by T. L. Cannon
“I disagree,” Ethan said as he leaned back against the closed doors. “You made a rather unflattering accusation about my intentions towards Ms. Vandercamp and I didn’t get a chance to respond.”
“Are you denying that you are planning on seducing Jade into using her influence on Gabriel to help you secure the sub-concession?”
“It doesn’t seem like she needs to be seduced,” Ethan said noncommittally. “Unlike you, she already seems amenable to my desires. The same way that Gabriel is amenable to yours, a fact that you have no qualms about using to your advantage. So it would seem that you and I aren't all that different after all.”
Kira gritted her teeth at Ethan’s conclusion and the smugness with which he presented it. “The difference between us is that I am not using my influence for selfish purposes. By warning him against going into business with you, I am acting as Gabriel’s friend and troubleshooter.”
“Is that all you are to Gabriel? A friend and troubleshooter?” Ethan asked pointedly, his previously mocking air replaced by a sudden edginess.
Kira leveled a cool, challenging gaze at Ethan. “What I am to Gabriel is none of your business.”
The edge in Ethan's voice sharpened. “So you’re saying that you two are more than friends?”
Kira stood her ground as Ethan moved in closer to her. She knew she was playing a dangerous game by allowing Ethan to erroneously believe that she and Gabriel were lovers but she somehow couldn’t resist waving a red flag in front of him once again. “What I’m saying is that, unlike you, Gabriel is a good and honorable man. I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions from there.”
Kira stepped around Ethan and made her way towards the doors leading back into the gallery. With lightning quick reflexes, Ethan grabbed her by her arm. In one swift, fluid movement he twirled her around to face him, pulling her tightly against his body in the process. Before she had a chance to utter a word of protest, his lips descended upon hers. His kiss was hot and hard, it’s bone-melting intimacy blatantly defying the two years that they had been apart, rendering them meaningless. Despite all of the anger and pain that so heavily defined her feelings for Ethan, she immediately returned his kiss with equal intensity, operating on sheer primal reflex. The chill that had caused her body to shiver moments earlier was replaced by a sensuous heat that somehow managed to have the same effect on her body as she quivered in his strong, possessive embrace. A low, ragged moan escaped Kira’s lips as Ethan pulled away. Winding his hands through her dark hair, he deliberately undid the neat chignon at the base of her neck in order to indulge in the sensuous feel of her silky locks as they slid through the crevices of his fingers. Staring at her intently, he closely inspected her face in the moonlight. Her perfectly applied red lipstick was gone, leaving behind only a pale pink blush that matched the rosy flush that now colored her cheeks. The cool look in her eyes had been replaced with a smoldering heat. He smiled with satisfaction at his handiwork as he lazily grazed his fingertips lightly against her scalp, relishing the way she trembled in response to his slightest touch..
“If you and Gabriel are lovers then he certainly isn’t doing a very good job of keeping you satisfied judging by the way that you just kissed me.”
“You’re a pig,” Kira spat out as she angrily pushed Ethan away just as Gabriel opened the doors leading to the gallery.
“Is everything alright out here?” Gabriel asked with obvious concern as he stood protectively next to Kira.
“Everything’s fine,” Ethan replied, resentment causing his eyes to turn a sharper shade of green as he took in Gabriel’s protective stance next to Kira. “Ms. St. James and I were merely having a heated discussion.”
“Clearly,” Gabriel said discreetly as he took in Kira’s uncharacteristically disheveled appearance before shifting his gaze warily to Ethan. “If you’ll excuse us, I need to speak with Kira alone.”
“Consider yourselves excused.” Ethan bowed slightly before slipping back inside the gallery. Kira slammed the balcony doors shut behind him.
“He really gets to you, doesn’t he,” Jeremy noted as he removed his tuxedo jacket and draped it over Kira's shoulders in response to her shivering.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Kira replied defensively as she gathered the collar of the jacket tightly around her throat, suddenly feeling exposed. “I just find him extremely irritating.”
“Did you find him to be that way when you two were romantically involved?”
“So you know about that,” Kira sighed deeply with resignation. She had known that it would only be a matter of time before knowledge of her previous indiscretion with Ethan made it’s way to the Wong family. It had been sheer foolishness to try to hide the information from them which, of course, was perfectly in keeping with her typical reactions where Ethan Chance was concerned. “I’m sorry that I didn’t say anything about it before but if you know about my past relationship with Ethan then I’m sure that you understand why it’s not something that I would want to advertise.”
Gabriel remained respectfully silent on the subject of her humiliation in Las Vegas.
“Do Yi and Jeremy know about it?” She asked cautiously.
“They haven’t heard anything about it from me nor will they,” Gabriel assured as he smiled kindly down at Kira.
“Thank you,” Kira said with relief as she grabbed Gabriel’s hand, squeezing it appreciatively. “You’re a good friend.”
“I’m glad that you feel that way because that means that you know that you can confide in me about what’s going on between you and Ethan Chance.”
“There is nothing going on between me and Ethan. What we had ended a long time ago.”
“Are you sure about that?” Gabriel asked gently. “Because it certainly doesn’t appear that way.”
“I’m positive about that. The only part of my past with Ethan that has any bearing on the present is my hard earned knowledge that he can’t be trusted which is why it would be a huge mistake for Gau Lung to go into business with him.”
Gabriel regarded her thoughtfully. “He hurt you very badly, didn't he?”
“That’s beside the point,” Kira said, shaking her head emphatically.
“Is it?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I just can’t help but wonder how much of your opposition to the deal that Ethan has proposed is based on your personal feelings for him.”
“I have no feelings for Ethan beyond well founded mistrust,” Kira replied irritably.
“Based on the scene that I just walked in on between you two, I’d say you feel a lot more than just mistrust for the man. Whether you want to admit it or not, Ethan Chance is clearly still very much under your skin.”
***
Gabriel’s gently delivered accusation still haunted Kira when they rejoined the party causing her to make it a point to keep a safe amount of distance between Ethan and herself as the evening progressed, building up to the eagerly anticipated unveiling of The Dragon’s Breath. A jittery energy crackled in the air as the big moment drew closer, intensifying the feeling of unease that Kira felt as she eyed Ethan warily from across the crowded room. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something more ominous than the display of an ancient Chinese dagger was about to happen. Tearing her gaze away from Ethan’s she turned her back to him and unexpectedly found herself staring face-to-face with the last person that she ever wanted to see again.
“Ms. St. James,” Jared Halifax spoke her name in a clipped fashion, his voice dripping with disdain. “Long time, no see.”
“Yes, it has been a long time,” Kira replied sheepishly. She had known that Yi had entered into preliminary discussions about selling the sub-concession to Jared but up until this point the talks had only been with Jared’s emissaries. Kira had no idea that Jared himself had arrived in Hong Kong.
“Two years to be exact. If I recall correctly the last time we saw each other you had just essentially handed my casino over to Donovan Ch
ance in exchange for a roll in the hay with his brother, Ethan.”
“Stop being such a sore loser, old man,” Ethan interjected. “It seems to me that you should be used to getting out-maneuvered by us by now.”
The gloating tone in Ethan's voice was as much of a surprise to Kira as his sudden appearance at her side, intensifying her mortification over her debacle in Las Vegas. She had come to the conclusion long ago that she had been nothing more than a means to an end to Ethan when they were together but hearing him all but admit it still hurt like hell.
Ethan ignored the pained expression on Kira's face as he reminded himself that the only way to keep her safe from Jared was to keep up the pretense that she was nothing more than a pawn to him. “Enclave has proven to be a very lucrative investment, by the way. Oh, and Chloe is deliriously happy with Dylan.”
Jared bristled at the reference to his former wife's recent marriage to his youngest son. “Don’t go mistaking a couple of battles for the whole war. You may have won a few rounds but this is far from over so tread very carefully.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Just consider it a bit of fatherly advice,” Jared replied as he fixed Ethan with a cold, deadly glare.
Ethan stared daggers at Jared’s retreating back as it disappeared into the crowd, his hatred palpable to Kira as she watched him closely.
“Fatherly advice?” she asked in a slightly bewildered tone. “Jared Halifax is your father?”
Ethan’s eyes remained fixed on Jared as the older man approached Jeremy Wong, extending a hand that was accepted by Jeremy in a manner that was uncharacteristically enthusiastic and left no doubt in Ethan’s mind that the report that he had received was accurate. Jared and Jeremy Wong were as thick as thieves which would put Jared in a prime position to get his hands on the Wong sub-concession if Yi gave control of Gau Lung to Jeremy.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Ethan said curtly, not bothering to wait for Kira to reply before stalking off towards Jeremy without answering her question.
“Ethan!” Kira called after him in exasperation but received no response. A firm hand placed on her shoulder prevented her from going after him.
“It's almost time,” Yi said as he beamed proudly at her. “The Dragon’s Breath will be displayed shortly.”
“Is it nine o’clock already?” she asked as she glanced at the gold watch strapped to her wrist. The official unveiling of The Dragon’s Breath was to be a highly choreographed event that was scheduled to take place with much pomp and circumstance at nine p.m. sharp.
“Almost.” Yi’s eyes twinkled with the anticipation reminiscent of a child on Christmas Eve. A normally serious man by both nature and nurture, Yi only allowed himself two flights of fancy in his life, his marriage to Bunny Vandercamp and his passion for ancient Chinese artifacts. Kira couldn’t quite grasp his attraction to either but still found herself smiling at the way his face lit up in anticipation of sharing his prized possession with the rest of the world, whatever it was that had been worrying him when he visited her office earlier in the day apparently forgotten in his giddiness. But even as she smiled at him, she once again felt the icy chill of unease shiver down her spine. Impulsively, she glanced over in the direction that she had last seen Ethan and found that he, along with Jeremy, had disappeared. Biting her lower lip nervously, she scanned the entire room but he was nowhere to be found.
At precisely nine o’clock, Yi stepped up to a podium situated in the middle of the room and spoke into the microphone positioned in front of him. “Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you all for gracing me with your presence this evening. But I know that it is not me you have come here to see so without further ado, I present to you The Dragon’s Breath.”
In response to his announcement, the lights in the room suddenly dimmed. Walking over to the large display case prominently placed in the middle of the room beneath a system of spotlights that now bathed the glass case in shimmering shades of red, orange and yellow, creating the visual illusion that it was being consumed by fire. With careful deliberation, he pressed a button hidden within the base of the specially designed pedestal on which the display case sat. With a soft whir, the bottom of the display case opened wide and Yi smiled with anticipation of The Dragon’s languorous rise from the hidden compartment inside of the base of the pedestal. However, that smile quickly turned to a grimace when he glanced into the case. His soft brown eyes blinked in disbelief, unable to immediately process what he was seeing
Or rather what he wasn’t seeing.
A murmur of gasps and shocked whispers rolled throughout the room like an audible tidal wave, confirming what his mind didn’t want to believe. The case was empty.
The Dragon’s Breath had been stolen.
CHAPTER FOUR
Kira rubbed at the pain throbbing relentlessly at her temples with the tips of her fingers. Reaching into her small evening bag, she pulled out a bottle of aspirin, grateful that her knowledge that Ethan would be present at the exhibit had given her prior warning that the event would result in one big headache for her and that she had packed accordingly. Although, as she looked around at the swarm of police officers filling the exhibition room, she realized that she had not been at all prepared for this, nor for the fact that it would be Ethan’s absence rather than his presence that would be the cause of her headache. Downing both of the aspirin with a mouthful of tepid champagne, she made her way over to Yi who was in the process of verbally dressing Gabriel down in rapidly spoken Chinese.
“I’m sorry, Father,” Gabriel said shamefacedly. “I don’t understand how this happened. I promise you I took every precaution.”
“Obviously, you did no such thing. Otherwise, The Dragon’s Breath wouldn’t have been stolen,” Yi angrily spat out as he suddenly switched to reprimanding his son in English.
“You can’t blame Gabriel for this,” Jade insisted, once again jumping to Gabriel’s defense as she had been doing ever since the discovery that The Dragon’s Breath had been stolen.
“Of course he can, since it’s all Gabriel’s fault,” Jeremy piped in, not even bothering to hide his pleasure at the turn of events. “I said from the beginning that it was a mistake putting Gabriel in charge.”
“Yes, you did,” Yi replied, turning his attention pointedly towards his other son. “And I promise you I won’t be making that mistake again.”
“Don’t say anything that you’re going to regret, dear,” Bunny cautioned as she placed a calming hand on Yi’s arm.
“The only thing I regret is putting too much faith in Gabriel to begin with.” With that, Yi stalked towards the exit with Bunny trailing along in his angry wake, brushing past Ethan as he entered the building.
Kira’s eyes narrowed as she immediately made a bee-line towards Ethan, intercepting him before he could reach the remaining Wong family. “Where have you been?”
Ethan eyed her curiously. “I needed to cool off after my run in with Jared so I went for a walk around the grounds. Yi looked like he was fit to be tied,” Ethan said as he looked around the room. “And I can’t help but notice a distinct up-tick in police presence here. What happened?”
“Don’t pretend like you don’t know exactly what happened here,” Kira snapped angrily.
Ethan's eyes hardened in response to Kira's accusatory tone but he kept his own tone light and irritatingly pleasant. “OK. Then why don’t you pretend that I don't know what happened here and tell me anyway.”
“The Dragon’s Breath has been stolen. By you!”
A wry smile curved Ethan’s lips. “So, according to you, I’ve progressed from computer hacker to antiquities thief all in the course of one day. How versatile of me.”
“Don’t play coy, Ethan. It doesn’t suit you. You and I both know that you are not exactly a stranger to making off with things that don’t belong to you.”
“If you’re referring to Enclave...”
“No, actually I’m not referring to Enclave,” Kira replied, as
she lowered her voice to a whisper. “I’m referring to your… extracurricular activities.”
“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Ethan insisted, appearing for all the world to be speaking the truth which only served to further infuriate Kira.
“Cut the crap, Ethan!” Kira snapped loudly. “After our disastrous relationship in Las Vegas, I decided to have you investigated, foolishly reversing the proper order of things I will admit, but what I found out was very interesting. Not to mention incriminating. Do you know what I’m talking about now or should we discuss a certain Degas that disappeared from the home of a certain South American dictator five years ago.”
“Would you please lower your voice,” Ethan demanded in a low whisper as he glanced around at the uniformed police officers still milling around the scene of the crime, his previously genial demeanor suddenly turning to annoyance when faced with evidence that he hadn’t been as careful at covering up his activities as he’d thought he'd been. “Let’s take this outside.”
Without waiting for Kira to reply, Ethan grabbed her by the arm and ushered her out of a nearby door that led to an adjacent courtyard.
“Now, tell me. Where on earth did you get the idea that I stole a Degas?” Ethan asked, eager to find out which of his admittedly shady associates had ratted him out.
“It's not my idea, it's Interpol’s. As it turns out they have a rather thick dossier on the subject.”
“Oh, that,” Ethan replied with a dismissive wave of his hand as his body visibly relaxed. “You shouldn’t believe everything you read in Interpol files.”
“Are you denying you stole it?”
Ethan watched Kira thoughtfully as he contemplated his answer. The convenient thing to do would be to lie to her, and goodness knows he certainly wasn’t above lying when it was convenient, but for some reason the thought of lying to Kira left a bad taste in his mouth.
“I’m not the same man that I was back then,” Ethan replied noncommittally.
“So you’re saying that you’re not a thief anymore,” Kira asked, shocked that she was receiving even this much candor from Ethan.