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When Aimee was abducted while on a field trip to the zoo, the shock shook us all up. Dad and I had tried our best to live a quiet and simple life in Northern California after my mom died. But deep in my heart, I had known this day would come. My connection to a dangerous crime family would eventually come back to haunt me.

“I’m doing my best,Ba. And I’m doing it discreetly,” I said, trying not to give him any reason to worry about me too.

“I kept replaying the video from that day, Viv. They took her in broad daylight.”

That meant these people didn’t care if they were caught, which made them even more dangerous.

But I said, “A mistake. And we’ll catch them for that.”

Though the kidnappers wore masks and abducted two other girls, Aimee was the only one who hadn’t been found. Or rather, she was the only one they hadn’t released. The other classmates were released that evening at a shopping plaza. They’d been forced to wear blindfolds, which prevented them from seeing their kidnappers.

I knew they’d released the girls to distract the public. Aimee was a prodigy. She was a target because of her brilliance.Just like my mother. Mom had been a prodigy, and she made a lot of money for The Triad, an organized crime syndicate that dealt with extortion, sex trafficking, illegal gambling, drug trade, and the laundry list went on and on.

My grandfather, Stephen Kwan, who went by the nickname King Viper, was the leader of The Taipan Triad until his death eight months ago. Around the time of Aimee’s abduction. I hadn’t seen my grandfather in years. Though he was a dangerous man, he loved my mom and me and ensured our lives would be undisturbed by members of his faction.

But he was no longer alive to keep that promise. I knew little about the honor system within a crime organization. Was there such a thing? How long could one man’s word hold power after his death?

Had The Taipans taken Aimee? I wasn’t sure, but my intuition told me to look in that direction.

My dad coughed, and I could hear him drinking something.

“We’ll find Aimee,Ba. I promise. I don’t want you stressing out. And I don’t want Rose calling me about your condition either.”

Rose Tran had been his nurse for the past few years. They’d become friends, and I could tell there was something more between them. But Dad didn’t want to admit anything to me.

He hadn’t dated since my mom died, and Rose was the first woman who’d caught his interest. She’d taken great care of him and always called me when Dad was being stubborn about his medication and workout routine.

Dad sighed. “I know, I know. I’m trying not to add to your burden?—”

“You’re not a burden to me. I want you to focus on your health. Don’t worry about finding Aimee. That’s my job.”

“I don’t want you putting yourself in danger. Will and Susan wouldn’t want that either. Promise?”

“Yes, I promise,” I agreed.

It was the best I could do without flat-out lying to him. To find Aimee, I had to step close to the snake pit. Danger was part of the game. A scared little girl was waiting for someone to save her.

Was she still alive?

Stop it. Don’t think like that.

They need her. They won’t hurt her.

The voices warring in my head drove me crazy. My life had been consumed with finding Aimee. I’d resigned from my pediatric dental position and moved to Providence to start a new practice. It was eight months since she’d been kidnapped. Most people would have assumed she was already dead, but I knew in my gut that Aimee was alive.

“I’m going to buy some fruits and flowers for the altar. I’ll make a donation to the temple too. Your mom, our ancestors, and all the gods and goddesses will watch over you and Aimee.”

“Thanks,Ba.” I smiled as I imagined him making the offer. Believing that there was a higher power protecting me brought him peace. Dad’s parents had taught him the Vietnamese tradition before they both passed away in a car accident. I never got a chance to meet them.

“Let me know if you need anything from Agent Stone or me.”

Aimee’s parents had hired a private investigator to help locate her. So far, he had discovered nothing either.

A knock sounded on my door, and Dakota, my dental assistant, poked her head in. The look on her face told me it was an urgent matter.

“Have to go,Ba. Talk to you soon.”

I hung up the phone and glanced at my watch. Three hours until the wine expo. I had time.