The King of Shanghai

by Ian Hamilton

  “Hong Kong is our best bet,” Sonny said.

  “Yes, take me to Hong Kong,” Xu said.

  “We have to get through the border crossing,” Suen said. “How can we when he looks like that?”

  “We need to patch him up,” Ava said.

  “We can buy some bandages, ointment, wraps in the mall,” Sonny said.

  “Suen, did you guys bring a change of clothes?”

  “No, we thought we’d be flying back to Shanghai tonight.”

  “Okay, go and buy Xu an undershirt and a dress shirt — a black one if you can find it. Get a size bigger than he normally wears. Sonny, you pick up a jug of water, whatever painkillers you can get over the counter, and some towels, along with the bandages and ointment.”

  Suen hesitated. Ava guessed he was reluctant to leave Xu.

  “Let’s go,” Sonny said.

  The two men clambered from the car and walked quickly across the parking lot. Ava turned to Xu. “How are you doing?” she asked.

  “Not well, but I can talk,” Xu said.

  “That was a mess back there.”

  “I walked us right into it.”

  “You couldn’t have known.”

  “I should have figured that Wing’s approach to you was just a ploy. It was careless of me to think he would honour our code,” Xu said. His voice was fading.

  “What are you going to do?”

  He took several careful breaths. “Destroy Sammy Wing,” he finally said.

  “You need to know that at least one of the men who attacked us works for Li.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m certain. I’ve met him before.”

  Xu shook his head and closed his eyes. “I cannot say I am surprised.”

  “What will you do if Li is actually involved in this?”

  “I have no doubt that he is. I am also beginning to think that this is more about the chairmanship than money.”

  “So what will you do?”

  “Nothing. At least, nothing right now. His organization is much stronger than Wing’s, and even if it was not and I went after him without having certain proof, it would look as if I was trying to seize the chairmanship.”

  “But you think Wing and Li are partners.”

  “Yes. But it is a partnership that has not really been tested.”

  “And you will test it?”

  “I will go after Wing with more firepower than he can imagine. We will know soon enough what kind of partner he has in Li.”

  “And what do you suspect?”

  “Li will stand by and let events unfold. He will let us fight, hoping that Wing wins but knowing that if Wing loses, he can still blame me for instigating the conflict. I imagine he thinks that whatever the outcome, he is the only one who will emerge with his gang and his reputation intact.”

  “And if you’re wrong?”

  Xu groaned and shifted his weight. “Then instead of a battle in Wanchai it will be all-out war as far as Guangzhou.” He paused, closed his eyes. Then he said, “I am going to turn Suen and my man Lop loose on Wing. When we win, and if I am in no shape to negotiate, you will have to handle it. Suen and Lop are soldiers and they will have blood in their eyes. They will want to kill Wing. I want him alive. I have uses for him.”

  All Ava could think of was reasons why she shouldn’t get involved, but then she remembered her conversation with Xu in his garden in Shanghai and knew this was hardly the time to argue with him. “Why do you want Wing alive?” she asked.

  “If I have him under my control, I can protect my best market. If we kill him, that will give Li an excuse to turn as many other Dragon Heads against me as he can. A dead Wing would cost me votes.”

  “How can you control Wing from Shanghai?”

  “I would leave men in Hong Kong to protect my interests.”

  “It sounds like you’ve been thinking along these lines for a while.”

  He shook his head. “Not specifically, but when you leave desperate men with no options, they will always do desperate things. We need to give Wing a way out that also suits our needs, and then we need a plan to neutralize Li.”

  “By the time we get to that point, I’m sure you’ll be able to handle things.”

  He threw back his head and groaned, biting his lower lip.

  “No more talk,” she said.

  “Things will move fast. You know now what I want as an end result.”

  “Be still.”

  “Ava, promise me. I can’t leave this to Suen or Lop.”

  “Enough.”

  “Promise me.”

  “Xu, that’s enough. You need to preserve your strength so we can get you across the border.” He became quiet.

  Ava turned away from him and focused on the parking lot. Everything seemed normal. Everything except for the fact that the wounded man next to her was waiting to cross the border from China to Hong Kong so he could unleash a war. And somewhere in Guangzhou was a man named Li who had twice tried to kill her.

  ( 23 )

  Suen was back first. He stood outside the car, occasionally looking at Xu and then at Ava. Every time he did, Ava smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.

  Finally Sonny arrived with two bags. The two big men were talking when she opened the door and slid out of the car.

  “We know what to do,” Suen said.

  “I believe you,” she said.

  She watched as Suen put a couple of pills between Xu’s lips and gave him some water. Then he and Sonny went to work. It took twenty minutes for them to strip off his shirt, wipe away the blood, apply ointment, layer bandages, add tape, and then put on the new undershirt and black dress shirt. When they were done, Xu looked drawn but he didn’t look wounded.

  “Put all the bloody stuff in those garbage cans,” Ava said.

  When they returned and were settled in the car, Suen asked, “What do we do when we get to Hong Kong?”

  “See the doctor,” Ava said.

  “I’ll call him as soon as we cross the border,” Sonny said.

  “Xu will need blood,” she said.

  “The clinic has everything,” Sonny said.

  He drove more carefully now but he kept looking in all directions. Ava could see the tension on his face and in his shoulders. He was ready to react to whatever came their way. Suen had the same edgy look.

  “We’re close now,” Sonny said. “The lineups shouldn’t be too bad. Why doesn’t everyone pass their passport or ID card to me.”

  Xu’s head was resting against the back of the seat, his eyes still closed. He reached into the left breast pocket of his jacket and took out his passport. Ava took it from him, half expecting to see it coated with blood. It wasn’t discoloured, but it was damp to the touch. She passed it to Suen. “Wipe it well,” she said.

  The customs and immigration booths came into view. Three lanes of traffic fanned out to line up at fifteen booths. When they finally reached theirs, the customs officer stepped outside to take the documents from Sonny. He scanned them, checking the photo IDs against the occupants of the car. Xu didn’t open his eyes and didn’t move. He looks like he’s sleeping, Ava thought. Without a word, the officer handed the documents back to Sonny and motioned him to move along.

  Driving across the border between China and the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong wasn’t just a matter of dealing with Customs and Immigration. As they left the booth, Sonny’s immediate challenge was to move the car into the proper lane without getting hit. In China they drove on the right side of the road; in Hong Kong it was on the left. Sonny had to make the transition in a criss-cross fashion and hope that everyone in front of him knew to do the same. After a few nervous moments he had the car at the speed limit on the Shenzhen–Hong Kong Western Corridor Highway.

  “Call the clinic,” Ava said to
Sonny as soon as the road was clear.

  “I was going to call my girlfriend instead and get her to arrange things with her brother. I think it would be easier that way.”

  “Whatever you think is best.”

  Sonny pulled his phone from his jacket and hit the speed-dial button.

  “As soon as Sonny is finished, I want to talk to Lop,” Xu said to Suen.

  “Lop?” Suen said, his head swivelling to stare at his boss.

  “Yes, Lop,” Xu said, his eyes still closed.

  Sonny’s conversation with his girlfriend was quick and to the point. When he had finished, he put away the phone and said, “We can go directly to the clinic. She’ll make sure they’ll be ready for us.”

  Suen was now on his mobile. “Get me Lop,” he said, and then paused. “Go get him. The boss needs to talk to him.”

  Xu pulled himself upright. Ava saw him flinch and knew the pain was worse than he was letting on.

  “Wait a second, I’m passing my phone,” Suen said.

  “Put it on speaker and hold it in front of me,” Xu said.

  Suen turned and leaned over the front seat, his huge arm extended.

  “Lop, things did not go well in Shenzhen,” Xu said. “I will be staying in Hong Kong to sort things out. How soon can you get here with sixty men?”

  Sonny glanced sideways at Suen, whose eyes were locked straight ahead, his face impassive.

  “What do you mean ‘not well’?” a strained voice said.

  “I have been hurt, but it is nothing for you to worry about.”

  “Those fucking sons of bitches!” Lop yelled so loudly and harshly that Ava flinched.

  “Lop, I need you to control your temper. This is strictly business. Do not get the men all pumped up.”

  Ava could hear Lop breathing into the phone and knew he was deeply agitated. “If I use private planes, I can have the men there tonight,” he said finally.

  “No, I do not want you to use private planes. Send the men separately on commercial flights and then book them into different hotels. We do not want to raise any alarms or give any warning. But I do want you to move them here tonight,” Xu said. “Sonny, we will need weapons. Can you do anything from the Hong Kong side?”

  “Not for sixty men. Not even for ten men — I don’t have those sorts of contacts.”

  “Lop, you will have to figure out how to get weapons into Hong Kong. We have a shipment of phones and tablets scheduled to be flown here today. Find out the specifics and see if you can piggyback some guns with them. We are paying some people at the airport to turn a blind eye on the shipment, so a few extra boxes should not make that much difference.”

  “I’ll look after it.”

  Xu nodded. Then he slumped back against the seat.

  “Boss!” Suen said, alarmed.

  “What’s going on?” said Lop over the phone.

  “He’s in pain,” Suen said. “We’re on the Hong Kong side and headed for a clinic.”

  “I am getting tired,” Xu said softly. “Let us wrap this up. I want you to take out enough of Wing’s men that he will come begging on his knees to get me to stop. Keep him alive, and do not hurt him — I have uses for him. If I am out of circulation after you are done, I want Ava to handle any discussions with him. Do you understand?”

  Lop said nothing. Suen stared at Xu.

  “Did you hear me about Ava?”

  “Yes,” Suen said.

  “Lop?”

  “Yes, boss.”

  “And Lop, if Wanchai is more than sixty of our men can handle, bring in sixty more. In fact, have them ready and on standby.”

  “I will.

  Beads of sweat had formed on Xu’s forehead and upper lip, which was almost white. The effort of the phone call seemed to have sapped his strength.

  Suen ended the call. “We’ll need somewhere to stay in Hong Kong,” he said.

  “The clinic has beds,” Sonny said.

  “Perfect.”

  “And Ava, you shouldn’t stay at the Mandarin. Wing knows you’re there.”

  “I’m not going to stay at the clinic,” Ava said.

  “Uncle’s apartment in Kowloon is empty for the next month,” Sonny said. “Lourdes is in the Philippines. I can’t imagine anyone would think of looking for you there.”

  “Let me think about it,” Ava said.

  They were in the New Territories now, heading south to Kowloon. They drove through Tai Po and had just entered Sha Tin when Xu found the strength to speak again. “Sonny, we must find out as much as we can about Wing’s operations. Do you know anyone who can identify his men? We need to know who they are and how we can get to them.”

  “The only person I know well enough to recommend is Carlo. He used to work for Uncle and helped Ava more than once. The only problem is that he works for Wing now.”

  “Would he help?” Xu asked.

  “Only if Ava asked him.”

  “Ava, what do you think?”

  “He hasn’t been with Wing very long and might not know that much. I don’t want that held against him.”

  “I understand.”

  “I mean absolutely no recriminations.”

  “I understood what you meant. So, will you ask him?”

  “I might, but not now. Let’s get you to the clinic first. Sonny, where is it exactly?”

  “On Argyle Street in Mong Kok.”

  Ava groaned. Mong Kok was a district near the centre of Kowloon. It was densely populated, and not an easy drive at the best of times.

  She had expected they would be delayed at the Lion Rock Tunnel, which separated the Territories from Kowloon, but they sped through and were soon into the outer edges of the district. They kept moving at a steady rate of twenty to thirty kilometres an hour until they reached Argyle Street, where they ran into gridlock. For ten minutes they inched forward, Sonny muttering under his breath; Ava could see the tension in his neck. Xu seemed to have lost consciousness, and Suen cursed every time they stopped.

  “How far are we from the clinic?” Ava asked. “Close enough to carry him?”

  “About half a kilometre, and you can see how crowded the sidewalks are. I think we’re better off staying in the car,” Sonny said.

  They finally got past the intersection that seemed to be causing the delay, and a few minutes later Sonny parked in front of a women’s clothing store. “The clinic is above the shop,” he said. “I’ll go upstairs to let them know we’re here.”

  Suen jumped from the front seat and opened the back door. He slipped an arm under Xu’s legs, the other around his back, and lifted him clear. “I’ll be right behind you,” he said.

  “I’ll stay here,” said Ava, who wasn’t fond of hospitals or clinics. She watched Sonny open the door and then stand back so Suen could pass with Xu. When the door closed behind them, she reached for her phone.

  “Wei,” Carlo said hesitantly.

  “It’s Ava.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “You’re alone?”

  “Yeah. I’m at home.”

  “Did you hear what happened?”

  “I just got a call. All kinds of crazy rumours are flying around,” he said in a rush. “Who knows what’s true?”

  “What’s being said?”

  “Someone tried to kill Xu and fucked up.”

  “Who tried?”

  “No one seems to know, or else they don’t want to say.”

  “Well, it was Wing and Li.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I was there. They tried to kill me too.”

  She heard him breathing, and even in that she could feel his fear. “Carlo, we need to meet. Is that possible?”

  “Ava, I had nothing to do with this.”

  “My friends from Shanghai want to m
eet with you too, but they thought I might be your better option. Carlo, I’m not blaming you. I just want to talk.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “Are Wing’s men watching you?”

  “Why would you ask that?”

  “They know we’re close.”

  “I don’t mean shit to them. They think I’m an idiot.”

  “So what’s your problem?”

  “Does Xu know I phoned to ask you to meet with Wing the first time?”

  “Yes.”

  “Fuck.”

  “But he’ll do what I want,” Ava said.

  “And what do you want?”

  “Right now I want you to meet with me. Why don’t we start with that?”

  “Ava, you know I would never do or say anything to hurt you.”

  “Carlo, we’re going in circles. Let’s stop, because neither of us has time to play around. I have no intention of hurting you or letting anyone else hurt you — we’re old friends. So tell me, how long would it take you to get to the Kowloon MTR station?”

  “Fifteen minutes.”

  “I might be a bit longer, but let’s say I’ll meet you there in half an hour, at Andy’s restaurant. Call and ask him to set up a small table in the kitchen. I had a meal or two there with Uncle. It’s as private as you can get in Kowloon.”

  “Okay, I can do that.”

  “Good,” Ava said. “See you there.”

  ( 24 )

  She debated whether to go into the clinic or simply phone Sonny. In the end she called him and got his voicemail. “Sonny, this is Ava. I’m going to meet Carlo. When I’m finished, I’m heading back to the hotel to pack. I haven’t decided about Uncle’s apartment yet. I’ll be in touch.”

  She searched in her purse and found a piece of paper and a pen. I’m checking out of the hotel, she wrote. I’ll call you later. She left the backup note on the dashboard and hailed a cab.

  The traffic was as brutal leaving Mong Kok as it had been getting there. Ava got out of the taxi three blocks from the Kowloon MTR station and walked the rest of the way. When she was a block from the station, her phone rang. The screen said burgess and bowlby. She let the call go to voicemail; this wasn’t a time to be distracted. She would get in touch with the lawyers after she was finished with Carlo — after she had some notion of how deeply she was immersed in Xu’s war.