Jia Yan’s face, bruised purple and yellow, looked like spoiled fruit. Brown eyes sunken within folds of puffy, half-closed lids followed Bai’s movements. The girl appeared to be semiconscious. Still, Bai had no way of telling how much, if anything, Jia understood. The urge to cry at the sight of the broken child left her fighting to control her emotions.
She leaned over to speak softly into Jia’s ear. “My name is Bai Jiang. I’m the souxun sent to find you. I want you to know that the man who hurt you is dead. You have nothing to fear from him, or anyone else for that matter. You’re under my protection. You’re safe now.”
She looked down on Jia’s battered face and thought of something her grandfather had shared with her. He’d said, ‘A child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark.’ Bai wanted nothing more than to take an eraser and obliterate the last few days from Jia’s page. The least she could do, she vowed, was to make those responsible for the child’s suffering pay.
“In a few days,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion, “when you’re well enough to travel, you’ll be coming home with me. All you have to do now is mend. Don’t worry about anything else. I’ll take care of you.”
She wanted to wrap the girl in her arms and comfort her, but that was out of the question. Jia’s left arm was in a fresh cast. The smell of curing plaster lay thick in the air. Her right arm was strapped to her side with an elastic bandage. Bai settled for touching the tips of Jia’s fingers lightly. She leaned down to deliver a light kiss on the girl’s forehead while trying not to shed tears in the process.
As Bai turned away, she wondered distractedly how Dan would feel having another girl in the house. Bai had no qualms about taking Jia home. She’d found the girl. As far as Bai was concerned, hers was a clear case of “finder’s keeper’s.” Jia belonged to her now.
Jason was waiting for her outside the recovery room. She stopped to look him in the eye. “I want her guarded until Elizabeth arrives. I need to know you’ll keep her safe.”
“If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll leave two of my best men here to watch her. I’d stay myself, but there is pressing business that requires my attention.”
“Anything I should be concerned about?”
He shook his head in denial. “I can assure you she’s safe here. Word of Shan’s deviant behavior is spreading rapidly. Those who supported him will find it difficult to defend a man who beats children to death. I just need to tie up some loose ends before Tommy arrives.”
He paused, his lips pinched together in thought. “As you can imagine, it’s become common knowledge that Tommy is coming to Vancouver to clean house. I have men deployed to watch some of our more restive associates. It’s especially important I don’t lose any of Sun Yee On’s assets. Tommy’s made it clear he doesn’t want to finance a bunch of dissident rivals.”
“If Shan’s any indication of what infests Sun Yee On, a housecleaning is long overdue,” Bai observed.
“Shan was an aberration,” he said defensively, “but there’s no denying a bit of restructuring is in order.” He put his arm around her shoulders to steer her away from the recovery room. “The car’s waiting under the front portico.”
She walked with him down a long hallway to the hospital lobby, then out glass doors to a tall, covered driveway. A black limousine waited with the engine running. White exhaust plumed in the chill.
She stopped to look around. A light mist hugged the ground to mute the lush, green foliage of the hospital grounds. Dew-laden grass scented the morning air. “It smells cleaner here, different from the city.”
“Not as many people peeing on the sidewalks,” quipped Jason, taking some of the magic out of the moment. “Canadians, in general, seem to be better about that sort of thing.”
She stared at him in despair. “You really know how to kill a mood.”
“Among other things.”
He opened the door of the car as the driver came around to take her bag. She stepped into the car with Jason right behind her. Two of his men already occupied the opposite seat. One of them cradled a pump-action shotgun across his lap while the other listened to an MP3 player with his eyes closed.
She spoke to them. “Hello, Jon. Art. You two are a long way from home.”
She recognized the men from long acquaintance in San Francisco. They were older than she and had served under Tommy when he’d been Hung Kwan. Both men were experienced enforcers and reputed to be very good at their jobs.
Art, the one listening to music, pulled his earplugs out and smiled at her. “There’s a story going around that you went mano a mano with Shan and put a hatchet in his head.”
The two men beamed at her.
She frowned at the comment. Without anger fueling her bloodlust, she’d started to second-guess her homicidal behavior. Even though she couldn’t work up any remorse for killing Shan, she couldn’t take pride in her actions either. Mostly, she just felt empty.
“The first one’s the toughest,” Art offered solicitously.
“Hopefully, it’ll be her last,” Jason stated, not bothering to mention it had been her second killing of the day.
Art was going to say something else, but Jason intervened. “I think a little contemplative silence would be good.”
His suggestion was met with obedient nods.
The car pulled slowly away from the hospital. They rode quietly toward the airport as the sky lightened by shades. Weak winter sunlight quickly burned off the mist. By the time the car reached the fenced area of the airport where Sun Yee On’s private jet waited, the sky had turned a vibrant blue.
Jason got out of the car to walk Bai to the ramp of the plane. Jon and Art followed, their hardware concealed beneath open trench coats.
When she reached the ramp, Jason held out her bag. “Remember, you don’t do anything but ask questions until I get back. Whoever initiated the contract on you is obviously dangerous. I don’t want you and Lee tackling this without me.”
She nodded in understanding and bestowed what she considered her sincerest smile on him. He scowled in return. His expression suggested he wasn’t convinced by the easily won concession. He probably feared she’d keep pushing until something gave, regardless of the danger. It was her nature.
She placed her hand against his cheek before turning to walk up the ramp. Stopping at the door of the plane, she turned around to see him staring up at her with a deep frown etched on his face. She smiled and waved. He shook his head and turned away to walk back toward the waiting limo.
She stepped through the hatch of the plane and made her way toward the cockpit.
The walls of the jet were paneled in a glossy red wood. Oversized recliners in dark blue leather provided individual seating for eight. She appeared to be the only passenger as she sat in a seat situated mid-cabin over one of the stubby wings.
“Would you like something to drink?”
She started and turned to find a woman standing behind her. A lovely smile accompanied the inquiry. The stewardess was petite, Chinese, and wore a black skirt with a starched white blouse. A small set of silver wings glistened on her collar.
“Coffee, if you have it,” Bai replied. “Am I the only passenger?”
“Yes, it’ll just be the two of us and the pilots. My name is Mei. We’ll be taking off in about ten minutes. In the meantime, I could bring you an espresso, cappuccino, café mocha, or just coffee. Which would you prefer?”
“Just coffee, thanks. Black. Is it all right if I use my cell phone?”
“As long as we’re stationary. Once we’re in the air, we have phones onboard you can use while in-flight. Just let me know what you need, and I’ll be more than happy to provide it.”
“Thank you.”
The young woman bowed and turned away to walk toward the back of the plane where a partition door stood ajar. Bai assumed there was a galley behind the screen. The hidden compartment explained the young woman’s sudden appearance.
She tossed her bag into the seat next to her then pulled her cell phone out of her jacket pocket. She called Lee, fully aware he wouldn’t be thrilled to hear from her so early in the morning. The phone rang for a long time before he finally picked up.
His voice was slurred. “Did somebody die?”
The question startled her. “Why? Did you hear something?”
“Wait a minute! Somebody really did die? What time is it, anyway?”
“It’s six o’clock. Answer my question.”
“What?”
“Why did you think somebody died?
“What other reason would you have to call someone in the middle of the night?”
“The sun is up! It’s six in the morning.”
“Just because the sun is up doesn’t mean it’s day. Only barbarians are awake at this hour. Are you in some kind of trouble?”
“More than you could ever imagine,” she divulged. “There’s been a change in plans. I’m flying home. I’ll be there in about three hours. Dan and Elizabeth will be flying out with Tommy this morning. You and I have some work to do, and it may be dangerous.”
His voice dropped an octave. “Tell me.”
“Someone’s trying to kill me, Lee. And I haven’t the slightest idea who or why.”
“What do you need me to do?”
She smiled. She knew she could depend on him. It wouldn’t have mattered what she’d asked of him.
“For right now, get Dan and Elizabeth ready to travel. The tricky part will be not alarming them. Tell them I need them here in Vancouver to take care of Jia. Also, I need you to make an afternoon appointment with Hung and Chin. Robert left a message yesterday saying he had something urgent to discuss, and I need to speak with them about a contract they handled.”
“Evidently you found the girl.”
“I found her, but she’s in bad shape. She’s been nearly beaten to death. That’s why I need Elizabeth and Dan here to take care of her while you and I take care of matters at home.”
“Got it,” Lee affirmed. “Will you need a ride from the airport?”
“No, don’t worry about me. Just take care of them. I’m pretty sure Tommy will have an armed escort waiting for me. Sun Yee On has taken an interest in my problem. That’s part of the story I’ll have to explain in person. It gets a little sticky.”
“Sticky” was their code word meaning “bloody.” Lee would understand.
“I’ll be waiting,” he replied with a note of worry in his voice.
“See you soon.”
She ended the call just as her coffee arrived in a large ceramic mug. She dipped her nose into the cup to smell the bitter fragrance before taking a long, slow sip. It was surprisingly good. The plane started to vibrate, so she pushed the seat into a reclining position as the jet taxied out to the runway. There, it turned on the tarmac and gained speed as the whine of the engines turned into a roar. The plane began to ascend. Bai felt herself pressed back against her seat as the jet leaped into the air.
Bright sunlight from an oval window warmed her shoulder. Putting her coffee cup on the tray next to her, she looked out the porthole to marvel at the brilliant winter day. Fluffy white clouds dotted a pastel-blue sky. She reflected on the beauty of the world around her. There was nothing, it seemed, like a near-death experience to give one a new appreciation for life.