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  “You’re looking spritely this morning,” he said in reference to her nakedness, “and quite perky.”

  “Did you make coffee?” she asked, ignoring his lewd comment.

  “It’s sitting on the counter.”

  “When did you get here?”

  “About an hour ago. I thought it best to let you sleep.”

  “Thank you.”

  She wasn’t sure why she thanked him for invading her privacy. Thanking him just seemed like the polite thing to do, one of those automatic responses she’d learned as a child.

  “You should either put some clothes on, or I should get naked,” he suggested.

  She pointed in the general direction of her bedroom. “Go find me a robe.”

  Shrugging, he did as she requested and returned with a silk robe.

  “Thanks,” she said as she pulled on the garment.

  “Add a pair of fluffy house slippers and a cigarette, and the picture would be perfect,” he taunted.

  She looked at him tiredly. “Why are you here?”

  “We have a lead on the tan man.”

  She looked up and attempted to focus her sluggish thoughts. “What do you mean, you ‘have a lead’? Help me out here.”

  “He’s been sighted in the Business District. We just haven’t yet pinned down his location.”

  “And you’re here because . . . ?”

  “I wanted a cup of coffee.”

  “You can get coffee anywhere.”

  “Not and see you naked.”

  “Next time, I’ll text you a picture.”

  “It’s not quite the same, but I appreciate the gesture.” He hesitated a moment before asking. “Will you be in town today?”

  “Yes. I’m having dinner with Howard tonight. I’m telling you, so you don’t feel compelled to have me followed. He has his own security. I’ll be well taken care of.”

  “You’re a very busy woman these days. Years without a date and now men seem to be everywhere.”

  “Are you jealous?”

  “Perhaps,” he admitted dourly. “I’m not entirely sure.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. It just seemed like the polite thing to say.”

  “You’ve always been overly polite.”

  “That’s your mother’s influence. I’m surprised it never rubbed off on you.”

  “Are you sure you’re not sorry because you love me?”

  “I’m definitely sorry I love you.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “I know what you mean. You don’t have the right to guilt me, Jason. You had your chance and made your choice. You didn’t choose me.”

  His face fell, all pretense gone. “I know. I’m sorry.”

  “Why? Would you choose differently now and pick me over the Brotherhood?”

  “No,” he replied. “I’m sorry I’ve hurt you.”

  She looked at him and pointed toward the exit. “Call me when you find the tan man. In the meantime, stay out of my kitchen.”

  He stood and pointed to his phone. “Don’t forget to send me the picture.”

  Staring at his back as he walked away, she wondered if she should laugh or cry. Her muddled brain couldn’t come to a decision, so she did a little of both.

  Chapter 32

  Bai picked up the phone to call Jefferson Boob. She was curious whether or not he’d learned anything of Daniel Chen or the tan man.

  “Boobs’s Gym, how may I help you?” he asked in his Southern drawl. His Galveston twang reminded her again of his gentlemanly Southern manners. She wondered, not for the first time, why all of the really good men were too young, too old, or too married.

  “It’s Bai, Lee’s friend. I’m calling to see if you’ve heard anything of Daniel Chen or a man who might be looking for him. The man looking for Daniel would have a dark tan. You need to be very careful if you see him.”

  “It’s always a pleasure to hear your voice, Bai. I’m just finishing up here. Do you suppose you might stop by so we can talk?”

  “Sure. What time is good for you?”

  “Is now convenient? I should have my business wrapped up by the time you get here.”

  She wasn’t sure why Boobs wanted to talk to her in person, but she didn’t see any reason not to accommodate him. “I’ll be there in about fifteen or twenty minutes.”

  “I look forward to seeing you.”

  Taking the elevator to the lobby, she walked out onto the sidewalk where Song sat in a black SUV watching her house. An overcast day carried the scent of ocean as a cold breeze blew inland. She wore her Kevlar coat over her black tee and jeans. Her Beretta rested in the compression holster at the small of her back.

  She opened the door of the vehicle and slid into the passenger seat. “I need to see a man at Boobs’s Gym on Sixteenth near Bryant.”

  Song nodded and pushed the start button on the SUV.

  When they arrived at the gym, she walked down the squalid alley and eased open the green door of the gym. Stopping just inside, she gave instructions to Song. “Stay here and keep your eyes open. I’ve got business upstairs with the owner.”

  He nodded and put his back to a wall. She turned to face the cavernous room, which stood empty and silent. Walking to the back of the gym, she stepped up the stairs and opened the door to Boobs’s office. He sat at his desk and looked at her with a welcoming expression. As she took a step toward him, an arm wrapped her neck from behind. A hand reached around to clamp onto her gun as she pulled the pistol from her coat. She kicked and twisted, but the arm remained locked around her neck like a vise, choking off her screams. She fought until she felt the gun fall from her hand as her vision dimmed. Nothingness enveloped her.

  Spikes of pain shot through her temples as she slowly regained consciousness. With her eyes still closed, tiny points of light flashed in her mind’s eye. She thought she might throw up but suppressed the urge until the vertigo passed.

  It was several moments before she opened her eyes and only then realized she couldn’t move. She’d been stripped down to her underwear and lay face-up on one of the weight benches in the gym. Her hands had been taped to the legs of the weight bench behind her head. Barbell stanchions in front of her held her taped ankles with her legs raised and spread as if she were a turkey ready for stuffing. She lifted her head and saw herself in the mirrored wall in front of her. Duct tape held her firmly in place.

  “Scream all you want, bitch. It won’t do you any good. Nobody’s gonna hear you.”

  Rafe walked over to stare down at her with a satisfied smile. Bruises on his face showed where Michael had kicked him unconscious the night before. He leaned over to run a finger up her thigh. As he played with her panties, he laughed.

  “What have you done to Jefferson? Where is Song?” she asked.

  He stopped to look up toward the office. “You don’t have to worry ’bout the old man. He’s not gonna bother us. Song the guy you left guarding the door? He’s not as tough as he thought. Weight bar up against his head and it was all over.”

  “What do you want?”

  Rafe dropped the smile. “I want payback, bitch. Made me look like a fool when you stole my woman. Then, your little buster kicked me in the head. I thought I’d have some fun with you then maybe give you to my boys. Gonna teach you a lesson, China.”

  “And, after that?”

  He pointed his finger at her and dropped his thumb.

  “Wouldn’t you rather have money? I have lots of money,” she said, trying to distract him.

  He seemed to think about her proposition before shaking his head. “Can’t trust you. You’ll promise me money then bring the cops down on me. Best I just have some fun with you. After, I’ll let you join Hector.”

  “There will be people looking for me. Lee will find you. When he does, he’ll kill you.”

  He scoffed at her. “You talk too much.”

  He reached into his back pocket to p
ull out a flicker knife. With a flick of his wrist, he twirled the blade as he studied her.

  “Let’s see what you got.”

  He reached down and slid the blade under the center strap of her bra. The fabric gave way to expose her breasts. A beefy hand reached down to squeeze her nipple roughly. She cried out and tried to flinch away. He grabbed her other breast and squeezed. She screamed in pain.

  “Like that, China?” he asked as he twisted and pinched her flesh. “Just wait. There’s lots more where that came from.

  He slapped her hard across the face once, then again. Her head rocked. Bending over, he put a hand around her throat and squeezed. She gasped for air as he slapped her again and again.

  She almost blacked out before he let go and stepped back. His eyes glazed over, and his chest heaved. Reaching down with both hands, he grabbed her panties to rip them apart and toss the pieces aside. She fought against the restraints.

  While she struggled, he unbuttoned his trousers and let them drop around his ankles. He pushed his skivvies down around his knees and took his erect penis in his hand. He stroked his swollen member with one hand as he slipped his other hand between her thighs.

  “You’re gonna love this, China,” he said as he forced his fingers inside her.

  As she lifted her head to spit at him, she saw him look up with a smile on his face. The smile slowly turned to a frown.

  An earsplitting explosion made her start. A black hole appeared on Rafe’s tee shirt. The mirror behind him cracked, and blood splattered its surface. Dismay etched his features as he dropped onto his butt and panted, taking quick, shallow breaths. Then he stopped breathing. His dead eyes stared at her while his hand gripped his rigid penis like a toddler’s favorite toy.

  In the splintered mirror, she could see Boobs staggering toward her unsteadily. Breathing heavily, he dropped next to her.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  He was doing his best not to embarrass her by looking away.

  She trembled. Silent tears rolled down the side of her face. “I think so. Scared and embarrassed but alive, thanks to you.”

  “Give me a minute, and I’ll cut you free. I just need to catch my breath. That boy near did me in with his choke hold.”

  “Maybe you could just cut one hand free, and I’ll do the rest.”

  He nodded and pulled a six-inch switchblade from his pocket and flicked it open. He turned around far enough to slice through the binding on her wrist then handed her the blade behind his back. Taking the proffered knife, she shakily sliced the rest of the bindings then, trembling, carefully folded the knife and handed it back to him.

  “Your clothes are in my office. I didn’t take the time to stop and get them. I’ll wait here while you get dressed.”

  She tried to stand only to find her shaking legs wouldn’t hold her and sat down again.

  “There’s a bottle of whiskey in my desk drawer,” he said, taking notice of her condition. “Holler down when you’re ready, and I’ll come up. Take your time, missy. I’m not going anywhere.”

  It took a few minutes before she felt confident enough to try standing again. She wobbled toward the metal staircase at the back. By clutching at the railing, she managed to haul herself up the stairs. Her clothes were in a heap just inside the door. She dropped to the floor and pulled on her clothes as tears rolled down her cheeks. After a while, she managed to pull herself together enough to stand up.

  The whiskey in the desk drawer was cheap and burned her throat as she took a swig. She thought about it, then took another.

  Walking to the office entrance, she yelled down, “It’s all right. You can come up now, Boobs.”

  He came slowly up the stairs with the gun still in his hand. A frown dragged at the corners of his mouth. He looked tired and embarrassed as he entered the office. She was reminded again he wasn’t a young man.

  “I’m sorry that happened to you,” he said. “Rafe came in here right after you called. I told him you were on the way over, thinking he’d take the hint and leave. I didn’t know he had it in for you. After he choked you out, I tried to stop him; he put me out too. It’s just lucky I came around when I did.”

  He placed the gun on his desk with a shaky hand. “I found your gun in your things. I didn’t know what else to do.”

  “It’s all right,” she said. “You did the right thing.”

  She handed Boobs the bottle. He took a long pull before sitting down at his desk with a used-up look.

  She pulled her phone from her pocket to call Jason.

  “I need a cleaner.”

  He took down the address she gave him without asking any questions. When she’d ended the call, she turned to Boobs.

  “I need to find Song. There will be men here soon to take care of Rafe’s body. You have to understand, Boobs. As far as anyone is concerned, this never happened.”

  He met her gaze and nodded before repeating, “It never happened.”

  Below, they found an unconscious Song trussed with duct tape. The blood from a deep cut on the side of his head soaked the white collar of his shirt.

  As they worked his bindings free, Bai questioned Boobs. “Do you remember what I asked you over the phone?”

  He shook his head. “The only man with a tan around here is me.”

  “Have you seen anything of Daniel Chen?”

  “No, but then I don’t suppose I would. If he’s on the run from the Norteños, he wouldn’t be hanging out in the Mission. This is their turf, and Chen’s no fool.” He hesitated a moment. “How is Lee? Do you know what happened?”

  “I think the tan man shot him. I’m not sure why.”

  “Is he going to be all right?”

  “In time,” she said. “Right now, he’s resting.”

  “Knowin’ him, he’s madder’n a flea on fake fur.”

  She smiled weakly. “He is. He can’t wait to get well enough to find the shooter and return the favor.”

  Their conversation reminded her of their earlier phone call. “What did you ask me over here to talk about?”

  Boobs looked confused for a moment before he spoke. “I heard that inspector who came here asking about Daniel Chen committed suicide. I was wondering if you knew anything about that. I thought his death might be connected.”

  She shook her head somberly at the memory. “Kelly died from despair.”

  Before she could elaborate, her phone rang. The cleaners had arrived. She went to the door with Boobs to let them in. Three Chinese men dressed in black suits waited at the door. Jason, thankfully, wasn’t with them. Her first concern was Song. The cleaners carried him out to see to his medical needs before returning.

  After showing them the body, she collected her shredded underwear and used her knife to pry the bullet from her gun out of the wall. She didn’t want to leave any evidence behind. The bullet would serve as a grim reminder of how close she’d come to making orphans of her children.

  Two of the men hauled the corpse out in a wheeled moving crate and shoved the box into a plain white van. The third man sprayed the surrounding surfaces down with some kind of cleaner to remove any trace evidence. The men didn’t utter a word the entire time.

  They left as silently as they’d arrived. As if nothing had happened.

  Chapter 33

  Bai drove home alone.

  She experienced a sense of dislocation as she rode the lift up to her flat, feeling as if she stood outside her body and watched herself as if she were a stranger. After drawing a hot bath, she peeled off her clothes and slipped into the steaming water without registering the heat. She felt numb to the world around her.

  Her phone, sitting on the edge of the tub, rang. It was Jason.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yes.”

  “You don’t sound all right. Did you kill the Norteño?”

  “No. Somebody did me the favor. Is Song all right?”

  “He’ll be fine. He has a thick skull. Do you want me to come over?�
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  He sounded concerned. She didn’t want his comfort.

  “No. I’m fine. I have a date with Howard tonight. I don’t want to be late.”

  She spoke the words but didn’t feel them. She didn’t feel anything.

  “Fine,” he replied, sounding angry as he ended the call.

  “Fine!” she said to the empty bath, mumbling to herself as she leaned back and tried to let go of the horror.

  The experience with Rafe terrified her. She found the feeling profoundly unpleasant and wanted to forget what had happened. Her head slipped under the surface of the hot water as she attempted to wash away the memory. Eyes open, she stared through the rippling water at the light on the ceiling. She stayed submerged until aching lungs forced her to the surface. Taking a deep breath, she slid beneath the water again, determined to shake off the fear holding her hostage.

  When she emerged from the tub, she felt more in possession of herself. She dried her pruned skin and walked into her closet to stare at the pile of dresses, high heels, and designer bags still lying on the floor. Her bare foot toed the packages. Casual toeing turned into kicking as she suddenly vented her anger. Once she’d thoroughly trounced the frilly frocks, she felt better.

  Ignoring the designer clothing, she chose to wear her standard black tee, jeans, and trainers. Her asymmetrical leather jacket with the knife sleeve completed her outfit. When she was dressed, she felt like her old self, not someone else’s idea of who she should be.

  Howard’s limo arrived at seven. He wasn’t in it. One of his security guards ushered her into the rear compartment, where she sat alone. The car proceeded toward the Embarcadero. She was surprised when they stopped under the portico of the Grand Hotel.

  Her escort ushered her out and silently led her to the bank of elevators, where he selected the top-floor lounge. She smiled at the thought of her first meeting with Howard and then frowned. She still hadn’t found a way to like him. Tonight she would end the charade and tell him she had no interest in marrying him.

  The elevator opened to a silent room. Her guide ushered her across the empty lounge to where six bodyguards stood in a cluster. Howard sat in a chair nearby with a smug expression. He silently gestured for her to have a seat in a chair facing him a few yards away.