White Ginger (5 page)

Bai fished a business card out of her pocket and handed it to Ling. “If they bother you again, call me.”

Ling looked at Bai's card. Her mouth moved as she silently sounded out the words. “So you're the
souxun
. I've heard of you.” She looked up to study Bai. “You're not at all like I imagined.”

The statement surprised Bai. “What did you imagine I'd be like?”

“More Nancy Drew and less Kelly Hu.”

Bai's eyebrows flicked up. “I'll take that as a compliment though I'm not entirely sure it is one.”

“What do we do with Jimmy?” Lee asked, diverting Bai's attention.

“You can't trust him,” Ling insisted. “He's like my mom—mean and stupid.”

Hate glinting off his eyes, Jimmy stared up at Bai. His expression reinforced his sister's opinion of him. He was a rat.

“I wanna go to China.” Jimmy made the statement with a hint of authority. “I know where my mother is. The guy told me to go.”

Apparently, Jimmy was recovered enough to start backing his way out of the mess he found himself in. But Bai couldn't trust him to leave town, and she couldn't have him interfering with her search for his sister. Jimmy would have to go on ice for a few days. She just had to figure out where to stash him until she could find Jia.

Bai grabbed a handful of Jimmy's hair to pull his head up. She wanted to see his face. “‘Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes.'” She spoke to him as if he were a child. “I think it's time I introduced you to Uncle Tommy.”

Jimmy looked disappointed. He should have been terrified.

Lee got up from his stool. He nodded to Bai and Ling before turning to walk out the door.

As
Shan Chu
, Tommy couldn't be seen with Lee because Lee was
tongzhi.
The brotherhood had strict prohibitions against its members' associating with homosexuals.

After the door had closed behind Lee, Ling turned to Bai. “Where's he going?”

“He can't accompany me on my next stop.” Her words were a sad commentary. She turned around to see the look of confusion on Ling's face. “It's a long story.” She dismissed Ling's unasked questions with a wave of her hand. “Do you happen to have a picture of Jia?”

“Sure. I have a school picture upstairs. I'll get it for you.”

While Ling ran to get the photo, Bai tugged the cell phone out of her pocket. As she dialed, Jimmy decided he'd been sitting on the floor long enough and started to get up. Bai swiveled around on her stool and slapped him on the top of his head. “Stay down until I tell you to get up.”

The slap did the trick. He complied while the phone rang. The woman who answered had a pleasant voice. When Bai identified herself, the receptionist put her through to Tommy.

“Bai. It's good to hear from you!” Tommy sounded jovial. “I've been meaning to call. We have some business to discuss. When can we get together?”

“Actually, Tommy, I'm thinking now would be a good time. Could you send a car and driver? I'm at the Far East Café on Grant near Washington. I have an unmanageable package that needs transport.”

The line went silent. Her words were code. Tommy would send soldiers to escort her back to
Sun Yee On's
offices.

“I'll send someone right over. I look forward to hearing about this.” His voice was full of amusement.

“Thanks, Tommy. See you soon.”

She looked down at Jimmy. “You're about to find out karma's a bitch.
Tai lo.”
Be careful.

Jimmy glared at her but said nothing, too stupid to be scared.

A black limousine double-parked in front of the café. The driver, a burly Chinese man in a black suit, took Jimmy by the arm and roughly escorted him to the waiting car. Bai followed a few steps behind, shadowed by another triad enforcer who bowed her into the limo with deference.

Although not a member of the triad, she was the granddaughter of Ho Chan Jiang, the man who'd ushered
Sun Yee On
into the twenty-first century by legitimizing many of their operations. He'd funneled money from illicit gambling, prostitution, smuggling, and drugs into fast-food chains, luxury resorts, pharmaceutical companies, and oil. The triad had prospered, and nothing, it seemed, engendered loyalty like money.

The trip to the Businessmen's Association Building, which served as triad headquarters, took only a few minutes. As the car pulled into the underground garage, Bai asked that Jimmy be kept in seclusion while she spoke with Tommy. The last she saw of him, he was being led away by a couple of triad enforcers.

She rode the elevator up to the penthouse offices on the top floor and stepped out of the lift into a bright and airy atrium. Cow lilies, their fragrance filling the room, grew in a massive planter that rested against the wall next to the lift. Across the room was a receptionist's kiosk, a round, elevated desk, where a very pretty Chinese woman in a tailored black blazer answered the phone via a wireless headset while gesturing for Bai to have a seat in one of the overstuffed leather chairs.

As Bai settled into an armchair to wait, another receptionist appeared to offer tea. Bai declined. The stale coffee from the café had already torched her stomach.

Tommy stepped out to personally usher her into his office. He offered her a seat in a guest chair before walking around to the other side of his desk. He sat facing her and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desktop. “It's good to see you. You look beautiful as always. How is Dan?”

“Dan's fine. You're looking well.”

He smiled. “Thank you. Now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, what can I do for you?”

A slight, fit man in his late fifties, Tommy personified the direct and forceful executive. He continued to smile affably as he waited for her reply.

“Your men are holding someone for me downstairs. It's a long story. But to sum it up, I have a contract to retrieve a fifteen-year-old girl who's been sold to the
Wah Ching
. I understand she's being held in Oakland. The young man downstairs is her brother, also a
Wah Ching
. I need him held until I can find his sister.”

He sat back in his chair to reflect a moment. The smile disappeared. “It would be easier to kill him—less messy. If we turn him loose, he could cause trouble.”

“I don't see any justification for killing him. Besides, being an accessory to murder would wreak havoc on my karma. When it's all over, I'll put him on a plane headed for China and we'll never hear from him again.”

Tommy's fingers pressed together before his face to form a steeple. He closed his eyes and spoke in a measured voice. “We'll keep him here for you . . . but not without a price.”

He opened his eyes to smile at her. She was familiar with his Cheshire grin. It didn't bode well.

“What is it you want, Tommy?”

“Ho Chan's estate has lingered now for two years. I want you to come to a decision regarding his remaining holdings. I want resolution on the Hong Kong property.”

She wasn't too surprised that he pushed for closure on her grandfather's estate. She'd been stalling on instructions from her lawyers. The Hong Kong real estate market was still booming, while the market in California was in the toilet. Her overseas properties served as a hedge against her domestic holdings. But from Tommy's perspective, the Hong Kong estate, a five-acre oceanfront compound, held significance beyond money. It had served as the palatial home of her grandfather, the seat of power.

She assumed the serious demeanor of a businesswoman. “I won't sell you the Hong Kong estate.” She made the statement flatly. The reaction on his face wasn't angry, but he appeared to be disappointed. “But I will do a swap. I just can't afford to recapture the depreciation since the property is held in a stateside corporation.”

He nodded solemnly as he mulled over her suggestion. A small smile played across his lips. “Do you have any properties in mind?”

She was familiar with the triad's holdings. Her grandfather had managed them for decades. In reply, she held up her hands, palms out, and surveyed his office.

He barked a laugh. “You want this building?”

“I believe you'll find that with the decline in the California market, the property in Hong Kong will be on parity with the current value of this building. And . . . you've been holding this building far too long. You could do better with a higher rate of depreciation.”

He stared at her while he thought about her offer. “I suppose you've already worked this out and have the appraisals in order.”

His wasn't so much a question as a statement. She nodded in reply. “The lawyers at Hung and Chin have all the paperwork. If you'd care to have your people vet the deal, I'll have the files sent over. I've also worked out a long-term lease option on this building. I wouldn't want to lose you as a tenant.”

“I should've known you'd be one step ahead of me. You truly are Ho Chan's prodigy. I'm only sorry you couldn't follow in his footsteps.”

Tommy raised his hands, an apology of sorts for running an all-boys club. She wasn't sorry. She'd escaped life in
Sun Yee On
. Besides, she didn't need the money, and the power was just an illusion. Life can't be controlled with a gun.

He beamed at her and seemed to take pride in her shrewd business acumen. “Is there anything more I can do for you?”

She hesitated before asking the next question. It was a sensitive topic. “Can you tell me how heavily the
Wah Ching
are involved in slaving?”

He shrugged to communicate either he didn't know or saw no reason to tell her what he knew. She stood outside the brotherhood. There were limits to what he could, or would, do on her behalf.

She smiled and spoke with a dramatic flair. “I certainly hope nothing happens to me. My estate would go into probate . . . for years.”

She grinned at him and waited for a response.

Bai's relationship with Tommy was complicated. He'd acted as a surrogate father when her parents had been killed. He'd been part of her life since she'd been a child. He'd also taken from her one of the things she loved most: Jason. Tommy had made Jason his heir apparent. They struggled over the heart and soul of a man neither could relinquish.

He looked at her sourly. He'd thought he could twist her arm and force a sale on her. Now it was her turn to do a little arm twisting. He needed her alive until the sale of the Hong Kong properties closed. She had him right where she wanted him.

He leaned forward, one eyebrow raised in anticipation. “What exactly is it you want?”

“I need you to loan me Jason.” She kept her face neutral to play down the request.

As
Hung Kwan
, Jason had a small army of seasoned soldiers at his disposal. Not that she needed them. It was Jason she wanted, though she could no longer rationally explain why.

Tommy eyed her knowingly. “You and Jason have some issues to work out. ‘Once on a tiger's back, it is hard to alight.'” He let the truth of his words sink in while she sat quietly under his scrutiny. Punching a speed dial on his office phone, he put the call on speaker. Jason's voice answered. “Jason, could you step into my office, please. There's something we need to discuss.”

Like guarded opponents, they eyed each other until a knock sounded at the door. Jason walked in without waiting for a response. He gave no indication he was surprised to see Bai.

He bowed slightly and addressed Tommy. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes. Bai has requested that she ‘borrow' you for a short while. How do you feel about that?”

Jason looked at her briefly before returning his attention to Tommy. “I'll do as you think best.”

Tommy let out a long sigh and gazed at her. His facial expression didn't tell her anything. “Very well,” he uttered, as if in defeat. “It's in the best interest of
Sun Yee On
for Bai to stay alive until we can conclude certain business transactions. You are charged with seeing she remains so, even if that means going against her explicit wishes.”

Tommy stared at her with a crooked grin, an expression that let her know she might have overplayed her hand. She'd been looking for an obedient helper. What she'd gotten was a nanny with a gun.