Chapter 19

Before checking Lee’s vital signs on the bedside monitor, a stern-looking nurse peered over her glasses at Bai and Jason. She shot them another look after seeing to her patient’s needs, implying their visit had come to an end. Lee remained semiconscious, so they wouldn’t accomplish anything by staying longer. Bai reluctantly left his side.

Jason took her arm to lead her from the ward and walk with her toward the surgical suite’s waiting room. “Where did you find the girl?”

“The Norteños had her. They were using her to run errands and just using her in general.”

“Why get involved?”

“There was something about the way she looked at me. I couldn’t turn my back on her. I tried.” She smiled at the thought. “She refused to ask for my help. She’s stubborn. I guess I saw something in her that reminded me of me.”

“You’re telling me they just gave her up?”

“I cut a deal. I traded information.”

“Information about what?”

“The drug exchange in the SOMA that went bad. I had some information Hector wanted.”

“So you’ve met Hector?” He looked surprised and worried at the same time. A scowl pulled at the corners of his lips.

“We’re buds.” She crossed her fingers to show him. “We’re like this.”

“You’d better start sleeping in Kevlar,” he advised. “With friends like Hector, you don’t need enemies.”

“Hector will be my friend as long as he needs me. Right now we have a common interest—finding the money and the drugs.”

“Why do you care about finding the money or the drugs?”

She thought about Jason’s question. “I’ve been lied to and used. I know that. What I don’t know is why. I have the feeling if I can find the drugs and the money then the rest will fall into place, including why the police want Daniel Chen, why Wen Liu was murdered, and why Lee was shot.”

Jason’s silence hinted at his thoughts on the subject. Her inclination for pursuing the truth had led her into trouble before. With Lee’s having been shot, Wen Liu murdered, and the two Norteños killed, it was pretty obvious somebody was playing for keeps.

Waiting where Bai had left her, Alicia stood as they approached. “Is your friend all right?”

Bai put a hand on Alicia’s arm. “He’s in intensive care. The surgeon expects a full recovery.”

Alicia nodded with a frown. “So we can leave? I don’t like hospitals.”

Jason addressed Bai. “I’ll give you a lift home. I have a car.”

She nodded a curt assent.

He turned aside and inclined his head to Martin, who stood watching them from the entrance to the waiting room where he could keep an eye on the corridor. Martin acknowledged the signal with a subtle nod then made a call on his cell. As they walked out of the waiting room, Martin preceded them to the elevators, where he held an empty lift open. After they entered, he followed them inside to place himself in front of the doors as a human shield. As they exited the lift in the lobby, two more enforcers waited to follow at their backs.

Alicia turned around nervously as the black-suited men fell in behind them. Bai put an arm around her shoulders to assure the girl. “They’re friends.”

“Big muthuhs,” Alicia observed.

Bracketed by two black SUVs, a matching limousine waited with its engine running in front of the hospital. Martin held the rear door open for them. Entering first, Bai tugged Alicia’s hand to pull her into the car. They sat on a bench seat facing the rear. Jason followed to sit facing them. Alicia, meanwhile, ran her hands appreciatively over the black leather interior. Her eyes got big as she admired the trappings of the big sedan.

“Nice ride,” Alicia said to Jason. “Yours?”

He smiled. “The car belongs to the business.”

“Business must be good. What’s your thing?”

“Jason is a gangster,” Bai informed her. “He just happens to be a very accomplished gangster.”

“I prefer ‘entrepreneur,’” Jason said with a hard-edged smile. “What I do doesn’t differ appreciably from what every businessman does. ‘Killing the competition’ is the capitalist’s credo.”

“What’s a credo?” Alicia asked.

“A credo is a system of beliefs,” Bai answered. “Capitalists believe fair competition will lead to a better life for everyone. Unfortunately, the ‘fair’ aspect of competition is open to interpretation. Like most businessmen, Jason doesn’t mind fudging the rules a bit.”

Alicia nodded her head but appeared confused by the answer. Jason remained stoic, his face an unreadable mask. Bai suddenly realized she was tired—not physically, but emotionally. Her eyes closed momentarily as she mentally relaxed her guard.

“Are you all right?” Alicia asked.

Bai opened her eyes to see the girl’s concern. The overture surprised her. She smiled to set Alicia at ease. Despite her bluster, the girl revealed a vulnerable side. The hard shell she presented to the world already showed signs of cracking.

“I’m fine,” Bai said, reaching out to hold the girl’s hand. Alicia didn’t resist. “We’ll be home soon. I think you’re going to like my family. They may take some getting used to. If you’re patient, I think you’ll eventually come to like living with us.”

Alicia nodded but looked skeptical.

Jason interrupted. “What are your plans tonight, Bai?”

It took a moment for her to gather her thoughts. “I’m going to get Alicia settled and have dinner. Then I hope to have a hot bath and a cold scotch, followed by about eight hours of sleep. Whether or not any of that takes place is purely speculative. Not unlike the rest of my life, nothing today has gone as planned. Why?”

“I thought we might go out. I have something to discuss with you in private.”

“I’m still recovering from our last date. Did we by chance . . . ?” She fluttered her free hand in front of her like a spastic mime.

He smiled. “No. I don’t have rigid requirements when it comes to consensual congress,” he stated obliquely while casting a glance at Alicia to see if she followed the conversation, “but both parties’ being conscious is the absolute minimum.”

She smiled. “Sorry about that. I didn’t get a chance to thank you properly for the lovely evening.”

“You can thank me tonight, if you’re really sincere.”

“Tonight is a bit hectic.”

The teen watched their interplay with interest. Jason noticed but didn’t offer Alicia an explanation. Bai might have been inclined to clarify her relationship with Jason if she’d had a better understanding of it herself.

“Can I call you later?” Bai asked. “We can talk then.”

He nodded but didn’t look happy with her response.

The car pulled to the curb in front of her house. Jason stepped out of the car first. By the time Bai and Alicia exited the vehicle, triad soldiers in black suits stood outside to report to Jason.

Bai drew Jason’s attention away from his soldiers. “Would you like to come up and say hi to the girls?”

He shook his head. “No. That would be overstepping the boundaries.”

Jason hadn’t interacted directly with his mother in nearly three years, though the breach remained outwardly cordial. Elizabeth wanted him out of Bai’s life. He refused to go. The two remained at an impasse.

“Thanks for everything,” she said, moving closer to him.

She went up on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. He turned at the last moment to catch her lips with his. Alicia’s giggle brought Bai back to the real world. She turned to put a hand on Alicia’s back and push her up the steps to the lobby of her building. She glanced back at Jason, who continued to watch her from where he stood on the sidewalk. Not until she’d made her way inside the door did he return to the limousine, which then pulled away from the curb. The SUVs and the triad enforcers stayed.

She placed her thumb against the sensor plate on the elevator to open the doors to the lift. She ushered Alicia in then pushed the button for the third floor. The girl turned to her. “How many families live in this building?”

“Just one. I own the building. We live on the top floor. Lee has an apartment on the first floor. The second floor is a gym. I’ll have the girls give you a tour as soon as you’ve been introduced.”

“Who are the girls?”

With her mind occupied by Lee’s assault, she’d completely forgotten to fill Alicia in on her family. “Dan is my thirteen-year-old daughter, and Jia is my fifteen-year-old. Elizabeth is my mother.”

Alicia’s brows knitted together as she appeared to draw in on herself.

Bai took her hand again. “It’ll be all right.”

The girl nodded and took a deep breath as the doors to the lift opened. Elizabeth, Dan, and Jia stood in the entry with anxious expressions. When they saw Alicia, their expressions morphed from anxious to curious.

“How is Lee?” Elizabeth asked before Bai could exit the lift.

“His surgeon expects him to make a full recovery.”

“That’s good news,” the older woman stated, her eyes shifting to Bai’s companion.

Dan and Jia seemed reticent to speak in front of a stranger, their usual boisterous behavior on hold.

“This is Alicia,” Bai informed them as they stepped out of the elevator. “She’s going to be staying with us. Alicia, these are my daughters—Dan and Jia—and my mother, Elizabeth,” she said, indicating each in turn.

Alicia nodded silently, and the girls nodded in return.

Dan asked, “When can I see Lee?”

Dan only had two friends: Lee and Jia. She developed fiercely loyal attachments to those she loved. Bai could see the tension and strain in her daughter’s face.

“We’ll have to wait and see. He’s still in intensive care. He’s going to be all right. I promise.”

Dan’s expression remained doubtful despite Bai’s assurances.

“Jia, I thought Alicia might stay with you in your room for now, if you don’t mind,” Bai said, changing the subject. “You’re about the same age and the same size. I was hoping you could loan her whatever she needs tonight. Tomorrow, we can go shopping to buy clothes and necessities.”

Jia smiled and walked forward to take the newcomer’s hand. “Having a roommate will be fun,” she said. “Would you like to see our room? It’s really nice.”

Alicia turned to Bai with a questioning look.

“Go ahead and get acquainted. I’ll be here if you need me,” Bai assured her.

Jia led Alicia to the back of the house. Dan looked at her mother in cold appraisal before turning to follow the girls, her gait stiff with tension.

“Will she be staying long?” Elizabeth asked.

“That’s entirely up to her. I hope so,” Bai replied.

Elizabeth took the news gracefully. “I’ll set another place at the table. Dinner will be ready in about an hour. I imagine you’ve had a difficult day. You can fill me in on Lee after you’ve had a chance to catch your breath.”

Bai followed her into the kitchen, where the older woman continued to prepare dinner. Bai filled a crystal tumbler with ice before pouring two fingers of Yamazaki scotch into the glass. She took a stool at the breakfast counter to sip her drink while watching Elizabeth tend to the stove. “Sun Yee On soldiers are keeping an eye on the house.”

“I’m aware,” Elizabeth replied. “Tommy called an hour ago to let me know. He’s just back from Hong Kong. He said to tell you he was sorry to hear about Lee.”

Bai thought of the rift between Tommy and Lee. Lee had been Tommy’s favorite while Jason, Lee, and Bai were growing up. “Men are stupid,” Bai proclaimed, more loudly than intended.

Elizabeth turned to look at her with a smirk. “You’re just figuring that out?”

She waved a finger at Elizabeth. “I’ve always suspected as much. Now it’s confirmed.”

Turning back to tend the stove, Elizabeth ignored the outburst.

“Stupid but indispensable,” Bai continued. “I worry when Jason’s around, then find myself worrying when he’s not around. Someone should start some kind of loaner program where a woman can check out a man then simply return him when he gets on her nerves. That would solve the problem.”

“I imagine men feel the same way about women,” Elizabeth said, busy at the stove. “Relationships are difficult under the best of circumstances.”

“I’m not really sure I have a relationship with Jason.”

“You have a child with him. That’s one relationship that won’t ever go away.”

“True.”

“Tell me about Lee.”

“Someone shot him twice in the back with a small-caliber gun. We don’t know why. He doesn’t have any enemies I know of. That’s why we’re taking all the precautions. We don’t know whether Lee was the target, or if someone wants to hurt me.”

“The chances you and Lee take frighten me. Have you considered finding a safer occupation?”

“I like being a souxun. Lee and I are careful. This is the first time one of us has gotten seriously hurt. The problem is I don’t even know why.”

Elizabeth turned with a look of concern. “Have you given any more thought to dating Howard Kwan?”

Bai’s mind blanked. Howard was the last thing on her mind.

Elizabeth pursued the matter. “Marrying him would put an end to gangsters’ sitting on your doorstep. It’s a chance to lead a respectable life.”

Bai lifted her glass to her lips and sipped scotch as she thought over Elizabeth’s assertion. She let the cold liquor roll over her tongue and warm in her mouth before swallowing. “I always find respectable people suspect,” she replied. “Those who preach the loudest always seem to have the most to hide.”

Elizabeth stared at her with a sad expression.

Bai suffered the stare until she realized Elizabeth wasn’t going to give up. “All right,” she finally relented. “I’ll give him another chance. But if he calls me ‘old’ one more time, I’m going to beat the crap out of him.”