by Joanna Shupe
Lee held up his hand and the men on the third floor stopped firing their weapons. Cavanaugh and Kelly waited as well.
Calvin jumped to the ground, fury spreading like malaria in his blood as his muscles tightened. No form of retribution would be too harsh for what Lee had done. Strangling, stabbing, shooting . . . that was much too easy. Calvin wanted to rip Lee’s limbs off and force him to watch as they were fed to the ever-present pigs roaming the city.
Calvin narrowed his eyes on the man who’d caused so much pain and destruction. “You goddamn bastard,” he shouted. “You had her this whole time. Drugging her. Starving her.”
“It is not my fault if she demanded opium from me during her stay. I tried to keep her as comfortable as I could while—”
“She was chained to the bed!” Lily yelled from somewhere behind Calvin.
Calvin ground his back teeth together, hands shaking with the need to enact retribution on Lee. He stalked forward, heedless of the men waiting nearby. “Death is too good for you.”
“You cannot kill me,” Lee taunted. “There are too many witnesses, and I pay the precinct handsomely. As well-known as you are, you will not get away with it.”
The clatter of horses could be heard, steadily increasing in volume, but Calvin ignored the sound. “You might be right,” Calvin told Lee, “but I’ll enjoy trying.” He raised his fist, but someone grabbed his hand from behind.
“Cabot, wait.” Cavanaugh held Calvin in a tight grip. “We don’t need to kill him. Hear that sound, Mr. Lee? That is what we call the cavalry.”
“What do you mean?” Calvin asked.
“We cabled a friend of ours, one with astounding political influence. He’s bringing policemen not on your payroll.”
Calvin laughed, a genuine bark of laughter. Hugo was a fucking genius. “Prepare to be raided, Mr. Lee.”
* * *
Calvin watched as Lee and his men, wrists bound in shackles, were loaded onto police wagons. Lee spared one final glare for Calvin before being shoved into the back of the vehicle. If Lee had retribution on his mind, the article Calvin planned for tomorrow’s late edition of the Mercury would certainly prevent it. Calvin meant to ensure that Lee’s days of running Chinatown were over.
He rolled his shoulders. Every single inch of his body ached, from his scalp down to his toenails. Hugo had long departed, taking his wife home and sending for a physician. The months of captivity had taken a toll on her, not to mention the addiction to laudanum. She and Hugo would need time to recover and heal.
But the ordeal was finally over.
Mostly because Hugo had rallied friends and allies after Calvin had surrendered to Lee. Yet another instance when Hugo had saved Calvin’s life. God willing, this would be the last.
Ava Sloane came up alongside him. She’d arrived on the scene shortly after her husband. “Cabot, I think I have enough to start writing.” She held stacks of notes in her hand, her interviews and descriptions of what had transpired there tonight. Calvin was allowing her lead on the story, a scoop no other reporter in town would get. “I’m headed to the office to start.”
“Go home and get some sleep, Sloane. The story can wait until the morning.”
She shook her head, a stubborn reaction he should have expected. “No. It’s all fresh in my mind right now. I’d rather get the piece done and then leave it on Evans’s desk.”
“Darling,” Will, her husband, said as he joined them, “come home. It’s not yet even dawn.”
She faced him and smoothed a hand down the lapel of his overcoat. “I’ll be fine. I’ll take the carriage and be home before you’re even out of bed.”
“Promises, promises.” Sloane bent and kissed his wife’s cheek. “Be careful. I know if I send a police officer to escort you, you’ll likely tear my head off.”
“You would be right. Good-bye, Cabot.” Back straight, she marched toward the carriage, ready to take on the world.
“She is remarkable, your wife,” Calvin told Will Sloane as they both watched Ava step into the carriage.
“Yes, she is. And I could say the same about your former wife.”
Yes, remarkably furious, Calvin thought. Lily had departed soon after the arrival of the police force, not even bothering to speak to Calvin before she and Cora climbed into a hansom and disappeared.
Sloane squinted at Lee’s three-floor building. “Lillian Davies actually climbed the fire escape to rescue that woman all the way up there? That is quite heroic.”
“I wasn’t thinking about heroics when she was stuck on the second landing, bullets raining down on her.”
Sloane chuckled. “Yes, I’m certain you weren’t.”
“Well, Sloane.” Cavanaugh approached the other two men, planted his feet, and crossed his massive arms. “You certainly saved the day with your perfectly timed arrival.”
In addition to orchestrating Calvin’s rescue, Hugo had arranged for Sloane to bring a few policemen to Pell Street to arrest Lee. Instead, Sloane had brought damn near the whole Metropolitan police force.
“Yes, I did.” Sloane smirked at his brother-in-law. “No doubt it pains you to admit it.”
“I certainly have no trouble admitting it,” Calvin said, holding out his hand to Sloane first. “Thank you both for all you’ve done here tonight.” He turned to Cavanaugh and they shook hands as well.
“Any time, Cabot,” Sloane said. “Though I must say, I can’t believe you were foolish enough to surrender yourself to Lee. Fortunately, Hugo kept a level head and sent for us.”
“Agreed. Don’t be an idiot next time.” Cavanaugh slapped Calvin’s shoulder. Calvin nearly pitched forward but caught himself in time. “Would love to stand around, boys, but I do have a wife and son at home waiting for me. I think I’ll bid you both good night.”
“Appreciate you and Kelly lending a hand, Cavanaugh. Good night.”
Cavanaugh and Kelly strolled away just as the police wagon carrying Lee and his men pulled from the curb. Some officers still remained in the building, searching the premises and documenting the vice, but the rest were now departing as well.
“Where will they take Lee?” Calvin asked Sloane.
“To one of the precincts uptown, until they can determine who at the local was on his payroll.”
“Smart thinking. I cannot tell you how relieved I am that this is all over.”
“I bet. Quite a long time you and Hugo have been struggling with this. Is this what Davies used to force the annulment?”
“Yes, among other things. I had to say Hugo’s wife was my own to get any attention from the government officials we approached. Even then, my attempts failed, but they were enough for Davies to catch wind of, and he threatened to reveal me as a bigamist if I didn’t agree to the annulment.”
“That was cold, even for Davies. So what now?”
Calvin glanced over, his brows lowered. “What do you mean?”
“You and Miss Davies. It’s clear you still care for her.”
Yes, but how did she feel about Calvin? He needed to apologize, as well as explain the reasons behind what he’d done. Not to mention tell her he loved her. That was important. Perhaps he should lead with that.
“I plan to go see her. Hopefully set things right.”
“Hopefully? So you don’t expect to succeed?”
Calvin pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes and exhaled. “I don’t expect she’ll make it easy on me. But eventually she’ll listen. I just have to be patient.”
“Well, take a lesson from me,” Sloane said, laying a hand on Calvin’s shoulder. “Be prepared to use every weapon at your disposal, no matter how unfair. The more stubborn the woman, the longer she can hold a grudge. Show no fear and you’ll win her back.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Colleen, put those shoes there into the steamer trunk. I want to take all of them.”
Lily’s maid nodded and collected an armful of shoes, carrying them to the large open trunk in the middle of the
dressing room.
Lily studied her dresses, tapping her finger on her lips. Upon returning home a few hours earlier, she’d taken the world’s longest bath in an attempt to wash away the memories of the previous evening. Then she’d tried to sleep, but she couldn’t stop recalling the afternoon in Calvin’s office. How he’d promised to be honest. Promised to trust her. Lies, all lies.
Calvin had lied to her from the moment they’d met, spinning his version of the truth to suit his purposes. She was tired of being disrespected and duped.
And with the Davies Mining board forcing her out, there was nothing left for her here in New York. Nothing she wanted anyway.
“I changed my mind,” she told Colleen. “Don’t bother with the dresses. I’ll have new ones made in Paris.”
“But miss, what about the journey?”
“Just pack what I’ll need for the ship. Everything else can stay.”
“Yes, miss.”
Lily strode to her dressing table and opened her jewelry box. There were a few pieces she didn’t want to leave behind.
“What is going on?”
Lily looked over her shoulder toward the threshold of her dressing room, where her brother stood. “Hello, Tom.”
He frowned and swept his hand toward her room. “What are you doing?”
Lily shrugged and began sorting through her jewelry once more. “Packing. Colleen, would you give us a moment?” Her maid disappeared into the hall and the door clicked shut behind her.
“I see you’re packing,” Tom said. “But where are you going?”
“Away. I’ll start in Paris. I haven’t planned further than that.”
“How long will you be gone?”
She picked up her diamond and emerald necklace, remembering how Calvin had removed it that one night. She dropped the piece as if it were hot. Sighing, she faced her brother. “I’m not sure. A considerable amount of time probably. All I know is that I cannot stay here.”
There was a sneeze in the other room, catching Tom’s attention. His face softened. “We’ll finish this conversation in a moment, Lily. First, I’d like you to meet someone.”
He stepped farther into the dressing room, drawing another person along. A young Chinese woman came into view. She was lovely, dressed in a high-necked, off-white shirtwaist and a blue skirt. Dark hair was parted and pulled into a simple hairstyle at the base of her skull, showing off striking brown eyes and full lips. Tom didn’t let go of her hand, and Lily realized this was the person he’d told her about a few days before. The girl he was in love with.
Lee’s daughter.
It was the only logical explanation. Obviously Tom had worked with Calvin to keep her hidden from Lee, not that Lily blamed the girl for wanting to escape that cruel man.
“Lily, may I present Ming Zhu, my future wife.”
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Lily said.
The young woman dipped her chin and smiled. “The honor is mine. Your brother has told me so much about you, Miss Davies.”
“Please, call me Lily. Have you been well taken care of these last few weeks?”
“Oh, yes. Mr. Cabot made certain I was well looked after.”
Lily fought to hide her reaction, even as the mention of Calvin’s name cracked off another piece of her battered heart. “Excellent. I know this couldn’t have been easy for you.” She flicked her gaze to Tom. “For either of you.”
“I thought I would die,” Tom said dramatically. He turned toward the girl with his heart in his eyes. “I missed you so terribly.” Ming Zhu stared at Tom as if he were a grand prince and Lily had to look away.
While she was happy for her brother, observing two people so obviously in love caused her to nearly burst into tears.
“I see you didn’t waste any time,” a deep, familiar voice said from inside Lily’s bedroom. A voice that had absolutely no business being in her home. She spun toward her dressing table and struggled to school her features. What was he doing here?
“Hello, Cabot,” her brother greeted. “I hope you don’t mind. I asked Hugo where I could retrieve her.”
“I figured you might.” Calvin uttered a series of unfamiliar words in Cantonese to the girl, who answered in kind.
Silence descended. Lily kept her back to the trio as she flicked through the earrings, necklaces, and bracelets in her box without really seeing them. Her boat was leaving in six hours. She’d hoped to escape New York without having to see Calvin again. Had he come straight here from Lee’s?
“Hello, Lily.”
“Calvin,” she clipped.
“Going somewhere?”
She didn’t answer. Were they truly pretending he hadn’t betrayed her again? That this was any old, normal conversation?
Finally, Tom cleared his throat. “She says she’s leaving New York. But maybe you can talk some sense into her.”
Calvin heaved a sigh. “Tom, will you give us a moment?”
“Of course.”
She heard footsteps thump over the carpets, receding. The door closed, leaving her alone with Calvin. Heart pounding, she fought to keep her voice calm, even. There was only one thing she wanted to hear about from Calvin. “How is Hugo’s wife?”
“Malnourished, addicted to laudanum, and tired. But the physician seems very hopeful. There are no internal injuries or broken bones. Hugo says thank you, by the way.”
Lily relaxed a tiny bit. Hugo would take excellent care of his wife, help her to heal. It wouldn’t be easy, not by any stretch, but it could have been so much worse.
She noticed Calvin hovering, waiting. “Was there something you wanted, Calvin? I’m quite busy.”
“Yes, so I see. You’re running away again.”
The implication was clear: that she was running from him. It angered her, but she would not fight with him. “You know absolutely nothing about what I’m doing. Nor is it any of your business.”
“It absolutely is my business if you’re planning to make me cross an ocean to apologize to you.”
“You can stow your apologies. I don’t want to hear them.” This was ridiculous. She’d just take all her jewelry. She picked the entire box off the dressing table, walked it over to the steamer trunk, and dropped it in.
He came up alongside her. “Well, brace yourself because you’re getting them anyway.”
She turned away, intent on putting some distance between them. Calvin clasped her upper arm, holding tight to prevent her escape. “Wait, Lily. Don’t walk away, please. I want to talk to you.”
She held his gaze. “Take your hand off my person this instant or I will send for the police and have you arrested.”
He blinked, released her, and held his palms up. “Lily, please. You need to hear me out.”
“I’m done hearing you out. All you do is spin more lies and I’m tired of it. There was no reason to keep Ming Zhu a secret from me, especially not after I learned of Hugo’s wife.” She strode to her dressing table. Hands shaking slightly, she collected a few bottles of perfume for Colleen to pack.
The snap of wood caused her to spin around. Calvin now sat on top of the closed trunk, his arms crossed, his mouth flattened into a stubborn, overbearing line.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m preventing you from leaving until you hear what I have to say.”
She let out a dry, bitter chuckle. “Your sitting on my trunk will not prevent me from boarding the ship. Furthermore, save your breath. All you’ll do is spin your deception into some tall tale worthy of the Grimm brothers. I don’t want to hear any more excuses, Calvin. You promised to be honest with me, but you don’t know the meaning of the word.”
Her voice cracked under the strain of acting aloof, pretending she didn’t care, when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Every bit of her body ached with a bone-deep sadness over this man. Why couldn’t he trust her? He’d broken her heart not once but twice. Which painted her as the world’s biggest fool.
“It
was too late!” He pounded a fist on the trunk for emphasis. “I couldn’t very well confess to all I’d done at that point. I knew you’d be livid.”
She studied his expression, thought about all that had transpired over the last few weeks. Calvin meeting with Lee, Newport, Tom’s sudden appearance . . . “You hoped I’d never find out. That you would get Hugo’s wife and exchange her for Lee’s daughter without my knowledge.”
“Wrong,” he said with a quick shake of his head. “I planned to turn Ming Zhu over to Tom. First, I needed Lee to agree to bring Hugo’s wife over and convince him that you and Tom weren’t involved. I didn’t like the idea of handing the girl back over to Lee, not unless she wanted to return to her family. She and your brother seemed in love, so that possibility was unlikely.”
“You found her and Tom in Newport.”
“Yes. In the boathouse.”
Of course. While she’d been searching inside, Calvin had immediately located their quarry on the grounds. She should have started outside instead. “And you asked Tom to lie to me.”
“For your own protection. Lee had to believe you and Tom were uninvolved.”
“And was the man who broke into my house proof that Lee didn’t believe you?”
“No. Lee wanted to injure me through you.”
That matched with what Hugo had told her at least.
“I’m sorry, Lily. You are the very last person I’d ever want to hurt. And I meant what I said that day in my office. I’m not going to walk away from you again.”
“That’s fine. I’ll be the one walking away this time.”
* * *
Calvin bit back a growl. Lily had every right to be angry and he’d certainly arrived prepared to grovel. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be frustrated while trying to battle the rising tide of her anger. He was attempting to explain himself, to help her understand, and she wasn’t cooperating.
“Lily, you’re not leaving.”
A sound erupted from her mouth, part laugh, part huff. “In case you’ve forgotten, we are no longer married. And even if we were, I would not take orders from you.”