1. Showdown
Chapter one
Showdown
Lei
For a moment, silence reigned.
The soft whisper of the wind, the gentle murmur of the waterfall, everything seemed to hush, waiting for Duck's response.
I felt the weight of our lineage, our roles, and the expectations that comes with being the Mountain Master pressing on me.
But at the same time, the idea of personal happiness, of love and desire, tugged at my soul.
Then, Duck broke the silence. “Do you think you could even love Monique?”
“Does it matter?” My angry voice echoed through the arena. “Step the fuck aside!”
Still by the statues, Chen nervously ran his fingers through his hair.
Duck kept his ground. “Could you love Monique?”
Fear sliced through me.
I shoved it all away. “That’s not a question you get to ask—”
“Why not?” Duck leaned his head to the side. “Because you’re the Mountain Master? You have overruling authority in the East. Yes. But not when it comes to love. These are rules that your father and mine put into place. You cannot tell me to step aside.”
“You think I’m going to let a book of rules dictate how you and I proceed with Monique?”
“Unless you give her an official title, I and any other man can pursue her. Those are the rules of the East.”
Seething, I took a step forward. “Did Banks hit you so hard today that you cracked your fucking mind? Step aside!”
Duck glared at me.
I stiffened. “Cousin, do not make me hurt you more than necessary.”
“Could you love her?”
The question was more than just words. It was a knife, digging into wounds not yet healed. It forced me to confront emotions that I had carefully tucked away behind walls of sorrow and memories.
The mere thought of opening up to someone new, especially after losing someone I loved so deeply, felt like a betrayal.
Grief was a haunting specter, casting shadows on any newfound joy or affection.
Yet, Monique’s presence brought a warmth, a pull that I couldn’t deny. She evoked feelings that I hadn’t expected, desires I hadn’t anticipated.
It was as if two forces were warring within me—the sacredness of past love and the undeniable allure of a new beginning.
Chen cleared his throat. “Okay. I think this is a good place to stop. Tonight let us all have our space—”
“You can’t answer the question.” Duck touched his chest. “But I could answer the question on if I could love Monique.”
“I don’t need you to answer it.”
“But I could love her.” Duck’s gaze brightened. “I really could. Every day too. Never would she wonder if my heart wasn’t hers.”
“That’s enough.”
“You couldn’t promise the same.”
“That’s a fucking enough!” I charged for him again.
This time, Duck was more than ready. With a feral growl, he lunged forward, catching me off guard. His fists, like bolts of lightning, flew at me, left and right.
I managed to deflect most of his blows, but one solid punch landed on my ribcage, knocking the wind out of me.
Stumbling back, I gritted my teeth and tried to regain my composure, but he was relentless.
He followed up with a spinning kick, aiming for my head.
Barely ducking in time, I felt the rush of air as his foot passed just above me.
Son of a bitch.
Seizing the moment, I tackled him, trying to pin him down, but he was agile, wriggling out of my grasp.
We were a whirlwind of motion, each trying to gain the upper hand.
The Arena of Echoes reverberated with the sounds of our struggle.
Our bodies collided into a high-octane battle, both of us engaging in a fierce exchange of blows. Years of rigorous training on this very mountain had honed our bodies and reflexes, transforming us into formidable opponents.
My every punch was met with a block, every kick with a dodge.
Likewise, every move Duck made, I was there to parry.
Our fight quickly turning into a dance of power and precision.
Our breaths grew ragged, the air filled with the sound of our grunts and the impact of flesh against flesh.
Our combat evolved; the Arena of Echoes became no longer capable of containing our clash.
Duck broke away from me, sprinting up the slope of Mount Utopia. A trail of dust kicked up behind him.
My gaze flickered from the rapidly ascending figure to the peak, determination rekindling in my eyes.
Duck was trying to take the high ground, hoping to turn the terrain to his advantage.
I wouldn’t let him. With a deafening roar, I charged after him. My feet dug into the stones, propelling me upwards.
The steep incline did little to slow us down.
We were two figures locked in a race.
Our pursuit slicing a path of chaos up the mountain.
In a sudden turn of events, Duck launched himself off a jutting rock and flipped until his body catapulted into the air.
Fast, I followed suit, leaping off the incline with a force that sent me soaring after him.
Our fight took to the skies.
Surely, it was a spectacle to behold for those below.
Floating, our bodies, silhouetted against the azure sky, twisted and turned in mid-air, the force of our momentum propelling us higher.
I kicked out, a swift aerial strike aimed at Duck’s chest.
He twisted his body, narrowly avoiding my foot. His counter came in the form of a punch, swift and powerful, aimed at my midriff.
I blocked it with an arm.
Then, gravity reasserted itself.
Our descent began and we crashed to the ground.
But there was no rest.
No pause.
We rolled to our feet in the dirt and squared off once again.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed movement, two figures—Chen and Hu—sprinting up the incline.
Chen, being the older and more experienced of the two, led the charge. His voice echoed across the mountainside. “No more!”
But we were beyond the point of listening, lost in our own whirlwind of rage and frustration.
Hu sprinted past Chen and flung himself between Duck and me, his arms spread wide, just as another punch was about to be thrown.
The shock of his sudden appearance snapped us both back to reality.
Still, Duck and I attempted a few more flurried movements, a couple of near-misses, and then. . .silence, stumbling, and sweating as we both retreated.
Chen got to Hu’s side. “No. More.”
They stood there, panting heavily with their eyes darting back and forth between us.
Chen patted down the collar of his jacket. “This has gone on long enough.”
Despite the rage still simmering within, I stepped back some more.
Duck, too, seemed to regain his senses, his eyes losing their fiery defiance.
I assessed him. A purplish bruise was forming around his left eye, which had swollen nearly shut. A thin trail of blood leaked from a cut on his split lip, dripping down his chin and onto his chest.
His hair was disheveled, and patches of dirt and sweat painted his face in a cruel mosaic of battle scars.
I instinctively brought a hand to my face, feeling the tender spots. My jaw throbbed in rhythm with my heartbeat, and I could taste the metallic tang of blood in my mouth.
A slight cut on my forehead stung as sweat trickled into it.
Although not as battered as Duck, I was sure I appeared badly beaten.
The tension of the fight gradually eased, replaced by the heavy silence of regret and confusion.
Chen remained between us. “We are family.”
I glared at Duck.
Chen got in my view. “What is this really about?”
I pointed to Duck. “Ask him.”
Chen turned his way. “Go ahead.”
Duck spat out blood onto the ground and then scowled at me. “It’s not right.”
“What’s not right?” Anger flared in me again. But it wasn’t the hot, impulsive anger from before. This was a colder, deeper anger.
An anger that sprang from hurt.
“I think you’re using Monique to run from your pain.” Duck frowned. “To run from the loss of Chanel.”
Once again, his words hit me. This time like a punch to the gut.
I edged back.
The truth of his words stung and I hated him for it but deep down, a part of me knew he could be right.
“And. . .” Duck wiped sweat dripping near his bruised eye. “And any other time, I would not care about what he was doing with a woman but since I stopped Monique from jumping off that roof, I have become protective of her.”
Chen turned to me. “What do you think, Mountain Master?”
I sneered. “Protective of her? That’s it?”
“Yes.”
“That’s why you took her panties from the pile? It was all about protecting her.”
Chen shook his head and scowled at his brother. “Do you have her panties?”
Duck sighed.
Chen’s voice went unsteady. “Give them back to her before she notices.”
Duck nodded and looked away.
Hu gazed at the both of us. “At least you two are talking. While Lei needs to get ready for Leo, we do not need to be truly fighting each other.”
“I agree.” Chen bobbed his head. “Is it not enough that we will be losing Uncle Leo and dividing our family even more? With these rough days ahead, we must stick together. Which means. . .”
We all focused ahead.
Chen let out a long breath. “Which means we must sacrifice.”
Everyone turned to me.
I widened my eyes. “What should I sacrifice?”
Duck spoke. “Could you even love Monique?”
“That’s enough.” I jabbed my finger in his direction. “Do not ask that fucking question again!”
“Why not?” Duck held his hands out. “Is it too scary to answer?”
“You think I don’t care for Monique?”
“You do.” Duck nodded. “But could you love her?”
“I’m not ready to even deal with that question right now.”
“Then, you should step aside.”
“That’s not going to happen.” I tried to get around Hu and Chen. “Come here. Let me explain why—”
“No. No. No.” Chen held up his hands and blocked me. “We are talking. Let’s return to talking!”
I roared, “I’m not stepping aside when it comes to Monique!”
“Alright, but—”
“Help your brother understand this so I don’t have to kill another relative this week!”
Hu got closer to Chen’s side. “I have something to say.”
We all looked at him.
“Lei should have the time to figure out what he wants to do with Monique.” Hu scratched his head. “Distraction or not, Monique is necessary for Lei.”
Duck rolled his eyes. “So we’re going to be like the Killer Crows and have Monique serve as Lei’s Stress Reliever?”
Hu lifted a finger, his movement slow, deliberate. “Are we all just going to dance around the fact that. . .after Chanel passed, it was clear to every single one of us that Lei might. . .”
I tensed, feeling a tightening in my chest.
The world shrunk around Hu’s next words.
He cleared his throat. “We all knew that Lei might. . .take his own life, once the mission of killing Uncle Leo was done.”
The silence that followed was deafening, every heartbeat echoing louder in my ears. I could feel their eyes on me, piercing, judging, worrying.
Tension gathered in my shoulders. I turned, my gaze darting around, wanting, needing, to escape the intensity of this moment.
In fact, the idea of plunging down the mountain’s path held a momentary allure.
Chen broke the charged silence. “We are not going to talk about that—”
“We saw the despair in his eyes, the emptiness.” Hu sighed. “We all feared that there would be no more Mountain Master.”
I need to get out of here.
I raised my gaze skyward, searching for a distraction.
Earlier there had been two crows, now I sought them out, desperate for any diversion from this gut-wrenching conversation.
But the sky offered no respite. There were no crows, no birds, just an endless blue canvas with the sun, unforgiving and relentless in its brightness.
My thoughts, however much I tried to divert them, veered back to Chanel. The pain of her loss was a smoldering ember, one I had tucked away deep within, fearing the inferno it could unleash if faced head-on.
Now, with Hu’s words echoing in my ears, that ember flared up.
Because it was all true.
I had been willing to throw my life away after avenging her.
Hu spoke, “At least with Monique being here. . .Lei looks like he cares about waking up tomorrow.”
The pain of his words, the brutal honesty of them, forced me to confront the truth that I had been running from.
Yes, I missed Chanel.
I missed her every single day.
And yes, Monique was a balm to that pain. But in this short time, she was becoming more than that too. She was kind, she was understanding, and I cared for her.
But had I been fair to her?
Or was I using her to fill the gaping hole left by Chanel’s absence?
Meanwhile, Duck believed he could treat Monique better.
Could he?
I gritted my teeth, not even wanting to consider that he was right. Then, I leaned into my anger and leveled a finger at Duck. “You say you could love Monique.”
Duck’s voice was steady. “I could.”
“Yet, you let your selfish anger for Banks take your priority off her.” I glared. “Had I been there, I would have chosen her safety over a hotel lobby fight with Rowe Street Mob.”
Duck said nothing.
“I’m done with anyone questioning my plans with Monique.” I placed my hands in my pockets to calm myself. “And like I said before. . .step the fuck aside until I understand what I really want.”
“And what if she doesn’t want to just date you?”
I raised my eyebrows. “What do you mean by that?”
“She is a single woman with choices and the freedom to—”
“You think she wants to date you, Duck?” I had to use all of my energy to keep every ounce of insane anger off my face. “You think if you attempted to woo her, you would have a chance?”
He shifted his weight to his other foot. “I think she’s interested in me too.”
Rage blazed through me but I wouldn’t battle him anymore today. My body ached. My head was spinning with the conflict of my love for Chanel and my new desires for Monique.
I swallowed. “It doesn’t matter what Monique wants when it comes to you.”
They watched me.
Shock hit Chen’s and Hu’s faces while annoyance covered Duck’s.
“She can be interested in you.” I fisted my hands in my pockets. “In fact, she could badly want you.”
Duck put his view on the ground.
“But I would never let it happen.” I took one hand out of my pocket and touched my chest. “I don’t have that thing inside of me to even let it happen.”
Duck seethed.
I gestured to Hu and then Chen. “What would that thing be? The organ or emotion that I would need to even be willing to share Monique with Duck? What is it?”
Hu shrugged.
Chen frowned. “A heart, Lei, and a willingness to solely want her to be happy because you care for her.”
I leaned forward so they could all clearly understand me. “I want Monique to myself. Every inch of her and I don’t want to fucking share her with my cousin or any other man.”
Duck looked up and his gaze hardened. “And if you hurt her?”
A lump appeared in my throat.
My mind flashed back to Monique, to her warm smile, her understanding gaze, and the quiet strength she showed in dealing with her own pain.
Despite everything, the last thing I wanted was to cause her more suffering.
I met Duck’s gaze squarely, giving him a firm nod. “I won’t hurt her. I’ll. . .figure this out.”
His eyes searched mine for a long moment. Then, his expression softened and he nodded back.
The tension in the air eased slightly.
“Then, I will give back the panties. . .and step aside.” Duck sighed and walked off.
My heart was heavy with the weight of the promises I’d made but for the first time since Chanel’s death, I felt a sense of clarity.
It wasn’t going to be easy, navigating these choppy emotional waters. But for Monique’s sake, and my own, I was ready to face the storm.
Satisfied enough, I left the ring too.
Movement sounded behind me.
Next, Chen got to my side and kept my pace. “Lei, we have a problem.”
“We have lots of problems, cousin.”
“Your sister is here.”
“We knew Yan would be in Glory today—”
“Not in Glory, Lei. Here.”
I stopped walking and turned to him. “On Mount Utopia?”
“Yan’s people and her have been kept at the entrance for an hour—”
“Why so damn long? You should have got me—”
“I tried to get you an hour ago but when I went to your tent, I realized that you were very busy with Monique.”
I sighed. “What does Yan want?”
“Besides for you to not kill Uncle Leo?”
“Yes, besides that.”
“She wants to speak with you.”
I looked at him. “And your thoughts?”
“Uncle Leo is her father too. You should at least have a conversation with her.”
“I don’t want to—”
“But you should, Lei. You really should. This will have a negative impact on Yan too. Therefore, if you want to have any real relationship with your sister after you kill him then you should at least hear her out. Not to mention the fact that she has built a pretty nice army in Hong Kong.”
I gritted my teeth.
Even though my sister, Yan, was born before me, our father never saw her as the true heir to rule the East. He admired her strength, her intelligence, but he was also acutely aware of the deep-seated prejudices within our territories.
Many families would never accept a woman's leadership, regardless of her capabilities. Father feared they would undermine her at every turn, making her reign tumultuous and possibly short-lived.
Due to that, when it became my time to lead, I placed Yan by my side. I believed that together, we would be unstoppable. So, I appointed her as my Deputy Mountain Master, thinking that her strength combined with mine would solidify our family’s rule.
But father's reaction was far from pleased.
Perhaps he had foreseen what I had blinded myself to—Yan's insatiable ambition and her unwillingness to remain in anyone's shadow, even mine.
Only three years into my rule, evidence of Yan’s discontent began to surface.
She was convinced that the East's income outdid the other areas in the Diamond Syndicate. Therefore, she thought we deserved greater control over the Syndicate.
Her first move was subtle—an orchestrated attack on Killer Crows and Dima’s supply chains, creating chaos and diverting funds.
Dima figured it out and allowed me to deal with her disrespect in secret.
But then, her ambitions became blatant. During one of our key syndicate meetings, she initiated a gunfight against Marcelo. It was not only insane and brash, but it was a flagrant challenge to me, an open disrespect to my authority, and a clear sign that Yan wouldn’t stop until she was on top.
Father, ever the strategist, intervened before the situation spiraled out of control. He commanded Yan to relocate to Hong Kong, masking it as an opportunity to expand the Syndicate’s influence internationally.
But those within our inner circle knew the truth. It was a move to contain Yan's ambitions and protect the fragile balance of power within our family and syndicate.
Once she left, I appointed Chen and never regretted it.
Chen checked his watch. “What do you want to do with Yan?”
“Let her come in to the camp but only with four of her men.”
“Do I choose them? Or will we let her choose?”
“Let her choose but note the selections.”
Chen nodded.
“And they can’t come inside with any weapons, including Yan.” I sighed.
Not that she needs a weapon.
Chen spoke, “Yan has not been back in the States for many years. She would be considered an honorary guest.”
Goddamn it.
Chen continued, “tradition dictates that we should have a moonlit feast and provide her with a place to lay her head—”
“Another fucking feast?” I bared my teeth. “I want to be alone. Not sitting on some fucking throne, putting on a fake mask and pretending like I care to hear any argument she has to keep our father alive.”
“You are the Mountain Master.” Chen placed his hand on my shoulder. “It is not an easy life. You know this.”
“Tonight, I’m supposed to say goodbye to Chanel. That won’t be a short moment.” A cold shiver sliced up my spine. “When will I have the time to say goodbye?”
“If not tonight, then take all morning.” Slowly, he moved his hand from my shoulder. “I promise to not have Chanel’s body taken away until you have given her a proper goodbye.”
I nodded.
Chen put his gaze on the horizon. “This is going to be a long night.”
I headed off. “Let’s just hope I don’t kill Yan or Duck by the morning.”