by Ian Hamilton
“There are a great many ifs attached to your plan.”
“I’ve always found that if you take them one by one, it doesn’t seem so daunting.”
Xu shrugged. “I’ll do whatever you want, but if Lam is successful and we go to Hong Kong, we’ll be there in force. I’d involve Lop, Suen, and maybe a few more men from here.”
“I’d ask Sonny to join us as well.”
“That’s a formidable crew,” Xu said, topping up their drinks. “So now I guess we’re waiting for Lam. When will he contact the Italians?”
“He won’t do anything until you tell him that you’re onside.”
“I’ll call him right now.”
“Thank you.”
“Then what?”
“May and I make ourselves scarce, a few hours later Lam tells the Italians that he’s done a number on us, and then Amanda makes her call.”
“And the invitation to Hong Kong?”
“I think Lam should wait at least twenty-four hours before contacting them again.”
“And when he does, and if they agree to come, we’re talking at least another two to three days before they get to Hong Kong?”
“Something like that.”
“Where do you intend to stay during that time?” Xu asked.
“They don’t know we’re at the Peninsula. I see no harm in staying there until we leave for Hong Kong.”
“Auntie Grace would be happy to have you here.”
“May is involved as well. I can’t leave her alone.”
“I forgot about May,” Xu said. “If you want to stay here in the interim, I’m sure we could find space for both of you.”
“You know, I think it might be best if we stayed at the hotel until we know about Hong Kong,” Ava said carefully. “To be safe, we’ll keep out of sight and avoid using our electronic devices.”
“Whatever suits you,” he said. “I do have some phones that have never been used, if you and May want them.”
“That would be perfect.”
“Okay, now let me call Lam and get that resolved,” Xu said, taking a phone from his jacket pocket.
“I’ll go to the washroom while you do it,” Ava said.
She didn’t need to use the toilet. Her washroom visit was to give Xu the privacy to say whatever he wanted to Lam and the freedom to react to whatever Lam had to say. She ran a tap and splashed cold water on her face as she contemplated the situation. She thought it had improved markedly in the past few hours, and she had to credit VLG’s clumsy attempt at second-party —no, make that third-party —intimidation. Instead of what was essentially guerrilla warfare, with a vague objective and no real timeline, everything had become tightly focused. The objective was now absolutely clear, and there would be a deadline measured in days rather than weeks or months, assuming that Lam and Xu were completely onside. And why wouldn’t they be? She splashed more water on her face and looked at herself in the mirror.
Xu was still on the phone when she returned to the living room. She hesitated about taking a seat until he motioned to her. He covered the phone with his hand. “I’m talking to Feng. He’s arranging to send the phones to your hotel.”
“Say hello to him for me,” Ava said. She knew Feng well. He was Xu’s White Paper Fan, his administrator, and she had worked closely with him in the past.
Xu nodded as he continued speaking to Feng. When he finished, he slipped the phone back into his pocket.
“I thought you were going to call Lam,” she said.
“I did.”
“So quickly?”
“There wasn’t that much to say. I told him I’m committed to doing whatever is necessary. He said he’d call the Italians tonight to tell them his men found you and May in Shanghai and that you’ve been dealt with, and that he’s scheduled meetings with the plants close to Guangzhou for tomorrow.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“It’s too soon to say that, but at least we’ve made a start,” Xu said.
“I should head back to the Peninsula to tell May.”
“I’ll have my car take you,” Xu said, standing up.
Ava started to walk towards the door. Xu went with her, his hand lightly holding her elbow. As they stepped into the courtyard, Ava’s phone rang. She looked at the incoming number and hesitated. It originated in China and looked familiar, but when she couldn’t attach a name to it, she didn’t answer.
“I’ll let Lam know your new temporary phone number,” Xu said as they approached the car. “He’ll call as soon as he has some news.”
“I’m anxious to get to Hong Kong. I’m anxious to resolve this,” Ava said.
“If Lam is his usual efficient self, I imagine you’ll be able to get there by tomorrow night,” Xu said. “One way or another, we’ll fix things for you and May.”
Ava climbed into the back seat and waved at Xu as the car turned into the lane.
Wen was sitting in the front seat with the driver. He had become her regular escort and, it now occurred to her, her bodyguard. “The Peninsula Hotel,” she said to him.
“Yes,” he said.
As Ava took out her phone to let May Ling know she was on her way, she saw that the last caller had left a message. She checked it and heard an unmistakable voice.
“Ava, this is Fai. I don’t know if you’re still in Shanghai like May Ling said or somewhere else. I’m in Beijing and I’ll be here for the next week; then I have to leave for a film shoot in Kunming. I just wanted you to know that I miss you and the others. Being with you in London was wonderful. It was like being part of a family where everyone looks after everyone else. It’s never like that on a film set,” she said, and then laughed. “There I go again, complaining about the hand that feeds me. My agent gets upset whenever he hears me talk like this, but I tell him that’s just him protecting his interests.”
There was a pause, and Ava thought the message was over. Then she heard a whisper: “Call me if you can.”
( 36 )
Pang Fai’s voicemail had jolted Ava. It immediately brought to mind her conversation with May and that odd dream with Uncle and Fai. The possibility that Fai could be gay hadn’t occurred to her before then. As she was getting ready for dinner, Ava thought about their time in London. She remembered sitting next to Fai in a hotel bar. The actress was jet-lagged and tired, a condition not helped by several glasses of wine, and she had casually rested her head on Ava’s shoulder. Then there were the intense hugs, and the way Fai touched her —gently, as if she were looking for reassurance, but affectionate at the same time.
It was also true, as May had said, that she stayed by Ava’s side for most of the week. Ava had assumed that was because she was one of the few people Fai knew and she was in a foreign country whose language she didn’t speak or understand very well. Then she thought about Fai’s parting words, about feeling safe around Ava.
She pulled a final brushstroke through her hair and fastened it up with the ivory chignon pin. She was meeting May downstairs in the hotel restaurant. In the afternoon Feng had delivered the new phones to the hotel and Ava had given one to May. She knew she was being overly cautious about keeping their contact with the outside world to a minimum, but she also knew it was dangerous to take anything for granted.
She was the first to arrive at Yi Ling Court and was seated immediately. She ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio and had started to peruse the menu when her new phone rang.
“I’m in the restaurant already,” she said, assuming it was May.
“And I wish I was with you,” Lam said.
“I don’t entirely believe that,” Ava replied, laughing.
“Considering that you’ve been brutally attacked and your injuries are painful even to look at, I think you’re right —I should steer clear of you.”
“The Italians think that’s happened?” Ava motioned to a waiter for the bill.
“I told Ricci a few minutes ago.”
“How did he react?”
“I have to
say they’re not easy to deal with.”
“How so?”
“He insisted on details.”
“What do you mean?”
“He wanted to know where and when we found you and May Ling Wong, how many men we used, how badly you were hurt.”
“Was it difficult to answer?”
“No. I was prepared, but I was still surprised he asked.”
“Thank you for being careful.”
“I’ve dealt with them often enough to have some idea of how they operate.”
“How did you supposedly find us?”
“One of our associates knows a friend of May Ling Wong. That friend confirmed his hunch that she was in Shanghai. We phoned every five-star hotel in the city and were lucky enough to locate her in one near the Bund.”
“And then?”
“We positioned men at and near every entrance to the hotel. One of our people spotted the two of you approaching. We waited until you were in the driveway before we attacked. My men used steel rods. It didn’t take too many blows to inflict terrible damage. I told him that I wasn’t sure you’d live.”
“How did Ricci react to that?”
“It didn’t affect him one way or another.”
“So now what?”
“I told him I’ve scheduled meetings for tomorrow with the plants closest to Guangzhou and that I’ll contact the others by phone. I promised to call him as soon as I have results.”
“I’m concerned that he won’t believe you couldn’t convince the factories to co-operate,” Ava said. “And what if their agents call the factories directly?”
“Ava, you aren’t the only person who understands the need to construct and protect a backstory,” Lam said. “We’ve already spoken to the factories. They know what to say.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you aren’t on top of things.”
“I know you’re a demon when it comes to detail, but you should know it’s a virtue many of us share.”
“Sorry,” Ava said again, now certain that she had offended him.
“Let it go.”
“Okay.”
“Assuming that my conversation with the Camorra goes as planned, when do you intend to get to Hong Kong?” Lam said.
“I’ll leave tomorrow.”
“Where will you stay?”
“Do you have a preference?”
“Hong Kong is your city, not mine.”
“I like the Mandarin Oriental, so I’ll probably stay there. It might be best to schedule the meetings at the Grand Hyatt or some other centrally located hotel.”
“I’ll tell the Italians the Hyatt is where they should stay and that’s where we’ll meet.”
Ava thought about reminding Lam how important it was to have Dominic Ventola and Raffaello Pandolfo at the meeting, but she bit her tongue.
“I’ll phone you the moment I know for certain what the schedule is,” he said.
“We’ll be waiting,” Ava said.
She ended the conversation feeling annoyed with the way she’d acted. She was so accustomed to dealing with men who needed to be told what to do that it had become a habit. She wondered if she acted that way around Xu as well. It was something she needed to be more conscious of.
“Hi,” May said.
“Lam just phoned to say he’s contacted the Camorra to tell them you and I have been successfully assaulted,” she said, as the waiter brought the bill. “We can fly to Hong Kong tomorrow. But right now I think we should have dinner in one of our rooms. It’s best not to be seen in public.”
“Why don’t we go to my room. We should also alert the concierge that if anyone calls looking for us, they should say we’ve checked out.”
“That’s a good idea.”
They walked down to the lobby and gave the concierge the instructions. When they got in the elevator, Ava drew a deep breath. “I hope Lam can convince Dominic Ventola to come to the meeting in Hong Kong.”
“What if he can’t?”
“Then he’ll have to persuade the Camorra to take him a message. Either way, we’ll bring this thing to a head.”
“You always make it sound so easy,” May said, as the door opened to her floor.
“How often do we fail?” Ava asked as they entered May’s room.
“There’s always a first time. And I have this awful feeling that when it happens, it won’t be a minor event.”
“What’s happened to you? You weren’t this negative when I left you earlier.”
She sighed. “I spent too much time listening to Changxing.”
“You didn’t tell him what’s going on, did you?”
“No, but the moment I told him I might be hard to reach for a little while, he launched into a lecture about how my working with you is adversely affecting the running of our own businesses.”
“Is that true?”
“Not really —I have a terrific team in Wuhan. They make sure everything gets done whether I’m there or not.”
“You need a drink,” Ava said.
“You’re right,” May said, opening the mini-bar. She took out a bottle of white wine and gave it to Ava, along with a glass and the room service menu. “Do you know what you want to eat?” she asked.
“I think so.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“I’ll have steak frites.”
“That sounds good to me. I’ll have the same and I’ll order another bottle of white wine.”
After May got off the phone with room service, Ava raised her glass. “To friendship.”
May sipped her wine. “Someone told me this makes a very good diet.”
“Anyone who believes that is a drunk.”
May looked at Ava with concern. “Ava, are you feeling okay?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I know my little joke wasn’t that funny, but normally it would at least rate a smile.”
“I’ve got too many things bouncing around in my head.”
“In addition to the mess with the Italians?”
“Yes.”
“Like what?”
Ava hesitated, then reached for her glass and drained it. “Some personal stuff.”
“Tell me.”
“I need more wine,” Ava said.
“Don’t use that as an excuse to stall.”
“I’m not stalling. I just haven’t decided what I want to tell you.”
“You know you can tell me anything and everything.”
“Not quite.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve never discussed my love life in any detail with you.”
“That’s not because I’ve put up any barriers.”
“I know,” Ava said. “It’s all me. I’ve just never been comfortable talking about it.”
They heard a knock on the door. May got up to let in room service. The waiter rolled in their dinner on a cart and uncorked the bottle of white wine.
“I’m sorry,” Ava said, when he had left. “I’m just a bit confused. Maria and I are at a crossroads. I like our relationship the way it is. She doesn’t.”
“Meaning?” May said, as she took a bite of steak.
“She wants us to live together, and in her mind that’s a prelude to marriage and having children. I can’t even get past the living together part of it.”
“Surely you spend a lot of time with her when you’re in Toronto.”
“Of course, but we each have our own place,” Ava said. She took a sip of wine. “I know this may sound terrible, but after two or three days together I’m always happy for her to go back to her own home. I like my solitude, May. I like being surrounded by my own things and having my own space. “
“Do you love her?”
“I do, but maybe not enough, or maybe not in the right way for her. She’s quite desperate to settle down, to be part of a domestic duo. I don’t feel the same.”
“She’s given you an ultimatum?”
“How did you know that?”
They ate silently for a few moments. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare, the frites were crisp and salty, and the homemade mayonnaise had just a hint of lemon.
Ava was beginning to feel both stuffed and light-headed. “I should call Amanda,” she said suddenly.
“Why?”
“She has to phone Raffaello Pandolfo to tell him we’ve been brutally attacked.”
May shook her head. “I’ll be so happy when this is over.”
“You have lots of company,” Ava said, reaching for her mobile.
“Yes,” Amanda answered, almost immediately.
“Do you remember the conversation we had at lunch, just after Lam called? Well, it’s time for you to become an actress.”
“Who do you want me to call?”
“You can phone Pandolfo,” Ava said. “When you reach him, you can say that May and I were attacked and there’s some doubt that I’ll live.”
Amanda gasped, and Ava realized she might be forcing her to relive the nightmare in Borneo. “Are you okay?” she asked gently.
“Yes, I’m fine,” Amanda said. “I’ll call him soon.”
“Things are starting to move in our favour,” Ava said. “We need to keep pressing.”
“I have no trouble pressing, but there’s one thing I need to ask.”
“What?”
“If you can get Ventola to come to Hong Kong, I want to be there with you and May when you meet with him.”
“I’m pleased that you do, and we’ll be delighted to have you with us,” Ava said without hesitation.
Amanda paused as if she’d been expecting a different response. “Do you want me to call you after I talk to him?”
“Please.” Ava gave Amanda their temporary phone numbers.
“I’ll speak to you later tonight then,” she said.
Ava put down her phone. “You know, Amanda is a lot stronger than I’ve given her credit for.”
“She wants to come to Hong Kong with us?”
“How did you know?”
“She called me about it earlier today. She was sure you’d say no and she wanted me to convince you.”