by Lee Taylor
“Good for you. It seems to me that in this country, Spanish makes a hell of a lot more sense than a language few people speak or understand.”
“You told him that I was your woman.”
He raised an eyebrow, flashing an impish grin. “So I did.”
She waited for him to say more, but he was silent. As they rode out of the canyon toward the open range, he moved ahead of her and looked back over his shoulder.
“Race you to the villa,” he said with a laugh, galloping off at a fierce pace. In seconds, she recovered from her surprise and surged after him.
~~
Chapter 14
That afternoon, Elena and Nianzu were grooming their horses after another long ride. Elena had been unusually quiet most of the day, trying to understand Bai’s actions. She couldn’t figure him out. He had given her the most beautiful horse she had ever seen, but he diminished the effort it took, made it seem like nothing, that it was more her grandfather’s idea than his. And then last night, he had looked at her and touched her in a way that drove her crazy, made her feel things she had never felt before and didn’t understand or know she was capable of. But just as quickly, he pushed her away, treating her like a disobedient child who had stayed up past her bedtime. The final straw was this morning when he coolly confirmed to the Mexican bandit that she was “his woman.” Now, what the hell did that mean? With a sinking feeling, she knew the most likely answer. Like all of the ways that he teased and tormented her, it meant nothing—at least to him.
“Nianzu, why do people call Bai the Frenchman?”
“I guess because he speaks with a French accent. That’s how they differentiate him from the rest of us Chinese men.”
“But you don’t call him that, and Wan doesn’t. The only people I have heard call him that are the bad guys.”
Nianzu smiled. “Well, Elena, the reason the ‘bad guys’ know him is because of all the Chinese men in the Sing Leon and the other Tongs, Bai is the most feared. Everyone has heard of the Frenchman. No one wants to tangle with him.”
Elena wanted to ask more, but instead taunted Nianzu.
“Is that why none of the Sing Leon, including you, ever stands up to him?”
Nianzu shrugged, refusing to take her bait.
“Well, to me, he seems like the most overbearing, officious, arrogant man I have ever known. I don’t understand why everyone is afraid of him.”
Nianzu responded carefully.
“They are for good reason, Elena. You might want to think back on what happened at the waterfall. I don’t know anyone, except maybe your father, or Wan in his day, who could have done what Bai did, and stayed in control. The only surprise to me
is that he didn’t torture them and then cut them to ribbons. That is what he is known for. But as always, he did what was most important. He got you out of there safely.”
Elena’s eyes widened, remembering how Jake and Clem cowered when they realized they were facing the Frenchman. Even she had been terrified of the young man who stood in front of four armed men, coolly smoking a cigarette. His eyes were the eyes of a wild animal, preparing to strike a lethal blow. Again, today the banditos let them pass when they realized he was the Frenchman.
Elena frowned, struggling to make sense of her thoughts. How could someone so elegant, so arrogant, and so cool be vicious, violent? She thought with a blush, perhaps she felt another side of that violence. When he held her close, she felt a passion, a fierceness in him. It wasn’t the kind of violence the Frenchman was famous for. But it was frightening never-the-less.
~~~
Later that evening Bai called her to his office. She thought for a moment that he wanted to talk about their wonderful ride or maybe even about what had happened last night in the barn.
Brimming with excitement, she told him that she and Nianzu had ridden again in the afternoon and that she had never had a horse as responsive and intelligent as the Arabian.
Bai smiled, acknowledging her excitement. “C'est une bonne chose. It gives me pleasure you like her. Arabians are known for their intelligence. They have great ability to learn quickly. I trust you will enjoy training her.”
His expression turned serious, his tone firm, as he enplained why he wanted to speak to her.
“Elena, those men in the canyon today are some of the many banditos that live and work in this area. They rob, plunder, rape, and kill without compulsion, often for the cause of a unified Mexico, which makes them even more dangerous. Wan and I have managed to maintain a fragile peace between them and the Sing Leon. Any incident, no matter how minor, could break the truce.”
Elena jerked back. His stern rebuke caught her off guard. It sliced through her like a sharp knife in her gut. She couldn’t believe she thought he asked her to come to his office to talk about their ride. Or maybe even make plans to ride with her again. But, no, he just wanted to make sure she didn’t misbehave. She responded angrily, flinging her sharp words at him. “So now in addition to causing a war with the white gangs, you think I’m going to rile up the Mexicanos? Next you will be blaming me for the Tong wars in New York and Chicago – places I’ve never been.”
Bai seemed surprised by her immediate hostility. He saw only the anger, not the hurt girding it.
“No, that is not what I am saying. I know you are excited about the Arabian. I want to reinforce why you need to obey my rules. Why you may not leave the villa without Nianzu or me.
“Are you saying I haven’t been obeying your rules?”
“No, somewhat to my surprise, you have been a good little girl. You do what you are told.” He added with a teasing grin, “You were easier to get under my control than I thought you would be. I want to make sure that’s where you stay.”
Elena sprang to her feet, her face hot with anger.
“Why do you do this to me, Bai? Taunt me one minute, then hold me in your arms the next? Today you had the audacity to tell that man that I am your woman. Why did you say that? Why? Because you think I am chattel? That I belong to you? That you can do whatever you want with me? Hold me one minute, then laugh at me the next?”
She moved closer to the door, her voice was low, intense.
“Let me tell you what I think of you. You are an arrogant son of a bitch. Unlike everyone else around here, I am not afraid of you. And you will never, ever, control me. Do you hear me?”
He frowned, surprised at her outburst, then his face tightened and his eyes narrowed. She ran out of the room without looking back, slamming the door so hard that it shook on its frame. She fled down the hallway, furious tears welling up in her eyes, when she heard his voice.
“Elena. Come back here.”
She ignored him and kept walking.
His voice was soft, threatening. “Elena. I said, come here.”
She turned and saw him leaning against the wall next to his door. He looked calm, casual until you saw his eyes. They were hard, gleaming, ominous. She walked back with her head held high and stood in front of him, glaring at him.
He looked down at her; his face was cool, impassive.
“Close my door.”
She frowned.
“What do you mean? Close your door? It’s already closed.”
“Open it. Then close it quietly, the way that an adult closes a door when they leave a room.”
She flushed, understanding the point he was making. In his eyes, she was a willful child.
She shrugged dismissively. She opened the door and then closed it, resisting the impulse to slam it as hard as she could.
He kept his hard gaze on her. “Open it again. And then close it.”
She opened it and closed it.
He opened it and said, “Close it.”
She was furious, but reached out and closed it.
“Again.”
Her hand was shaking. It took everything she had to open the door and then close it quietly.
“Thank you. Do not slam my door again. Do you understand?”
He
r anger was so intense, her answer stuck in her throat, choking her.
“I asked you a question. Answer me.”
She looked down and nodded, her face flushed bright red.
“You may go”.
Her eyes were bright with fury as she turned and walked away.
~~~
Over the next weeks, Elena set out to prove that Bai’s most negative impression of her was accurate. She was rude, hostile, and rarely spoke to him. If she saw him coming, she went the other way. When he asked her a question, more often than not she would shrug as though she didn’t have an answer, then walk away without speaking.
In the meantime, the villa became the destination of choice for men between the ages of eighteen and thirty. The word of Wan Chang’s beautiful granddaughter spread quickly. Soon, the sons of neighboring ranch owners, businessmen, ranch hands, and trainers discovered they had business either with Wan or Bai and eagerly came to Los Vistas to conduct their business. When they were there, they took advantage of the opportunity to approach Elena. Some of the bolder men dropped the excuse of ranch business. They invited Elena to go riding or for long walks. The more creative ones asked her to come to their ranch to check on an ailing horse or to help them break in a new mare.
To the amusement of the other Sing Leon, and to his annoyance, Nianzu spent most of his time chaperoning Elena and the suitor of the moment. Whenever she went riding or for a walk with a lucky visitor, Nianzu followed behind them at a discreet distance. When she was invited to tea by young women who happened to have older brothers, Nianzu was forced to accompany her. His plight was the talk of the other Sing Leon. They teased him unmercifully, but there was not one of them who wouldn’t gladly take his place.
Even Bai’s life was changed by the men hovering around Elena. Greg Forester and Peter Sampson and other members of the governor’s staff became regular visitors to the compound for official business. They claimed that it was more convenient than Bai coming to Sacramento. They often spent the night at the villa and managed to squeeze in a horseback ride or an evening of cards with the lovely Elena.
Elena basked in the attention, delighted that it annoyed Nianzu and, she hoped, Bai. But her grandfather was thoroughly charmed and relieved. He knew that Elena loved parties and social events. He hoped that all the attention would make her happier with life at the compound, help to put the tragedy of the waterfall attack behind her.
But Elena was not satisfied. She loved to dance and was excited to learn that regular social events were held in town, most often at the Golden Horseshoe Saloon. When she heard that there would be flamenco dancers on Friday evening she went to Wan’s office to ask if she and Nianzu could go. Bai was there, but Elena ignored him. She begged her grandfather to let them go. For once, Wan held firm. He knew they would need to send many Sing Leon members to protect her. When he began to waver, Bai stepped in, shaking his head in mild annoyance at her persistence.
“Elena, you need to understand. We would have to send a dozen Sing Leon to guard you. That many of my men in one place would be an open target to the other Tongs.”
Elena ignored Bai with a dismissive shrug. She turned again to her grandfather.
“Please, Grandfather, just because Bai never wants to have fun doesn’t mean I don’t. You know I love to dance. We have not had one party since I came here, except for that awful dinner with Governor Sampson and those dreadful women friends of Bai’s.”
Much to her chagrin, both her grandfather and Bai laughed out loud at that description of an unlikely relationship between Bai and the governor’s daughter and niece. Elena stood up, prepared to huff out the door when she decided a different tack might be more effective.
She dropped down beside Wan’s chair. Resting her cheek on his hand, she implored, “Please, Grandfather, please. Will you think about it? Please don’t say a firm ‘no.’”
She knew even her grandfather saw through this tactic, but was convinced she would wear him down over time. Bai shook his head with a scornful but amused look.
“Do you understand how transparent you are, Elena? You really need to display your feminine wiles more subtly. As it is, I think even your grandfather sees through your dissembling.”
Elena jumped to her feet. Before she could strike back, Wan came between them.
“Elena, I want to host a ball for you here at Los Vistas. We may as well give all the young men from miles around an opportunity to dance with you. We can schedule it when Lei and Wyatt come to see you. By having the party here, we can ensure your safety.”
Elena’s face lit with joy. She threw her arms around her grandfather’s neck and gave him a big kiss. “Oh, Grandfather, that would be wonderful! Can it be a big ball with musicians and lovely food and champagne? And will you buy me a special dress? One so incredibly gorgeous, so avante guard, that it will make Bai’s ‘sophisticated’ women look dowdy by comparison?”
At that, both Bai and Wan roared with laughter, so much so that Elena reluctantly joined in.
She sniffed. “Well, Bai, it’s true. You do know, don’t you, that most of the clothes that your supposedly sophisticated women wear are at least one season behind the latest styles?”
Bai wiped tears from his eyes and said, “I have no doubt that is true, Elena. But then none of ‘my sophisticated women’ have your grandfather’s or Lei’s extraordinary sense of style or resources. As a point of interest, have you ever worn a gown twice?”
“Of course I have. Well, not to a ball or a dinner or a party.” She saw Bai’s eyes twinkling and continued with a disdainful toss of her head, “I know you are trying to make me seem spoiled, that I get whatever I want. But that isn’t true. It makes my grandfather happy to see me look beautiful, doesn’t it, Grandfather?”
“Yes, it does. Elena. And yes, Bai is correct, I do spoil you. But it is my pleasure to do so. Now, enough of this. Let’s meet with Augustine and begin to plan your ball.”
~~~
Like Nianzu, Wan, and the others, Bai was amused by the antics of the men storming Los Vistas to see Elena. Some were overt about their intentions. More of them developed elaborate subterfuges that had the servants and men at the compound shaking with laughter at their expense.
As much as he enjoyed watching them make fools of themselves, Bai found himself becoming more and more annoyed. In his mind, there was something unseemly, unmanly, about these men willing to accept the crumbs Elena threw their way. It was galling how much she obviously enjoyed a multitude of men begging for her attention.
Bai reminded himself that he was not interested in Elena. Let someone else put up with her whims and pouts. He promised himself he wouldn’t be taken in by her lovely face or enticing body. Let other men fall prey to her charms. A long time ago, his mother had warned him not to play with fire.
He determined he would pay as little attention to her as possible. Instead, he took on the formidable task of keeping the Tong hostility in check. All it would take was one match to cause the smoldering Tong violence to burst into flames. Later, looking back on it, he thought, of course, it would be Elena who struck the match. Why would it be anyone else?
~~
Chapter 15
Nianzu and Elena spent the afternoon riding with friends of Elena’s at a nearby ranch. They had a late start and their ride took longer than expected. It was close to dusk when they got back to the Master’s ranch. Tim Master and his sister Brody suggested that they stay overnight rather than head back to Los Vistas. Elena and Nianzu talked it over and decided they should get back to the compound. There was much to do to prepare for the ball. They headed out, when Elena had an idea. Bai had business in Sacramento and wouldn’t be home. Wan was in San Francisco meeting Wyatt and Lei. They were due at the compound in two days to prepare for the big ball. Only the servants and Sing Leon members were at the villa. The trail to the compound was within miles of town. Frolicking with pent-up excitement, Elena suggested they stop at the Golden Horseshoe Saloon for dinner. Nianzu was openl
y horrified.
“Elena, don’t be ridiculous. We can’t do that. Not only did Bai specifically forbid you to go to the saloon, but your grandfather did, as well.”
“Not really, Nianzu. They forbade me to go to the saloon to dance, but that isn’t what I am suggesting. Look at me? Do you think I can dance in these clothes?” She pointed to her riding pants and white silk shirt.
“I will wear my cowboy hat and hide my hair. You can give me your jacket. No one will know I am a woman.”
“Elena, please stop. You know we can’t do that. And no one will think you are a man, if you wear ten jackets.”
“Nianzu, please, please,” she wheedled. “Do you have any idea how tired I am of being a prisoner? Never getting to do anything spontaneous? Having all these stupid rules? Please, Nianzu. It can be our special secret. No one will know. We will go to the Golden Horseshoe, drink beer, eat a big steak, and then go back to Los Vistas. Augustine will think we stayed at the Master’s. Bai won’t be back until tomorrow evening at the earliest. No one but us will ever know.”
It was late and she knew Nianzu must be hungry. She also knew that he was tired of all the rules and restrictions on her and, by extension, on him. He was accustomed to being Bai’s right hand man. He was the lieutenant who sat in on the highest level meetings and had authority second only to Wan’s and Bai’s. Though he hadn’t admitted it, she saw he was stung by the jokes at his expense from the other Sing Leon. He was afraid he was losing standing in their eyes. In fact, he had told her after the last afternoon tea he chaperoned, that he was going to ask Bai to replace him.
