12. The Price of Her Safety
Chapter twelve
The Price of Her Safety
Lei
I watched in horror as my father pressed the cold blade against Moni's throat.
Only a thin pane of glass stood between us. It was a fragile, flimsy shield against the looming threat.
Please, God. I can’t lose her. I wouldn’t survive.
My entire being thrummed with an uncontrollable primal urge to burst through that barrier and save her, but the gravity of the moment was like a physical anchor holding me back.
I was fast but my father’s deadly speed was unmatched by anyone in the East.
Plus, there was the simple fact that he would not hesitate to take her life.
My voice lowered to barely a whisper. “Father, please. . .don’t hurt her. P-please. . ."
For a moment I hoped he would see reason, recognize the pain in my voice, remember who he used to be but he turned back to Moni with an empty gaze that sent ripples of fear down my spine.
Goddamn it.
Terrified, I gazed at that blade next to her delicate neck—gleaming and sharp.
“Father. . .”
Turning back my way, he gave me a sad smile. “Give your uncle and me safe passage out of the East and I will not hurt Monique.”
I gritted my teeth.
Safe passage? You psycho piece of shit. You don’t deserve it.
I had come here with every intention of battling my father, of ending his reign of manipulative terror, but seeing Moni so close to danger shifted everything.
Now I stood there, staring through the fragile pane that separated us, ready to do damn near anything he desired.
My heart ached with a mixture of dread and an intense, consuming love for Moni.
Please. . .just don’t take her away.
She was the light that had pierced my darkness. Her presence had been like the first breath of spring after a relentless winter.
Refreshing.
Invigorating.
Utterly irreplaceable.
I’d thought Chanel was important—my everything.
But then Moni entered my life like the sweetest most beautiful melody and suddenly, I realized the horrific silence I’d been living in all this time.
I cannot lose Moni. I wouldn’t want to keep on breathing.
Her laughter filled spaces in my soul and heart that I hadn’t known were empty.
Her touch healed unseen wounds I had long accepted as permanent.
She taught me what it meant to be truly seen, not as a Mountain Master or a pawn in my father’s never-ending game of power, but as Lei.
Just Lei.
The thought of her in danger, under the cold blade of my father’s indifference, ignited a raging inferno within me.
In that moment, I knew there was nothing I wouldn't do, no price I wouldn’t pay, to keep her safe.
This is so fucked up.
My father’s demand for safe passage—a ticket to further his schemes—was a poison I would willingly drink if it meant Moni’s safety.
I let out a long breath. “Okay, Father. You want to safely leave the East. I agree.”
“You agree?”
“Yes. You get safe passage.”
“And if you don’t give that to me, son. . .” My father placed his view back on Moni’s face. “I will kill her right in front of you.”
“There’s no need to threaten her.”
“There is, Lei.”
A cold shiver ran through me.
I had to keep his lethal mind on the fact that Moni was too important to kill.
Tension gathered in my shoulders. “Father, we both know that you will not kill Moni. She is part of your big plan. Remember that.”
“There is no big plan, if I can’t make her the Mountain Mistress that she is meant to be—”
“Make her? What the fuck do you mean?”
“It would be too much to explain at this time, Lei.” He sighed. “For now, allow your uncle, my men, and me to freely leave the East without any harm, and. . .”
“And?”
“Monique will come with me.”
“No.” I tensed. “I can give you safe passage but you will need to leave Moni right here.”
“No.” He shook his head. “She will come with me—”
“To the gate. That’s it.” I sneered, wishing nothing were between us and I could kill him. “Just the gate. That’s as far as I am comfortable with.”
“Your comfort is not my concern. I am thinking of legacy, the East—”
“I don’t give a fuck about legacy or the East.” My voice rose. “Do not hurt Moni!”
“Or what?” His voice dripped with a chilling certainty. “You don’t understand, Lei. This is bigger than your desires. Bigger than both of us.”
He was wrong.
Nothing was bigger than our lives.
Nothing was worth more than Moni's safety.
I swallowed hard, forcing down the lump that had risen in my throat. The assurance in his voice shook me to my core, challenging every shred of hope I held onto. It was the voice of a sick man who believed he was still doing God’s work.
“Calm down, Lei.” My father held the blade steady against Moni's throat while his eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made the air between us crackle. “Calmness is not just a virtue, it is a weapon. In the midst of chaos, it is the calm mind that will prevail, that will see the clearest path.”
Fuck all that shit. Take that knife off of her neck.
I clenched my fists.
“Do you understand, Lei?”
“Calmness?” I spat the word out like it tasted foul. “Is that what you call this ? Holding a blade to her throat to get what you want?”
He smiled yet the gesture was hollow and cold. “Exactly, Lei. This is a demonstration of power, not panic .”
My heart boomed in my ears.
He continued. “By maintaining control over my emotions, I maintain control over the situation. You see, when one reacts out of fear or anger, they make mistakes. They become predictable. But when you remain calm, you command the situation.”
Now, he thinks he is training me some more to be a proper Mountain Master. Who cares about all of that? I just want Moni.
I could barely contain the rage boiling inside me. It was a perverse lesson to impart while threatening the life of someone I loved.
Yet, a part of me understood the twisted logic in his words, recognized it as a tactic he’d used countless times to manipulate his enemies.
“But what of the heart, Father?” I countered, my voice tight with emotion. “If this was my mother and a knife was against her neck. . .how calm would you be?”
The line in my father’s jaw twitched telling me all I needed to know.
He would have lost his fucking mind.
“Go,” I said. “Take your safe passage. But leave Moni. She stays here, with me.”
His gaze flickered. “I don’t trust that you will truly allow me to leave once I let go of Monique.”
Because I sure won’t let you leave. Once I have her back with me, there will never be safe anything for you. I will kill you immediately.
I formed my lips into a pleasant smile. . .as pleasant as I could fake. "Father, your lesson on calmness and control is well taken.”
“Is it?”
“But let me add this—true power also lies in trust .”
“Hmmm.”
“I will grant you safe passage, as promised. I give you my word, in front of Moni, the woman I love and would die for.”
The fear in Moni’s eyes lessoned.
I cleared my throat. “But you will leave her here. This is not just a demonstration of trust but also of my ability to see the larger picture for the good of the East."
“Very interesting.” His eyes narrowed as he assessed my words. "Trust, you say?”
“Trust.”
“But, trust is a two-edged sword, son.”
Goddamn it. Just let her go.
I kept myself calm. “How is it a two-edged sword?”
“It can defend or destroy.”
“Fine. You are correct.”
“How can I trust that once Moni is no longer my leverage, you won't simply take revenge for all that I’ve done?"
Movement sounded behind me.
Next, Chen got to my right, and Duck went to my left.
For some reason, my father’s gaze snapped to Duck and stayed there as if assessing Duck’s reaction to his holding Moni.
Thankfully, neither Duck nor Chen showed any emotion on their faces. They simply remained right there, ready to help me in any way.
These volatile sensations churned beneath my composed exterior. All I could do was keep them away from the surface.
My father put his view back on me. “Go ahead, Lei. Tell me. How can I trust you?”
"Because, Father, unlike you, I recognize that the cycle of vengeance will bring nothing but ruin to the East.”
“Aww.” A cruel chuckle left him. “You finally recognize that? I doubt it.”
“Let her go.”
“I will take her with me.”
Fuck no! Okay. . .Stay calm.
I leaned my head to the side. “What do you mean take her with you?”
“She will remain with me for a few days, and I will have her at the feast—”
“You take her out that gate and I will fucking hunt you down!”
To my surprise, Moni spoke.
“Hold on.” She widened her eyes. “Leo. . .Lei is right. . .there is no need for me to go with you tonight.”
I sneered at him.
Meanwhile, my father frowned at her. “But, I explained why we need this time together.”
Fury surged in my veins.
“Yes, you did,” Moni swallowed. “But I will set something up tomorrow.”
What the hell are they talking about?
My father raised an eyebrow at Moni. “Oh?”
“Yes.” Her voice trembled. “I’ll arrange a meeting. A neutral place. You can explain everything to me then.”
I will never let that happen, but tell him whatever you need to let you go.
My father put his view on me. “What are your thoughts, son?”
I spoke through clenched teeth. “Whatever Moni wants, will be.”
He shook his head. “I don’t believe you.”
“Let her go and—”
“I will not let her go.”
Moni cleared her throat. “Okay. Hold on, guys. This is what we can do.”
We both placed our attention on her.
Moni straightened her posture, even though her neck was so close to my father’s blade. "Leo, you want assurance and a show of good faith that you are safe to leave. Lei, you want my safety guaranteed.”
“Damn right I do.”
“So, this is my idea.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“I will go with Leo to the gate that we flew over. The one with all those pretty dragons clawing at the sky.”
I was about to speak, but she continued talking.
“Once we reach there, I'll get out of the car, and then, Leo. . .Lei’s men will be there to ensure I'm safe.”
My father frowned, but kept quiet.
She let out a long breath. “Then, Leo, you can leave, assured of your safe passage. This way, you get what you need, and Lei can see that I'm safe."
This will be too fucking dangerous. You don’t know my father. He could change his mind and just take you.
My jaw clenched at the thought of her in the car with him, even for the short drive to the gate.
But the stern look in her eyes told me this was her battle too, and she was choosing her moves carefully.
What the fuck? You can’t trust him.
Even more, to my utter shock, my father studied Moni for a long moment, and. . .I swore pride flashed in his eyes. "That is quite acceptable for me, especially if we can meet tomorrow.”
She nodded. “We will meet.”
No you won’t.
My father looked at me. “Your men must not interfere today or tomorrow."
I would agree to anything to get him far away from her. "Agreed, Father. They will stay back until Moni is safely out of the car, and your meeting tomorrow will be safe."
Leo’s eyes shifted back to Moni. "Very well, Monique. We will do this your way."
He let the blade fall from Moni's throat and took a step back.
My heartbeat calmed a little.
Yet, my father’s calculating gaze still watched me. “Tomorrow, you will not interrupt again?”
“I will not.”
His gaze turned dark. “And if you try something. . .innocent people in the East will die. . .”
“Just go, Father.”
Moni stood there still, trembling slightly now that the blade was no longer against her throat and my father had stepped away from her.
I wanted to reach out and wipe away the fear etched in her eyes, the fear she tried so hard to hide but I saw anyway.
I’m sorry, Moni. Sorry that this happened.
My heart ached with the love I felt for Moni. It was visceral, a gut-wrenching desire that originated from somewhere deep within me and threatened to tear me apart.
My bottom lip quivered. “I won’t let him take you out of that gate.”
“I know.”
“I’m. . .” I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t keep you safe.”
“I’m fine. Just. . .trust me, Lei. It will all be okay.” She held my gaze for a moment longer before walking off with my father.
The tight coil of tension in my stomach loosened slightly, but not completely.
I turned to Chen and Duck. "Prepare the men. Ensure they understand they are not to engage. Let them get in the car. I don’t want my father getting nervous and putting that blade back on her neck. I can’t see that again.”
Duck came closer and whispered, “Will we really let Uncle Leo out the gate?”
“All I care about is Moni being several feet away from him.”
Chen nodded.
“Now. . .if we can get my father after Moni is safe, do it.” I stiffened. “But right now, all I care about is getting Moni back to me.”