by Taylor Lee
“You need to understand, Alex. Elena refused to let us contact you. She was adamant that you stay in China. She knew if you found out what happened to her, you would insist on coming home.”
“My only sister, my twin sister, for God’s sake, is attacked and almost raped and killed? And I find out about it six months later? What the hell were you thinking, Father? You know what Elena means to me. She needed me. Goddamnit, I didn’t even know she’d been hurt. If I had been here, I never would have let it happen. And he wouldn’t have had to save her.” Alex’s face contorted with anger and pain.
His voice cracked with anger.
“That’s why she is marrying him, isn’t it, Father? She’s grateful to the son of a bitch and she shows it by marrying him? Goddamn, is she crazy? Are you, Father? Do you have any idea what you are letting her do?”
“Okay, Alex, settle down. Let’s get a few things straight. Yes, Bai did save Elena’s life. She would have been brutally raped and killed by the four men who attacked her if Bai hadn’t killed them all. Not only that, but he saved her life a second time when the Rongue Ri tried to kill both her and Nianzu. They would have succeeded if Bai hadn’t arrived in time and killed their leader. You need to understand, Alex. We’ve come out of one of the fiercest uproars among the Tongs in years. Bai almost singlehandedly stopped the violence from becoming an all out war.”
Alex slammed his fist on the table knocking his glass to the floor where it shattered in pieces. He stood up, shaking with rage, and leaned over the table. His face was inches from his father’s. He spit out the words in his father’s face.
“I need to understand? No, Father, you need to understand! I will not let this happen. Do you hear me? I will not permit Elena to marry that man. He will destroy her like he destroys everything else.”
Wyatt sat back in his chair, his eyes hardening.
“Sit down, Alex. NOW.”
Alex stood for a moment, leaning over the table. Then, squeezing back angry tears, he sunk down in his chair, avoiding his father’s eyes.
Wyatt motioned to the Chinese man behind the bar to bring another glass and a bottle of whiskey. He reached over and filled Alex’s glass, then refilled his own. Wyatt sat quietly for several minutes, giving his son time to regain his composure. His eyes were soft, gentle. He loved this young man with all his heart. He understood the pain and confusion he was feeling. He also knew that Alex was wrong. He waited until Alex looked up and nodded that he was ready to listen.
“Alex, you know Elena. The two of you have been inseparable even before you were born.” A shadow of distant pain tugged at Wyatt’s heart, remembering his young wife who died giving birth to the twins twenty years ago. Alex looked the most like Vivian. He had her blond hair and was the only one of Wyatt’s five children who didn’t have Wyatt’s trademark blue eyes. Like Vivian, Alex’s eyes were brown, almost black. Wyatt thought with a start that Vivian was only eighteen when she died, two years younger than the twins were now. He pushed back the old sadness and smiled at the son he loved.
“Hell, Alex, even though she kept you on a tight leash, everyone knows how close you and Elena are. I don’t think the two of you were apart more than a couple of days your whole lives. Until you went to China and Elena went to your grandfather’s compound to study with Dr. Oleong.
“Son, if anyone knows Elena, you do. No one ‘permits’ Elena to do anything. Hell, I haven’t tried since she was five years old when I gave in to the fact that all she had to do was flash those sapphire eyes at me and toss that red hair and I was a goner. But it’s more than that, Alex. Elena loves Bai. Three days from now, they will marry. Bai will be Elena’s husband and your brother-in-law.”
Alex’s face flushed as he visibly struggled to control his fury.
“Father, do you know who he is? Truly is? He is famous in China. Infamous! Notorious! Everyone is talking about him. He is a goddamn warlord. They call him the modern day Genghis Khan. Seizing territory, grabbing leadership, killing anyone who gets in his way. That’s how they see him in China, Father. He is despised, hated!”
Wyatt’s lips twisted in a half smile. Thinking back, he remembered how many people ascribed to him all the things Alex was saying about Bai. He asked in a mild voice, “Is it hatred they feel for him, Son? Or a combination of fear and respect, with a little envy thrown in?”
“I can’t believe you are saying that, Father. I can’t believe that you want Elena to be a part of that life. She has everything. She is beautiful. She is talented. She’s wealthy. She could have any man in the country and you are willing to let Bai have her? Subject her to his lifestyle?” He gripped the edge of the table with both hands and said in a harsh whisper, “Father, please tell me you will not let Elena marry that arrogant bastard. Please, Father?”
Wyatt looked his son in the eye. “Number one, Alex, Bai is not a bastard. He is my wife’s brother, your grandfather’s son. And, yeah, Alex, now that Bai has taken over for Wan, he is the leader of the Sing Leon, the largest and most violent Tong this side of China. I’m not surprised he is a legend in China. Hell, he’s one here in this country and he isn’t even thirty years old.”
Alex shook his head. His voice was bitter. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you admire him, Father.”
“Alex, Bai saved Elena’s life twice. Not only that, when he was eighteen years old he saved Deshi’s life. Like me, he is a kung fu grandmaster. He lives that creed in every element of his life. You and Elena are both kung fu masters. You know first hand the discipline and talent it takes to be a grandmaster. Bai was a grandmaster at the age of seventeen, a record as far as I know.”
Pinning his son with a hard glare, Wyatt took a drag off his cigarette.
“Most important, Alex, Elena has chosen Bai to be her husband. She deeply loves him and he loves her. And yeah, Alex, I admire Bai. When he and Elena marry on Friday, I will be honored to call him my son-in-law.”
Alex stared at his father in disbelief. He sat frozen for a moment, then stood and stalked out of the tavern, unable to stop the frustrated tears that rolled down his cheeks.
Wyatt shook his head in resignation. Downing the last of his whiskey, he walked over to the bar and threw down several large bills.
The wizened up tavern owner, who had known Wyatt for years, smiled and bowed, acknowledging his generosity. Wyatt, the famed moneyman and former governor of Wyoming, was well-known in the Chinese community. Years ago, the Triads had ordered him killed for breaking the prohibition against non-Chinese practicing kung fu. Wyatt killed the assassin they sent and over the years killed his way to the top of their violent art and became a hero to the Chinese. His reputation was further enhanced when he married Lei Chang, the daughter of Wan Chang, the legendary leader of the Sing Leon. If that wasn’t enough, now his only daughter was about to marry the Frenchman, the closest thing to a folk hero among the immigrant Chinese, young and old alike.
“I have a question, governor. How come you’re the same good-looking son of a bitch you were twenty years ago? You gotta be pushing fifty.”
“Hell, Charlie, I been fifty for two years now.”
“And all you got is a little grey in that handsome head of yours? Christ, I think the women like that even better than the solid black. At least it seems so. I‘ve never seen a man attract as much attention from the ladies as you do. Hell, you walk down the street and every head turns.”
Wyatt grinned and his eyes twinkled.
“That’s what I mean, there’s that famous twinkle. Course you and I know that sparkle hides a hell of a lot of mischief. More than your share of danger, right, governor?” He added with a grin, “But whether they’ll admit it or not, the ladies love a dangerous man.”
“You oughta know, Charlie. You have almost as many kills under your belt as I do. Hell, what are you on? Your fifth or your sixth wife?”
Charlie’s wrinkled up face cracked in a wide smile. He said with mock dismay, “Never did figure out to bed ‘em, not wed ‘em.�
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Wyatt laughed and threw another bill on the bar. Charlie picked it up with a grateful nod and stuffed it in the drawer. He looked at Wyatt with a knowing smile.
“That your oldest son, governor?”
“Yeah, Charlie. That’s Alex, Elena’s twin brother. He just got back from six months in China.”
“Just in time for the big wedding?”
“Yep, Charlie. Just in time for the wedding.”
“It don’t seem like your boy is real happy about the wedding, governor.”
Wyatt sighed, then grinned at the old man.
“You know how brothers are, Charlie. Possessive as hell. They think no one is good enough for their sisters.”
Charlie nodded in sympathy.
“Ain’t that the truth, Wyatt. Ain’t that the truth.”
Wyatt nodded in return and clapped his arm around the old man’s shoulder. He gave him a friendly hug then walked out to the wharf to help Alex and his men load Alex’s trunks in the waiting cart.
~~~
Wyatt and Alex rode up to the villa that Bai was renovating for Elena. It was on the outskirts of San Francisco, bordering the vineyards Wan and Bai bought five years earlier. Bai bought the magnificent villa as a wedding present for Elena. For months, scores of workmen frantically worked to ready the Spanish hacienda and surrounding grounds according to Bai’s exacting specifications. The twenty thousand acre compound stretched from the edge of the city to the rolling hills surrounding the vineyards. It included desert flatlands, grassy mesas, rocky canyons, and vegetation of every variety, from towering pines to desert scrub.
Alex was overwhelmed by the beauty of the villa. It was extraordinary. He was accustomed to wealth and opulence, but this was beyond even his father’s Wyoming ranch and Wan Chang’s palatial home. Everything about this complex spoke to superb craftsmanship and sophisticated understanding of the marriage between beauty, comfort, and understated elegance. Plagued with resentment, Alex knew it was Bai’s vision and taste that made it what it was. Knowing that Bai created it for Elena, he tried to choke down his jealousy, stifle the rage that threatened to consume him.
~~~
Alex saw his grandfather, Wan Chang, standing in the courtyard waiting for him. Nearing seventy, the only sign of Wan’s age was his head of steal gray hair. A lifetime of daily kung fu practice had kept his body as lean and strong as a twenty year old. Alex took a deep breath when the legendary Tong leader’s normally stern face softened and his eyes misted when he caught sight of him. Alex had been a serious child, vulnerable to his outrageous sister’s every whim. He had always looked up to Wan with adoring eyes – hoping for his approval.
Alex remembered the first time he had dared to look to the imposing Tong leader for approval. When his father and Lei married, their son, Deshi, crawled up on Wan’s lap and said in his two year old lisp, “I lover you granfatter.”
Alex had stepped back, not able to hide his tears. But his ever irrepressible sister, Elena, stared at the stern Chinese man and, lifting her little defiant chin, asked, “Are you Deshi’s grandfather?” When he nodded, she demanded, “What about me? And what about Alex? Are you our grandfather, too?”
Wan had looked at the two little white children and said, “Yes, I am. Why do you have to ask?” He reached out and pulled Elena to him. His voice was rough with emotion.
“You are my first granddaughter, Elena.” Alex had been cowering shyly behind Elena, but Wan reached out and hugged him. With a solemn look that Alex never forgot, he added, “And, you, Alex, are my first grandson.”
Wan never looked at the two of them any less adoringly than he did at Deshi and then at the twins, when Gabriel and Jacob were born. He played with the little dark haired mixed Chinese children who were more obviously related to him, but he never treated them with more love than he showered on the red haired hoyden and her serious blond haired brother. He and Elena returned his love unquestioningly. Only when he was much older and knew the complexity of his grandfather’s violent life in a hostile unwelcoming country, did Alex understand the leap that Wan Chang had taken loving all of them, most especially Elena and himself.
~~~
Alex saw Wan coming toward him and seeing the love and joy on the old man’s face as he strode toward him, his arms outstretched, Alex’s mood lightened. Squashing his anger, he gave himself over to the strength and love he felt in his grandfather’s embrace.
Wan led Wyatt and Alex to one of several cobblestone patios that surrounded the hacienda. It had a private seating area bordered on all sides by the color and smells of a thousand flowers. Wan motioned to the maid poised to serve refreshments. He personally poured Alex’s tea and bowed to him as he passed him the cup. Alex was embarrassed by the attention and returned the respectful, loving bow. Wan peppered him with questions about his experiences in China. His grandfather had arranged the trip for Alex, calling on his friends, associates, and distant family to show Alex the hospitality and reverence due to Wan Chang’s grandson.
Wan held Alex’s arm as they walked through the gardens, pointing out the intricacies of the various arrangements. Particularly the elaborate herb garden that Bai created for Elena. Even though he hated to show his jealousy and his anger to his grandfather, Alex couldn’t quell the fury that bubbled up when he heard the admiration in Wan’s voice as he described Bai’s knowledge and the gracious gifts for Elena.
Unable to contain his rising anger, Alex‘s fury overcame his restraint.
“Looks like Bai took a big chunk of what you own, Grandfather, to buy this place. I guess he will stop at nothing – even taking advantage of you – to win over my sister.”
Wan stepped back in surprise. He frowned and looked to Wyatt, who shrugged, quirked an eyebrow, and gave a slight knowing nod at Alex.
Wan took his time lighting a cigarette. Alex’s face heated with a mix of embarrassment at his outburst and anger that he couldn’t hide. Wan smiled at him. His voice was gentle, without judgment.
“No, Alex, you are wrong about that. Everything that you see here is what Bai built off of the acquisitions he made through wise management of money. As well as his uncanny ability to see opportunities that no one else saw, except perhaps your father. Over the last several years, Bai has introduced me to financial opportunities that I never would have known. Rather than siphoning off my wealth, he has built it exponentially.”
Alex felt his cheeks heat. He shook his head to stop the angry tears that threatened to fall.
“I’m happy for you, Grandfather. I hope that Bai continues to show you the respect you deserve.” He hesitated, then unleashing his anger, he glared at both his father and grandfather.
“I don’t care who Bai is, Grandfather. If he takes advantage of you, or in any way hurts you or, God help him, if he hurts my sister, he will have to deal with me. No one, not you, not my father, can stop me.”
Alex turned and strode away. He struggled to catch his breath. His body shook with anger.
He headed toward the stable, intent on finding a horse and getting as far away from the compound as he could. Before he got to the stable, three young boys came barreling across the courtyard shrieking with excitement.
“Alex, Alex, wait for us!” yelled Deshi, echoed by Gabe and Jacob. All three boys threw themselves in a heap on their older brother, almost knocking him to the ground.
“Hey, hey, boys, don’t knock me over. Damn, I’m glad to see you, too, but not if you throw me to the ground,” Alex said with a grin, the first time he had smiled since getting off the ship that morning.
“Damn, I can’t believe you boys.” He turned to Deshi and calling him by his English name, said, “Nick, I think you have grown four inches since I left, and look at you two,” he said in amazement, staring at the thirteen year old twins. Nicolas Deshi at nearly seventeen years old was already past Alex’s chin and the twins were at his shoulder.
“Hell, I thought I was going to be the tallest of the McManus boys, but if the three of you
don’t stop right now, I’ll be the shortest. Man, you three might catch up to Father.”
“I want to be as tall as Bai,” Gabriel said in an adoring voice, his face shining with admiration, “And as strong as Bai, too!”
“Ha! No one is as strong as Bai, not even Father. You will never be half that strong!” said Jacob, ducking away from the attack that was sure to come from his twin.
“Stop it, both of you,” said Deshi in a voice intended to show how much older and coolheaded he was. “Remember, unless you spar every day like Father and Bai do, neither one of you will be even as strong as Liras. He is only ten years old and threw both of you yesterday.”
Both twins whirled on him, loudly protesting, insisting that Liras had not played fair and that they were humoring him.
Alex smiled at their familiar bickering and pushed down his annoyance at their hero worship of Bai. He thought to himself, damn the bastard’s even corrupted my brothers.
A musical voice echoed over the cobblestone walkway. “Alex, darling, there you are!”
Alex looked up to see his stepmother, Lei, coming down the path. Her face glowed with excitement. His breath caught in his throat when he saw her. Lei was one of the most beautiful women he had ever known. Only Elena was as beautiful and they were so different in looks that there was no comparison. Lei was the only mother either Alex or Elena had known. They both loved her deeply and she returned their love fiercely. She and Elena shared a unique bond as the only women in a crowded household of men, but she and Alex had a special relationship, as well. Everyone fell in love with the irrepressible Elena the moment they met her. Alex was quieter and content to live in the shadow of his wild and wonderful sister. But Lei had always seen and celebrated his special talents, making him feel as important to her as Elena was.
Lei’s mother left Wan Chang when Lei was only four years old, refusing to tolerate the violence of the Tongs and Wan’s overt philandering. Lei told Alex she grew up as the beloved but lonely daughter of the leader of the Sing Leon. She was protected and sheltered like a princess in a foreign land. Only when she met the outrageously handsome, commanding Wyatt McManus did she break out of the protective cocoon her strict, adoring father had built around her. Over the years, Alex watched as Lei managed to soften the competitive hostility between her husband and her father. Eventually, the two arrogant leaders of men grudgingly came to accept and care for one another.