Chapter 10 #2
Before I could answer, a burst of noise came from beyond the entrance. Footsteps. Voices. The heavy sound of a door opening.
June was back.
Three people appeared. Two men walked on either side of her, supporting her between them. Her hands were tied behind her back, and a dark canvas bag covered her head.
Even with her face hidden, I knew the way she moved—the slight stiffness in her shoulders, the way she twisted against the restraints.
She was furious already.
Good.
Anger was better than fear. At least that was what I told myself. I pointed toward one of the dining chairs, and they lowered her carefully into it.
The moment her body touched the leather, she shifted, testing the restraints.
“Who are you?” Her voice came muffled through the fabric. “What do you want from me?”
I raised an eyebrow at Mario.
He hesitated. “Your…” He frowned, searching for the word. “Your husband. Where is he?”
“You won’t find him.” Her voice was remarkably steady. “You can talk to me. Tell me what you want.”
Mario shook his head. “We only want to talk to him. Man to man.”
He wandered across the room, dragging his shoes lazily against the carpet, then picked up a magazine from the coffee table.
June gave a humourless scoff. “Still stuck in the last century? Never seen a woman in charge?”
Mario stopped. “Of course, honey.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “I’ve seen plenty of women in charge.”
He rolled the magazine in his hand before stepping closer. My jaw tightened as he lifted it beneath her chin, tipping her face upward.
“What are you doing?” June demanded.
“Whatever it is a man does to a pretty woman.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” Her voice was low, a warning that somehow made Mario chuckle.
“But you don’t know me.” He hadn’t actually touched her, but watching him stand that close was enough to make something hot twist inside my chest.
And suddenly, I wasn’t sure I could watch much longer.
“Do you know what happened to the last person who laid a hand on me?” June asked calmly.
“What happened?” The question escaped before I could stop it.
June froze. Slowly, she turned her head. “Kai?”
“Shit.”
I crossed the room and pulled the bag from her head. She blinked against the light. Her hair was dishevelled, her cheeks flushed, but her eyes found mine almost immediately. The fury in them could have set the room on fire.
“You staged this?” She stared at me in disbelief. “Unbelievable.”
My eyebrows shot up. “I didn’t make you go out.”
“So?” Her expression hardened. “You decided to tie me up and put a bag over my head?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
The anger in that single word hurt more than shouting would have.
“Because you weren’t safe.”
“What?”
“The men at the store were real.” I pointed toward the television, where the CCTV footage was still frozen. “The two men following you weren’t part of this. Dave’s team intercepted them before they could get close again. Your driver shook them.”
Her expression changed. “What happened?”
“No.” I rubbed a hand over my face. “There was a chase. They followed you for a while, but your driver lost them.”
Her expression shifted slightly. “So the crazy driving wasn’t an act?”
“No.”
She stared at me for a moment before looking down at her bound wrists. “If they were really after me, why did you have me tied up?”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came. “Because I gave the order,” I swallowed. “Because it was the only way I could keep you safe.”
She stared at me as if I’d spoken another language.
“What?”
My voice rose despite myself. “I don’t know what else to do with you. You keep fighting me. Every time I try to protect you, you find a way to put yourself in danger. You won’t listen to me. You won’t work with me.”
“Because you won’t let me make my own decisions.”
“I know.” The words came out before I could stop them, silencing both of us. I took a breath. “I know I’ve done things that gave you every reason not to trust me. I betrayed your trust. More than once. But I need you to trust me now.”
She didn’t answer. Her eyes stayed on mine.
“This isn’t a business problem I can throw money at. I can’t solve it with a phone call. I need you to understand that I’m trying to keep you alive.”
Her anger didn’t disappear, and neither did the hurt, but her breathing slowed.
“Okay.”
“What?”
“I said okay.” Her voice remained calm.
I stared at her. “Just like that?”
“Yes. Just like that.”
She lifted her bound hands slightly, reminding me that she was still tied. Somehow, that made her answer feel even more unsettling.
“But I need to be able to trust you.”
Something inside my chest loosened. Not completely. Not even close. But enough. I walked over and started working on the knots. It looked much easier when other people did it. After several unsuccessful attempts, I finally stepped back.
“Dave.”
“You don’t know how to do that?” June asked, watching him work on the knot.
“No. It wasn’t exactly a skill I was encouraged to develop growing up.”
She shook her head as Dave worked the knot loose. “Maybe learn how to untie yourself if you ever get kidnapped again.”
“I had Dave.”
She gave me a look. “Right. Of course you did.”
Dave finally loosened the rope, and June pulled her hands free, rubbing her wrists.
Then, without warning, she turned toward Mario. “Which hand?”
Mario blinked. “What?”
“Which hand did you touch me with?” His expression changed immediately.
“Boss,” he said, looking at me. “I’m scared.”
I almost smiled. “He didn’t touch you with his hands.”
June looked at me. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.” I paused. “If he had, I would personally chop his hand off for you.”
“Fuck me.” Mario shifted uncomfortably.
“He’s here to help?” June asked.
“Yes. I think he can help us gain control of Dannie’s triad,” I explained.
June studied Mario for a moment. “There’s a vibe about him. He’s not like your usual bodyguards.”
“I hope that’s a compliment.” I chuckled, throwing a glance at Mario.
He smiled.
“Where is he?” he asked, the amusement disappearing from his face.
“He’s not here,” June answered.
His expression tightened. “So the rumours about him dying are true?”
“He’s not dying,” June said immediately, her voice firm enough to make Mario look at her.
He paused. “But people have been talking about it for a while.”
He took another drink of his beer.
“For how long?” I asked.
“At least a year.”
June went still. “A year?”
Mario nodded.
“That’s not good.” She looked at me. “If people have been hearing this for that long…”
“They’ve been preparing for it,” I finished.
Dannie had been away for a long time. Long enough for people to get used to his absence. Long enough for someone to start telling them he wasn’t coming back. And now, with Laura and Roger making their move, the rumour suddenly had a purpose.
Mario’s eyes lit up. “I have an idea.”
That expression alone made me nervous.
“Since we’re trying to take over a triad anyway…” He paused dramatically. “Why don’t we just take over the whole thing? Monopoly.”
June stared at him. I stared at him.
June started laughing, and I couldn’t help it. A laugh escaped me too.
It sounded ridiculous. Completely insane. And yet, beneath the joke was something that made an uncomfortable amount of sense.
If Roger wanted the triad, and Laura wanted the triad, and Dannie wanted to keep it out of their hands, maybe the answer wasn’t to fight over the pieces. Maybe we needed to change who controlled the board.
The thought should have terrified me. It did.
Because for the first time since I’d arrived in Hong Kong, I wasn’t thinking about how to help Dannie survive.
I was thinking about what it would take to win.
Win big.