“We’re good. He’s here,” Chen announced as he came to a halt.
From the shadows behind the building, the petite figure of a bald Chinese man emerged, his appearance in total contrast to what they had expected. With a broad smile and overly dramatic embrace he greeted Chen, kissing him on each cheek. It was as if they had just been welcomed into his home for a party and were about to be offered welcome drinks. His exuberant, cheerful personality was not at all what Alex and Sam had expected a member of a dangerous Chinese criminal organization would be like. Adorned with chunky gold chains around his neck and colorful gemstone rings on all ten of his fingers, he resembled a petite Chinese version of Liberace. He wore a red satin work shirt—unbuttoned down to his navel, to show off his jewelry no doubt, since he didn’t have much of a physique—and mustard yellow pants with white snakeskin loafers. Making no attempt at all to hide the fact that he was armed, a shiny gold semi-automatic pistol was on full display, tucked into the front of his waistband. He noticed the shared handcuffs and immediately stuck his hands between Sam and Chen’s shoulders, parting the men like he was preparing to dive into a pool between them. Without a moment’s notice he rapidly drew his gun as if he was John Wayne himself and fired a shot through the chain before Alex or Sam even knew what was coming.
“There, now we can trust each other,” he announced, before putting his arm around Chen’s shoulders to turn and walk him toward a black limousine that was parked around the other side of the restaurant.
Still stunned by how quickly this unlikely-looking gangster had drawn his gun, Alex and Sam followed them and settled into the vehicle’s luxury white leather seats. Sam noted the gold initials printed on each of the headrests and the floor mats. It simply read JM. It shouted luxury and money until the moment the doors closed and the entire limousine’s interior transformed into bright fluorescent pink and blue lights. It was as if they were inside a seedy nightclub. Chen and his contact, who still hadn’t introduced himself, entered into jubilant conversation in Chinese, laughing as if they were sharing bad jokes.
As the limousine pulled away, Alex and Sam sat watching the two men who were seated opposite them in stunned surprise. Entirely ignored by both men they were grateful that it was just a short drive to the Split airport. They’d expected to be dropped off at the main entrance, but instead, the chauffeur drove in by way of a separate gate and onto the tarmac before the limo stopped and let them out next to a private long-range jet. Still Chen and his friend continued their private party as, arms around shoulders, they ascended into the private plane. Feeling like they were the miserable wallflowers at a boisterous college party, Alex and Sam followed the duo inside without saying a word.
But, as if they had all just entered through a secret portal into the deep underworld of Satan, the petite Chinese man’s entire personality suddenly changed. In one fell swoop, his laughter and cheery demeanor transformed into a steely expressionless being whose black eyes conveyed dominance and intimidation. The light and cheerful nightclub atmosphere from the limousine was instantly replaced by a cold and rigid space that had Alex and Sam stiffen with vigilance. His cold eyes locked onto his guests as they sat in the tan-colored luxury leather seats opposite him, speaking without as much as blinking.
“Did they hurt you, Chen?”
Instantly reminded of his colleague’s prominence and now finding himself plunged into an awkward position, Chen replied with a faint denial. It would have been so easy for him to say the contrary and have Alex and Sam killed on the spot. Yet he knew, in a roundabout unofficial way, that Alex and Sam would be his only protection from being hunted down and killed by the Fangs. He had seen it firsthand; treason did not sit well with them, and if he was to have any chance of making it back into China alive, he’d have to stick with the lesser enemy of the two.
Even now, pinned under the man’s steely black eyes, Alex and Sam didn’t allow his evil stares to intimidate them, regardless of the sudden fear that gripped their insides. They were instantly aware just how much authority this man had, but they also knew it wouldn’t be the last time they faced evil.
“Great! Then let’s get the party started! I’m Jin Mu, by the way, but everyone calls me Moo-Moo,” he smiled with pride, and, now visible in the bright lights above his head, a gold canine tooth glistened.
And just like that, as if his party personality pushed his evil one aside, the effervescent Chinese Liberace was back.
Alex and Sam remained vigilant throughout the entire flight. They took turns sleeping and politely declined any food and drinks on offer, just in case it was laced. Now, more convinced than ever, they couldn’t allow themselves to drop their guard, not even for one second. They had experienced the instantaneous schizophrenic episodes of their host personally and it was very evident Jin Mu wouldn’t hesitate to kill them in an instant for whatever reasons he might deem fit. Chen eventually fell asleep until the jet’s wheels touched down onto the small private airfield just outside Hong Kong.
Chapter Sixteen
“You’re on your own now,” Chen announced to Alex and Sam as they stepped out onto the tarmac at Shek Kong Airfield; Chen a few feet in front of Alex and Sam while Jin Mu was on the phone in the plane.
A quick glance at the hangars across the landing strip revealed several military soldiers moving around. Alex stiffened and drew Sam’s attention to the estimated dozen men at work all across the small airport. Sam quickened his pace and gripped Chen’s arm just above his elbow, bringing him to a halt.
“Not so fast Chen. What’s all this?” Sam spoke sternly but in a subdued voice.
“It’s our airfield.”
“It’s a bloody military base and you know it,” Sam said angrily.
“I got you to China safely. That was our deal. You’re on your own,” Chen repeated with sudden boldness, breaking his arm free from Sam’s grip.
“Do we have a problem?” Jin Mu suddenly asked from where he stood in the door of the small plane behind them.
“Well, do we?” Chen said with a cocky tone as he looked up into Sam’s eyes. He was using Jin Mu and the military base’s protection to his full advantage.
“Let’s go, Sam,” Alex intervened before adding, “you better hope our paths don’t cross again, Chen. Tell your boss to call off the dogs.”
Chen scoffed in reply as Alex and Sam turned and walked away. The landing strip was flanked by two grassed areas on either side, and in turn, each one was lined with a row of large trees before it bordered onto a small industrial neighborhood. On the other side of the trees in front of them was a narrow road that led away from the airfield. To their right were three hangars and a small fleet of army vehicles, a helicopter and two small four-seater planes.
“That way,” Alex pointed, choosing the shortest route across the grass and between the trees to, what they hoped would be, their exit.
They ignored the suspicious stares from a few army men as they passed them, keeping their heads down. But it wasn’t enough when two armed men suddenly pulled up in an army Jeep and stopped them. Incapable of understanding them and acting purely on the assumption that they obviously queried their presence, Sam turned and pointed to where Chen and Jin Mu were in conversation behind them.
“We’re with them,” Sam tried.
Without warning, as Sam, Alex and the two soldiers watched, Jin Mu’s quick-draw of his golden gun impressed them once more when he fired a single gunshot into Chen’s chest. As Chen dropped to his knees, and the two soldiers watched unconcerned, Jin Mu finished him off with a final bullet to his head. Sudden fear ripped through Alex and Sam when Jin Mu nodded at the two soldiers. His silent orders had both soldiers instantly move forward to seize Alex and Sam. Quick to react and avoid being captured, Sam swung the first punch, hitting one of the soldiers across the jaw before he even had time to raise his weapon. He quickly followed through with a second fisted blow which rendered the slight-framed soldier unconscious on the ground. Alex had done the same with th
e second soldier whose movements were almost swift enough for him to fully draw his gun. She thrust her fist into his throat and finished him off with an uppercut before he could even blink.
Jin Mu’s voice echoed across the airfield followed by a quick succession of bullets from his gun. Unlike his John Wayne draw, his aim left much to be desired, sending a number of bullets several feet away from them into the grass and trees. He barked across the runway, sending more soldiers storming towards Alex and Sam.
“Get in!” Alex yelled for Sam as she slipped behind the wheel of the army Jeep. Heading directly for the trees and the exit road, the Jeep bounced its way over the grassed area. More shots flew by their heads, loudly ricocheting off the Jeep’s steel frame. She swerved as two more military vehicles tried to cut them off. Forced to change direction as the soldiers moved in on them, she pushed the Jeep through a nearby empty hangar, sending a mechanic’s tool trolley flying through the air. Out the other side the tires screeched around the bend as she navigated the vehicle back towards the exit but was forced to rapidly adjust direction when a small fleet of vehicles blocked off their path. Their eyes frantically searched for another way out as more bullets hit the sides of the Jeep. In the rear mirror Alex watched a fleet of vehicles chase after them. In front of them, the small military base narrowed to a close about a hundred yards further on. They were running out of options. To their right the runway lay bare, except for Jin Mu’s jet that hadn’t moved from its landing place. A sudden quick-witted notion had Alex slam on the brakes while she turned in between two hangars before her foot flattened the accelerator and she gunned the Jeep in the direction of Jin Mu’s plane. With him directly in the line of fire, the soldiers ceased their gunfire, affording Alex and Sam the perfect opportunity to speed across the runway past the plane. With Jin Mu’s plane now behind them she gained speed as she pushed the Jeep across to the other side of the runway before disappearing between the lush trees. Still in pursuit, the army vehicles followed a fair distance behind them. On the other side of the trees, several industrial warehouses grew closer and moments later the Jeep’s wheels left the rough between the trees before slamming over a sidewalk onto a busy public road. Seconds later Sam’s eyes were drawn upward to the military helicopter that suddenly appeared over their heads.
“They have eyes in the sky, Alex!” Sam yelled, as if she wasn’t already aware.
The Jeep swerved and snaked between the somewhat congested traffic. Up ahead civilian vehicles were coming to a standstill. With her reflexes now at optimum, Alex swerved across the single lane, cutting off an oncoming car before she drove the Jeep through the far less congested lanes of a gas station and onto a secondary road. Somehow she shook the pursuant military vehicles but, above their heads, the helicopter continued to hover. The road snaked through a small residential area before it forked around a traffic circle and eventually onto a bypass. With it being far less busy than the other road, it allowed them to gain speed, but likewise, it afforded the perfect opportunity for the helicopter to open fire at them. Their machine gun shot off a multitude of bullets, slamming next to them into the tarmac. Since the Jeep was without a roof it left Alex and Sam entirely exposed and vulnerable. Now flanked by concrete Jersey barriers on either side of the lane, they had nowhere to go but forward. Another series of bullets ripped holes into the tarmac and bounced off the concrete lane dividers. Just ahead, only a few more yards of concrete barriers remained before the lane would be free for her to veer the vehicle off and under an overpass. But the helicopter was on top of them and they were now an easy target. In a pressured moment Alex pushed both feet down onto the brake sending clouds of blue smoke from the wheels into the air. The tires screeched as the vehicle came to a sudden halt. Above them, the large helicopter whipped forward over their heads, its size preventing it from carrying out any sudden maneuvers in response. When it eventually managed to turn around, Alex had had sufficient time to speed up and continue forward along the bypass. Aiming for the end of the barriers it was a risky move, but in that moment under fire, had been her only option, and it paid off. They had gained enough time and distance that made their escape through the small clearing entirely possible. Yet, they remained fixed on the helicopter which headed toward them from the front, its nose and machine gun pointed directly at them. Utterly focused and keeping her wits about her, it was a game of chicken as the distance shortened between them and the fast approaching helicopter. Foreseeing their plan, the helicopter didn’t waste another second and fired off the first round of bullets that successfully pierced the Jeep’s grill before it hit the hood next and then smashed through the windscreen. Sam fired a single shot into the helicopter’s gas tank when it swept over their heads, already preparing to turn around.
“Are you hit?” Sam yelled, while his eyes skimmed over her body for blood.
Alex didn’t answer. Instead she pushed the Jeep forward until she reached the gap between the dividers and turned off into the oncoming lane. Clouds of black smoke billowed from the grill and escaped through the bullet holes in the hood, making it nearly impossible to see clearly. Behind them the helicopter had turned, relentless in its pursuit. Narrowly missing an oncoming bus, the Jeep reached the shelter of the overpass, and not a moment too soon as the engine cut out and burst into flames. Forced out of the vehicle Alex and Sam set off on foot. Using the overhanging road to conceal their location, their feet thumped down hard onto the road, navigating over sidewalks and between a multitude of motorbikes until they reached the safety of a bustling shopping district. Out of breath, and in fear of being pursued, they kept running, weaving their way through the busy streets. They had no idea where they were or even where they were heading, but they kept running. Beads of sweat ran down their faces as the heat and extreme humidity beat down on their bodies. Looking back once only, they were fairly certain they weren’t being followed anymore but they continued pushing through the hordes of pedestrians. They could no longer hear the helicopter above their heads. Up ahead, on the opposite side of the road, a welcoming shopping center beckoned and they spared no time in changing direction towards it.
Once inside they finally stopped running, taking shelter in one of the narrow passages that ran between two shops. Bent at the waist, with his hands resting on his knees, Sam breathed heavily in an effort to catch his breath. Likewise, with her eyes closed, Alex slid her back down against the wall and dropped exhausted into a squat. When they finally caught their breath, Alex spoke for the first time since they’d fled from the airfield.
“Chen deliberately led us into an ambush. That’s why he was so cocky.”
“Well, whatever he said or did, Jin Mu had his own score to settle with the guy and I doubt Chen saw that one coming either.”
“We’re going to need to find someplace safe to stay for the night, Sam. I have no idea what’s going on and why we’re the ones being hunted down, but one thing I do know, the manna is at the very center of it all.”
“You’re right. We need time to figure it out. It’s out there somewhere and whoever has it, is under serious threat. A hundred thousand US dollars isn’t small change,” Sam noted. “So much for our honeymoon,” he added as he helped her up.
“Adventure is the spice of life, Sam. We’ll pick up where we left off once this is all done, promise. For now we just need to make sure we stay alive.”
Chapter Seventeen
The map bought from a nearby street vendor who conned tourists into signing up for cheap tours, told them they were in a small town about an hour outside of the city of Hong Kong. It was late afternoon and they were tired, hot and hungry. They aimlessly wandered up and down the side streets in search of a place to settle in for the night. Bar a few badly translated A-frame business billboards that stood along the pavements, everything—as expected—was written in Chinese. As they turned the corner into yet another side street, Sam spotted the bright red signage on the front of a building. It simply said Rooms. Relieved, they hurried toward it. Once insi
de it was as if a local textile factory had had a flash sale on their red velvet fabric. Every conceivable space, from the carpet to the small sofa, the drapes and everywhere in between, was covered with blood red velvet. When a short, fat, greasy Chinese man walked past them, hand in hand with a scantily clad girl, and up the stairs, it was quite evident what the nature of the establishment was. Alex hesitated and tugged Sam away from the front desk.
“It’s a brothel, Sam. We can’t stay here,” she said in disgust.
“I don’t think we have much choice at this stage, Alex. Besides, it’s the one place no one will come looking for us. One night, just so we can rest and plan where to go from here, okay?”
A skinny, pale looking, elderly man sat behind the check-in desk. Wearing a dirty, white, sleeveless vest, and long black trousers he squinted his small eyes, that practically lay buried between his heavy eyelids and thick undereye bags. Next to him his cigarette smoldered in a cheap gold ashtray that hadn’t been cleaned in centuries. Sam didn’t flinch. Instead he slid an American fifty-dollar bill across the dusty counter. The man’s eyes moved between Alex and Sam before he picked up the note and handed them a key from beneath the counter. Sam led Alex up the red velvet stairs which creaked noisily beneath their feet. Another working woman passed them on her way down the stairs, flirting unashamedly with Sam.
“I’ll never understand it,” Alex mumbled, once they passed her and reached the top of the stairs.
Trying hard not to take in the salacious sound effects along the way, the gold painted numbers on the wall pointed them to the end of the corridor where they found their room. Much like the red velvet decor downstairs, their room had undergone the same exaggerated furnishing in a sickly bile green. Stale cigarette smoke lay thick in the air, further escaping from beneath their feet with each step they took across the stained, greenish-brown carpet.
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