“Ok, don’t talk to strangers, especially cops,” Li said, not looking up from his phone.
“No worries,” Jack said as he walked toward Mathias, who was pointing at Thomas and almost dragging his father behind him.
“Dad, Dad! This is Thomas! He’s the guy! He’s the guy that helped me on the train! Nice beard!” He shook with excitement as he finally let go of his father’s hand and embraced Thomas. Mathias’s dad smiled as he came up behind him.
“Thomas? I’ve heard a lot about you. Otto Richter.” Mathias’s father stretched out his hand, and Thomas shook it.
“Nice to meet you. I’m glad Mathias was able to make it home.”
“I am too, thank you for helping him.” Otto ran his fingers through Mathias’s hair. “My family owes you an enormous debt. If it wasn’t for you, we would have never known what was happening and wouldn’t have been able to get him out of that place and to much better places, like…?” Otto looked down at his son.
“Rugby!” Mathias said with enthusiasm.
Otto snickered. “Indeed, a lovely world we live in where I can do my business while watching rugby with my son.” Otto and Mathias beamed with joy.
Thomas smiled and looked down. “It is wonderful. Sorry I didn’t do more. Seeing that he made it safely takes a lot of worry off my shoulders, some guilt too.”
Otto shook his head. “No need for those emotions. Your help still got him home safely, and again I am truly thankful for that.”
A dull female voice boomed over the intercom, announcing the boarding of Thomas’s plan.
“That’s my flight, I’m going to have to go.”
“Yes, we are going to have to go, too, but if you are ever in Germany, give us a call, and we will have you over for dinner.” Otto drew out his business card and gave it to Thomas. Otto’s name was printed nicely on the card with the law firm’s name under it. “Or if you need absolutely anything, don’t hesitate to call.” Otto shook Thomas’s hand and looked Thomas in the eyes and said with a sincere tone, “I don’t think I can ever repay you for what you have done for my family, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try.”
Mathias rushed in and gave Thomas a hug. “You’re the best Thomas!”
Thomas returned the hug, trying frantically to contain the emotions rushing through his body. “No, I’m not.” He whispered. They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Jack gained control of his emotions before reuniting with Li.
“So, how’s your friend?” asked Li, still looking at his phone.
“Good, better than I thought.” Jack glanced at the card again before placing it in his wallet with his fake ID and empty credit cards. Jack wondered, for a moment, if that small reunion just blew his cover. He pushed that thought out of his mind with the joy of seeing the small boy from Amsterdam safe and happy. Jack smiled again and remembered the core of this quest, for people like Mathias.
Fifteen minutes passed till they announced coach to board the plane and another fifteen minutes until Li and Jack got to their seats at the end of the aircraft. A large couple sat across the aisle from them with noise-canceling headphones on, eyes shut tight, and hands firmly grasping each other. The two seats in front of them were occupied by two older men who were already asleep before the plane even took off.
Once they were in flight, Li started to lecture Jack. “Okay, before we get to Hong Kong there are some basics you need to know.”
“Ok,” responded Jack. “Like what?”
“First, what do you know?” Li stared down the aisle looking for the stewardess and the food.
“Well, I know that three major triads run around Asia. The Red Dragon is the strongest and largest, followed closely by the Yellow Sun and the Gray Mountains. That’s all I know.”
Li nodded, still looking down the aisle before slumping back in his seat. “You know about as much as any Wiki does on the matter. But that’s not a lot.” Li slowly placed his focus on Jack. “Technically they aren’t all triads. The Yellow Sun is a yakuza while the other two are triads because of where they all are based. Yellow Sun is from Kobe, the Grey Mountains from Shanghai, and the Red Dragon from Hong Kong.” The stewardess approached them with her cart. “Finally,” said Li.
Once they had gotten their food - the option of fish or fish - and drinks, they returned to their conversation with Jack asking, “So, are they structured like the European mobs?”
Li shook his head as he took a bite of his overcooked meal. “Wow, that tastes like shit. No, not really.” Li forcibly swallowed. “Yes, they have a hierarchy like the western mobs, but the triads are more independent than those in the West. Have a pen?”
Jack checked his pockets for a pen to no results. Looking beside him to the larger couple, he saw a pen in the man’s pocket. Jack reached over, stole it, and gave it to Li. Using his napkin, Li drew several boxes in a pyramid style. One at the top with two rows of three boxes below the first one followed lastly by two boxes at the base.
“Starting from the bottom you have your grunts called ‘49ers’, and wannabe grunts called ‘Blue Lanterns’. Moving up, you get your ‘Red Poles’ - they’re like Capos in the European mob. Red Poles control small groups of 49ers and small areas of a city with their rackets. On the same level, you have your ‘White Paper Fan’, advisor to the boss, and ‘Straw Sandal’, the guy responsible for communication.” As Li wrote down the titles in the appropriate boxes, he wrote numbers beside the headings. “Moving on up you get the ‘Vanguard’, ‘Incense Master’, and the ‘Deputy’. The Vanguard finds the right Blue Lanterns, and the Incense Master is in charge of the induction ceremony for Blue Lanterns and 49ers. The Deputy is second in command to the head honcho, the ‘Dragon Head’, though other triads have different names for their leaders. ‘Mountain Master’ or ‘Sun Lord’ are the other names I think.” Li gave Jack the pen and took the last bite of his vegetables.
“What do the numbers mean?” Jack asked as he placed the pen on the floor.
“They are like ID numbers for those positions, and - fun fact - they all start with the number four because…”
“It sounds and looks like death in Mandarin,” Jack finished Li’s sentence.
“Right,” Li’s face was unmoved by the word. Jack wondered if that would change. Worry crept into Jack’s mind. He felt unsure if he would be accepted in the Red Dragon, uncertain if he would be able to climb the ranks, unsure if this insane plan would even work at granting him a glimpse at The Twelve. However, Jack was sure about one thing: death would be all around him. If this scheme was going to work, he would need to get his hands dirty - and bloody. But he felt like they already were. His train of thought was derailed as Li’s phone went off.
“Alright, let’s see how excited they are about our surprise visit, or how mad Dad is,” Li said as he took out his cell and read the email message.
“Wait, so you have been playing the quiet game with them for how many years?” Jack asked. Li’s face grew darker as his eyes moved across the screen. “What’s wrong?” asked Jack.
“Dad’s dead.”
Chapter 5
Rain
J ack and Li stood in front of the Little Bowl, the first restaurant owned by the Lóng family. It was an older, two-story building in one of the cheaper parts of Hong Kong. The neon sign burned brightly above the canopy that covered the few tables outside. Li walked up to the door as Jack paid the cab driver. He checked his financial status and saw it was barely better than a lost dog. Jack had already burned through all his gift credit cards and most of his cash. He followed Li in, more worried about where he was going to sleep that night than his own life.
The inside was much cleaner than he had predicted. Half the red tables were occupied by an assortment of customers. The few waiters, dressed in white button-ups, lingered between tables and the pick-up window to the kitchen. A man in a sports coat and jeans stood in front of the stairs in the back corner of the restaurant. He had a concealed handgun under his jacket. Li made a s
traight line toward the man, ignoring everyone else as they ignored him. The man eyed him approaching. His face at first was stern but quickly changed to joy as Li got closer. They embraced each other with a hug. When Jack saw their smiles, he approached them feeling a little safer. Li introduced Jack to the man, named Yu in Cantonese. Jack lowered his eyes as he shook Yu’s hand, lightly speaking in Cantonese as well. Yu raised his eyebrows.
“Your Cantonese is good, where did you learn it?” Yu asked.
“Spent a few years of my childhood in Macau” Though it may have helped that he brushed up on it the past six months he spent searching for Li. Jack knew that to help gain the trust of a man he must speak his tongue.
“Is he upstairs?” asked Li.
“Yes, and I told him you just learned about your father’s death.”
“Was he angry that I didn’t come to the funeral?”
“No, he was trying to get a hold of you but, he had no clue where you were.” Worry washed away from Li’s face. Yu continued, “You all should get up there. He’s been up there for an hour waiting.” Yu stepped aside, and they walked up the softly lit staircase to the second floor.
Entering the second floor, Jack was surprised by how impressive it was. Half of the ceiling was glass looking up into the night sky. It slanted down before reaching behind the bar, transforming the sky and buildings of Hong Kong into a wallpaper for the room. At the other end of the chamber, six red columns stretched to the ceiling. Carved dragons crawled up each column with the most finite of details. Li and Jack walked past the guard by the stairs and went straight to the red table in the center of the room where a middle-aged man sat. He was well-dressed, his crisp black suit setting off his thin red tie and gold Rolex. Jack took note of the other guards in the corners of the room with sports coats over graphic t-shirts. A bartender stood behind the bar. Jack suspected he was also armed. When Li reached the table, he gave his brother a warm embrace. Jack stood a couple of steps behind and waited to be acknowledged with his eyes down.
The middle-aged man scanned Jack with his dark green eyes, flawless save for the bags under them.
“I take it this is the man that bailed you out?” he asked.
Jack bowed at the waist.
Li answered for Jack. “Yes, and saved my skin. This is Jack Montferrand, Jack this is my older brother, Liao Shang Lóng or by the media for a short time Wu.”
Lóng bowed his head with a chuckle. “A publicity stunt for a silly documentary. I thank you for bringing my little brother home. It is a great pleasure to have him here during this difficult time. Please have a seat.” They all sat down at the round red table. The bartender brought over three identical drinks.
“So, what is this about him saving your life?”
Li filled his half-brother in on their adventure with the two thugs and their daring escape. Lóng’s face was focused as he listened, as if he was studying every word Li said. Jack looked at Li every once in a while, but stared at his glass for a majority of the time, his thoughts wandering to the multiple times Jones saved him in Amsterdam. A guard behind Lóng sat down at a table while another leaned up against the wall. Once Li was finished, he gave his assumption on the matter.
“I think it was the Grey Mountains who sent them, their Mountain Master has always hated me since that one-night stand I had with his daughter.”
Lóng laughed. “Damn, you almost started a war with that little stunt. Took Father a lot of money and opium to keep us at peace.” Silence followed as Lóng sipped his drink. Jack did not interject anything; he only observed, his finger rubbing his glass. Li’s face darkened, he took a sip of his drink and kept his eyes on it. Lóng broke the silence he started. “I don’t think the Grey Mountains did it. They are under new leadership.”
Li tilted his head and looked up at Lóng. “New leadership? What happened?”
Lóng said nothing as he glanced at Jack in an untrusting way.
“Don’t worry about Jack, we can trust him,” said Li.
“Can we?”
Jack noticed the bartender reach under the bar.
“He’s killed for me, cops don’t do that.”
“Things have changed Li,” said Lóng. “A lot has happened since you left.”
Jack slowly crept his hand away from his glass and toward the edge of the table.
“I don’t want to discuss them in front of a gweilo,” said Lóng, using the term for ‘foreign devil’. He added, a bit late, “No offense.”
The bartender brought up a martini shaker and proceeded to make a martini.
“None taken,” Jack answered, his body relaxing.
“I know he needs a job, and I could possibly provide one, but he will have to prove his worth, loyalty, and trust. I know it is very unlikely that they would use a gweilo as an insider to our family business. Especially because of our size at the moment.”
Li frustration cooled and started to agree with his brother but was interrupted by the sound of breaking glass reverberating above their heads. It rained pieces of the broken window upon them as the sound of boots landed on the table they sat at. Jack flipped the table away with no hesitation toward the opposite direction of the exit. Jack grabbed Li by the collar and Lóng by the arm and pulled them behind the flipped table as gunshots filled the air. Jack held their heads down and ran towards the exit. The guard beside it fired frantically behind them.
“Get them out of here!” Jack ordered.
The guard grabbed them and escorted them to safety. Jack took cover behind the column next to the stairs and peeked around the corner to see what he was up against. The gunfire had ceased by this point, as there were no living guards left. He watched as the last bit of the bartender’s life was beaten from him by the invader and his weapon. The attacker stood on top of the bar. He wore a pair of tired out combat boots, army black cargo pants, and a black mask that appeared to be homemade from a single piece of fabric. He was shirtless and covered in a variety of scars. He held a metal Jō staff, which was about four feet long. The assassin turned toward Jack to meet his eyes. Jack faked heading toward the exit, which he was glad he did as throwing stars hit the column he was behind and the doorpost. He heard two steps, and the invader appeared between him and the door. He was impressed by the assassin’s speed, but couldn’t dwell on the thought, as the invader quickly started attacking him. Jack took a defensive posture, quickly retreating and barely dodging the assassin’s attacks with his Jō. After a few misses, one of his swipes hit one of the columns. Jack took his chance and placed his hand on the Jō and punched with his other hand the invader’s bare stomach. His stomach was tense and hard. The assassin responded by jerking his Jō away from the column and stepping forward, twisting his Jō to catch Jack’s hands and keep them from blocking his next attack, then he forcefully struck Jack’s forehead with the point of his chin. Jack fell down on his back. His head throbbing and spinning like it was hit with an aluminum baseball bat, he already felt blood trickling down his face. The invader spun his Jō around his waist before carrying the momentum above his head and bringing it down straight towards Jack. Impaling the tile floor next to Jack’s face, the assassin suddenly stopped and vaulted himself through the side window. A group of men appeared from the staircase with handguns drawn and opened fire over Jack at the window. They ran past Jack towards the window and scanned the alleyway.
“Did you hit him?” asked Jack, holding his bleeding forehead.
They put their guns away, and a shorter guard helped Jack up. “If we did, it didn’t slow him down.”
“Did you get Lóng and Li out safely?” Jack tried to regain his balance, with much difficulty. A guard brought some clean towels and ice.
“Yes, they’re safe. Don’t worry about them.”
Yu appeared from the staircase on the phone. He stared at Jack and continued talking for a moment. He walked over and handed the cell phone to Jack with no words. Everyone was silent as Jack took it and answered.
“Jack? Lóng her
e. I take it you survived?”
Jack pulled back the white towel, now covered in blood, and looked around at the dead bodies in the room. One laid to his left with a throwing star deep in his throat. “More than most. Have any idea who the guy was?”
“No clue. Though I have many enemies, none of them would be crazy enough to send somebody like that.”
Jack looked over one of the dead bodies. One’s neck was snapped, and the jaw was in an unnatural position.
Lóng continued, “I’m thankful you were there, Jack. If it weren’t for you, my brother and I would be dead right now.”
“I’m glad I was able to help. Guess I’ve got a knack for saving Lóng’s lives,” said Jack, thinking that Jones would be proud.
Lóng laughed through the phone as Jack leaned against one of the columns and exchanged his bloody towel for a clean one. “You do. I hope you don’t lose that skill.” A short pause followed. “I know you took a big risk coming out here, looking for a fresh start, a clean slate, and after tonight I am hopeful something can be arranged. But trust is in short supply. So, the price will be high.” Lóng said the last words with a menacing voice.
Jack eyed the former bartender sprawled across the bar, blood running off the bar from his head. He barely considered Lóng’s next question. “Can you pay it?”
“In full,” Jack answered coldly.
“I hope you will. Tomorrow morning will be your second test. Yu will drive you to your hotel room tonight and answer any questions you have. Don’t disappoint.”
The phone beeped as the call ended. Jack handed the phone back to Yu as the sound of sirens came from outside.
“What’s my first test?” asked Jack.
“Stall them downstairs and don’t get arrested,” answered Yu, irritated.
Jack stumbled down the staircase to see two men in suits talking with one of the waiters in the empty restaurant. An officer stood outside.
The Dragon and the Lumberjack Page 2