Heath #2
“We’re not trying to do that,” Beau assured her.
“You remember I asked the techs to look into your mom and stepdad, along with their friend, Bolin Zhāng. I said I thought Zhāng’s name was familiar,” Undertaker said, pausing for a moment for us to nod before he continued.
“They did. First, let’s talk about the Masters.
Huston Masters III comes from generational wealth.
No surprise there. And he loves flaunting it and feeling superior to others.
He and your mom live an extravagant lifestyle.
The mansion, other homes, the cars, and constant spending on clothing, meals, travel, and more. They live up to Huston’s reputation.
“Speaking of his reputation, in addition to being a trust fund baby, he runs the family business he inherited. This import-export company was thriving when he inherited it from his father. However, as the years have passed, it’s clear from the tech team's findings that he didn’t inherit a good business mind.
He drained the company and came close to having it go bankrupt about sixteen years ago. ”
“I never heard anything about that,” Danae said.
“No one but a very select few knew. It happened right before he and your mom got together. Only his innermost circle of trusted friends knew about it. Appearances were kept up. However, he had to do something to prevent losing everything. That’s where Bolin Zhāng comes in,” Gabe had interjected.
“He said he was an associate and friend. So Bolin invested in Huston’s company to keep it solvent,” she stated.
“Yes, but not in the way you imagine. See, I don’t know if Heath told you that I was undercover in an outlaw MC for five years.
It was the biggest in the world, and because of that mission, they were finally disbanded, and most were imprisoned.
They were heavily into everything, especially drugs.
Zhāng’s name was familiar because I’d heard it in conversations I overheard while I was with the Tres Locos MC.
He didn’t work with them, but they wanted to do business with him.
He’s the biggest supplier of illegal drugs out of China.
He’s part of the Chinese Triad,” Undertaker said, dropping the bomb.
My stomach dropped. The Triad was China’s version of the Italian Mafia and the Japanese Yakuza. Triads were secret criminal syndicates that originated in China centuries ago. They had strong underground ties.
“The Triad. Oh my God,” my woman moaned.
“So you know what they are. Do you know how they’re structured?” Gabe asked her.
Danae shook her head.
“At the top of every Triad is the Dragon Head.
That person is the leader who oversees the entire organization.
He or she is the top dog with absolute authority over life and death if necessary.
Below the Dragon Head are positions such as the Red Pole.
The Red Pole oversees operations, while the White Paper Fan handles all administrative and financial matters.
The other core position is the Straw Sandal, who heads public relations and recruitment.
“These Triads have smaller subgroups that operate independently to a degree, but still are loyal to the overall Triad and adhere to their rules or face the consequences. In those subgroups, there are levels of leaders, too. It’s very similar to how legitimate businesses are run.
Zhāng is a Dragon Head,” Gabe explained.
There was silence when he finished. All of us were watching Danae. I tried to tell how she was handling the news. And what her response would be. I hated to add this stress to her, but this made the risk concern ten times worse, if we were drawn into it because of her mom and stepdad.
“So my stepfather is helping to move drugs into the country and probably other things in and out of it. Does Huston traffic people for the Triad? Weapons?” she asked. Her tone was tortured.
“We don’t know exactly what Huston might be moving other than drugs, but whatever it is, his cut is lucrative. It maintained their lifestyle for years. Or it did until six months ago,” Ben spoke this time.
“What happened six months ago?” I asked.
“There was a sudden dip in their profits, which, while Huston thought he was clever to hide all transactions as legit, he wasn’t.
It wasn’t just one shipment that caused it.
Whatever it is, though their profits rebounded a little, it’s nothing like before.
Something is happening on Masters’ end, and he’s failing to live up to his deal.
And with Triad, they don’t accept you giving less.
They always want more. If someone doesn’t comply, they will be eliminated,” Beau stated.
Danae sat there, her head hanging down. She was staring at her lap. I couldn’t see her face due to her long hair. Her hand, which I held, had tensed. We sat in silence for a solid minute before I spoke.
“Baby, I need you to look at me and tell me what’s going through your mind. I know this is a ton to absorb. It’s scary, but I’m not going to allow anything or anyone to harm you or our daughter.”
Her head rose, and when I saw her face, all I saw was fury and resolve. Her eyes practically shot flames.
“She knew. Dallia had known all along that she was married to a criminal. And she doesn’t care. As long as she lives like royalty, she doesn’t give a fuck who gets hurt or even dies because of her greed,” she hissed.
“Do we know if Dallia knows what Huston does?” I asked. Maybe she was clueless. I wasn’t sure if that would help with Danae’s pain, but it might.
Gabe shook his head. “She knows. There’s communication between her and Huston, though they thought it was protected. We don’t know whether she knew all along, but she knows now.”
A rueful laugh burst from Danae. “I’ll bet you anything she knew from the start.
And she tried to entangle both her children in that life.
She wanted us to accept Huston and to be his children.
They were so upset when Haris refused to join the company.
God, I bet Haris and Dad are turning over in their graves.
We can’t let them keep getting away with this.
They have to be exposed. And if possible, Zhāng with them.
I know it’s almost impossible to stamp out a Triad, but we have to try.
Or someone does,” she stated decisively.
“You’re correct. Triads are goddamn hard to dismantle. Others will come after you. It has to be done delicately and with absolute secrecy as to who did it. It can take years,” Undertaker warned.
“So you mean we just say nothing and let it go?” she asked disbelievingly.
All of us shook our heads.
“No, that’s not what we mean. Yes, it’s nearly impossible, but we have some experience handling things like this.
We have government contacts we can leverage, secretly.
And our operatives have been in some horrendous situations and got the job done.
But it won’t be without incredible risk, not just to those working with and for us.
They’ll target families if they have to.
It can mean years of remaining alert. That kind of stress can destroy relationships and families, even if everyone survives,” Undertaker warned.
I waited to hear what she’d say to that. I detested the idea of her, our child, and the other families having to live that way. Before, I was the one who would’ve dashed straight in to volunteer for the job. Now, I had to weigh the risk to my family.