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  With a gesture of her hand, the woman indicated the steaming cup of tea. “Please.”

  Bai lifted the cup to her lips and sipped. The fragrant green tea tasted delicately bitter.

  Jade sipped her tea before speaking. “You needn’t be afraid. You’re among family.”

  The statement surprised Bai. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m Elizabeth’s sister. Please, call me Jade.”

  Jade’s smile remained fixed in place as she studied Bai in obvious amusement.

  Bai wasn’t sure what to make of her assertion. “Elizabeth never mentioned a sister.”

  “We’ve been estranged since she decided to marry a gangster and waste her life. I was surprised to hear from her. It seems we have a common interest.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “You. My sister and I agree your talents are being wasted. You should be flattered. My sister and I don’t agree upon a great many things.”

  Bai leaned back into the chair to quietly decipher Jade’s words. Obviously, forces were at work she hadn’t foreseen. She found the thought disturbing. And, as she observed the determination on Jade’s face, a bit frightening.

  Jade seemed to read her. “Have I scared you?”

  “Maybe, a little.”

  One side of the older woman’s mouth drew up in a lopsided grin. “I don’t mean to alarm you. I brought you here to offer you a challenge—one, I feel, you’re well-equipped to meet.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Marry my son and help him build Kwan Industries into the largest consortium in the world.”

  Bai’s mouth flopped open as command of her jaw, along with her ability to speak, abandoned her. Jade laughed and sat back to sip tea.

  When Bai finally got herself sorted, she had questions. “Why me?” she asked tentatively. “I’m an unmarried mother—old, as Howard likes to remind me. I’m not exactly virgin bride material.”

  “I’m not looking for a virgin or a naive young woman for my son. He’s like his father in many ways—brilliant, talented, and timid.”

  She reached for a remote sitting on the tea table between them and pointed the device at the wall behind her. A flat screen came to life showing a video of Bai tackling the three assailants from the black van. “You attack,” she stated, “while Howard retreats. One doesn’t win wars by retreating.”

  She turned off the monitor before continuing. “For thirty years I’ve been the strength behind my husband’s genius. Together, we’ve managed to build an industrial empire from one tired, outdated textile mill. Kwan Industries employs more than thirty thousand people. I want to ensure expansion continues. I believe you’re the woman capable of bringing my dreams to fruition.”

  The dour expressions on the faces of Jade’s bodyguards suddenly made sense to Bai. They’d been the men she’d tumbled to the tarmac in front of the Grand. Everything fell into place. The attempt to kidnap Howard had been a ruse to test her. She didn’t know whether to be flattered or outraged.

  She settled for blunt. “I have a life here and children who need me. I’m not naive, as you pointed out. Marrying into your family would require that I produce children to inherit the empire you envision. I won’t set aside my own children for the sake of your family.”

  “You don’t have to. Your daughter, my sister’s granddaughter, has my bloodline. She’s also brilliant and, from everything I’ve heard, fierce. Then, too, there’s something about which you’re not aware. Howard’s been a prolific womanizer for more than a decade, yet not one illegitimate child has resulted from these liaisons. I’m not positive, but I fear my son may be unable to father children. Your daughter would be as dear to me as my own child. Even if you decide not to marry Howard, I would still consider your daughter the most viable successor to Kwan Industries.”

  Bai thought about rejecting Jade’s offer outright, but it wasn’t every day a thirty-billion-dollar consortium got dropped in her lap. The prospect of leading a polynational corporation sounded intriguing. She held up a hand. “Let me just put things in perspective for a moment. If what you say is true, and I have no reason to doubt you, Howard and Jason are cousins. How does Howard feel about marrying his cousin’s ex? Do they even know they’re cousins?”

  “They know they’re cousins, but they’re not close. I’ve been absent from my sister’s life for more than thirty years, and our relationship with Jason is somewhat contentious. Only last month, Jason managed to take a casino away from Kwan Industries in Macau. We took a loss of nearly three hundred million. I wouldn’t say we’re on friendly terms, but he is family.”

  Bai felt overwhelmed. Slapping a hand to her forehead, she said, “This could get really ugly.”

  Jade scoffed. “I trust you’ll be able to deal with two childish men. After all, I trust you to run an empire.”

  “I hadn’t thought to run an empire. I’m still working on organizing my closet.”

  “You can hire someone to organize your closet, buy your clothes, and drive your car. Doesn’t the thought of wielding real power appeal to you? I’m offering you a chance to live life on a larger scale, Bai. And, I’m offering you a chance to pass that legacy on to your child.”

  The idea of taking on Kwan Industries sounded interesting, while the thought of marrying Howard didn’t appeal to her at all. But she wouldn’t lightly brush aside the opportunity to pass that birthright to Dan.

  “What does it mean to be Howard Kwan’s wife?” she asked.

  Taking her time, Jade seemed to consider her answer carefully. “Initially, marrying him will mean relocating to Hong Kong, at least for a while. You’ll work with me at our corporate headquarters to learn the business. You’ll work long hours, but I can assure you the work will be interesting and challenging.”

  “What about my children?”

  “They’ll be given every advantage: the best schools, private tutors, anything you want.”

  “And Elizabeth?”

  The question eased the smile from Jade’s face. “She knew she would lose you when she set you on this course. But you don’t have to worry about her. Without you, she’ll get her son back. As I understand the situation, the only thing standing between Elizabeth and Jason is you.”

  Jade’s words struck home. Elizabeth wanted Jason out of Bai’s life. She only now realized the lengths to which his mother had been willing to go to make that happen. Elizabeth had chosen to give up her family to ensure their safety. The thought sobered Bai.

  “What about my friend, Lee?”

  “The gay man? Bring him with you. You can make him the head of your security. He’s perfect since there wouldn’t be any talk of an illicit relationship if he’s openly tongzhi.”

  “I noticed you haven’t mentioned Howard. How does he feel about having a wife foisted on him? He may not want to marry me.”

  Picking up her tea, Jade took a sip then carefully placed the delicate cup on the table before answering. “We’re both practical women,” she stated, then hesitated. “Howard will marry you. He may even be an ardent lover for a short while. However, when it comes to women, my son is like his father: he has a short attention span. It won’t be long before he’s once again entertaining himself with whatever young girl catches his eye. You’ll be free to do as you like as long as you’re discreet.”

  Somehow, she wasn’t terribly surprised by Jade’s answer. Bai would be an asset to the family business, and Dan would provide an heir with Jade’s bloodline. Her husband’s bloodline was apparently of little concern. Perhaps, Bai considered, that would be a woman’s final revenge against a husband who’d spent his life entertaining other women. She had to decide if Jade’s offer was a life she’d be willing to accept in return.

  “Do I have time to think about your offer?”

  Jade’s smiled tightened. “How much time do you feel you’ll need?”

  There were others who would be affected by her decision—her children, Lee, and Elizabeth. The decision wasn’t one she�
��d be willing to make alone.

  “This is all a bit daunting. I’d like time to get to know your son better. Despite your assurances he’ll find other interests, marrying someone isn’t something I take lightly. If I find I simply don’t like him, I won’t marry him.”

  The statement seemed to surprise Jade. She frowned but didn’t say anything.

  “Howard’s shown an interest in dating me. I’ll let that happen. If I like him, we’ll go from there. That probably isn’t the answer you want, but it’s the best I can do.”

  “I’d hoped you’d be more practical. There are time constraints. At the end of next month, a new CEO will be chosen. My husband’s failing health has forced the board of directors to move up the annual election. Before then, it’s imperative my son announce his engagement. We need to show the world the face of a stable family man to ensure the votes we need to retain management rights.”

  Jade waited for Bai to meet her gaze before saying, “You have two weeks to come to a decision. That’s all the time I can give you.”

  Chapter 14

  Bai discovered the door to her office unlocked. She walked through the lobby and into her office to find Inspector Kelly slouched on the couch drinking from a paper cup. Standing at the window, Lee turned to greet her with a frown.

  “I see we have company,” she said without enthusiasm.

  Kelly smiled, an expression that did nothing to improve his appearance. “I was just telling your partner here how fortunate he is to be working with such a fine-looking woman.”

  “The inspector is quite taken by the curvature and inflexibility of your gluteus maximus,” Lee stated in a flat voice.

  Kelly turned on the couch to scowl at him. “I said nothin’ a’ the sort,” he said scornfully before turning back to Bai with an ingratiating smile. “I merely mentioned—with all due respect, mind you—you have a very nice ass. But that’s not why I’m here. I thought you might want to see this.” He pulled a DVD case out of his pocket and tossed it to her. “It’s a copy of the surveillance tape from the shooting. My friends in homicide tell me you were there. This should make everything clear.”

  She caught the plastic case, removed the DVD, and slipped it into the player on her laptop. Lee walked across the room to join her. When the disc started to play, her monitor showed a man in dark glasses, a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes, walking up a stairwell. He kept his head down. When he arrived at Wen Liu’s room, he knocked and waited. The door opened, and his hand came up to reveal a small revolver. He pushed into the room and a few seconds later dashed out the door. Cameras caught him running down the stairwell and fleeing through the side exit of the hotel.

  She looked up at Lee with a puzzled expression. He appeared to be as bewildered as she was. They both turned to Kelly, who grinned at them knowingly.

  “Don’t you see?” he said. “That’s Chen who shot that poor woman.”

  “How did you come to that conclusion?” she asked. “You can’t even tell if he’s Chinese from this video. The man behind those sunglasses could have been Elvis.”

  “SFPD has determined that’s Chen.” the inspector repeated. He tapped his index finger into the palm of his hand for emphasis as he said, “We found drugs and money in his office. The two dead stiffs were Norteño. The dead woman was obviously linked to Chen. We found evidence at her home and in Chen’s office; those two knew each other. It seems this Chen character is tying up all his loose ends, so to speak.”

  Leaning back into the deep leather cushions, Kelly nodded knowingly. Lee rolled his eyes and went back to the window to watch the street. He’d obviously found something of interest. Bai took a deep breath and sat down to mull over Kelly’s assertions.

  “How much money did you find in Chen’s office?” she asked.

  “The amount isn’t important. The numbers on the bills matched those from the heist.”

  “Was there a lot of drugs?”

  He waved the question aside. “What does it matter? The drugs were there. It’s obvious Chen is our guy.”

  Money and drugs found in Chen’s office, along with a couple of dead gang-bangers, sounded like too convenient an explanation. Even if Chen had kept the money and drugs at his office, he would’ve had ample time to retrieve them before the bodies were discovered. Something was wrong, and she suspected that “something” was sitting on her couch.

  She smiled and nodded. Kelly leaned back with a grin on his face. She found his complacency insulting. “How stupid do you think we are?”

  Kelly’s smile dropped. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at.”

  “You’ve spent so much time wrapped around a bottle you can’t even come up with a convincing lie. There’s no way you could identify Daniel Chen from that video. Furthermore, there’s no way anybody would be stupid enough to leave drugs and money at the scene of a murder. I don’t know what you’re up to, Kelly, but I plan to find out.”

  “You just keep after Chen,” the inspector said, his voice rising as his face reddened. “When you find him, you’ll find the truth.”

  The inspector hoisted himself off the couch and staggered to his feet. A taint of alcohol and stale sweat choked the air around him. He rocked in place before he steadied himself and launched his bulk toward the door. A hand, flagging belligerently over his shoulder, served as a farewell salute. After pulling the door open, he stopped with one hand braced on the frame to mutter angrily, “I didn’t always need a drink. There was a time . . .”

  He shook his head as if to brush away the thought before he pushed himself off the jamb, leaving the door ajar behind him. They listened as the lobby door slammed.

  “I can almost feel sorry for him.” Lee remarked from where he stood looking out the window with his back to her.

  “What do you find so interesting on the street?”

  “That same young woman, the one following Kelly the other day, is still following him. I think I’ll follow her. It seems only fair.”

  He turned and quickly strode from the office. Bai’s cell phone rang before she could get out of her chair to follow him. The caller was Jason.

  “Where are you?” she asked.

  “I’m in the air, somewhere over Midway. I’ll be back in San Francisco tonight.”

  “I didn’t expect you for a couple of days.”

  “Plans change.”

  His rushing back to San Francisco left her feeling conflicted. She missed him and wanted to see him, but she had questions concerning his relationship with Wen. Since she’d found his number in the dead woman’s phone directory, she’d been angry with him. She didn’t want to attribute her feelings to jealousy but had a hard time rationalizing her pique any other way.

  “Do you know a woman by the name of Wen Liu?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  She could sense the tension in his voice. As usual, he remained evasive.

  “She was murdered last night. Executed. Lee had her under surveillance at the time. Someone put two bullets in her forehead. That she opened the door for her killer suggests she knew him.”

  There was a long silence on the line. “Wen and I had occasion to do business. Recently, she provided information proving quite valuable.”

  “What kind of information?”

  “That isn’t important.” His response seemed a little too abrupt “I’m sure Wen made at least as many enemies as she did friends. It was the nature of her business.”

  “What business was that?”

  “She bought and sold information.”

  “Were you an enemy or a friend?”

  “Neither. If she had something I wanted, I bought it. If I had something worth selling, I sold it. Business is business.”

  She wanted to believe him. Jason had shown himself to be a pragmatic man and didn’t, as a rule, mix business with pleasure. That wasn’t to say he didn’t appreciate a beautiful woman or wasn’t capable of breaking the rules, but he liked to avoid complications.

  “Someone didn
’t view her business quite so dispassionately,” she stated.

  “Like I said, she had enemies. Her business was secretive. I suspect her transgressions were numerous. I understand she had a partner, a man. He might know something.”

  “Do you happen to know her partner’s name?”

  “No.”

  “You’re not being very helpful.”

  “I wasn’t aware I was working for you.” He didn’t bother to hide his irritation. “I can rattle off a dozen individuals who might have wanted her dead, but what’s the point of idle speculation?”

  She pressed him. “Do you know a man by the name of Daniel Chen?”

  “The name doesn’t mean anything to me. Listen,” he said, changing the subject, “we need to talk, but I don’t want to have this discussion over an open line. I’ll send a car for you when I arrive.”

  Her frustration with his secretive behavior bled through into her voice. “Call my cell when you get in. I may not be home.”

  He disconnected in his usual abrupt manner. He wasn’t one to waste time on good-byes.

  As she stared at her phone, mouthing obscenities, a shadow fell over her desk. A man stood before her. Startled, she fought an impulse to jump out of her seat while wondering how he’d managed to make his way into her office unnoticed.

  A mirthless grin appeared on Daniel Chen’s handsome face. He looked even more striking in person than in the grainy photograph. “Wen Liu said you could help me.”

  She took a moment to gather her thoughts and respond. “Are you aware she’s dead?”

  His face didn’t register surprise. He was either very stolid or well informed. Stepping back, he settled onto her couch. His movements remained relaxed, as did his expression.

  “I saw the papers,” he said in a detached voice. “Do they know who killed her?”

  “The police think it was you.”

  He smirked. “Why would I kill her? We worked together. I was very fond of her.” He leaned forward and put his hands together in front of him as he stared at her. “I saw you on the news last night. You’re quite the hero.”