The Gaze of Caprice (The Caprice Trilogy Book 1)

by Cole Reid

  “Thanks for the food,” said Xiaoyu. Liu Ping nodded.

  “I’ll sell the dust tomorrow and bring back the cash,” said Liu Ping, “It should be about 800,000 Hong Kong dollars worth on the low end if I have to move it all in one day.”

  “That should be enough,” said Xiaoyu. Liu Ping looked at Xiaoyu calmly eating rice. He was impressed how calm Xiaoyu seemed while starting a Triad family feud. Some of them would die in the process. It was inevitable. They both knew it. Staying calm was necessary. Liu Ping turned and began to head back down to ground level. He turned back to look at Xiaoyu.

  “What’s the money for?” Liu Ping asked.

  • • •

  The Wan Chai Centre Harbour Hotel had a conference room on the ninth floor. On Sundays, the hotel offered a buffet brunch that was a mixture of English breakfast and Dim Sum. The Earth Dragons met on the first Sunday of every month in the conference room and were treated to a private buffet. The assassination of their Dragon Head on Thursday left them with much to talk about, but little time to move the meeting. The meeting was usually around forty members. Old Lau’s death caused over sixty members of the Earth Dragons to show, paying respects and speaking their mind. The Earth Dragons gathered into the conference room and grabbed food from the buffet on the west side of the room. The meeting was set up with four tables: two long; two short. The tables were formed into a rectangle so members could face each other. Four seats were left open out of respect for Old Lau and the other three senior members who were missing from the meeting. The opposite end of the room was pure view. A window as long as the room itself looked out toward Causeway Bay and Victoria Park. The meeting began promptly at 9:30am with a signature open remark made by the most senior member in the room. The meeting was light and somber, a mixture of fiery speeches with dark intent. All members agreed interests had to be shifted to finding and fixing the conspiracy behind Old Lau’s murder. At 10:08am when the fiery atmosphere in the room had engulfed everyone, another fire engulfed the room. PE4 attached to the tables and every second chair was poised to explode on time.

  The detonation sent parts of everything in multiple directions. Chairs broke apart along with people. The glass window turned into a glass waterfall as pieces rained down on the street below. The blown out window supplied the fire with fresh oxygen expelling a dragon of flame to fly out the window. The fire was so hot silverware became molten. Glass charred and melted. Bodies burned. The walls went. The double door to the room was blown off at the hinges. The percussion was felt on all floors above and most below. A single soul came out of the room wet with flame. He screamed as he ran down the hall before the fire broke his will all the way to the floor.

  • • •

  Across Victoria Harbour on Hip Wo Street was a Canton hot pot and noodle shop. The place was simple. A red cup holding plastic chopsticks sat on each table. There was florescent lighting throughout the place and nothing more. The walls were gray. All color was in the food. Teddy Ng—Big Blue—said they had the best food in town. In town meant the Blue Dragons’ territory. As Dragon Head, Teddy had turned territorial and isolationist. Teddy was twenty-two years younger than Uncle Woo. They were as far apart in age as they were in diplomacy. Uncle Woo made no qualms about saying The Mynah Prime Palace was his favorite eatery. He even made sure the Moons stayed on good terms with the Golden Masters so there would be no problems with him eating in their territory. The Moons did occasional favors for the Masters, and the hospitality was returned. Teddy Ng did no favors. He looked for opportunities. Everything he did was to further the Blue Empire or defend its borders. He was rarely seen anywhere outside his own territory. He liked to know what was going on at home all the time. Teddy ran a tight ship and he was always on it. This made him easy to find.

  Teddy bit into steamed buns and chewed on spicy noodles at a table with three other men. There were nineteen associates of the Blue Dragons branch occupying four booths. They ate relatively silently. The most silent table was Teddy’s table. Teddy liked to keep an air of business surrounding him; his business for the moment was food. His business changed when a shaved head walked into the restaurant. Teddy didn’t pay much attention to the man who came in. Another man sitting at Teddy’s table raised his head to see Xiaoyu and put his chopsticks down on the table. He signaled Teddy who looked up to see the space behind Xiaoyu getting more and more crowded. Yue Tian, Wang Xi and Huang Sitian stood to the left of Xiaoyu with silenced P9 pistols aimed at Teddy Ng’s table. Xu Dong, Lin Jun, Yi Le, Yu Hong and Bai Feihong aimed at the others. Liu Ping walked to the other end of the restaurant with a sound-suppressed Glock 26 subcompact in hand. Liu Jingyu, Xiu Ying and Li Tao followed with pistols of their own. Xiu Ying guarded the restaurant’s back entrance. Liu Ping, Li Tao and Liu Jingyu went to the kitchen. Xiaoyu’s company aimed their pistols at the Blues sitting on both sides of the room.

  “We’re here for one thing,” said Xiaoyu, “To write a proper obituary for our uncle. He was born a long time ago. He died three months ago. The in-between you already know. We all know. What you know that we don’t is who killed our uncle. Help us finish what you started and tell us who killed our uncle.”

  “You’re in my territory,” said Teddy, “You’re pointing guns at me in my territory.”

  “We’re not just pointing,” said Xiaoyu, pointing his finger at one man seated at Teddy’s table.

  “All the others,” said Xiaoyu. Liu Ping and the other Sheltered Ones opened fire on all other Blue Dragons in the restaurant except the man Xiaoyu pointed out. Liu Ping and Li Tao went and cleared three people out of the kitchen; Liu Jingyu made sure no one went back in. There were seven other customers in the restaurant besides the Blue Dragons. Xiaoyu had Wang Xi and Huang Sitian check their pockets and removed all items. The three cooks and two waitresses were made to sit facing the left wall. The customers sat facing the right wall. All had their personal belongings left on the floor a half-meter behind them. Yue Tian and Wang Xi turned the open sign off and closed the blinds. Liu Ping, Li Tao and Liu Jingyu watched the restaurant staff. Lin Jun, Yi Le and Yu Hong watched the customers. Liu Ping made one waitress point out the front door key. He tossed the key to Wang Xi, who locked the door.

  “Notice your breathing,” said Xiaoyu, “Feel that air? I want you to keep feeling it for the rest of today and many more, once we get through this. If your phone rings, we will tap you on the shoulder. Tell the person calling you’re caught up and will call them back. That’s it. We will let you call them back.” Xiaoyu clapped twice. Wang Xi began dropping rolled wads of cash tied with rubber bands in the laps of the customers and the restaurant staff. The money was escrow, left over from the sale of the stolen baggies of cocaine after purchasing the PE4 explosive.

  “One-thousand Hong Kong dollars each, we’re buying your time,” said Xiaoyu, “And your food is on us.” The room was crowded by fear, death and their pantomime. In the middle of the room was a man so civil, he himself could have been death. He wore a white tank top revealing a gold chain and the tattoo on his arms, chest and neck. He sat calm and ate. His body was still while alternating his chopsticks between his bowl and his mouth. Three rings on his fingers shined brightly as he gripped his chopsticks. A sly smile swam across his face, as intricate as his ink—the dragons, the flaming egg, the Mark. In a room run by death, he felt the charm of the silence knowing death couldn’t touch him. And he tested the patience of the only one who could, Xiaoyu. Death didn’t scare him neither did the other Jade Soldier. He slowly finished his food savoring it, unafraid to fight on a full stomach. Xiaoyu took off his jacket and his shirt and handed them to Huang Sitian.

  “Wait,” said Xiaoyu staring directly at the other Jade Solider. Xiaoyu went over to the table where the Jade Soldier was eating and put some cash on the table—enough to pay for his meal.

  “Done yet?” asked Xiaoyu. The Jade Soldier shook his head and kept eating at a relaxed pace for a full five minutes. The restaurant was silent other than the Jade Sol
dier smacking on rice.

  “Now, I’m full,” said the Jade Soldier standing up. He turned and looked at Xiaoyu wryly. Xiaoyu could see the man was in his late forties, over twice Xiaoyu’s age. The Jade Soldier walked toward the kitchen then stopped. Xiaoyu was six meters behind him. He turned and faced Xiaoyu.

  “You are trying to avenge, your Dragon Head,” said the Jade Soldier, “I understand. So you can understand me.” Xiaoyu looked at the man with experience on his side. Xiaoyu thought he could overwhelm the Jade Soldier with energy, a luxury he never had before. He had always tried to save his energy against his opponents, to let them beat themselves. This time was different. His opponent was significantly more experienced than him. Going the distance was a bad idea. His opponent would have time to read him. Xiaoyu thought it better to overload him and finish it quick. To keep from being read, he would continuously adapt his style to the different fighters he had faced. He would make his opponent have to figure him out and never let up.

  Xiaoyu took two steps forward before deciding on a third. He took a forth step to position his right leg. He raised his knee even to his waist to telegraph a kick before dropping the leg for a kick to his opponent’s shin. He paid the price for looking down by being caught off guard and thrown off balance by a hammer fist to his left ear. The blow impacted the joint on his jaw and skull and caused his hearing to muffle and ring. Xiaoyu used the same leg to kick at his opponent’s head. The kick was read and blocked. The Jade Soldier closed in with a shin kick of his own. Xiaoyu pivoted his body to the right to avoid the kick and ducked low to hit his opponent in the gut with a beautiful Northern Fist, pulling his left elbow back. The Jade Soldier kicked Xiaoyu’s back leg knocking him off balance. Xiaoyu did a ginga—a stolen move—practiced and perfected. Xiaoyu’s modified ginga included balancing on his left hand while kicking his opponent’s kneecap. The kick made the kneecap shift sideways and his opponent’s knee locked. Xiaoyu took the opportunity to reset his feet. He found himself blocking a jab that quickly turned into an elbow. The elbow caught him in the side of the jaw and made his teeth scrape across each other. He was shocked again by a step-in kick that hit him in the groin. Xiaoyu landed on his back. He quickly hopped to his feet and stopped his opponent’s kick with his right foot. Xiaoyu jumped off his left foot spinning before doing a layout, planting his right foot in the Jade Soldier’s neck. Xiaoyu moved in. He took a punch, using the force to operate a spinning hammer fist. The fist hit his opponent on the side of his eye socket, giving him temporary double vision.

  Xiaoyu remembered his strategy, overload his opponent. He had forgotten. He launched multiple combos at his opponent, before jumping back in a faux retreat. As his opponent advanced, Xiaoyu turned to his left head-faking. He shifted his weight right then lunged forward with a left jab followed with a right hook. The hook worked better than expected. Throwing his weight forward gave him power—power enough to overcome his opponent’s protection and connect with his left jaw. Xiaoyu had planned to keep moving but saw an opportunity. He grabbed his opponent’s head and drove his left knee toward the face. The Jade Soldier wrapped his left arm around his face letting Xiaoyu drive his knee into an elbow. Xiaoyu released his grip on his opponent and took a step back. As soon as he planted his feet he jumped to his right. His opponent chased him. The Jade Soldier was trying to make Xiaoyu stay running, stay nervous. Xiaoyu exploited his youth imagining he had more energy to run than his opponent did to chase. There were no rounds, no bells and no corners. The fight would stop when a fighter did. Xiaoyu found himself being backed up. He unloaded two kicks in quick succession: a roundhouse followed by a spin back kick. The combination wasn’t designed to hit anything just demonstrate his speed for his opponent. He stuck his left leg toward the Jade Soldier before planting it to become airborne. Xiaoyu jumped forward with his right knee up doing a shadow kick before coming down with a right jab that hit his opponent square in the face. The Jade Soldier didn’t do as expected. The jab didn’t send him backward. Instead, he intruded on the space Xiaoyu had carved out for himself. He moved in with a swinging uppercut. Xiaoyu had seen such before and floated right to escape. The Jade Soldier bent his left knee forward as Xiaoyu faded away. The fade turned into a stumble as Xiaoyu’s motion halted against his opponent’s knee. The Jade Soldier crunched time. Before Xiaoyu could regain his balance, his opponent was on top of him. He was hit in the stomach with a fast moving knee. He was able to anticipate and block the elbow that came for his left cheek, blocking with an elbow of his own. Elbow for elbow and still off balance, Xiaoyu grabbed his opponent’s shirt and bent his neck driving his head into the nose of the Jade Soldier. Both fell to the ground. Xiaoyu landed on his back bruising his tailbone. The Jade Soldier landed on his right forearm allowing him to feel the separate bones instead of one solid arm. Both felt less like jade, more soft. The Jade Soldier kicked Xiaoyu in the thigh as an early warning. He was still dangerous on the ground. Xiaoyu brought his right arm around his body and aimed for his opponent’s ear. The Jade Soldier pulled his arm close to his head to absorb the impact. Xiaoyu opened his right palm and pushed his opponent’s hand into his ear. He pushed hard, forcing his opponent’s head to the floor. Xiaoyu moved. He rolled his bodyweight onto his left and increased the pressure on the Jade Soldier’s head. Using his free left hand, he pounded the Soldier’s nose twice for a sure break. The air passing through the Soldier’s nose took on a metallic flavor. It worried him. He tried to refocus on Xiaoyu. Xiaoyu slid over his opponent’s ribcage and eased the pressure off the Soldier’s head enough for his head to come up off the floor. Xiaoyu snaked his right arm under his opponent’s head as it came up. He dropped the weight of his left forearm across the jugular vein of his opponent. Xiaoyu wiggled his right arm in between the floor and the Jade Soldier’s head. With both arms in place he locked his arms like jaws and squeezed.

  Both men grunted, one straining to apply absolute force the other under strain of absolute force. Xiaoyu’s grip on his opponent’s neck constricted further into the stringy proteins of muscle. His grip disrupted the flow of air, blood and life. The Jade Soldier grappled with Xiaoyu wringing his hands on Xiaoyu’s arms. Xiaoyu squeezed harder as his opponent fought harder. The Jade Soldier began to feel himself go under. The lack of air to his brain disrupted the supply of fire to his fury. It wasn’t the Soldier’s body that failed. It was the part of his brain responsible for retaliation. His retaliation left along with his consciousness. Xiaoyu performed an obscure act of mercy. Rather than have an undefeated man wake up in defeat, Xiaoyu decided against him waking up at all. With no movement in the heavy Soldier’s body Xiaoyu bent the bone against itself and broke his neck. Xiaoyu cradled the body that was already in his arms. He laid the Jade Soldier’s head to rest gently on the polished floor. Using the care to do no further damage, he closed the Soldier’s eyes and crossed his hands on his still chest. The shine from the Soldier’s three finger rings had been blurred during the fight. With the fight over, Xiaoyu focused more intently on the rings. He rolled the rings round on dead fingers and saw they had one Chinese character each: Luck, Health and Longevity. All three had run out for the Jade Soldier. Xiaoyu saw no reason why a dead man would need the rings anymore so he took them for himself. They had served the Jade Soldier well. He had survived The Tank. He had survived into his forties. For a Jade Solider, that was no wasted life. Xiaoyu stood up but looked down.

  • • •

  The weather in the restaurant was a perfect storm of silent sorrow—hostages, dead men, even one funeral. The hostages were alive but struggled with the surety of seeing people murdered. No one said anything. Xiaoyu looked up at Liu Ping who was standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Liu Ping stared back at Xiaoyu. For the next several hours the entire room was silent except for the sounds that come out under extreme silence. At nightfall, Xiaoyu sent his dogs out and went with them. They waited for cover of night to exit the restaurant and piled into their cars to continue Xiaoyu’s march. The Astra, GT,
Civic and occupants headed in the direction of a private fitness gym in the Sky Gardens Kowloon Hotel in Kowloon Bay. Kowloon Bay was clean, neat and insular much like the Thorns Triads. Kowloon Bay occupied a large part of the Thorns’ territory in Kowloon and it was the best place to find them. The hotel was situated on Sheung Yuet Road standing among architectural clones. The Thorns kept to themselves like their neighbors, the Blues. Their reputation for violence wasn’t understated but violence wasn’t their forte. The Thorns, more than any other Triad, had a militaristic culture. They understood violence better than any other branch in the Triad family. Where the Moons were peacefully organized under Uncle Woo, the Thorns were militarily structured under their Dragon Head, Colonel Siu. The Colonel was a former officer in the Royal Hong Kong Regiment before retiring and turning to the Triads to make more money. Whether or not he held the rank of colonel was not questioned openly but he ran the Thorns as if he were. The Moons shied away from violence, viewing any violence as bad for business. The Thorns saw violence as part of their business. Every now and again, a show of force was warranted, so they prepared for it. All Thorns trained rigorously. A male jogger in Kowloon Bay had the highest probability of being a Triad than anywhere else in Hong Kong. They stayed current on the latest fitness trends and they sparred against each other constantly. The Colonel had a rule against smoking and facial hair. All Thorns were well-groomed, well-dressed and well-ready. They practiced organized battle tactics and played first person shooter games as combat simulation. They loved paintball. They were willing to try anything that might lead to an advantage on the battlefield—any battlefield.