by Nova McBee
“Fine, just one cup.” His voice is different. Not the usual commanding voice I know from the office. “I have something to say to you.”
“Welcome,” I say, swinging the door open, “it is your house.”
“Why is it so hard for you to accept something from me? I told you this house is yours.” He looks at me. It’s the first time I see Kai’s face in his. He’s not wearing his glasses and the lines around his face seem softer.
He walks through the living room, surveying all his former belongings. “You have not done anything with the place.”
“I’m not much for entertaining.” After last week, he’s familiar with my after-work activities. Is this about the factory?
Walking into the kitchen, he immediately pulls up a chair and gives me that look that says let’s start the meeting, time is money. I assume something is wrong. Picking up the canister of green tea leaves on the counter, I open it, pinching a few leaves and dropping them into a small teacup. Pushing a button on the automatic hot water dispenser, I fill his cup and set it in front of him.
His face is serious as he thumbs the pawn in his hand. He sets it on the table for both of us to look at as I settle into a chair.
“I guess you are wondering how I know Dr. Ling.”
“The thought crossed my mind,” I say. “Along with Red, Kai’s mother, and King.”
“Red was my best friend,” he says.
“Best friends? Impossible.” They’re opposite ends of the stick in every way.
“Blame fate. It can get around anything,” he says. “Our social status and families are completely different. I’m high society. He’s from the countryside. His family is spiritual, mine are superstitious. His favorite color is orange, mine is black. I’m tall, he is short. The list goes on. We’re a disaster of a match. But we had one thing in common.” He picks up the chess piece. “We played everything—xiangqi, weiqi. But our favorite was chess. I was the chess champion in my district, and Red was champion in his. One summer, fate had us compete.”
Red. Even without a math gift he could beat me. But he never mentioned anything about championships. He was too humble for that.
“Before meeting Red, I believed that all countryside people aspired to not much more than raising chickens. That is, if I ever thought about them. So after I met my challenger, I’d planned to beat him and celebrate my title before lunch. But Red beat me. Fair and square. I couldn’t accept it. I ranted and raved.”
“That last part is hard to believe,” I say with a smirk. Chan grimaces.
“Because of my family’s status I believed I was better than him. I accused him of cheating.” Chan twirled the little pawn. “Red held this up and said, “‘Every pawn has a different strength, and every king and queen, a weakness. You are upset because a pawn beat a king. But not everything is what it seems. Some pawns are actually kings and queens, and some kings and queens are just pawns.’”
A lump emerges in my throat as I remember my first meeting with Red. A little misty eyed, I glance up at Chan. We are thinking the same thing.
“Red and his sayings!” Chan mused. “What made it worse was that he wasn’t boastful like most champions. After the tournament he slapped a pawn in my hand and said, I’ll teach you, if you want. I refused. I’d lost so much face that I challenged him outside the tournament. He agreed. But secretly I tucked the pawn away, along with his offer to teach me.” Chan paused, a solemn expression on his face.
“We played best out of five. First two matches, he won. He was obviously better than me, but then he did something I wasn’t ready for. He let me win the next three matches. He made stupid mistakes, gave me the game. I called him on it, and challenged him again, but he said he had a better idea.
“‘Come to my house,’” he had said. “‘I will teach you my secrets. Next year, you will be champion.’” Chan shakes his head in wonder. “A champion never shares his secrets. You keep those to yourself because they profit you. But Red wasn’t like that. Not concerned with winning or losing. He was concerned with friends, people. With doing what was right.”
As Chan talks, all the things I love about Red return. He won people. His whole purpose was for others. To show them who they could be. That was his prize. I’m proof of that, and my heart aches for him.
“The next day, without my parents knowing, I went out to his hometown. Song Valley. His parents were farmers, polite, simple people. Wood and dirt floor. Hardly a curtain on the window. But they were clever. A wisdom and harmony rested there that I didn’t have in my own home. Everyone loved each other.
“Red did exactly what he said he would do. He taught me everything he knew. I didn’t know why, but I just kept coming back. I improved at chess, but I also began to laugh in that house. His mother cooked up the best wild roots and vegetables I’d ever tasted. I’d bring her meat as a gift. Their family was poor, but even then, they helped families much poorer than themselves. I learned what it meant to be family. My own parents never laughed at my jokes. But Red’s family did. I’d soon preferred them to the circles I ran with back home.” Chan sips his tea. “Red, although he was the best, never entered another competition. The following year, I was the champion, just as he predicted. I’d also gained a best friend.”
“What went wrong?” I ask.
“After the competition I gained something else. Red’s sister.”
“Dr. Ling?”
“No, the first born. Moli,” he says. “She was my wife.”
“Your wife?” The moli flowers in his lapel, in his office, all sentiment. Pieces of a puzzle come together. “Red is Kai’s uncle? Red never told me. Kai doesn’t know?”
“In China, if there’s a tragedy, we often do not talk about it,” he says. “Moli was as kind as Red and just as clever. She didn’t have a formal education, but she was an expert of the human heart. Red was who he was because of her. When I was near her, I could take over the world. I loved her. And despite my flaws, she loved me too.
“Her parents were delighted. But as expected, mine disapproved. I fought them, telling them I loved her, I’d pay for her to go to school, that she’d make something of herself. They warned me it wouldn’t work out, eventually something would go wrong. But they agreed that if I enrolled her into university classes to become a teacher before our wedding, we could marry.”
“At the wedding Red gave a speech.” He held out two pawns. “‘This is the symbol of our friendship, love and unity. As pawns and kings, we vow nothing is impossible. Chess is a game, but life is not. In us, we have seen a brotherhood from two worlds, a marriage brought together by fate alone. Love, more powerful than honor. May this pawn remind us to live as kingly pawns and humble kings, not for ourselves but for each other.’ Then he blessed our marriage.”
For a moment, I wish he would stop talking so I can let it all soak in, to feel it. But he doesn’t.
“My parents never accepted her. But we were too happy to notice. Meanwhile, Red kept hassling me about his former high school student that he considered to be very dangerous. King. Red predicted he’d ruin many lives if there wasn’t intervention. At first, it was just money, materials, cars. Later, anything he wanted. King usurped property. Brothels were set up. Then girls, daughters went missing. King threatened Song Valley residents into silence.” He rubs his forehead. “Red hassled me for six years for help. My business was growing. Kai had been born. I was busy. I didn’t want to get mixed up in criminal business. Finally, I stopped visiting Song Valley. I refused to let my son go there. But Moli wanted to help Red and Song Valley.”
“When Kai was six, King discovered the Pratt tunnels and tried to seize the property from Yu Chen. The land had been in the Yu family for many years and they were close friends. A group who’d been wronged by King gathered at Red’s, finally brave enough to stand up to him. That weekend, Moli went, too. I felt sick and begged her not to go. It’d be her only time, she promised. She was right.”
Red was convinced that he could pe
rsuade King to change, but as fate would have it, Red interrupted some kind of deal. King’s buyers, believed to be betrayed, fled with King’s money. King blamed Red, and the chase was on. Red hurried to his house where everyone was gathered. But King was close behind. As everyone fled, King opened fire. Yu Chen and Moli were hit. When King caught Red, he threatened to kill the rest of his family if Red didn’t pay back every penny of what he’d lost in the deal. Red asked me for help. He promised to make all things right. He’d find a way to convince King to change, to restore everything that was taken from Song Valley. But I was angry. I blamed him for Moli’s death. I responded a year later to Red through Bo Gong, that I’d pay the ransom, but Red never contacted me until he did it for you. I always regretted not helping Red back when King was just a boy.” He frowns.
Now I know why he locks himself in the office all day. He has held this inside for more than twelve years.
“After Moli’s funeral, I was too ashamed to visit her family. I never spoke to Kai about Red or his mother’s family. My parents blamed my disobedience, and soon I believed it too. My poor son would never have his mother again. My sweet angel, gone. All I had left was my career and my son. I vowed to protect him from the pain I suffered. But he is too much like Moli. Too much like Red.”
He pauses. “When I met you, it scared me. Red was in you. If you got too close, you’d hurt us. You’d hurt Kai. I realize now I have to give that up. I can’t protect him anymore.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“Humble kings and kingly pawns, right?” He scratches his head. “Oh, I don’t know! I’m no good at this idealistic stuff! Maybe I came for Moli. Or Kai. Or Red. I couldn’t save myself from pain, but maybe I can save others. I was wrong not to forgive Red. To let him stay there. I can’t change that, but I can do something now. I want to make Kai and Moli proud. For Red to live on.” He lifts the pawn. “I won’t back down anymore. I’ll lead your J.J. Bond. I’ve made an offer on Asia Bank.”
I blink, incredulous. Did I just hear him right?
His eyes widen and light up like a fire. A caged man has been set free. A lost man returned to his destiny. Am I looking at the man Moli and Red knew? If so, I can see why they loved him.
“Red would be proud. I am too.” A single tear rolls down my cheek.
He grunts and looks away, embarrassed at our emotional moment. I blink back my tears and get down to business.
“You’re sure you want to invest in just a theory?”
“I read over your plan again. Discussed it with Kai, too.”
Before he goes any further, I stop him. “I need to tell you something. About my gift.”
Chan pales as I explain how it worked and now how it’s gone. I picture him standing up, walking out, and denying we ever had this conversation. But he doesn’t. Instead, he pensively rubs at the stubble on his chin.
“What’s the damage?”
“None yet. All we needed was you. I’ve already implemented the J.J. Bond. Now, we test it. Potentially, you’ll be the most powerful man in China for the next century. It’s worth the risk, huh?”
“This old pawn is in for the long haul,” he says. “Do you think we stand a chance?”
He extends his hand. Chan and me. A team, as it was meant to be. We shake on it.
“The odds,” I say, “have just gotten better.”
40
Present: Phoenix
FRENCH CONCESSION, SHANGHAI, CHINA
Chan’s story is fresh in my head. I’m pulsing with energy. I rule out sleep—I don’t want the details to fade just yet, or for my mind to drift towards Celia, or losing my gift. I’m feeling brave. So, I take a step I wasn’t willing to before. Swimming.
I change into my bathing suit and slip into my robe. I take my phone in case Kai calls and meander out to the pool. It’s a warm night. The pool is ready to go. I slip into the room, recalling my first night here. The same steamy, sticky feeling drenches me as I drink in the scent of flowers. I chuckle at how I thought Kai was the pool boy.
I take off my robe and stare at the water. I don’t want this to be a big deal, to waste time reliving all the reasons I steered clear of water. So instead of a ceremony, I jump straight in.
The water is warm and smooth. It’s my first time swimming without numbers. It’s freeing. If there’s any place I can forget about my gift, it’s here under the surface.
I dive until my belly and fingertips inch across the bottom of the pool. I push up and breach the surface. I float on my back, spin around like a dolphin, and I swim, swim, swim.
My ocean.
Why did it take me so long? How could I forget how much I love water? I’ll never let Madame or King or Lev take this from me ever again.
That’s it. I crawl stroke over to the edge as fast as I can. I push up with my arms.
Without numbers I know exactly how to get Madame. Why didn’t I think about this earlier?
My body drips water over everything as I frantically reach for my phone. I hope Kai is still with Agent Bai.
He answers on the first ring. “Kai? I know how to find Madame.”
He puts me on speakerphone. Agent Bai shouts in the background. “Well?”
The three syllables on the tip of my tongue taste bitter and rotten. I’m eager to spit them out. “Lev D’Ambre.”
A text message buzzes me awake. It takes me a minute to pull away from dreams of chess, Red and Chan, laughter, and the occasional flash of Lev.
My hand flaps over to the bedside table, grasping for my phone. Once it’s in my hand, I squint, working hard to peel back my weary, chlorinated eyes. Maybe swimming until two am wasn’t such a good idea.
The message is from Kai: They found Lev. Meet outside in 20?
I respond, then throw on a mauve dress, black flats, and sunglasses. Outside, Kai waits in his car.
“Morning.” I lean over to kiss his cheek.
“Nice dress.” His face is pale. Probably just tired. He pulls into traffic.
“So, I, um—” Kai tries three times to tell me something on the way but gives up and changes the subject. “Your gift return?”
I shake my head.
He inhales and exhales, controlled. There’s definitely something on his mind.
“Why are you acting so strangely?” I ask. “Is this because of your dad?”
“I need to tell you something,” he says. “But you have a lot on your plate right now. After Lev, okay?”
I shrug. “OK.”
Kai’s jaw muscles tighten. Is this about my gift? Celia? Rafael?
At the PGF office, we sit with Detective Hansen and Agent Bai in front of a one-way window. A man sits inside. Lev D’Ambre.
I grip down on Kai’s hand. “Where did you find him?”
“Right where you told us he’d be. Golden Angel Hotel.”
I stare in at Lev. He slides a hand over his perfect hair. The creep is always betraying Celia. My stomach feels tight and nauseous. A flash of fear draws me back to that day. I quiver, and Kai pulls me closer. “It’s okay,” he whispers twice in my ear. “I won’t let anyone touch you again.”
I settle down. “What’s your plan?” I say to Detective Hansen.
“Madame has completely gone off the map,” he says. “To find her, we need to get her back online. As you suggested, we’ll entice her with a video clip or a message from Lev. If she watches for approximately 40 seconds, we can pinpoint her location.”
The recording begins. His confession is cold and factual. Lev does not need persuading to expose all of Madame’s deeds in order to save himself. He’s scared. Anyone who knows Madame should be. He bargains to tell everything for a deal, especially for protection. It proves he never felt an ounce of true affection for Celia. Now, in a way, he’s free.
Lev pleads innocence. He claims he is Celia’s biggest victim—only involved through association. All he wants is to go home to Europe. I’m not sure what the police will offer him, but I can’t imagine he’ll get
off free and clear.
“When I first met Celia in Spain, she was Silvia. That was before I knew she had seven false names…” Lev goes on for two hours, retelling how he learned about her “business”, and her true character. He had tried to run, but she wouldn’t let him. That was the beginning of his self-medication, cheating, and living in terror.
He gives detailed information, locations, even intimate secrets. “We have a house in Oro, Spain,” he says. “It’s a small chalet in the middle of nowhere, paid in full under my name, but with Celia’s money. It has necessary supplies if we ever needed to run. Our plan has always been to meet there if things go wrong. Two days ago, she told me to meet her ‘there’. I assume Oro is where she meant.”
After this, Detective Hansen records two messages for Celia. In the first, Lev explains that he has bought the tickets but won’t leave until she lets him know she’s safe. If the first doesn’t work, they will play the second: Lev’s confession to the police. Anything to make her watch for 40 seconds.
At one point, they ask about me and tell him I’m alive. Guilt plasters his face, and he starts twitching like King.
The recording finishes.
“How are you doing with all of this?” Kai asks me.
I shrug. “I just hope this works.”
“Will you stay here, with them?” he asks. “If she takes the bait, you’ll get to see her reaction via satellite.”
My mind drifts off. At first, I wanted to see the look on her face when she learned Lev has been with other women. But after thinking about it, I decide I don’t. Betrayal hurts. Even now, the stab of my own betrayal from Mara twists in my stomach. Madame is wicked, but the pain of betrayal is so deep, so damaging, I don’t care who it is, I can’t bear to watch it on anyone’s face, even if they deserve it.
What digs at me most is that she believed Lev truly loved her. This will be her final breaking point. Their relationship was always doomed to destruction, just like anything built on a lie. But according to Red, after lies are rooted out, new life can sprout. Maybe it’s a good thing.