by L G Rollins
“Not any of these people?”
An idea, broad and without detail, filled his mind. It was like getting a glimpse of his next art project. He could see and understand the overall concept, though the details, he knew, would have to be worked on along the way.
The issue they faced was multifaceted. One, they didn’t know where Ju was and until they did, they couldn’t begin to tease out a plan to save her. Second, they couldn’t go against Leng directly since they didn’t hold nearly as much power as he did and those who did, didn’t care enough to get involved.
Jasper’s eyes jumped around the crowded room. If these people could solve the first half of the problem, Jasper had a very good idea of how he could solve the second.
“I think you have just given me an idea, Tom.”
“Can I help with it?”
“No.” He would not drag Tom into this.
“Please don’t send me back to Westwood.”
Jasper rubbed the boy’s back. “You can stay, but only for another minute or two. Then you need to go back where you are safe.”
“Ah, fine,” Tom agreed with a heavy sigh.
Jasper stood and addressed all in the room. “Enough!”
Tom jumped at his sudden call. But other than that, no one listened to Jasper.
Jasper turned on his intimidation, leaned out over the table and pounded it soundly, once, with his fist. A few sets of nearby eyes glanced his way, then stilled at the sight of him. Jasper felt the smallest bit smug—he didn’t keep his hair in dreadlocks because he liked being overly hot during the summer months, after all. Others next to the first were curious why their neighbors had stopped arguing and also looked over at Jasper. They also stilled at the sight of his glower. Soon the room was calm.
“I’ll dispense with the pleasantries and get down to the business at hand. Ambassador Leng of China has taken Zhi ju. In case any of you are unaware, I feel you ought to know he has done so in an effort to force me into stealing a formula for him which would greatly aid him in creating the most dangerous assassins yet known to mankind.”
Several people murmured to those sitting next to them—some in English, Mrs. Zhi still in Chinese. Tom only leaned up against Jasper’s leg. He knew that Tom loved Ju with all his young boy heart. It made Jasper’s chest tighten to see him so overcome with worry.
Jasper put an arm around Tom as he spoke on. “Here’s what we’re going to do. First order of business, we have to find Ju. There are a lot of us here.” Several people crowding the room Jasper didn’t even recognize, but he’d take all the help he could get. “If we spread out, talk to everyone we know, search every building we have access to, I believe we can find her.”
Wei shu spoke up, motioning with a hand toward the veritable sea of concerned individuals. “We are butlers, cooks, maids, stable hands. We work in nearly every house in London. Those we do not work in ourselves, we know the people who do.”
Jasper felt his confidence grow. “Perfect. Spread out and spread the word. Search every house, every nook and cranny of London. We find Ju and we gain the upper-hand.”
***
“What are you doing Jasper?” Tom asked, skipping to keep up with Jasper’s long stride.
“I told you, it’s time you go back to Westwood,” Jasper said, his mind still churning, trying to sort out the last details of his plan.
Equally as important, he didn’t like the thought of Tom being out on the streets just now. Leng seemed to know everything there was to know about Jasper and the Zhi family—no doubt one of the ambassador’s many spies had also learned of Jasper and Ju’s ardent concern for the boy.
Jasper paused mid-stride and turned around. Tom was walking away, shoulders and head low.
“Tom, wait,” Jasper called. Holy gears above, why did he not realize as much before? If Leng did decide he needed more leverage against Jasper, Tom would be far too easy to kidnap from Westwood.
Tom turned back and Jasper waved him over. Tom dragged his feet. Jasper opened his mouth to bark at him to hurry it up already but stopped himself. The boy wasn’t who he was angry at and he certainly didn’t need to feel worse than he already did.
“On second thought,” Jasper said, “you’d better stay with me for now.” Perhaps after he was done with this next part of his plan, he’d take Tom over to stay with Tressa and Brox. This next bit of work wasn’t going to be the least bit dangerous anyway.
Tom did seem better at hearing he could stay with Jasper. “You mean I can help?”
“With what I’m doing now? Yes, I could use your help.”
Tom’s head came back up and he faced the road before them with a set chin and determined brow. “Right, then. What do we do first?”
Jasper should have known the boy only wanted to feel useful, to know he could help protect someone he cared about. “First, we’re going back to my place to gather up as much artwork as we can hold.”
“Why?” Tom’s incredulity could not have been thicker if it had been made of tar.
“We’ve got to get it to my agent, Mrs. Hedgecock.”
“And that’s going to help us find Ju?”
They reached Jasper’s small place and both bounded up the stairs, taking several at a time. “It won’t help us find her. We’ll do some looking in a minute. But it will help us get rid of Ambassador Leng for good.”
As it turned out, having Tom with him was a very beneficial thing. Tom couldn’t carry much, but he was able to carry a couple small statues that wouldn’t have stacked well with the other items Jasper was carrying. His tiny hands were perfect for the job. After grabbing as much of Jasper’s most recent artwork as they could, and Jasper strapping on both pistols he owned, they left as quickly as they’d come.
Convincing Mrs. Hedgecock, however, was far harder and took far longer than Jasper had anticipated. Though she had been wanting to host another art gallery of Jasper’s stuff, she didn’t do last minute. And what Jasper was asking was as last minute as they came.
“Tell everyone that surprise, pop-up galleries are all the rage in Paris now,” Jasper pushed, while he stood in her drawing room. The space was full of brightly colored pillows, unique candles, and vibrant rugs which bespoke of her Persian roots. “You’re so good at selling things to the rich, I know you can get them to buy into this, too.”
Finally, with a roll of her eyes and more than one harrumph, Mrs. Hedgecock agreed. Jasper unloaded all of the artwork. He then pressed several extra bills into her hand, whispering to her that she may want to leave town for a bit if things went sideways for him tonight.
Mrs. Hedgecock pressed him on what could possibly be so horrible about a botched gallery that she would want to leave town over it.
“Are you into something dangerous, Jasper?” she asked in the most stern, motherly tone he’d ever heard from her. And to think, there’d been times when he could have sworn she didn’t care.
“Yes,” Jasper admitted. “But you’re safer not knowing anything about it. If things don’t go as planned, I’ll get you a message and you can disappear for a bit.”
He and Tom hurried away after that, turning left down the street instead of right which had been the direction they’d come by.
“Now are we going to look for Ju?” Tom asked.
“No need,” Changchang said, running up behind them. She pulled to a stop, then bent in half, resting her hands against her thighs, breathing hard. “Ju’s been spotted.”
“Where?” Jasper and Tom asked at the same time.
Changchang drew in another big breath, her back arching. “In a deserted farmer’s home, along the outskirts of London, north side.”
“I need to see,” Jasper said, marching the direction Changchang indicated.
They made their way on foot, neither of them owning a motorcar or horse. At one point, when Tom was slowing them down, Changchang leaned in and asked if bringing the boy along was truly a good idea. Jasper explained his need to keep the boy safe and Changchang didn’t pr
ess further.
After that, they took turns carrying Tom on their backs when he got tired.
It was hard getting up close to the farmhouse without being spotted. There was a guard sitting casually in a chair on the porch near the front door. Any passing stranger might have mistaken him for a farmer, enjoying the evening air after a hard day’s work. But Jasper didn’t miss the large rifle at his side, or the way he scanned the horizon.
Jasper sunk lower behind the clump of trees. “You’re sure she’s here?”
Changchang, crouched close to Jasper’s left, nodded. “Top room, the one with the boards over the busted-out windows. I saw Ju stick her hand out the window and try to pry the boards off.”
The boards looked old and weathered. If the nails holding them in place were as old as the boards looked, someone as strong and determined as Ju just might be able to get them off.
Tom lifted his head, trying to see between the thick foliage. Jasper placed a hand atop his small head and shoved him back down.
“If she was reaching out between the boards,” he said to Changchang, “then she’s not tied up. That’s good. It’ll make getting her out of there that much easier.”
The front door opened and the guard in the chair jumped to his feet, coming to attention.
Ambassador Leng strode out the door. Jasper ground his mouth shut to keep from uttering any number of curses aloud which jumped into his mind at the sight. Leng didn’t move off the porch, however, but spoke to the guard.
“What I wouldn’t give to hear that conversation,” Changchang muttered.
Jasper nodded. “Agreed.” But there wasn’t a way to get close enough. “The grass maybe tall around the house, but not tall enough to hide an adult.”
Tom leaned back. “It’s tall enough to hide a boy.”
Before Jasper could grab hold of him, Tom had skittered out from behind the protection of the trees and foliage. Keeping his small form hunched low to the ground, Tom slinked up toward the house, the grass only barely taller than he.
Jasper pulled out one of his pistols, the bigger of the two, and leveled it at Leng. Heaven help him, if that blackguard spotted Tom, Jasper would do whatever it took to get the boy out of this place.
“Put that away,” Changchang hissed.
“I’m not letting Tom get taken, too.”
Changchang pulled on his arm. For being so thin she certainly was strong. Then again, she, like Ju, was a trained dancer. Still, Jasper was stronger and kept his arms up.
“You shoot and, no matter if you hit Leng or not, you’re dead, Tom is dead, and Ju is dead.”
Jasper ground his mouth. Changchang was right. Though trading his own life for the opportunity to see Leng enter the next world didn’t sound like a bad deal, he wasn’t going to risk Tom’s or Ju’s life for such a scene. He slowly released the hammer on his pistol and pulled it down, though he didn’t put it away. Tom moved up close to the underside of the porch and pressed his small frame up to it where Leng and the guard wouldn’t be able to see him.
Changchang placed his hand on Jasper’s shoulder. “We know where she is now. We’ll get her out safely. Tom looks like he knows how to stay hidden. The best we can do is wait for him to get back.”
Jasper only nodded. Gads, watching Tom slip around was making his stomach knot up. At least the past decade of practicing a steady hand while working on his art kept his hands from shaking.
Leng moved as though to leave the porch. Jasper’s stomach leapt up into his throat. If he came down off the porch, he’d surely see Tom. But Tom must have heard Leng move, for the boy backed up and disappeared around the corner.
The boards along the top windows began rattling. Thin, long fingers pressed through the wide gaps between the wood and shook the planks. The fingers disappeared, and all was still until the boards shook violently with a loud bang. Then a second bang rang out from the window and across the old farm fields. Ju must be kicking the boards.
Leng looked up the direction of Ju’s room.
Jasper’s fist squeezed tighter against his pistol. If Ju caused too much of a racket, surely one of the guards would come up and force her to stop. Whether they would do so with a fist or a length of rope, Jasper wasn’t sure. He only knew it wouldn’t be good for Ju.
Leng moved down off the porch fully. “There aren’t any nearby farms,” his voice was finally loud enough Jasper could hear. “Nonetheless, if she doesn’t stay quiet, tie her up.”
Suddenly, the noise stopped. Jasper lifted his head higher, ignoring Changchang’s cautionary tugging on his collar. Had Ju heard Leng’s threats? He didn’t think she’d be able to hear from inside the house. Had one of the guards gone up after her already? Lud, if anyone laid a hand on her . . .
Leng looked up at Ju’s room again. “We will be back shortly after midnight. Be sure she is awake when I return.”
Who was we? And why was Leng adamant Ju be awake when he returned? Jasper took a deep breath to keep from growling out loud. He had to get Ju out of there before Leng returned. Of course, after he failed to give Leng the formula at their supposed meeting, Leng might not return as planned. Moreover, he couldn’t be both rescuing Ju and keeping Leng occupied at Wei shu’s school at the same time.
Blast, too many details of this plan still weren’t worked out in his mind.
Tom slipped up next to Changchang, breathing hard. “I did it.”
“Tom!” Jasper whispered-yelled.
“Keep it down,” Changchang warned them both.
“I heard what they said,” Tom continued. “Leng and a couple of his men are going to meet you at Wei shu’s at midnight. But they’re not bringing Ju with them. They’re going to grab you and Mrs. Zhi, bring you all back here, and kill you all.” He took in another deep breath.
Jasper ran a hand down his face. At least now they knew what Leng’s plan was.
“I told Ju to stop banging at the window,” Tom added. “I wasn’t sure if that was right, but I heard Leng threatening her so I gave her a wave and put my finger to my lips the way they always do at the orphanage when I’m talking.”
“Did she see you?” Jasper asked.
“Yes, she waved back.”
“Good.” Ju knew they had found her and were on their way. “Let’s go. We need to tell everyone else.”
Changchang pulled away from the clump of trees first and backtracked, slowly, toward the road they’d taken.
Once they were well away from the house, Jasper threw an arm around Tom and pulled him close.
“You did good, Tom,” Changchang said.
The boy only shrugged underneath Jasper’s arm. “I just did what I thought Jasper would do.”
What he would have done? “Next time, do what someone with more smarts than me would have done.”
Tom looked up at him with wide, uncertain eyes.
Jasper gave him a long squeeze. “But, yeah, I’m proud of you, too.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Ju kept her face pushed up close to the biggest of the openings at the window. What on earth was Tom doing outside? She prayed he would get away safely. After he had lifted a single hand and given her the ‘be quiet’ signal every child knew, he’d slipped around the side of the building and out of view.
After Tom had disappeared, Ju had heard some wood creaking in another part of the building. She even thought she’d heard some voices. But there had been no yelling or shouting. Oh, how she hoped that meant Tom had gotten away.
If he’d told her to stop and wait, then that probably meant Jasper knew she was here, too. Or it meant Tom was going to go tell Jasper. She pulled back from the window and rested her back against the wall.
At least now she knew there were other people about. If she continued to bang on the boards that covered the window, they’d probably just come in and tie her up. Or worse. Gads, but she hated waiting.
Mama hadn’t waited after her father was murdered. She’d known what to do and had acted immediately. Her grandmo
ther hadn’t waited to see if she could snag a rich man as a husband but had made her own fortune. Her great-grandmother hadn’t waited for rain or for the crops to grow on their own.
Ju couldn’t wait either. She glanced over at the windows. Suppose she didn’t create a lot of noise? Ju wrapped her hands around one of the boards. This one had shaken more than the others when she’d kicked against them. She twisted it up and then down. The nails squeaked in their holdings but the sound wasn’t much. Ju hadn’t heard the guards downstairs to begin with. She could only hope they wouldn’t hear the soft squeaking she made now.
A bit more wiggling, and the board started to loosen. Old wood and old nails no doubt. Ju’s hand slipped and a thick splinter cut deep into the pad of her hand. With a soft yelp, Ju yanked her hand back. She pulled the fat splinter out, a few drops of blood following it.
Tossing the splinter aside, Ju spread her legs and wrapped her hands on either side of the board again, using her full body to wriggle it free. Her arms began to burn and her back ached. Ju pushed against the top of the board. She pushed against the bottom. She pushed—
The board broke free. Ju stumbled several steps backward and nearly toppled over. Triumph surged through her. She could do this. Ju noiselessly sat the board on the ground, well to the side. She wanted to throw it but doing so would only draw attention. Standing once more, she glanced down at her hands. They were scratched up and already bleeding in a few spots.
She shook them, opening and closing her fists a few times. Ju certainly wasn’t used to using her hands in quite this fashion, but her ancestors never backed down in the face of hardships. She wouldn’t either.
Ju tested a few boards. Some still seemed nailed down tight, but there were several which were already a tad loose. She only needed to make a hole big enough to slip through.
If there was anything nearly two decades of dance had created within Ju, it was the ability to work through intense pain. The strength of the women before her added to what she had always had inside herself. If Ju was good at anything, it was pushing her body forward, no matter the agony.
