7. The Beautiful Puzzle Piece
Chapter seven
The Beautiful Puzzle Piece
Lei
Leaving the church, I put the cross locket in my pocket and headed to the Escalade.
Dad knew that I was tracking him.
But he hadn’t known the entire time when he was killing Romeo and Chanel. No one knew about the tracker, but my assassin, Spider. And no one knew that she existed, not even Chen or Duck.
Spider wouldn’t say anything. Who told him about the tracker?
I racked my brain of the past days.
Dima exposed my dad as Chanel’s murderer. I told Dima and Marcelo in the church that I was tracking my father. Some of their men were there, but my father still kept the cross on. If he knew, he would have gotten rid of it then.
Marcelo and Dima didn’t tell him. Neither did their people.
There would be no need for the North or South to save Dad.
They wanted him dead.
Hours later, I told my inner circle of twenty men and women. They consisted of people at my side and those that would have to rule the East while I was gone.
But my people don’t want Father’s death. One of them sneaked away and told him.
The Four Aces adored him. To them, my father was a god. A legend. The savior of the East. Dad united all the Asian immigrants in Paradise and surrounding cities. He led them to the East and carved out a kingdom where no one had to starve or beg, deal with abuse for being foreign or bow to racial slurs.
Father made families rich and strong. He gave them land. Not one person had to pay. They simply signed their names and got a key to a newly built house.
Through these acts, he earned fierce loyalty and humbly carried the East on his shoulders for all these years, keeping us strong and protected.
The East won’t be happy with his death. They may hate me for it, but so be it.
Father could’ve walked to the Dragon Gates with Chanel and Romeo’s heads in his hands and blood dripping all over him. The East would have been confused at first. Perhaps, a little sad because some adored Chanel and Romeo. But overall, they wouldn’t have questioned him, they would have simply thrown a parade.
Who told Father about the tracker?
Killing him was going to be hard enough. Knowing that my own people would get in my way at every turn enraged me even more.
Which one of you sent a message to him?
“Lei, we have a problem.” Chen got to my side and gave me a worried expression. “You may not want to hear this, but I think that someone warned Leo about the tracker.”
It’s not Chen. He wouldn’t have brought it up if it were him.
Chen was horrible at lying and keeping secrets. He was always the last person people told anything to because most feared he would blab it out to everyone.
I can trust Chen.
Sighing in relief, I stopped in front of the Escalade. “Someone definitely told him about the tracker.”
My chauffer opened the door.
Instead of getting inside, I turned around and gazed at my people leaving the church.
Chen watched our men jumping into vans and cars. “It must’ve been either this morning or while we were on the way, when the person notified Uncle Leo.”
“I agree.”
“Hopefully, the person isn’t with us now. Maybe, it was someone back in Paradise.”
“We’ll see.” I studied all of their faces, searching for anybody that nervously fidgeted or had shaking fingers.
My gaze landed on Duck.
He twisted his favorite knife at his side. He did that when he was agitated, not nervous. He was just eager to cut, slice, fight and kill someone.
Every few steps, he glanced at the woman.
Monique.
I placed my attention on her.
Why did Dad choose this woman to get the tracker? He could have put it on a moving vehicle or an animal. Why her?
Monique had no idea how close she was to dying in that church today.
I’d been ready to pull the trigger of the gun and make her fucking head explode as well as the nun, women, and priest. They could’ve all died.
Anyone that got in between my getting revenge for Chanel’s death would die.
Monique is some sort of puzzle piece.
To think that my father putting the locket around her neck was a coincidence, would be to not know him at all. Every move my father made was tactical or drenched in some deep Godly belief or sense of loyalty. He didn’t know how to live any other way.
Where does Monique fit in this?
With each step, she looked at my men and hugged the briefcase against her chest.
A hint of a smile came to my face.
She still thinks she’s going to have to give these assholes that money.
I didn’t know much about the problem she’d been involved with. The main details pointed to her father stealing money and these two jerk-offs threatening her sisters and her with prostitution.
Unfortunately, I was my father’s son.
Just from hearing her story, I wouldn’t let those vile men live another day. And if I wouldn’t, then my father wouldn’t either.
Hopefully, the money helps her. If I know Dad, he intended for her to only spend it.
There was no way he would help get these guys money, no matter that her dad stole it.
As if hearing my thoughts, Chen kept his voice low. “I think Uncle Leo plans to kill those two guys.”
I felt the truth of that fact deep inside of my heart.
I nodded. “That’s his next move.”
That meant that this would be a race between my father and me.
Who can kill Dutch and Snow first?
Nervous, Monique maintained Duck’s pace. She moved her focus all over my people and even me—probably assessing and counting, gauging and calculating.
I shook my head. “But why did Father choose her? He wouldn’t have known her story, until she started talking to him.”
“Maybe, it’s because she’s beautiful.”
That made sense. Of course, Monique was a gorgeous woman. No one could ever deny it. The fact that her head was bald made her beauty stand out a thousand times more.
If she had hair, it might’ve distracted me from those big almond shaped eyes or those lovely high cheekbones and even those lips—puckered and full.
Stop.
I turned away and realized that Chen had been talking to me the whole time. “What?”
Chen quirked his brows. “I said that this Monique may be the key to tracking Uncle Leo from now on.”
I placed my hands in my pockets. With my left hand, I grabbed the blood-stained cloth. “He picked her for some last mission.”
“I agree.”
With my right hand, I touched the cross in my pocket, but didn’t grab it. “And he wants me to see what he’s going to do.”
“That’s why he put the locket on her neck. She’ll lead us through his performances.”
“It’s his show and we’re the audience.”
Fear entered Chen’s eyes. “But will he continue the whole seven deadly sins thing here in Glory?”
“I doubt it. I think he’s found a new mission.”
Duck’s whistle came next.
A sweet feminine scent filled the air.
I turned that way.
Monique stood next to me, too close for my senses. Her fragrance was alarming. And so close, that bald head made her seem naked. Exposed and bare to me. I almost reached out to touch the smooth brown skin.
Duck gestured for her to get inside.
Nervous, she glanced my way for a quick second and then climbed in.
I turned to Duck. “Thoughts on her?”
“She’s not in our world.” He put his knife up. “No criminal bone in her body.”
Nodding, I entered and got in the row behind Monique, wanting to observe her more.
Perhaps, he grabbed her due to the bald head. No. That doesn’t make sense.
Still, it was hard not to take my eyes off her. A woman with no hair was rare, especially in the East of Paradise. I could count on my fingers the number of girls I personally saw with bald heads.
Oddly, I found that I was attracted to the head’s nakedness. It was aesthetically appealing to gaze upon the smooth contours and imagine my fingers slipping along soft skin.
I could understand why my father would want to have lunch with her as he enjoyed his favorite dishes. She was exotic and wondrous to look at. Visual candy to feast on and never be satiated.
Guilt at enjoying her gorgeousness entered my broken heart.
I moved my view to the window.
There’s more to it than her beauty. What else was his plan?
My father loved my mother and was devoted to her all of his life. And all my years, I had never seen him look at another woman with any form of carnal interest. Even after my mother died, he basically became a monk, going within himself and only seeking the comfort of God.
Perhaps, that was where I got my ideas of devotion and sexual discipline from.
My father didn’t have lunch with her because she was gorgeous, God told him to. But why? What is this new mission now?
Up in the front, Chen talked on the phone with Dima, catching him up. Before we’d entered Glory, Dima had bribed the town’s commissioner and made sure the police force would assist us with the hunt. I was sure Chen was confirming this and getting the necessary names.
The police better be there by the time we show up. I want him to feel like he’s being hunted by everyone.
Needing to know more about why my father chose her, I returned my focus to Monique. “Where are you from?”
She glanced back at me. “Glory.”
“And you really just met my father today?”
“Your father?” Monique widened her eyes. Shock filled them. “I. . .didn’t know that you were his son.”
“You don’t know a lot about him.” I frowned. “Next time, be more careful with who you decide to eat lunch with.”
She frowned. “He. . .seemed like a nice guy.”
A dark chuckle left me. “He could’ve sliced you up within seconds.”
Her bottom lip quivered. Fear radiated from her.
I hated causing that reaction, but she needed to know the dangers of him.
That’s all I needed was more beautiful Black women being killed by his hands.
Chen spoke, “How was your father able to take away so much money from a casino? Usually, they’re heavily guarded.”
“I don’t know.” Monique shrugged. “Dutch knew my father had a gambling problem. They let him enter a high roller game anyway and—”
“So this Dutch set this up for him to steal it.” Chen nodded.
“Wait.” Monique shook her head. “Well. . .maybe.”
Duck glanced her way. “You must have sisters that are just as pretty as you.”
“Some would say that,” Monique mumbled. “Damn. Everything happened so fast, I never had the moment to think about how Dutch could have been setting the whole situation up.”
“Your sisters and you can bring in much more than $75,000. This Dutch probably considered the loss an investment.” Chen bobbed his head. “Pimps like to corner women in impossible situations. They probably had the bag right next to your father.”
I added, “And they probably have known your father’s location the whole time.”
Defeated, she leaned back in the seat. “They never thought I would get the money.”
Duck glanced her way. “Why did you go off with Leo, if you didn’t know him?”
“Because. . .” She shook her head and sighed. “Because I was desperate. Because I was scared. Because Leo was the only person who offered to help me and it’s been so long since someone has helped me. . .I forgot how it felt.”
Sad, I looked back out the window.
Monique spoke again, “Because I would do anything to save my sisters.”
My heart ached for her, but I wouldn’t take that detour. I wouldn’t feel for her or anybody else.
The only focus is revenge.