Chapter 33

Bai drove home alone.

She experienced a sense of dislocation as she rode the lift up to her flat, feeling as if she stood outside her body and watched herself as if she were a stranger. After drawing a hot bath, she peeled off her clothes and slipped into the steaming water without registering the heat. She felt numb to the world around her.

Her phone, sitting on the edge of the tub, rang. It was Jason.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t sound all right. Did you kill the Norteño?”

“No. Somebody did me the favor. Is Song all right?”

“He’ll be fine. He has a thick skull. Do you want me to come over?”

He sounded concerned. She didn’t want his comfort.

“No. I’m fine. I have a date with Howard tonight. I don’t want to be late.”

She spoke the words but didn’t feel them. She didn’t feel anything.

“Fine,” he replied, sounding angry as he ended the call.

“Fine!” she said to the empty bath, mumbling to herself as she leaned back and tried to let go of the horror.

The experience with Rafe terrified her. She found the feeling profoundly unpleasant and wanted to forget what had happened. Her head slipped under the surface of the hot water as she attempted to wash away the memory. Eyes open, she stared through the rippling water at the light on the ceiling. She stayed submerged until aching lungs forced her to the surface. Taking a deep breath, she slid beneath the water again, determined to shake off the fear holding her hostage.

When she emerged from the tub, she felt more in possession of herself. She dried her pruned skin and walked into her closet to stare at the pile of dresses, high heels, and designer bags still lying on the floor. Her bare foot toed the packages. Casual toeing turned into kicking as she suddenly vented her anger. Once she’d thoroughly trounced the frilly frocks, she felt better.

Ignoring the designer clothing, she chose to wear her standard black tee, jeans, and trainers. Her asymmetrical leather jacket with the knife sleeve completed her outfit. When she was dressed, she felt like her old self, not someone else’s idea of who she should be.

Howard’s limo arrived at seven. He wasn’t in it. One of his security guards ushered her into the rear compartment, where she sat alone. The car proceeded toward the Embarcadero. She was surprised when they stopped under the portico of the Grand Hotel.

Her escort ushered her out and silently led her to the bank of elevators, where he selected the top-floor lounge. She smiled at the thought of her first meeting with Howard and then frowned. She still hadn’t found a way to like him. Tonight she would end the charade and tell him she had no interest in marrying him.

The elevator opened to a silent room. Her guide ushered her across the empty lounge to where six bodyguards stood in a cluster. Howard sat in a chair nearby with a smug expression. He silently gestured for her to have a seat in a chair facing him a few yards away.

When she’d taken the seat, he spoke. “I brought you here, Bai, to teach you a lesson.”

She thought the comment odd. “What lesson would that be, Howard?”

He smirked. “People should know their station in life.”

He flicked his fingers. His bodyguards moved aside so she could see Michael Chin held down on his knees with his arms pulled up behind his back by two of Howard’s bodyguards. Blood from a split lip stained his chin.

“Imagine how disappointed I was to find you’d turned down my offer of a date to go out with a waiter—a servant. Do you have any idea how you made me feel? The humiliation? You turned me down to go out with this?” he said, pointing at Michael.

Michael raised his head to look at her then looked away. He looked angry and ashamed. Her heart ached for him. Instinctively, she wanted to protect him. As she stared at Michael, she felt an anger so intense it flowed through her like electricity.

“This seems to be my day for men to teach me lessons,” she said as she turned to stare malevolently at Howard. She stood with her hand on the sleeve of her jacket. “School is over.”

Her gaze unsettled Howard. His smile disappeared to be replaced by a haughty look as he shook his head. “I see you haven’t learned your lesson.”

His hand flicked up, and one of his men stepped forward to strike an open-handed blow across Michael’s face, one that rocked his head back.

Her voice devoid of emotion warned him again. “End this now, Howard, and I’ll let you walk away. If not, people are going to get hurt. One of those people is going to be you.”

He looked uncertain for a moment then seemed to dismiss her threat. He started to raise his hand again. She flicked the knife from her sleeve. The blade smacked into the center of Howard’s palm and buried itself to the hilt. He looked at one side of his hand and then the other. The knife protruded evenly on both sides.

He let out an ear-piercing scream.

Half of his security team rushed toward Howard to protect him while the other three men dropped Michael to the floor and rushed Bai. Ducking under the first man’s grasp, she kicked the back of his knee and forced him into a kneeling position. She took a quick step back to use the kneeling man as an obstacle to the other two men facing her before leaping onto his back and using him as a springboard, launching into the air to kick a second man in the face. Her shoe slapped his head hard enough to flip him to the ground.

The third man reached for her. From behind him, Michael swept her assailant’s feet from under him. Bai turned in time to kick the man in the face to make sure he stayed down.

She took a quick look at Michael to make sure he was all right. He pointed behind her. Her first attacker lurched to his feet. She turned and clapped her hands over his ears. As he reached up to cover his ears, she reached inside his jacket to pull a gun from his shoulder holster then turned to train the automatic weapon on Howard, who whimpered as he held his bloody hand out in front of him.

Everyone froze. It took Howard a moment to realize Bai pointed a gun at him. He plopped into a chair with fear distorting his features. When one of the bodyguards started to reach for a gun, Bai shook her head and pulled back the hammer on her weapon while flicking off the safety. The bodyguard’s hand slowly dropped back to his side.

“I’ve enjoyed the lesson, Howard,” she said evenly. “We should do this again sometime soon.”

He didn’t appear to hear her. His head bowed over his bleeding hand as he mewled like a kitten.

Bai directed her comments at his bodyguards.

“We’ll be leaving now. If I ever see any of you again, you’ll be very sorry. If I hear you’ve tried to teach anyone else a lesson, I will find you and hurt you. That’s a promise. As a sign I have no hard feelings, you can keep the knife. Michael, we’re leaving now,” she added for his benefit. “Say good-bye to the nice gentlemen.”

Michael looked aside at the guard who’d slapped him. Before the guard could react, Michael punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

“Bye,” he said before preceding her toward the exit. She walked backward with the gun still pointed at Howard. At the exit, she flicked on the safety, ejected the clip, and tossed the gun back into the room before pulling the door closed behind her.

No one followed. The two of them avoided the elevator and took the stairs.

She hesitated when they reached the street, turning to face Michael she asked, “How bad is the lip?”

He reached up to feel his mouth. “It’ll be fine. Thanks.”

“I’m sorry that happened.”

He shook his head and smiled. “I should have been the one saving you. I feel like an idiot.”

“Don’t,” she said. “You couldn’t have known what you were getting into when you asked me out. My life is a mess.”

He looked at the ground. “When I met you, I thought I could handle anything, Bai.” His gaze lifted, and he tried, but failed, to smile. “I’ve learned that’s no longer true. When you said we live in different worlds, I really didn’t understand.”

“You’re a nice man, Michael. Forget this ever happened. Forget you ever met me.”

He nodded and smiled. “I think you’re going to be a hard woman to forget.”

She patted his cheek affectionately. “You have my number. If Howard bothers you again, call me.”

He nodded and smiled soberly before turning to walk away. She watched him go while thinking things might have been different if she’d met him ten years earlier. Then again, maybe not.

She’d never wanted anyone the way she’d wanted Jason. And that hadn’t changed.