“Really? This guy? You mean the one who walked over to that restaurant across the street to get coffee for my ungrateful ass—” He looked over at his parents who were smiling at them. “Sorry, Mom and Dad. I mean ungrateful sisters?” He shook his head from side to side with a slight smile of his own. He turned and directed his last comments toward Brody. “The crap I have to put up with, dude. You need to wake up before I strangle them.”
Mrs. Windham spoke to Layla and Lisa. “Did you ladies call home to check on my grandchildren? I’m sure your husbands are worried sick.”
Lisa snorted. “Antonio is fine. I texted him a few minutes ago. Let the kids drive him crazy for a few days.”
Layla laughed. “Right. I’ll call Rob soon. It won’t hurt for him and Antonio to get a taste of mommyhood. Maybe they’ll have a little more respect for the jobs that we do when we get back.”
I watched the banter go back and forth between Brody’s family. I felt like a voyeur; an outsider more like it. I’d never experienced this kind of freedom and love within a family. It was strange and new.
Michael finally walked over to me. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I brought you a black coffee, but there are some sweeteners, sugars, and creams in the bag along with a few different kinds of donuts. Luckily, my greedy sisters didn’t take them all.”
I sat up straighter in my chair. I was hit with an overwhelming sense of loss for what I’d never had, and what I didn’t know I wanted—a real family. The first time I attempted to speak was unsuccessful, but I was finally able to croak out a thank you.
I couldn’t remember the last time someone thought enough about me to do something nice that wasn’t on my payroll. Brody. He was an extension of his family. If they were half as kind as he’d been to her, then she was lucky to share their company.
My throat still hadn’t opened up. I tried to clear it a couple more times before the lightheartedness died when the doctor entered the room.
He said a lot and I listened intently to every word. “Mr. Windham has survived the past forty-eight hours. That is a great sign for his recovery. His vitals seem to have stabilized, and we’re very hopeful. He’s not completely out of the woods. He lost a lot of blood. We’ll do everything in our power to keep him comfortable and to aid in his recovery.”
The relief was palpable as it swept through everyone.
He continued to speak. “Ms. Lee-Xiou has made sure that Brody is getting the best care in China. I can assure you of that.” The physician answered a few more questions and then left the room.
Lydia Windham went over to her son and held his hand. She leaned over and whispered into his ear, but her words were loud enough for everyone to hear. “We’re all here and just waiting for you to wake up. Gina’s here too. I can already tell that you two have a fascinating story to share, but I’ll wait until your eyes open before I ask you to disclose it.”
Knowing glances between the members of the Windham family were exchanged at the mention of my name. Ethan was standing near me and reached for my hand. He held it for a moment. It was warm, comforting. “Thank you for making sure that Brody’s getting the best care.”
I couldn’t believe this man was thanking me when all of this was my fault. In my world, when people messed up they paid with their lives. Forgiveness only happened in heaven. I was surprised, stunned even.
I wasn’t quite sure how to react to Mr. Windham’s concern. “It looks and sounds like you’ve been through a lot too.” I was sure the bruises and scratches on my hands and face were more pronounced today, but they were nothing compared to what Brody had suffered. Still, this family showed me kindness.
Mr. Windham wasn’t finished. “If Brody wanted to protect you, then we’ll have to do it for him until he can do it himself.” Heads were nodding up and down throughout the room. “The Windhams are a force to be reckoned with when someone messes with one of our own.”
For a moment knowing someone else had my back, even if only for the time being, helped to ease the weight of the world that sat upon my shoulders—until my phone rang.
I looked down at it and saw that it was Hahn. I whispered to them. “Thank you.” I could never really thank them enough for the gift of their forgiveness and kindness. It was too bad that one phone call had shattered the fragile moment, and in the blink of an eye, it was gone. “I’ve got to take this.” I stood and stepped outside of the room.
“Hold on a second,” I spoke into the phone, while I walked to the nearest waiting room. I looked over my shoulder to make sure I couldn’t be heard. “Details figured out?”
“Yes. Lim and I worked through the night, but we think what we have is pretty good. We should get together to go over everything as soon as possible. We’re hours away from showtime.”
I checked my watch. “I can be at Lim’s office in a half an hour.”
“Alright, we’ll see you then.”
As I disconnected the phone, I turned around only to come face to face with Lauren Windham, the baby sister of the bunch. Her gaze was assessing, intense. “I did a quick internet search on you.”
“Yeah?” I folded my arms across my chest.
Lauren’s eyes never wavered or left mine. “There’s a lot of stuff there. I’m not sure if anything I read is true, but even if just a little of it is, make whoever did this to my brother pay.”
The vulnerable person I didn’t recognize was replaced by the me I knew. Slowly, I tilted my head to the side as my eyes hardened. “I have something in mind, and between you and me, hell is too comfortable a place for them.”
Chapter 8
Showdown #1
Nina was nervous as Jonah opened her car door. She climbed inside. He walked around to the driver’s side and got behind the wheel. Two bodyguards slid into the back seat. This was the moment of truth. It seemed she’d been planning for this her entire life—maybe not her entire life, more like the last year. However, living with Chang and Gina definitely prepared her for this moment.
Jonah could sense her nervousness. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
He pulled away from the curb, and another car identical to theirs filled with more bodyguards immediately followed behind. “Gina’s been lying low at the hospital. She’s distracted.”
“It’s unlike her but good. Hopefully, that will make tonight’s meeting a little easier.”
“You know, no matter how this turns out you’ll have a different showdown with your sister.”
“That’s been inevitable since the day we came out of the womb. How long before we get there?”
“It’s about half an hour once we get out of the city.”
Jonah smoothly maneuvered the car into a tunnel that led out from the city. Suddenly, the car lurched. Two vehicles appeared from nowhere and sandwiched them in between. There was a third that blocked the entrance of the second car following them.
Nina screamed. “What the hell is happening?”
“I can’t outrun them. Hold on.” Jonah shifted gears initially trying to stop their car. He hoped that the other cars’ momentum would keep going and that it would dislodge them from in-between.
Nina’s men who were in the back seat took out their weapons readying them for what was about to happen next. One of them attempted to hand Nina a gun. Her eyes were the size of saucers. “What am I supposed to do with that? I pay you so that I don’t have to handle a gun!”
The car on the right side of the sandwich sped ahead so that the car on the left could force Nina’s sedan into the wall. The metal scraping against the tunnel and the sparks flying everywhere was unreal—something from out of a movie. It was hard to see with all the dust and smoke. Their car slowed until it came to a complete stop. Otherwise, it would have flipped over.
All Nina could hear was the clicking of safeties being switched off on guns. Moments ticked by and there was no movement and no sound. Then, suddenly there were flashes of light as glass shattered all around them.
Nina put he
r hands to her ears, ducked low and screamed.
“Shit!” Jonah looked into the back seat, and when the smoke cleared their guys had been shot multiple times and were most likely dead. “Stay down, Nina.”
The back door was yanked opened to Nina’s car at the same time as the front.
*****
Gina Lee-Xiou
She shouldn’t have been surprised to see me on the other side of the door. I didn’t give her driver a chance to use his weapon. As soon as the door flew open, I used the butt of my gun and smashed it hard against his temple knocking him completely out. Gunfire erupted in the backseat of the car. There was now no doubt that the men in the back were dead.
Hahn dragged Jonah’s unconscious body out of the driver’s side onto the ground, took his weapons, and secured him as I got into the car next to Nina.
My eyes glittered with rage. “I warned you. I told you I was coming for you. Your ass should have hopped on a plane when you had the chance.”
It was an act when Nina lifted her chin in defiance. I was capable of anything, so she was right to be scared, but she was prepared for this too. “I knew you would pull something like this. You won’t hurt me. I . . . I’ve got insurance.”
“The only reason I haven’t strangled the last drop of air from your lungs is because I promised Ang I’d help him get his daughters back. Where are they?”
Nina raised her chin a little higher. That’s all it took to make me snap. I’d had enough of her shit. Before I’d even known it, my hands were wrapped around her throat. Nina clawed at them as she choked and gasped for breath. I gritted my teeth as I began to squeeze until I saw her eyes roll back into her head. I was surprised that the strength of my hands didn’t snap her neck. A voice, unfamiliar to even me, rose up from the pit of my stomach. “Where the hell are those girls?”
Nina sputtered and coughed. “You. Kill. Me. C . . . Cecily dies. I made sure of it.”
Somehow her words permeated through my anger. I squeezed just a little bit tighter for a little longer. The second I released her neck, my fist connected with her jaw. I didn’t break it, but it was going to leave an ugly bruise. Nina howled out in pain as I shoved her away from me.
Immediately, Nina brought her hands to her throat and cheek as she sputtered trying to catch her breath.
There was another commotion outside of the car. Several of Hahn’s men rushed over, and one of them whispered into his ear as I sat inside trying to rein in my rage. He looked down at me. “One of the men in the other car gave up the location of Ang’s girls. They’ve been located and our men are on their way to get them. We don’t have much time before the police arrive. Whatever you’re about to do with Nina—do it.”
“The cops aren’t a problem. Not with the government officials I have on speed dial. I’ll only need a minute with Nina . . . alone.”
“You got it.” Hahn closed the door as he stood guard outside.
I turned to her. “You know I’m already going to fuckin’ kill you, but I swear you’ll beg me to make it quick if any harm comes to Cecily.”
Nina’s voice was raspy. “That’s up to you.” She still clutched her burning throat. “You’re the only one who can keep her safe.”
“Just how exactly am I supposed to do that?”
“Withdraw your name from contention tonight.”
“You’re a sniveling little bitch! Don't you think I heard your screams? How the hell do you think you’re going to run this organization? They are going to chew you up and spit you out.”
“I don’t always need to use a gun to get what I want. Stand down Gina or be responsible for the death of your niece. I promised you if anything ever happened to me, Cecily would find out the truth. What I didn’t say, because I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this is, I’ll have her put to sleep—permanently. You might not believe I can do it, but do you honestly want to take the chance?”
I had to make a split-second decision. She was right; I couldn’t take a chance, not on Cecily’s life. “You’ve bought yourself a little more time, but that threat has a limited shelf life. I can’t believe we have the same blood running through our veins.”
Nina knew better than to say anything. Keeping my control around her was proving less and less possible. It could happen that I might blink only to find I’d blacked out and killed her. She silently watched me as I pushed open the car door and got out.
She may have won this round, but I couldn’t let her think this was over. It was far from over. I turned to Nina. “Walk lightly and sleep softly, little sister.”
One thing was for sure; I could no longer keep this madness away from Alexandro. I was going to have to call him.
As I started to walk towards our car, Hahn gave me a crazy look as if to say, kill her. He knew better than to say it. Instead, he asked, “What about the dude on the ground, not a good idea to leave him alive.”
“Leave him. His time will come just like hers.”
Hahn was left feeling confused but knew how to follow orders.
Chapter 9
The Meeting
We arrived at the nondescript building after making a quick pit stop. It was strange, an organization whose reach touched the Chinese government, organized crime, and billion-dollar corporations from all over the world were more or less invisible. No one had any idea that The Family Council was about to have a once in a generation meeting. Tonight, history was going to be made. A woman would be elected to lead this organization. I had no doubt.
Guns and bodyguards were confined to the lower level of the high-rise. I took the elevator alone to the top floor. When the doors opened, and before I could step off, security was in my face. I was patted down and wanded from my head to my feet then asked to take off my shoes. I followed their directions and walked through a body scanner. After being cleared for entry, I was then ushered into another room. When the door opened, sitting before me at a long marble table in a darkened room lit with over-sized candles were six men all dressed in white robes: Zheng’s father, Mr. Si Xei; Ang Woo; Leung Ng; Binu Yoshi; Wei Chan; and Eli Nakamura. Zheng was a member too, but he was in the running for the leadership position. My father would have been the eighth member and leader of this group. It was his seat that needed to be filled.
Nina and Zheng were also present, but even my glance was too valuable to be wasted on them.
Mr. Ng spoke first. “Now that we are all gathered, we can begin.” Another man, barefoot and dressed in a white robe, used a giant-sized padded hammer to hit a massive gong that was suspended from the ceiling.
The ritual had begun. We all kneeled on pillows facing The Council. The organization’s charter was read out loud along with the obligations required of both members, leadership, and the leader. The readings felt like they took hours but were closer to an hour.
Upon completion, the same person who hit the gong when we arrived wheeled a small table toward us. There were three copper bowls of water on it and a large item wrapped in a white muslin-like cloth. Carefully, he unwrapped it. Underneath the cloth was a sharp-edged knife with a gold bejeweled handle. It had been used in this ceremony for generations.
A series of chants were uttered over each one of us and then the unnamed man walked over to Zheng. “Please give me your right hand.” His voice was soft but gravelly.
Zheng did as he was asked as the man picked up the knife. Carefully, he turned Zheng’s hand, palm up, towards him and used the knife to make a small cut on the flat part of his hand. He was given one of the bowls by an assistant wearing gloves and placed Zheng’s hand underneath it. Three drops of blood were allowed to fall into the bowl before Zheng’s hand was removed and covered with a white cloth. The same thing happened to Nina and then to me.
Mr. Ng broke the silence in the room. “The essence of your life has been added to the source of all life. After tonight’s ceremony, you will become the father or mother of this organization. Your intelligence and wisdom will guide us in all of our decisions for the next ge
neration.
“We’ve had an opportunity to study each one of you . . . some more closely than others. Chang Lee-Xiou was an extraordinary leader, and typically succession would automatically be passed down to his first born son. There are no sons. But, he graced us with two extraordinary daughters giving us reason to change the rules and allow for this vote today.”
I couldn’t help but think this entire ceremony was ridiculous. If I’d been born with a penis instead of a vagina, considering I’m several minutes older, this would be a different type of event. A coronation of sorts. I would have been able to assume the role and left all of this extra drama behind me. Still, I would have crushed Nina’s skull and called it a night.
“It is now time to cast our votes for the next leader.”
Zheng Xei was nervous. I could see the sweat glistening on the side of his head. So was Nina. Behind the bruising that was starting to appear on her neck, I could see her swallow. Was this a dream? It had to be because it was laughable that these two were even being considered. I kept my gaze focused and straight ahead. If this were real, I would have been nervous, but I had a plan. I couldn’t waste time on feelings. Lives were at stake.
“Zheng Xei please stand.” He stood and bowed. “Each member please vote your conscious as your name is called.”
“Eli Nakamura.”
“No.”
“Wei Chan.”
“No.”
“Binu Yoshi.”
“No.”
“Ang Woo.”
“No.”
“Si Xei.”
I could tell Si was angry that Nakamura had changed his vote and ashamed that his son wasn’t able to garner even one other vote. There was no choice for him but to support his son otherwise he would bring shame to himself. “Yes.”
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