Page 29

Kai

“H ey lady,” I shook the unconscious woman in front of me, but nothing happened. I tried again, more vigorously this time, shaking her with both hands. Apart from a lopsided twitch of her mouth, there was no other reaction.

“Do you know who she is?” I asked the skinny redheaded bartender hovering nearby.

“She’s a guest, of course. No one gets in unless they’re invited.” He set a glass of water on the coffee table beside the armchair.

She wasn’t going to drink that water—not if she remained unconscious, oblivious to the world around her. I briefly considered throwing it on her. Maybe that would wake her up faster.

Auntie Five. I hadn’t seen her for over twenty years, but despite the faint lines etched into her face, she hadn’t changed much.

Her hair was as dark and glossy as I remembered, clearly dyed and maintained by a professional.

Most women her age put on more weight than they’d like, but she hadn’t.

Still, time hadn’t been kind to her. She had to be around my mother’s age, yet she looked ten—maybe fifteen—years older.

“Can you get me another whiskey?” I held out my hand to the redhead for a handshake. It was an odd gesture for an order, but he took it, surprise flickering across his face as he found the cash I had discreetly tucked into his palm.

“Anything else I can get for you, sir?” He grinned, eager now.

“Her name.”

“I’ll be right back.” The young man disappeared through a door behind the bar.

I studied her from head to toe. She was dressed like a celebrity attending the Oscars—impeccably styled and undoubtedly expensive.

I couldn’t pinpoint the designer, but I had shopped enough to recognize high-end craftmanship.

Her jewelry was understated—a few simple diamond pieces—but the cut and clarity suggested they were far from cheap.

She was doing well for herself.

Was any of her lifestyle funded by me? By the ransom from kidnapping a young boy?

Calm down, I warned myself. There was no proof she had anything to do with it. If she had, the police would have charged her back then. But my mother had been convinced Auntie Five was involved.

Can’t trust her.

The thought slithered through my mind. But who couldn’t I trust—this woman, or my mother?

“That’s Ms. Wu,” the waiter said, returning with my whiskey. “She comes to these parties all the time—always drinks until she blacks out.”

“You didn’t already know that she’s a regular?”

“Nah, I just started last week. Dropped out of college.” He shrugged.

“You don’t work for… the host?” I lowered my voice, unwilling to say Dannie’s name aloud.

“Mr. Wu? Yes and no. I work for the hotel, not him.”

“Doesn’t he own the hotel?”

“I heard he part-owns it. Apparently, his partner runs the day-to-day stuff.”

That made sense. Someone like Dannie—head of a criminal organization—wouldn’t waste time managing a hotel.

“What else do you know about her?” I pressed. As much as I wanted intel on Dannie, this kid wasn’t the person to ask.

He hesitated, then said, “I asked around, but no one really knows who she is. Just that she’s important, and no one ever stops her from coming in. My only job is to give her whatever she wants to keep her happy.”

“Thanks.”

“Anything else, sir?”

“No.”

Ms. Wu.

Now I remembered why I called her Auntie Five. Her surname, Wu, sounded like the number five in Chinese. When I was a kid, the adults laughed and loved the nickname I’d given her.

Who was she to Dannie? Were they related?

I briefly considered offering the bartender a side gig—spying on Auntie Five and Dannie for me—but dismissed the idea. I knew nothing about him. Without Dave to run a background check, I was flying blind. I had to find a way to bring Dave back, no matter what.

The young man returned to his post behind the bar. I opened the woman’s handbag and pulled out her phone. It was locked. I patted her face gently and held the device up to her. A faint click let me know the phone had unlocked.

Auntie Five slumped back, her eyes fluttering shut again, utterly unconcerned about what I was doing. I dialed the burner phone Trevon had given me, ensuring I had her number saved for future use. If Dave—or even Clare—were here, they’d already be digging up everything there was to know about her.

I had no proof that her phone number would help me place her later, but I knew one thing: she had status here. Enough to come and go as she pleased.

“Who are you?” Her voice was hoarse as she propped herself up on the side of the chair, blinking rapidly like the dim lighting hurt her eyes.

“Ms. Wu, are you okay? You fainted.”

“I fainted?” Fainted, passed out—same thing when you drank yourself into oblivion.

“Yes, I found you collapsed over there.” I pointed toward the spot where she’d been sprawled. A flash of Chen Gong’s lifeless body surged through my mind. I shook off the image, but a chilling question lingered—would this memory ever stop haunting me?

“Thank you, handsome. You’re very kind. No one cares about me anymore.”

A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she pulled out a few one-hundred-dollar bills and handed them to me. I pushed her hand away, my pride refusing to let me accept her money like this. I had plenty of my own—I certainly didn’t need hers.

In the end, I waved the waiter over, handed him the cash, and instructed him to get her something hot. Tea, coffee, whatever he could find behind that brown door he had disappeared into earlier.

“What’s my phone doing out here?” Now that she was more alert, I could see that life hadn’t been kind to her. Her oddly plump face was a telltale sign of Botox, but beneath the artificial smoothness lingered something raw and real.

Sadness. And no plastic surgery in the world could ever erase that.

“I must have taken it out at some point then,” she murmured, rummaging through her small black handbag.

I watched her in silence, noting the tremor in her hands as she checked the contents of her purse.

“Do you need me to take you to the hospital, Auntie Five?” My attempt to keep calling her Ms. Wu faltered as the old nickname slipped from my lips.

Her head lifted slightly, her expression unreadable.

“No, no need,” she replied, her tone dismissive.

She didn’t flinch at the name, but she did take her time studying me. Her gaze wasn’t harsh—not at all—but something about it made my stomach lurch.

“Well, if you’re okay, then I should really get going.” I turned and left without waiting for the young waiter to return.

But my mind wouldn’t let her go. The questions that had haunted me for years resurfaced with a vengeance.

Had she betrayed me back then? Sold my information to the kidnappers just to make a quick buck?

Did she know what they did to me—how they punched and kicked a helpless boy who couldn’t defend himself? Had she ordered it?

I had lived with those questions for so long. And now, here she was. I wanted answers.

If she tried to kidnap me again, it wouldn’t be so easy this time. I could take her instead. Return the favor. Let her feel the terror of being captured and locked away in a small, dark, stinking room where no one came to save you.

But I couldn’t risk her discovering who I really was. Not without Dave and Clare. Not in a room full of triad members. And not with June in such easy reach.

“Leng Chai,” she called softly, but I pretended not to hear her.

I returned to the table where I had left Laura. June had found her way there and was now sitting beside her, chatting and giggling. More cakes had appeared—three extra plates piled high with more than two women could possibly eat.

Dannie slipped past me and claimed the seat next to June, and I swore he did it on purpose.

My mind was still tangled with thoughts of Auntie Five, warning me that this place was dangerous.

These people weren’t my friends. If they wanted to, they could lock me up again.

Worse, they could take June, Trevon and Wendy too.

We were foreigners, mere guests in Hong Kong.

If the triad decided we were a problem, we could disappear without a trace—like those backpackers who were never heard from again.

The crowd had thinned, and I saw my chance. I leaned in close to June and whispered, “We should make a move. I have an early flight tomorrow.”

“Okay,” she agreed softly. “Let me quickly say goodbye to a few people.”

I braced myself. Someone—Laura, Dannie or his grandmother—would surely try to make her stay.

But surprisingly, Dannie handed us a keycard.

“My personal suite,” he said with a smirk.

I took the card without hesitation. Now wasn’t the time for pride. One day, maybe I’d buy a hotel chain and have my own personal suite in every city around the world. But right now, all I wanted was to get out of there.

I shouldn’t have left Jenny behind. Alone and helpless. The mess was partly my fault, and I had abandoned her to clean it up.

Tomorrow, I had to leave. No matter what.

As we prepared to go, June stopped to speak with the man who had promised to help her with the visa tomorrow. She wanted to confirm the time and the documents she needed to bring.

I told her she could take her time sorting out the visa now that we’d finally seen each other. But she insisted on coming to Shanghai to join me as soon as possible.

Part of me was touched by her compassion, her love, and her affection for me. The other part was filled with worry—worried that she might have to witness what awaited me in Shanghai: the mess, the criminal charges, the horror.

I used the moment to call Trevon and update him. I also had Clare organize a few things for me. Her voice trembled with emotion—as if she’d been waiting desperately for an assignment. I reminded myself not to let my guard down again. Getting too close to my bodyguard could lead to complications.