2. The Path of No Return
Chapter two
The Path of No Return
Moni
Fifthteen minutes earlier.
Song opened a massive door. “Here we go.”
Thank God. I thought I would never get out of there.
The cold air hit me as soon as I stepped out of the hidden passageway.
It was a tight, dark tunnel that smelled faintly of damp earth and stone, the kind of place that made your skin crawl even when you tried to focus on anything else.
This odd chill lingered on my skin, creeping into my bones and making me shiver despite the adrenaline that pulsed through my veins.
As I emerged from the shadows, I spotted Leo calmly waiting for us.
His presence was always unnerving, but in the night, with nothing but the moonlight and distant sounds of the party in the background, he seemed even more dangerous.
Five men stood around Leo in a loose formation. Shadows masked their faces but I could still see their eyes.
Gleaming.
Like wolves at night peeking out from darkness.
My palms grew slick with sweat.
Off in the distance, DJ Hendrix’s music still played among the faint sounds of laughter, the clinking of glasses, and the murmur of conversations.
It was surreal—the contrast between the normalcy of the party and the horrifying darkness that surrounded me now.
Everyone at the cookout had no idea that I was slipping away with Leo, no idea of the weight of the decision I was making by walking beside him instead of running toward Lei and my sisters.
And. . .dear God, my legs itched with the urge to bolt, to disappear and hide behind the safety of Lei’s arms, to pretend that none of this was happening. I could see the path in my mind—cutting through the gardens, back to the safety of Lotus Blossom, back to my family.
I could signal Aunt Min and them.
Duck too.
Banks and Marcy.
It would be a fucking war for sure.
Who would win?
I turned to Leo, and he was watching me. I bet he already knew what was going on in my mind. Bet he had even guessed my current thoughts hours ago and had a plan in place for that.
No. Don’t run. The man killed an innocent cat and his daughter. He’d slice up Rowe Street Mob with no problem.
Swallowing, I took him in further and then I saw it—the flash of silver in his hand.
A blade.
Moonlight gleamed off the sharp edge.
He had that blade out for me. . .
There would be no running.
“Monique.” Leo walked over to me.
I tensed.
He got close, too fucking close, as if daring me to try and slip away. “You will not regret coming with me.”
“I hope not.”
A cool wind blew past us.
I hugged myself.
Leo leaned his head to the side. “Are you cold?”
“A little but I’ll be fine.”
“No.” He took off his own blue jacket and handed it to me. “Queens walk in comfort.”
“Thank you.” I grabbed the jacket and slipped into it, feeling the warmth that still lingered from his body. Leo’s scent was on it too—a mixture of smoke and pine.
That scent intensified as I zipped it up and the thick fabric closed around me.
Leo smiled and this one was kind and loving. “Better?”
“Much better.”
But it was a lie because in the end, the chill in the air was nothing compared to the cold grip of fear that tightened around my chest as he watched me.
“Good.” Leo nodded at his men. “Let’s proceed.”
Song took the lead.
The men formed around us like a cloak, each leaving a respectable distance between us. They moved with the fluid grace of wolves. Their eyes were watchful. Their boots crunched on the gravel paths.
We walked past an apple tree beside a bench.
Leo remained next to me like he was more my bodyguard than my kidnapper.
DJ Hendrix’s music became muffled but I could still make out the thrum of the bass and the beat pulsing through the night like a heartbeat.
Somewhere, someone laughed—a high-pitched, carefree sound that seemed so out of place in the suffocating tension that wrapped around me.
Was that Chloe? I hope so. I want them to still have a good night.
I glanced back over my shoulder, just for a second, scanning the grounds half-expecting to see Lei’s figure emerge from the shadows, storming toward me with that look of rage and fear in his eyes.
But there was nothing.
Only the dark shapes of the trees, the flicker of distant blue lanterns, and the faint glow of the fairy lights.
Leo caught my glance. “Thinking about running?”
“Of course not.”
He chuckled, low and dark. “Good girl.”
The words grated against my skin but I ignored them focusing instead on the Palace that loomed ahead. The towering structure glowed faintly in the moonlight.
Thunder rumbled up above.
We all glanced up.
Next, lightning streaked the sky.
Song gazed over his shoulder. “We should hurry.”
I picked up my pace and Leo matched it.
Up ahead, a small wooden bridge appeared out of the darkness, spanning over a calm pond covered with lotus blossoms.
Moonlight reflected off the still water.
The air smelled sweet.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flicker of movement in the shadows—a shape darting between the trees, there one moment, gone the next.
Is that Lei? Or. . .Duck maybe? Someone to stop this?
I tried to convince myself it was just a trick of the light but a part of me knew better. Lei wouldn’t let me go that easily.
Or maybe that was just my hopeful imagination.
As we crossed the bridge, the party noise faded completely replaced by quieter sounds—rippling water, crickets chirping, and leaves rustling under the wind.
Continuing forward, I turned to Leo. “Where are we going?”
“To the Palace.”
“Why the Palace?”
“My son is smart but predictable.”
“Meaning?”
“Lei will barricade the gates making sure I can’t drive you out of here. “
I pursed my lips.
“So we’re going to take one of the Four Aces helicopters to avoid any further confrontation.”
Of course, Lei would do everything to stop me from leaving the East. He’d already been desperate when I said goodbye.
His face flashed in my mind—the sadness in his eyes, the tears.
Stop it. You can’t think about that now.
I shoved the vision out of my head and kept on moving.
Further away from Lotus Blossom, Leo's men fanned out into a loose formation.
I’m really about to be hanging with Leo tonight. Holy fucking shit this is going to be terrifying.
Trying to calm the tremble in my hands, I shoved them into the pockets of the jacket.
Huh?
In the right pocket, my fingers brushed against something strange—small, stiff, and oddly familiar in its texture.
What the hell is this?
My heart skipped a beat.
Slowly, I pulled the object from the pocket, praying it was nothing more than an oddly shaped crumpled piece of paper, or maybe a long, thick trinket Leo had forgotten.
But when I brought it into the moonlight, the breath froze in my throat and I stopped walking.
Everyone paused with me.
Oh my God.
It wasn’t crumpled paper.
It wasn’t a trinket.
It was a finger.
A human finger.
My stomach lurched. I stumbled back, dropping the severed finger. “Ah!”
Leo caught the finger before it hit the ground. “Oh. I forgot that was in there. My apologies.”
You forgot a human finger was in your pocket? Jesus, is that really how you roll?
A knot formed in my throat, so tight, it was as if someone had wrapped their hands around my neck squeezing until every breath felt like a struggle.
I swallowed hard but the tightness remained.
What is wrong with him?
I stared at the finger in his hands and could barely process the image. A sapphire ring wrapped around it. The gold band glinted in the moonlight. My mind refused to fully comprehend what I was seeing.
It felt unreal, like a scene from a horror movie.
But this wasn’t fiction.
This was real.
Song frowned. “Are you okay, Monique?”
I touched my chest. “Me?”
“Yes.”
“Uh. . .”
Motherfucker, you need to be asking if Leo is okay. He’s the one with the finger!!
I blinked. “Yes. . .I’m. . .fine.”
“Good. Let’s go.” Song returned to walking.
I did the same.
Leo chuckled and put the finger in his pants pocket. “This is Yan’s finger.”
I put my view forward. “O-kay.”
“I didn’t realize I left that in the jacket.”
Well. . .that’s one way to respond to this situation. . .
My entire body went numb with terror, and my brain was unable to process the fact that I had just pulled out his dead daughter’s finger from his jacket pocket.
Leo let out a long breath. “I kept it.”
Clearly.
I shivered.
He continued in a casual, conversational tone. “I see it as a sort of. . .memento of her, you understand.”
No. I don’t understand.
He chuckled to himself. “Song thought I should just keep the ring, instead of the finger. But. . .the finger is hers. The ring is just jewelry. Keeping her actual flesh and bone. . .well. . .this way, a part of her is with me until I die. It’s dark, yet poetic.”
Again. . .that’s one way to look at it.
I didn’t know what fucked me up more, the fact that he had the finger and I touched it, or that he explained it so simply, so easily, like it was the most normal thing in the world.
I couldn’t breathe.
The world around me seemed to tilt.
I couldn’t tell you how I was able to keep pushing forward. Perhaps, it was fear that motivated my legs to move.
“I’m sure you understand, Monique.”
I opened my mouth but the words caught in my throat.
“You would do the same, wouldn’t you? For someone you loved that deeply?”
“I. . .” I blinked.
Song glanced over his shoulder.
I swallowed. “I would have just kept the ring.”
Leo laughed.
Chuckling, Song put his view back in front of him.
“Don’t worry, Monique. After my teachings, you just might start carrying fingers around.”
What? Teachings? Naw, man. I don’t need you to teach me about human fingers.
Still, those words swirled around me like an icy wind, chilling and disconcerting.
More thunder rumbled in the sky.
Leo picked up his pace, I had no choice but to follow, my legs burning as we hurried along.
The Palace was getting closer and closer.
Soon we approached the Palace’s service entrance, I could feel the shift in the air.
There, Bolin stood with several men and nodded at us. “Good evening, Grand Master.”
“Thank you for all of your help tonight, Bolin.”
Traitor.
Bolin did a dramatic bow. “Anything for you, Uncle Leo.”
My throat went dry.
I doubted Lei knew that Bolin had been helping his father all along.
My baby is going to have to clean up around here. I get that Bolin loves Leo but this is disloyal.
Bolin put his view on me and nodded. “Good evening, Mountain Mistress.”
Remaining silent, I scowled at Bolin.
Fuck you, dude. If you hadn’t helped, I could have been still at the cook-out and then getting dicked down later in my bedroom.
I turned away from him, refusing to give the traitor any more attention.
Leo caught that and smiled.
We rounded the corner and headed toward the back where the helipad was located.
Leo didn’t break stride. “You don’t like Bolin?”
I gazed over my shoulder.
Frowning, Bolin remained at the entrance with the Palace guards watching us walk off.
I rolled my eyes and put my view in front. “He is supposed to be loyal to Lei , not you.”
“This is true.”
“It’s not right.”
“He picked a side and it was mine.”
“I get it but you’re not the current Mountain Master.”
“Exactly.” Leo winked. “So what are you going to do about that later this week?”
“What do you mean?”
“Once I’m gone, how will you deal with Bolin?”
I touched my chest. “Me?”
“Yes, you. Lei isn’t stupid. He knows that it is a good possibility that Bolin is one of the people who have been helping me. However, Bolin is his cousin, he won’t make a move against him.” Leo pointed to me. “So what are you going to do about it?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’ll know after my lessons.”
I felt the pit of my stomach drop at his words.
What exactly did Leo mean by his lessons ?
The word itself felt heavy, as if it carried the weight of something dark and twisted. My mind spun with possibilities, none of them good, each more terrifying than the last. I thought back to the mangled finger in his pocket and knew that whatever he planned to teach me. . .it would change me forever.
I just hoped it wouldn’t leave scars within my heart or soul.
The helipad came into view and parked neatly on it were the Four Aces’ helicopters. They were all sleek blue machines gleaming under the moonlight.
The rotors were still but the door was open on one of the helicopters.
We headed right to that one.
Song motioned to their men.
One of them jumped into the cockpit and began flicking on the lights.
Immediately, the helicopter's rotors started turning, slowly at first but building momentum with each passing second.
Leo and I made it to the helicopter next.
“After you, Monique,” Leo motioned towards the door.
Feeling out of my depth, I stepped up and into the cabin. It smelled like new leather and expensive cologne.
Song followed, taking a seat opposite me.
Leo boarded last and placed himself right next to me.
Song looked my way. “Fasten your seatbelt.”
I obeyed, feeling the cool metal click into place across my lap.
Leo merely smirked at him, not bothering with his own belt. Instead, he pulled out Yan's finger again from his pocket and began turning it round and round in his hands, as if it were just an antique relic rather than a piece of his deceased daughter.
Then, he looked at me. “Whose idea was the cookout?”
“Banks.”
“So then I will give you credit for that because Banks would not have done that, if not for you.”
Song spoke. “How did the emergency Diamond Syndicate meeting go for the Four Aces? The one that Dima led.”
“We were fined but no major penalties.”
Leo smirked. “You said we .”
“I’m a part of Four Aces now.”
Leo bobbed his head. “You sure are.”
And even Song smiled and it was an odd one, small and hesitant, as if he were unsure of how to express the emotion of happiness. His lips barely turned up at the corners and his eyes remained guarded.
Leo watched me. “It was good that you put Einstein in his place.”
That caught me off guard.
I studied him. “You heard that conversation?”
“We were behind the bookshelf as you two talked.”
I swallowed down fear.
“Through the whole conversation, you focused on protecting Lei and solidifying power in the East.” Leo pointed at me. “And not one time did you waver from that loyalty.”
I froze, knowing that if I had said some bullshit. . .well. . .Leo might have appeared in that library and killed us both.
The last man climbed onto the helicopter and shut the door behind him.
Song gazed over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
“Yes sir.”
The helicopter engine began to hum.
Leo turned to Song. “I think we can celebrate now, don’t you?”
Frowning, Song stuck his hand in his jacket, pulled out a bag of blue marijuana and tossed it to Leo.
Leo caught the bag mid-air and then looked at me. “Monique?”
“Yes.”
“Are you ready for a special educational adventure with me?”
I shivered. “No. . .I don’t think so.”
A dark laugh left him and even Song smiled again.
“Smart girl.” Leo opened the bag of marijuana and sniffed it. “Smart girl. Indeed.”
God. . .just please stay watching over me.