different organizations. There weren’t opportunities for Chinese men to create the kind of enterprises I have created. I have been fortunate to have my father and now Wyatt as mentors. Wyatt showed me how to envision a different future for the Tongs. Between the two of us, we’ve demonstrated how to take a gang known only for its violence and turn it into an economic force.
“Don’t misunderstand. There will always be evil men like Greg and Marcello. Your fighting skills will always be needed, Deshi. Both your father and I find it useful in our financial negotiations that the person sitting across from us knows that in three minutes we can ensure that they never walk again or talk again, much less negotiate again. A knife can be a compelling incentive to cement the deal.”
