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Instead, the prime minister spoke live and every word that came from her mouth made his blood boil. She poised in front of the cameras, acting like some kind of hero, talking about how China had “engineered” the coup, as if they were the villains in this entire mess. It wasn’t his fault the islanders had been willing to sell their souls for some equipment and an actual, functioning police force. Or maybe they were just too stupid to see the writing on the wall. Led by China, they could have become part of the greatest empire in the world, but in the end, the Cook Islands had proved themselves not worthy of that honor.

Finally, the prime minister stopped her pathetic drivel, and the camera feed went down. A glance at the clock indicated she had spoken for a mere four minutes. It didn’t really matter what she said or how she presented herself, because no one outside this wretched island would see it anyway.

But finally, she shut up, because every word had grated on his nerves.

A minute later, a shaky camera feed showed her being arrested—at last—and led outside where a large crowd had gathered. Shi leaned forward in his chair. Time for the showdown with the real leader.

Maivia walked into the frame, calm and poised. Shi smiled. Time for Maivia to flex his authority in real time.

“Prime Minister, you are under arrest,” he declared, pointing at her dramatically.

The prime minister remained calm and unflappable. “For what, exactly, am I under arrest?” she asked.

Maivia faltered, stumbled. “Uh, ah…”

Shi closed his eyes. This couldn’t be happening, and yet, somehow it was.

“For resisting arrest,” Maivia blustered. “For spreading propaganda.”

Shi smacked his head with the palm of his hand. Maivia was a complete fool. “Say something useful,” he shouted at the television.

Instead, Maivia faltered, which gave the real prime minister the opening she needed to plead her case further. A minute later, the crowd started shouting in support of her, and a young policeman disarmed himself and put down his weapon, followed by the rest of the force. The few Chinese police that accompanied Maivia turned tail and fled. They were smart enough to see what was coming.

Then Maivia, the idiot himself, surrendered to the prime minister without a fight. The cowardice was too much for Shi to bear.

“Imbecile,” Shi muttered, his voice low and dangerously calm. He’d never seen such weakness, such cowardice.

It was time to exit this disgrace of a country.

He grabbed his phone, dialing Chen’s number.

“I want my car and driver ready to go in twenty minutes,” he barked. “Make sure the plane is ready. And recall everyone to the compound. I want all staff here immediately. We’ll need to make sure that whatever’s left of our diplomatic immunity is preserved. But for now, I trust the integrity of the compound and our people to manage any hostile crowd.”

He threw the phone down on the desk and glanced at the clock. Fifteen minutes, maybe twenty, and he’d be out of here. He had the money to go where he wanted. He had many passports and people who owed him. He’d pack a bag, get on the plane, and head somewhere—anywhere—far from this miserable island. But he couldn’t go home to China, and he knew it.

He would not be forgiven this time.

His car and driver were ready when he went to the front. They headed for the airport and encountered remarkably little traffic, although people seemed to be out all over. Shi’s eyes narrowed. He wondered where Slash was at this very moment.

“The next time I see him, it will be his last,” Shi muttered to himself. His grip tightened around the armrest as the car glided through the streets.

His driver drove around the back of the airport, was waved through a gate by Chinese police who obviously hadn’t received the recall alert, and pulled up to the tarmac. Shi stepped out of the car, waiting for his driver to retrieve his bag. Once the bag was in hand, he marched toward his private business jet, a sleek black aircraft. The head pilot and the flight attendant bowed to him on the steps, but Shi ignored them, pushing past, his mind focused on leaving this nightmare behind as quickly as possible. The attendant took his bag from the driver and stowed it.

“Take off immediately,” he ordered the pilot, his voice harsh. “I’ll tell you where to go once we’re airborne.”

The pilot hesitated and exchanged a nervous glance with his copilot. “Sir, we’ll need a destination for the flight plan.”

Shi barely looked at him. “You need what Itellyou I need. I don’t care where we go, so long as it’s away from this worthless island. Get us in the air, now, and I’ll decide where we’re going as soon as we’re in the air.”

The pilot hesitated again but finally nodded, inputting commands on the flight deck. Shi settled into his seat, his gaze darting to the window, his fingers tapping on the armrest impatiently. He really couldn’t leave this hellhole fast enough.

Suddenly, two black police SUVs drove up. They swerved and parked in front of the plane, effectively blocking its path.

“What the hell?” Shi breathed.

The pilot called back to Shi. “We have a problem, sir.”

“I don’t care. Take off now,” he ordered.