by Paula Stokes
“What do you have?” Jun asks.
“A type of technology, developed by a friend of mine. A friend who is now dead, thanks to UsuMed.”
“My superiors have been nothing but supportive and kind,” Jun says. “UsuMed is one of the biggest employers in Southern California. I find it hard to believe they would hurt anyone in the way that you’re saying. Are you all right, nuna? You have had a long journey to get here, perhaps?” Jun’s eyes flick toward the door and then back to me, like maybe he’s thinking of making a run for it.
This is not the reunion I was hoping for. I suppose I should have considered how my story would sound to a stranger—he thinks I’m crazy. “I’m fine,” I say. “But you’re in danger. Kyung Cho is a very dangerous man.” I give him a quick summary of the ViSE tech and how Kyung wants it bad enough that he had Gideon killed.
“But you say this Sung Jin killed your boss, not Mr. Cho. And if the technology was stolen from UsuMed, maybe you should just give it back.”
“I can’t,” I say. “Kyung is not going through all this trouble to obtain the ViSE tech to license it for entertainment purposes. If he’s willing to kill for it, he’s going to use it for something horrible.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know.” I lean my forearms on my thighs, tug at the ends of my wig.
“It’s not that I don’t believe you, but you’re asking me to quit my job. Do you know how expensive it is to live here? If I lose my position at UsuMed…”
“I can help you with money,” I say. “For as long as you need—if in return, you’ll hide out for a couple of weeks until I can clear up this matter with Kyung.”
“Where would I go?”
“Have you ever been to St. Louis?” Jesse said Baz was getting released from the hospital. Even if he’s not in shape to protect anyone, he probably knows someone who could watch out for Jun for the right price.
Jun makes a face like he’s not exactly thrilled by the idea. “No, and I—”
I keep talking before he can object. “I have friends there who could keep you safe.” I try to ignore the fact that Baz couldn’t keep Gideon safe. That was different. Baz didn’t know Gideon was in real danger until it was too late.
“This is all very sudden and a lot to consider,” Jun says. “This technology you’re talking about—maybe if I understood it better, I’d be able to see why you’re so worried. Do you have it with you?”
I shake my head. “No, but if you come back to my guesthouse with me, I have some recordings that you can view. I know you’re probably tired, but it won’t take long.”
Jun shrugs. “I’m a little tired, but mostly I’m just shocked that you’re here. I wasn’t sure we’d ever meet. Of course I’ll go with you.” He grabs his keys and we head for the door.
I’m not convinced vising will persuade Jun that Kyung is dangerous, but the longer I keep him with me, the longer I can guarantee his safety.
* * *
Back at the guesthouse, I load the shark-dive recording into my ViSE headset for Jun. I tell him to lie on my bed and slip the headset on him. After giving him basic instructions on how to minimize external stimulation, I press PLAY. It’s fun watching his involuntary body movements, the way he relaxes at certain moments and goes rigid at others.
Jun finishes the recording and removes the headset. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s cool technology, but why would UsuMed want this?”
“I’m not sure,” I admit. “But Kyung Cho threatened to hurt you if he didn’t get it. Will you please go to St. Louis, just until I can talk to him and we can come to some sort of agreement? Tell your boss your grandmother died or something.” I bite my lip. “I just found you. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
Jun exhales. “If it means that much to you, nuna, I guess I can go. But if I lose my job, I’m going to take you up on that offer to help me with expenses.”
“Done.” I power on my tablet and start to book my brother a flight to St. Louis leaving later today.
“No, no. Not today,” Jun says. “I have a few things I need to take care of first. What about first thing tomorrow morning?”
I start to argue but then think better of it. I don’t have to meet Kyung until tomorrow, so as long as Jun is gone before then, he should be safe. “What about seven a.m.?”
Jun nods. “That’ll work.” He gives me his ID and I book the ticket for him. Then I call him a cab. “I’ll have someone waiting for you in St. Louis.”
“Who?”
“Probably a man named Sebastian, but I’m not sure yet. I’ll call you with more information as soon as I have it.”
“Okay.”
I give Jun another hug. He tenses slightly and it occurs to me that he’s like I am—not comfortable with being touched. “Be careful,” I tell him.
He nods. “You too, nuna. I’ll talk to you soon.”
After Jun leaves, I call Sebastian from a burner phone. He picks up but doesn’t say anything.
“Hi,” I say. “It’s me.”
“Hey,” he says. “You can come home, you know? The cops bought my and Jesse’s story about what went down in the penthouse.”
“I’m glad you’re not getting arrested.” I sit on the edge of the bed, my free hand plucking aimlessly at the blanket’s pilling balls of lint.
“No one is getting arrested,” Baz says. “It’s all good.”
If only that were true. “I need a favor.”
“Oh yeah? What are we talking about?”
“I’m sending someone to you tomorrow morning. I need you to keep him safe.” I scoop all the lint balls into a little mountain.
“Because I’ve done such a great job of that lately,” Baz says wryly. “I’m not quite back on my game yet.”
There’s a clatter from the alley outside my room. I leap up from the bed, scattering the balls of lint across the blanket. I spread the slats of the blinds apart with one hand so I can peer out the dirty glass. Three boys who look about twelve or thirteen are kicking a soccer ball around. A trash can lies on its side.
“It doesn’t have to be you,” I tell Baz. “It can be a friend or just someone you trust. But you’re the only one I have to ask,” I say. “Please. It’s my brother.”
There’s a long beat of silence. “I didn’t know you had a brother.”
“I didn’t either, until recently.”
“I can probably find someone who will keep an eye on him.”
“Thank you.” I pace back and forth as I relay the flight information to Sebastian, still edgy from the noise outside.
“Who’s keeping you safe, Winter?” he asks.
“I am.”
“You know Ramirez is supposed to come home soon.”
“Good,” I say.
“It’d be good if you were here. He might need someone to look in on him for a couple of days.”
“I don’t think I’m the right person to be taking care of anyone else. I have to figure out how to take care of myself first.”
“Maybe you could take care of each other,” Baz suggests. And then, “Have you talked to your therapist since you found out the truth about everything?”
“I was going to, but then I found out I had a brother and that took precedence.” I stop pacing in front of the mirror. I look for pieces of Jun in my reflection.
“You’re not doing anything stupid, are you? Like going after Kyung?”
“What would make you think that?” I try to keep my voice light.
Sebastian chuckles. “Gideon installed a tracking device in the neural editor, just in case someone ever stole it. I know you’re in Los Angeles. If you’re going after Kyung, hold off for a couple of days until I get back in top form. You’re going to need my help.”
“Why would you help me?”
Another long pause. “I lied to you for years and helped Gideon trick you. Maybe I think I owe you.”
“Come on, Baz. You would’ve put a bullet in my brain if he’d asked you to.
We both know you don’t feel indebted to me.”
He sighs deeply, but he doesn’t deny it. “Maybe I owe Gideon.”
“Why?”
“None of your business why.”
I don’t actually know how Gideon and Baz met, whether they were friends before we left Los Angeles or not. I just remember Sebastian being there in St. Louis from the very beginning, advising and looking out for Gideon, occasionally watching me when Gideon was working. “I’ll reach out to you if I need help,” I say. “But right now I just need to get my brother to safety.”
“I’ll make sure he’s taken care of,” Baz says.
“Thanks.”
“Take care of yourself, okay? And call me if you need anything.”
“I will.” I meant what I said about Baz not feeling like he owes me, but there’s something beyond obligation in his voice. Maybe he’s not as cold and emotionless as I thought.
I hang up and call Jun. He doesn’t answer, so I leave a message telling him that a man named Sebastian will pick him up at the airport in St. Louis.
Next I call Kyung.
“Ha Neul.” His voice is a mixture of oil and poison. My stomach curls at the sound of him speaking my name. An image flashes through my brain—my sister in that elevator, blood spurting from a gash in her side. I wish I had the knife that stabbed her. I wish I could use it to cut out his tongue. “Do you have what I want?” he asks.
“I do,” I say, my mind still slicing and dicing him. I struggle to keep the violence from bleeding into my voice. “I just arrived in Los Angeles. I can bring you the tech tomorrow morning.”
“Splendid. I have time to meet you at eight a.m. sharp,” he says. “I trust you can find your way to the UsuMed campus? Once you’re there, just tell the guard at the gate that you have a meeting with me and he’ll call my office. I’ll send someone down to retrieve you.”
“Thank you, ajussi,” I say, forcing myself to address him politely. It’s important that he think of me as weak, as under his control. It’ll be much easier to kill him if he doesn’t view me as a threat.
“No, thank you. I look forward to our reunion.”
I flinch. I have no idea what will happen when I come face-to-face with this man. “What assurances can you give me that my brother won’t be harmed?”
“You have my word. As long as you have kept your part of the bargain, I will keep mine.”
“And if your word doesn’t mean much to me?”
“I’ve already started the paperwork to give Jun a promotion. No more sweeping floors for him. I’m moving him to a night security position. Better pay and he’ll still have days off to attend university. You are doing a great service for your brother,” Kyung says.
“And what are you going to do with the tech?”
“Turn it over to Phantasm,” Kyung says. “Or perhaps UsuTech. I am not an expert in such things as Ki Hyun was. I am merely obeying the orders of my superiors.”
I don’t believe him, but there’s really nothing else to say. Tomorrow, once Jun is safely on a plane to St. Louis, I’ll meet with Kyung and give him the headset and disabled neural editor. He’ll come after me once he realizes it doesn’t work, so I’ll either have to hide somewhere until I can figure out the best way to kill him or pretend I didn’t know it was broken and offer to help him fix it.
A couple of days ago I would have just walked up to him and stabbed him in the throat, even if that meant being gunned down by one of his men or being arrested. But meeting Jun has made me rethink that. I can’t leave my brother right after I found him. He might need me, and even if he doesn’t, I should be there for him just in case. Knowing Jesse is getting out of the hospital has changed things too. I’m not alone, like I thought I was. I have a brother and a friend. I could still have a life of sorts, if I can just figure out a way to kill Kyung and live.
CHAPTER 8
I awake in the middle of the night to the sound of breaking glass. There’s a swishing noise and a soft thump. I reach instinctively for one of my throwing knives on the bedside table. My fingers close around the hilt just as someone else’s hand clamps down over my mouth.
“Don’t say a word, bitch,” a harsh, guttural voice warns me.
Male, I think. Twenties to thirties. Probable smoker. I’m about to lash out with my knife when I feel the barrel of a gun jamming into my side.
“Drop the knife,” a second male voice says.
I hesitate and one of the men plucks it out of my grasp. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I realize both of the men have guns. I could probably subdue one of them, but multiple assailants with multiple weapons? That fight only lasts for more than a few seconds on television. In the real world, one unarmed girl usually loses.
“What do you want?” I ask, trying to make my voice sound fearful. It doesn’t take a whole lot of effort.
The bathroom light buzzes to life and suddenly I can see their faces. It’s a bad sign that they’ve chosen not to cover them. If they’re not worried about me going to the cops with a description of them, then they’re probably not planning on letting me live. My gaze flips back to their weapons. Both guns have silencers—another bad sign.
“Kyung sent us to collect the ViSE stuff,” the shorter man says. He’s Korean like me, with a buzz cut and a tattoo of a snake on his neck. “I’m guessing this is part of it.” He lifts the headset off my head while it’s still recording. A slight shock moves through me.
“Kyung and I had a deal,” I say. “We’re supposed to meet tomorrow.”
“That deal did not involve you tracking down your brother and attempting to disappear him before Kyung even realizes you’re in town.” The taller assailant steps forward out of the shadows, his gun aimed. He’s American, with broad shoulders and ice-blond hair that reminds me of a wig I used to wear.
I don’t respond. Blondie holds his gun to my head while Snake Tattoo starts going through the drawers, which are all empty. He finds my suitcase under the bed, paws through clothes and wigs until at last at the bottom he finds the neural editor. My stomach clenches as I watch him hold it up so his pal can see. At least they didn’t find the envelope of ViSEs and paperwork I have stashed under my mattress or the flash drive hidden in the snowflake necklace that I’m wearing.
“Is Jun okay?” My hands start to shake at the thought of something bad happening to him.
“He’s not our concern,” the Korean man says. “Right now, he’s not yours either.”
“How did you know where to find me?” I ask. “Did you follow me from UsuMed?” I want them to say yes. The alternative is that my brother is on Kyung’s side—that he betrayed me. I cannot take any additional betrayal from men who are supposed to care about me.
“Mr. Cho knows where to find everyone,” Snake Tattoo says. His eyes trace the length of my body. The sweatpants and T-shirt that I sleep in suddenly feel revealing. “He’s looking forward to seeing you again.”
Revulsion courses through me. “Well, I don’t ever want to see him again. You have what you want. Now go.”
Blondie gestures toward the window with his gun. “Our orders are to bring you with us.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
He jams the gun back into my ribs. “We’ll take you by force if we have to.”
“Really?” I ask, struggling to hold my voice steady. “Are you going to shoot me? Because I don’t think that’s quite the reunion Kyung has in mind. I’m the only person left who understands the ViSE technology. If you shoot me, you’d better hope he doesn’t have any questions.”
The men exchange a glance and I know I’m right. If Kyung wants them to bring me in, it’s because he thinks he might need me. The Korean man lashes out with no warning, backhanding me across the face with his gun. My head snaps sideways and I taste blood. The room goes a bit hazy as a piece of duct taped is secured over my mouth.
“Here’s the thing,” Snake Tattoo says. “You’re right. We’re not supposed to kill you. But I know eno
ugh about anatomy and first aid that I can shoot you multiple times without much danger of you dying. So if you enjoy the use of your hands and feet, you’ll stop fighting us.”
I consider my options as I struggle to take in a breath. I’ve never been shot. Jesse told me it was like being hit with a sledgehammer. I imagine that pain inflicted upon one of my feet. I can’t go after Kyung if I can’t walk. I exhale slowly, focusing on my hands, which are still trembling slightly. As my vision clears, I glance around the room again, looking for anything that might help me escape.
Blondie wriggles through the window and out into the night. He turns to reach back through the opening for my shoulders. Snake Tattoo has my feet. I am still stinging from the blow to the head, but I realize that the men are using both hands to pass me through the window, their guns temporarily holstered. I sense an opportunity. If I can get the man inside to let me go, I might be able to escape from the one outside. We’re only a few blocks away from a major street and I’m positive I can outrun these guys. They won’t try to abduct me in a place with lots of potential witnesses.
I bend my knees and then kick hard. My left foot connects with Snake Tattoo’s jaw and he reels backward into the center of the room. I try to rotate around, but the momentum pulls me downward and I fall back through the window into the guesthouse. Snake Tattoo has his gun out, but I push the weapon up and away from me. His hand hits the wall and the gun falls, skittering across the hardwood floor.
I slam my palm into his nose, hoping to disorient him enough that I can escape the room before the American man can maneuver his wide shoulders back through the window. But I’m too late. Blondie grabs me from behind as I reach for the door to the hallway. He yanks my hair so hard I see stars. He presses his gun to my kneecap and cocks the hammer. “On the ground,” he says.
I pull the duct tape from my lips. “Why don’t you just take the tech and leave?”
Blondie pushes me roughly to the floor. “All the way down. Lie on your stomach.”