Calculated

by Nova McBee

  “This way,” I say, locking it.

  “My brother told me much about you.” She leads the girls through the front door of the factory.

  “You’re Red’s sister,” I say, comparing the map of her face to Red’s.

  “Yes, Dr. Ling.” She observes the factory with obvious tension. “How did you know?”

  “Same eyes.”

  “I am the youngest sister. Red got a note to me, telling me how to find you. I’m sorry it couldn’t be sooner and without grave news,” she says, a slight tremor in her voice. “I’m afraid we don’t have much time.”

  At first, I think she knows about the economy, but she’s far too frightened for that. “What is it?”

  “King knows I helped the girls get out of the hospital. He has guards there now, daily, looking for me. I can’t go back,” she says, shakily. “He has informed Madame and she is on the hunt, too. We are not safe. We have nowhere to hide.”

  The safe house has begun. It’s a good time to test the alarm.

  It takes 56 minutes to convince the girls, Hua Mei and An Ying, that this old factory is safe. I even have to convince myself. Dr. Ling wanders back to prepare a meal for us while I do my best to direct the shaken girls to a hot shower. As I wait for them to get cleaned up, I listen to Dr. Ling humming in the kitchen. It’s comforting that despite her fear, she can still find solace in the tune of an old Chinese folk song. Just like Red with his poetry.

  After the girls are dressed in clean new clothes, I show them around their new quarters and tell them a bit about myself. I show them my neck and refer to myself as a Madame Girl, though I cannot bear to tell two scared, suspicious girls I was never trafficked.

  My abuse may not be the same as theirs, but we all lived as captives of Madame’s and King’s hand. They begin to trust me.

  While we eat a meal of noodles and green vegetables fried in soy sauce, Dr. Ling tells me she’s familiar with King because of Red, but she does not go into the story of how Red was taken. Perhaps she thinks I know it already? I don’t ask.

  “After Red was taken for what he did,” she says, “he stayed at King’s to protect us. My family was threatened to stay away. Sadly, we did. We had lost so much already, but King kept threatening the residents. Slowly, we all moved or were pushed out. Before Red died, I got his letter from a man inside the Pratt. He told me about you and King and Madame. I wanted to help but was interrupted when I met them.” She points to the girls.

  “When the girls arrived at the hospital with forceful thugs pretending to be their boyfriends, I got suspicious,” she said. “King has a history of taking girls to different hospitals, so they aren’t recognized. These two had an X on their necks. I remembered my brother said something about X girls. I asked the girls if they needed help. Their escorts were out in the hall and the risk was great. The girls wouldn’t talk. But after learning their diagnosis, I decided to get them out anyway.

  “I had the nurse tell the men that the girls would have to stay overnight to watch for complications. The nurse reported back that the men were angry. The girls became scared. The nurse insisted they come in the morning to retrieve the girls. Finally, the men agreed and left the hospital. By then the girls had confessed everything. Next, I took them to my cousin in Suzhou. The hospital didn’t know what I was doing. I just left. I wrote a doctor’s note saying the girls were transferred to another hospital. But King’s men learned who I was and trashed my house. They left a note that said, ‘Red’s cell is available.’ We’ve been travelling from place to place for a month. I didn’t know exactly when you’d be out. Red’s letter was vague, but I knew it had something to do with Chan. Finally, I decided to call and ask for you.”

  “Why were they in the hospital in the first place?”

  “Abortions gone wrong.”

  My stomach knots up. Madame’s files scroll in my mind.

  Dr. Ling is adamant now. “We have two girls willing to testify against King. And we have you. We have to call the police.”

  “No. We have to wait.”

  “Wait? Are you crazy?”

  “Two girls aren’t enough to put him behind bars for very long. I need to expose the Pratt and finish what Red started.” I’m careful not to talk about my family or myself, but I briefly tell her about the economy and, although it’s only a fraction, I explain my plan to take King and Madame’s money first—then turn them over to the police.

  Dr. Ling frowns. “It’s too risky,” she says. “You are just a girl. You need to turn them in now. Let the police deal with King and Madame.”

  “No,” I say, hard. Dr. Ling and the authorities don’t understand the economy like I do, and they certainly don’t understand King and Madame like I do. I am the one to stop them. “This is the only way. I’m taking back every dirty penny I made for them. Red and I couldn’t do anything before. Now I can. You can leave if you want, but I will stop them.”

  “No,” she says. “I won’t leave. Red trusted you. I want to help you.”

  Somehow, I knew she’d stay, because in a strange way, we were family. I turn to the girls. “What can you tell me? Names? Addresses? I need any details you can remember.”

  They tell me as much as they know, which is at best, vague. Dr. Ling and I map it out as they talk. Madame and King run seven major locations in Shanghai. Massage parlors. Hotels. Parties. The girls can only remember a few addresses and names of buyers.

  “Golden Alley,” Hua Mei says. “It’s the worst, but most accessible, at least on Friday runs.”

  A surge of adrenaline spikes. Today is Friday. “What are Friday runs? What is Golden Alley?”

  “Golden Alley is a drug den, a real rough spot. They run girls back and forth on Friday nights between locations.”

  “Golden Alley,” I mutter. Why didn’t I think of that street? Madame doesn’t miss anything when it comes to gold. “I’m going there. Madame owns the whole street, I’m sure of it.”

  “It’s private,” An Ying says. “The doors are not even marked. But it’s not guarded like the hotels.”

  “Phoenix, wait,” Dr. Ling says. “It’s too dangerous to go alone. Can’t someone go with you?”

  “No,” I say. If I go alone, then no one can mess up my plans like Kai did at the warehouse. “It’s on my way home. I’ll just check it out. I’ll be safe. I won’t try anything heroic. I’ll get info, numbers, then I’ll make a plan. I promise.”

  Golden Alley is dark and empty, with “No Trespassing” signs galore. There is no sign of life, apart from a stray dog scrounging for food. This cannot be the right street. It looks like nothing has happened here in the last fifty years. It takes 87 minutes of hiding and watching before I decide to return home.

  As I begin to walk away, a strange tapping starts. Perhaps it’s hammering somewhere? There it is again. I stand, listening, but there’s no rhythm between the taps that would distinguish a pattern. I look down the alley to my right. Nothing. I go left, even retrace my trail, but can’t find anyone. I listen for six minutes longer, but no more taps.

  A bad feeling comes over me. Perhaps my heart is warning me, or maybe I’m close to finding the destination. Red would say that feeling counts for something. But it’s been 108 minutes and I’m exhausted. Work is going to be grueling the next day, and logically it makes sense to go home.

  I resolve to come again next Friday. And every Friday until I find those girls.

  27

  Present: Phoenix

  SHANGHAI TOWER, SHANGHAI, CHINA

  After work the next day, Kai stops me at the door. “Hey, Trouble. Let me drive you home.” His voice is gentle, playful. “Don’t want you stranded somewhere in the dark. Besides, I want to talk to you.”

  It’s a bizarre comment, but I concede because I’m not going to the factory tonight. When we arrive, we cruise in through the gates and into the garage. Kai turns off the car. Usually he’s very quick about jumping out but this time he waits. My door is already open. My right leg swings out, but
Kai’s arm stops me. It’s a gentle touch, sending tingles down my arm.

  “Wait,” he says. His voice is low and serious. “I want to tell you something.”

  I pull my leg back in the car, close the door and turn towards him. His dark hair falls over his eyes. He takes a moment to comb it behind his ears. I’ve never noticed how naturally shiny and perfectly straight his hair is before. Not sure this is the moment to think about that. I straighten up.

  “Yes?”

  “I don’t know what happened at the port and I don’t care right now. Because it got me thinking about right and wrong, about who I want to be. I want to do things with my life, too. I don’t know if I am thinking clearly or just being a complete idiot, but I want to do something bigger than myself. And that starts now.”

  “Like what?” I ask, stupefied.

  “I’m in.” The look in his eyes implies I know what he’s referring to, only I don’t. Is this about King? My past? Has he miraculously learned to read my thoughts?

  He must enjoy the confused look on my face because he starts to laugh. “The crash,” he offers. “My dad said you had some sort of plan. If he won’t help, then I will. I do have a pretty big inheritance.”

  Butterflies take flight in my stomach. I can’t deny I’m touched by his offer to help. It should be like this. People stepping up to the challenge. But our world isn’t so black and white. Things are so muddled behind lies and scams, by greed and selfishness, by fear and failure that we have taught each other not to trust. Not to take the risks our hearts lead us to.

  “Now I don’t have nearly as much as my father,” he says. “But I want you to use it—double it—I’m offering it to you. To us. To everyone. Whatever we can do to help prevent this crash.”

  He runs his fingers through his silky hair again. He’s the boy I met at the pool. A strong, courageous boy—a boy I could trust. Maybe.

  But it’s hard for me to believe that when it comes down to parting with the money, with no real guarantee of getting it back, that he’ll agree. Then there’s the problem with his almost fiancée. She certainly won’t agree with this plan. Not with all her pearls…

  He sets his hand on the steering wheel, looking straight ahead. “You don’t believe me, do you?”

  “This is not a game, Kai,” I say quietly. “These are people’s lives. I can’t begin planning and investing then have you back out. Besides, what will your father say? Or fiancée? Did you tell her your plan? You should just save your money for your marriage and happy future.”

  “Fiancée?” He faces me. “What are you talking about?”

  “Your father told me your marriage is already in the works. I think that if you’re planning to gamble with your money, she should know about it.”

  Kai looks like he’s about to start fuming but surprises me by laughing instead.

  “Xiao Yan?”

  I shrug.

  “My father told you that, huh?” He shakes his head. “I should have known. Look, Phoenix, I’m not engaged. My father talks about this marriage like it’s a done deal. Maybe she does too. But I haven’t agreed to anything. Our fathers are in the same circle – they’ve tried for the last year to set us up. Chinese parents pressure their children to marry within the same social circle. It’s the right match in their head, that’s all.”

  “It makes sense. You’re both Chinese elite.”

  “It doesn’t make sense if you don’t love someone. I have tried but I can’t make myself like Xiao Yan. Sure, she’s pretty, comes from a rich family, but she is not someone who could make me happy,” Kai says.

  “Your father knows this?”

  He sighs deeply. “Chinese parents don’t make these things easy to talk about. He’ll be really upset. He’s talked for years about marrying within the same social status. Good family. Career. Goals. My dad’s traditional.”

  “Which means?”

  “You find a girl who matches what you want, you propose, then you hold hands, get it?” He waves his hand. “Unless I find another girl in the same social status he’ll freak out. But it makes me angry. My father didn’t even follow his own advice.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He fell in love first, defied his parents and married someone they disagreed with. And now she’s dead. Her love and death wrecked him forever. He’s never gotten over it. That’s why he is adamant about me following his advice. He says it will save me pain later on.”

  “Your mom wasn’t high society?”

  “Not at all. Of course, according to my dad she wasn’t even human—she was an angel. But now he’d say that marrying angels isn’t practical. They have different lives – and they follow their own ways no matter what you say. He told me once that if Mom had been from the same circle, she wouldn’t have made the choices she did, and she’d probably be alive today. In the end, it’s just my dad trying to save me from a broken heart. He’s never loved a woman since.”

  The car goes silent. I can’t imagine Chan doing something out of love. Layers. We are all a mess of complicated layers, some painful and some truly beautiful. The hard money-seeking Chan has more to him than I thought.

  “I want the same,” Kai continues. “To love someone the way my dad loved my mom.”

  His dark eyes lock on to mine. The car suddenly feels very warm. I’m glad Kai looks away first, because I’m not sure what to say. I have never loved anyone besides my family and Red. What Kai says makes sense because I know how my parents loved each other. I get it. If you love someone, you’re not afraid of the pain. You’re willing to take the risk.

  One minute and thirteen seconds of stillness. Kai’s breathing is the only sound I hear. It’s so steady, so calm that I count his inhales and exhales. I don’t want to leave his steady rhythm or the feeling I have in this car right now.

  “So, you are sure about this then?” I ask, referring to the crash. “Because starting tomorrow we’re going to have a lot to do.”

  “Let’s do it.” He puts his hand out for me to shake on it.

  I take it in mine. He squeezes gently, two, three, four seconds longer than a regular handshake. My heart races like a rabbit’s. He slides his hand slowly from mine before he hops out, opens my car door, and walks me to the guesthouse front porch.

  “Goodnight, Phoenix.”

  “Goodnight, Kai,” I say, closing the door behind me. Instead of walking back to my bedroom, I go to the front window and watch each of the thirty-eight steps he takes until he disappears into his house.

  The next morning, Kai nearly spits out his water. “You’re serious? You’re basing this whole plan on a theory? And we don’t even have a tenth of what we need?”

  I keep a straight face. “I know it seems impossible. No one has ever attempted anything like this. But hey, you showed up.”

  “So, let me get this straight,” Kai says, “we just need to stabilize the economy for a year, is that right?”

  I nod.

  “Yes. Like I said, I’m giving up my part entirely. I’m not asking you to do that. If you want to back out, it’s fine,” I say. “Every investment has risk. This one more than anything.”

  Kai mulls it over. “You’re crazy, you know that? I’m not promising to give up my part, but I’m still in. We have to try, right? Okay, what’s next?”

  “Then, we offer bonds. Those will last for longer than the first year. The bonds will inject cash into companies that are failing and keep them afloat until the economy gets back on track. Then we invest in areas that will be useful—energy, banks, transportation, food, land—all for funds to create more bonds and keep things stable. Theoretically, companies from all over China and the world will apply for the bond.”

  “What’s this super bond called?”

  I want to tell him the name I’ve finally chosen, but I hesitate. I don’t know if I can trust him or not. Then again, he already knows a bit about my father, so I suppose it can’t hurt. “It’s called the J. J. Bond or Jie Jiang Bond.”

 
; “Why Jie Jiang?”

  “Jie means heroic. Shanghai has a River—Jiang. That’s it.”

  Kai cocks his head to the side again like he does when he picks up on my calculations. “Come on, Phoenix. You’ve never been that simple.”

  I breathe in suddenly, surprised. My eyes start to sting because here is someone in front of me who is looking at me, paying attention to me. I relent, a bit.

  “Ok. I named it after my dad. He believed in using his money to help people realize their dreams. Essentially, it’s what we’re going to do. He named me after…” Himself– this is what I thought I could say but I can’t finish. He can’t know my real name. Neither can I tell Kai that my father’s name in Chinese is translated with Jie or that Jiang, which means River, was my last name. Or that J.J. could also stand for Jeffery Joseph, the person I was named after.

  I brush off my emotion and quote Red instead. “Uh, I was named Phoenix so I could rise from the ashes and do something worthwhile. In a way, if we pull off this plan, my name will finally have meaning.”

  “Brilliant,” he says. “So how do we buy Asia Bank?”

  “That will be tricky.” I bite my lip. To carry out my plan we actually need his father. He’s the only one who has enough money to sustain it. “We need a lot more money. Donors. Benefactors. Who does your father know in politics who can leak information about the economy crash?”

  “I’ll get the word out.”

  “Good. I have some donors, too,” I say. “I just need a bit more time to secure their funds.”

  “Great.” He smiles. But I frown. My stomach lurches to my feet thinking about the Pratt and the Expo.

  Because when I use the term donors, what I mean is I have to succeed at stealing it, and by succeed, I mean, I have to survive facing Madame and King.