The Gaze of Caprice (The Caprice Trilogy Book 1)

by Cole Reid

  • • •

  They were seated in Room 2 on The Cavendish’s exclusive second floor. The second floor stayed with the elephants, but was more Thai-themed. At the table were eighteen people, seven Dragon Heads not including Deni. Mr. Cheung was there, along with a few more members of the other Triad branches. Missing were the Jade Soldiers. The Moons and the Blues were the only Triad branches with living Soldiers. The Soldiers weren’t required to come to the initiation ceremony. They weren’t needed. The meeting of all Dragon Heads provided its own protection. The ceremony was designed by tradition like the Soldier’s tattoo. The eight Dragon Heads were to be present, representing the eight Triad branches. A bowl symbolizing the dragon egg of Hong Kong was filled with rice wine. All Dragon Heads passed the bowl to their right to let the next Dragon Head take a sip, only Dragon Heads drank from the bowl. All Dragon Heads were required to say something about the others saving the guest of honor—Deni—for last. Deni’s speech was to be at the end. The end of the rice wine. The end of the meal. The end of everything. Although Xiaoyu wasn’t required to attend the ceremony, he was required to take a polygraph test. He had to remain in the hospital for two more weeks after he woke from his coma. Deni wanted to purge the Moons of any untrustworthiness. He had all Moons submit to a lie detector test. According to Deni, he also took the test. Deni’s explanation was to find out if anyone might have had a connection to Uncle Woo’s murder. There were rumors that reached Deni’s ears that someone in the Moons’ organization had to play a part in Uncle Woo’s death. Other Triads knew he ate at the Mynah Prime Palace, but only the Moons knew when he’d be there. There were even Moons at the table with him before he died. Xiaoyu was the last to take the lie detector after being released from the hospital. Afterward, Mr. Cheung took him to an auto repair garage on Jervois Street. As Xiaoyu followed Mr. Cheung into the garage, he saw it was cluttered—not with cars—with people. Seven young men were occupying the tight two-story space. One of the Triads’ telltale black Mercedes was on a rear-wheel jack.

  “They remember you,” said Mr. Cheung. Seeing Mr. Cheung made all of the young men come forward.

  “This is Wang Xi, he’s great at body work and detailing. We don’t take our cars to regular places,” said Mr. Cheung. Wang Xi extended his hand toward Xiaoyu.

  “Congratulations,” said Wang Xi. Xiaoyu took the hand and nodded.

  “This is Huang Sitian, mechanic,” said Mr. Cheung, “That’s Yu Hong, he makes modification to our cars and makes sure they run better than factory specs. And he keeps track of what modifications are legal in Hong Kong. Yue Tian he’s our cell phone and computer guy he also works on cars. Yi Le works with him. That’s Lin Jun who does nothing.” Lin Jun shook his head. He looked at Xiaoyu and said one word, electronics. One out of the group walked around Wang Xi and stood against the wall.

  “Xu Dong, I’m a mechanic and work with munitions,” said the one against the wall. Xu Dong stared passively at Xiaoyu, with steady eyes and a certain amount of something else—fear. Xiaoyu didn’t recognize Xu Dong but Xu Dong was the Alpha of the group when Xiaoyu arrived in Hong Kong at eight years old. He was the Alpha whom Xiaoyu had been made to fight, the one against whom Mr. Cheung said to hold nothing back, the one Xiaoyu sent to the hospital. Now he didn’t care to be the leader, his will wasn’t strong enough to carry the lead; he saw leadership as a fool’s errand.

  “There were twelve in the storage facility when I first came. Where are the others and the ones from the hospital?” asked Xiaoyu.

  “While you’ve been training they’ve been training,” said Mr. Cheung, “They all have their jobs they do. They don’t stay here because it’s too small. The others share a flat in Sai Wan, “said Mr. Cheung, “High Street,”

  “I need them here,” said Xiaoyu.

  “I told them to come when they’re done,” said Mr. Cheung.

  “I need them here now,” said Xiaoyu.

  “Why?” asked Mr. Cheung.

  “The Jade Soldier guards the Dragon Head and leads his arsenal,” said Xiaoyu, “This is not all the arsenal.”

  “You’re right about that,” said Mr. Cheung, “OK.” Mr. Cheung removed his cell phone from his inside pocket and made a call to an oft-used number. Over thirty minutes later, Liu Ping and four others were standing in the garage. Xiaoyu gave Mr. Cheung a look that was easy to translate. You’ve put your trust in me before. Mr. Cheung raised both eyebrows and turned toward the door. The sound of the door closing was the only sound echoing in the garage.

  “Some of you I remember better than others,” said Xiaoyu, “That makes no difference. We’re all here now. Focusing on what has already happened is no way to fight. I’ve seen a lot of fights and the loser is not always the slower or the weaker, but he’s always the most complacent—that dwells on what he’s done well in the past. To fight and win you have to focus on what you haven’t done well and change that—adapt. You have to be able to do it while in the fight, not in between. If you wait for the next bout to fix it, you’ve already lost.” Xiaoyu removed his jacket and his shirt. It was the first time the young men in front of him had seen the Mark.

  “This is what I’m talking about, dragons, Triads, respect, honor. We lost our Dragon Head to five bullets. Those five bullets took our respect,” said Xiaoyu pushing one of the young men.

  “And our honor,” he said pushing another.

  “You understand? Look back and look at the failure of the Moon Dragons. Everyone here bears that guilt. Me overall. Look at it; it’s shame. Now we have to adapt. We have to do things differently. First we look back, looking back I see three bullets in Uncle Woo’s heart. Two in his head. Three bullets form three points. A Triad. Now we have to look forward. And that should be clear to everyone here. Uncle Woo’s killer is a Triad. If you say no, I’m saying he is. That’s all that matters. We have to lean on the other branches, shake the family tree, and see what rotten fruit falls. We put the pressure on and we’ll find our uncle’s killer. They’ll hand him over soon enough.” Xiaoyu looked down at the ground and paused.

  “It won’t be worth hiding him, when we’re done,” said Xiaoyu pausing for the moment, “If you want to talk about me or talk to me, call me Gui.” Devil.

  • • •

  The Grand Bay Island Hotel was near Victoria Park in the Earth Dragons’ territory. The hotel had a built-in sauna and bathhouse bearing the hotel’s name. The sauna did its best to reply to the Roman bathhouses of antiquity, while adding modern updates out of modern envy. Four men sat in the wide steam room called Olympus—two aged, two aging. Although smoking was prohibited inside the bathhouse, one of the aged men did so without fear of reprimand. The conversation ranged from business to politics to retiring. One of the aging men rose to his feet, walking to the middle of the room to stand on top a steam vent. He inhaled steam in his lungs and let it out. He inhaled again but lost the opportunity to let it out. A piece of flesh in the man’s back tore open and he fell face forward to the tile floor as if he had been knocked out. The two aged men and the other aging man absorbed a brief shock. The other aging man stood up with the idea to run and help but realized his friend had been shot. Knowing he would be running into the line of fire, the aging man sat back down. Xiaoyu was the first to appear in their line of vision, followed by Xu Dong and Wang Xi. On the other side of the bathhouse came Liu Ping followed by two of his own. All had guns drawn but not aimed; Xiaoyu was empty-handed.

  “Which one of you is Old Lau?” asked Xiaoyu. The three men sat silent. Xiaoyu grabbed the aged man on the far right and pulled him to his feet by his arm.

  “Old Lau?” asked Xiaoyu. The man stayed silent. Xiaoyu snapped the man’s wrist backward and swept him to the floor. He kicked the man hard in the stomach.

  “Stop,” said the other aged man, “I’m Lau. What are you doing?” Xiaoyu looked at the aging man sitting next to the aged man identifying himself as Old Lau. Xiaoyu kicked the aging man in the shin causing a rattling snap as the man tried t
o hold back his scream.

  “Is he really Lau?” asked Xiaoyu.

  “He is,” said the aging man.

  “Jade Soldier,” said Old Lau, “I can see the Mark on your hands and neck. The jacket is covering the rest. I never picked a Jade Soldier for us. I came close twice but I decided against it. Do you know why?” Convinced the old man was the Earth Dragon’s Dragon Head, Xiaoyu asked why.

  “Decency,” said Old Lau, “I always thought to be a good candidate you’d have to be a decent person. It never mattered to me who was tough or street smart. A Jade Soldier not only guards the Dragon Head, he represents the Dragon Head. Too many boys these days are indecent. It was more common to have a Jade Soldier years ago. Despite war and occupation, people in Hong Kong were more decent in the years prior. I was fond of Martin Ma Woo, he was nothing if not decent. Now you represent him.” Old Lau paused and looked Xiaoyu up and down.

  “With little decency,” said Old Lau. Xiaoyu looked at Old Lau intently.

  “When Uncle Woo was around, things were more decent, but also less complicated,” said Xiaoyu, “Things have become very complicated. I’m here not out of lack of decency but the excess of complications.” Old Lau looked at Xiaoyu with a slight smile.

  “Those dragons have imparted some wisdom on to you,” said Old Lau, “Use it well.” Xiaoyu nodded at Old Lau then spun on his left foot and kicked the old man in the left side of his head forcing his neck into an unnatural angle. His body fell to the floor. The slow filling and hollowing of his lungs caused his back to rise slightly as his body lay on the floor. Seeing Old Lau still breathing, Xiaoyu used a quick kick from his right leg leaving Old Lau motionless.

  Xu Dong holding the same suppressed pistol that shot the aging man shot the other aging man—three times. Wang Xi screwed a sound suppressor onto his pistol and shot the aged man three times. Xu Dong handed his pistol to Xiaoyu who shot Old Lau three times.

  Xiaoyu didn’t waste time. Handing the pistol back to Xu Dong he signaled to Liu Ping to take his team out the same way they had come, through the men’s changing room. The three with Xiaoyu hid their pistols inside their jackets and exited through the women’s changing room. Huang Sitian was waiting outside in a black ’98 Opel Astra. Xiaoyu, Xu Dong and Wang Xi joined him in the Astra and headed East on Java Road toward Quarry Bay, Fire Dragon territory. Liu Ping and his two, Li Tao and Xiu Ying, hopped into a silver ’96 Honda Civic driven by Liu Jingyu and went west, back into Moon Dragon territory. The Civic was followed by a green ’95 Mitsubishi 3000 GT. The GT covered the Civic’s retreat back to Moons’ territory. Lin Jun, Yue Tian and Yi Le rode fully armed in the GT. The last member of the group—Bai Feihong—stayed at the garage on Jervois Street as a failsafe. If for any reason another car was needed, a white ’93 Mitsubishi Lancer Coupe was below ground in the garage’s storage space. The Civic and the GT took a disjointed route back to the garage. The black Astra headed for a busy intersection in Kornhill.

  A classy newspaper kiosk was on a King’s Road corner facing the wide road, deep in Fire Dragon territory. Tabloids and magazines sat in glass cabinets on clear plastic shelves looking toward King’s Road. The kiosk had a glass wall exterior and two granite steps leading up to the automatic sliding door entrance. International editions were on the outside; local editions were on the inside. An antique local edition sat just inside the glass wall interior, behind a high counter with editions of the South China Morning Post. The old man behind the counter was feeble and innocent looking, but for the large moles that jutted out like boils on the upper right side of his face. The largest was under his right eye making it close slower than his left eye. Blinking simultaneously went unnoticed but the old man blinked one eye before the other. Xiaoyu entered the kiosk flanked by Xu Dong and Wang Xi. The trio walked straight to the counter.

  “When’s the next pick up?” asked Xiaoyu. The old man looked confused.

  “You mean delivery,” said the old man, “All the new editions were delivered this morning.” Xiaoyu hopped the counter, while the old man protested. Wang Xi withdrew a P9 pistol from inside his jacket and palmed it on the counter top with his finger outside the trigger guard. Seeing the gun the old man realized the trio had an itinerary. The old man sat back down without saying anything. Xiaoyu rummaged through stacks of newspapers in the tiny back room. He sifted through the tightly packed editions and found treasure. Between every third periodical were forty or so tiny baggies filled with cocaine, ready for sale. Xiaoyu returned to the front and nodded to Xu Dong, who hopped the counter and went to the back room. Xiaoyu stood behind the old man and centered his weight on his two feet. He bent his right arm to rest the forearm against the side of the old man’s neck. He wrapped his left arm around the other side of the man’s neck locking his grip on his right arm and applied pressure. The old man’s struggle was an anxious yawn before he fell asleep.

  • • •

  A black 2000 Audi Twin Turbo parked on a side street around the corner from the kiosk. Two men with facial hair, dress shirts and jeans stood up out of the Audi. The two men approached the front door of the kiosk. The door opened automatically, but seemed more familiar with the two men. The two men entered the kiosk to see Wang Xi sitting behind the counter. They walked authoritatively toward the counter.

  “Who the fuck are you,” asked the shorter man.

  “Excuse me?” said Wang Xi.

  “Where’s the old man?” asked the shorter man.

  “I know it’s his shift tonight but he didn’t feel well, went home. He called me to come take his shift,” said Wang Xi.

  “Well he didn’t call us,” said the taller man.

  “Why would he?” said Wang Xi.

  “Because he always calls us,” said the shorter man.

  “It seems this time he called me. So what?” said Wang Xi.

  “Who are you?” asked the shorter man.

  “A friend,” said Wang Xi. Xiaoyu came over the counter tackling the shorter man within range of the taller man. One rapid elbow to the shorter man’s face broke his nose leaving him semi-conscious. Xiaoyu sent his right foot hard into the back of the taller man’s right knee. He wrapped his arms around the man’s waist. He leaned into the man’s back and lifted him while rising to his feet doing a full spin and dropping the man on his left shoulder. Despite the man’s subsequent struggle, Xiaoyu was able to lean in and break the man’s cheekbone with a quick open palm. He rose to his feet chopping the man in the neck then stomped on his throat. Wang Xi handed Xiaoyu his pistol and suppressor. Xiaoyu screwed the suppressor into the barrel of the pistol and shot the two men on the floor beneath the shirt. Xiaoyu called Huang Sitian waiting outside in the Astra. He relayed to Xiaoyu the men had arrived in the Audi. Wang Xi was sent to retrieve the car. Xu Dong took all the discs to the security camera and cut all wires. He confiscated the cocaine baggies, rolling them in a single newspaper. Xu Dong and Xiaoyu carried the two men as if they were drunk and put the shorter man in the Astra’s back seat. The taller man was in the passenger seat of the Audi. The black Astra went east along the Island Eastern Corridor with Wang Xi driving the Audi. The pair of cars slowed on a desolate stretch along Cape Collinson Road, stopping on the edge of a bushy embankment. The body of the shorter man was placed in the driver’s seat of the Audi next to the taller man. Xu Dong fired three shots into the chest of the shorter man and the taller man. Wang Xi and Xu Dong positioned the shorter man’s body so his body weight set the accelerator, sending the car over the embankment, through the brush into the rocky water below. Wang Xi and Xu Dong climbed in the Astra with Xiaoyu and Huang Sitian and drove toward Repulse Bay. Taking the Island Road around the south side of Hong Kong Island they entered Moon Dragon territory by way of the back streets.

  Liu Ping and the others were gathered in the garage at Jervois Street eating out of foam boxes. Xiaoyu entered followed by Huang Sitian, Wang Xi and Xu Dong. Xu Dong was carrying the newspaper full of cocaine baggies. Xiaoyu pointed to a utility bench. Xu Dong
put the stolen treasure on top of the bench.

  “You do transactions?” said Xiaoyu. Liu Ping nodded.

  “I need you to sell this all by tomorrow and get the cash back here,” said Xiaoyu, “Don’t worry about cleaning the cash, we’re not gonna be holding onto it long enough to matter.” Liu Ping nodded. Xiaoyu turned around to face the rest of the group.

  “You’re probably feeling like I’m keeping you in the dark,” said Xiaoyu, “I am. You fight one punch before the next. I see the fight and you throw the punches. That’s my function. Do what I tell you on the day, then you’ll sleep at night. I dream about the next day, you dream whatever you want.” Xiaoyu stood on the utility bench and grabbed a utility blanket for himself. He left the group and went upstairs. Finding some space on the steel floor he stretched out the blanket and lied down on his back staring upward. Lost in thought, he didn’t hear the noise made by someone coming up to the second level.

  “You want something else besides the blanket?” asked Liu Ping. Xiaoyu rolled his head sideways on the blanket.

  “Not even food,” said Liu Ping holding out a foam box with rice, meat and sauce. Xiaoyu sat up and took the box. Liu Ping handed him chopsticks.

  “You know we’ve always been interested in you,” said Liu Ping, “You showed up one day and poked a hole in everything we thought about then they took you somewhere else. At first we were happy to see you go. You were an outsider, it was obvious you didn’t fit in. As we got older we thought maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing. It meant you were special; you weren’t made for the shelter. That’s why they didn’t let you stay there. You’re not one of us, the Sheltered Ones. You’re something else. Now, once again you’re poking holes in what we think about, but this time we can accept it. We weren’t taught to poke holes, we were taught to obey hierarchy. That’s why they chose you, because you realized quickly what hierarchy is. Bullshit.” Xiaoyu choked slightly on his rice because he laughed slightly.