Chapter 12 #2
That was all I got. No explanation. No reassurance beyond those four words. Somehow, it had to be enough.
I followed.
The corridor behind the shop was narrow, lined with cardboard boxes that pressed in from both sides, leaving barely enough room for two people to pass. The light from the shop barely reached us, and the farther we went, the tighter the space became. Hong Kong never wasted space, not even here.
June moved quickly ahead, weaving around the boxes as though she already knew where the passage led.
I stayed close, close enough to catch her if she stumbled and see the tension still held in her shoulders.
She was frightened. I could see it now—not because she was running, but because she was forcing herself not to show it.
Every movement was deliberate, every breath controlled.
She was scared and refusing to let it stop her.
I'd spent so much time thinking she was reckless, stubborn, impossible. Maybe she was all three. But she was also brave. Perhaps I'd been too busy trying to protect her to notice the difference.
“Keep moving,” Squirrel called softly from ahead.
June disappeared around the next stack of boxes, and I followed her into the darkness, leaving the noise of the shop behind us. For the first time since we'd arrived in Hong Kong, I had no idea what was waiting for us on the other side.
The back door opened, and the air changed instantly. Cooler. Sharper. Real. For a brief second, it felt as though we'd stepped out of one world and into another.
A car was already waiting, engine running, rear door open. Behind it, a dark SUV idled quietly, almost blending into the street—but not quite enough to escape my attention.
“It’s mine,” Squirrel said steadily. “Don’t worry.”
There was no time to ask what he meant. June slipped into the back seat, and I followed immediately.
“Squirrel—come with us.”
It wasn't a request.
His eyes flicked between our car and the SUV behind us. He hesitated for only a second before moving. I pulled the door shut as he reached the front passenger side, and he climbed inside.
“Take the one behind,” I called to Dave.
The car lurched forward before the door had even settled properly.
“Shit,” Squirrel muttered. “What the hell is he doing?”
I turned just in time to see Dave reach the SUV through the rear window.
The driver barely reacted before Dave grabbed him by the collar and hauled him out, throwing him aside.
It wasn't clean or fair, but it was necessary.
Dave didn't trust anyone he hadn't cleared himself, and right now, neither did I.
A second later, the SUV roared to life and fell in behind us, close—exactly where it needed to be.
Relief came quietly, and I hated that I felt it. At least Dave was safe. At least he was behind us.
“My guy…” Squirrel muttered, watching the SUV.
“I know,” I said more softly. “We had to be careful.”
The look he gave me told me it wasn't enough. The silence that followed wasn't calm. It was contained.
“Are we clear?” June asked. Her voice was steadier now, but the adrenaline still lingered beneath it.
“Yes,” Squirrel answered.
I leaned back and let out a slow breath. “You'd think by now they'd understand what an ambush means. Front and back exits.”
June turned toward me, sharp and unimpressed, then rolled her eyes. I almost smiled.
“They tried,” Squirrel explained. “Our people blocked them off.” He paused. “You wouldn't have made it out on your own.”
I glanced at him. “How long have you been watching us?”
The question was calm, but it mattered. People changed. Loyalty shifted. Someone you could trust yesterday might not be someone you could trust today. Squirrel didn't answer immediately.
Instead, I noticed the smear of yellow grease on June's white shirt from the egg tarts. The sight was almost absurd after everything that had just happened. I pulled a tissue from my pocket and held it toward her.
She pushed my hand away without looking at it. I let it fall back into my lap.
“The woman—the shop owner,” Squirrel said, glancing back at us. “She's my aunt. She texted me the moment you showed up.”
I thought back to the moment she'd disappeared through the opening at the back. I'd noticed it. I'd simply assumed she was going into the kitchen, not bringing Squirrel into the shop or arranging our escape.
“She was your aunt?” June asked.
Squirrel nodded.
“Do you know Tony?” June asked quickly.
“Yes.” His eyes moved toward her. “But how do you know Tony?”
“That's a long story.”
“What was his role in all this?” I kept one eye on the road and another on the rearview mirror. Dave's SUV was still behind us.
“He's Roger's right-hand man.”
I nodded. “I see.”
“Then Tony was there for Roger,” June said. “But why me?”
Squirrel didn't hesitate. “Because you're valuable.”
June frowned. “What do you mean?”
“No one here knows where Dannie is.” He paused. “But you do. Now that you're here, you're the closest thing they have to him.”
June went quiet as the meaning settled in. If they had her, they could ask for anything.
“Anything?”
I let out a quiet breath. “It means you're in danger.” My voice hardened. “What you did back there could have cost you your life.”
She didn't flinch. “Except it didn't.” Her eyes moved toward Squirrel. “Squirrel was there.”
“Yes, and it almost went the other way.” I held her gaze. “You got lucky. Squirrel would have found us anyway. That was the plan.”
“To be fair—” Squirrel began.
I shot him a look, but he continued. “I didn't know where you were. If you hadn't shown up—”
“That isn't the point.” My frustration came out before I could soften it. “You could have compromised everything. If they'd taken you—if they'd taken all of us—this wouldn't have been a near miss. It would have been a real kidnapping.”
June looked away. “That word again…”
“Yes.” My voice softened. “That word again.”
Silence stretched between us.
“I’m sorry,” she said eventually, though the words didn't quite match her tone. “I couldn't just sit there and wait. I needed to find Squirrel, and none of you were listening to me.”
“That isn't true. If you'd just told us what you were thinking—”
“Would you have listened?”
“Yes.”
“Honestly?”
I held her gaze. For once, I didn't answer immediately.
She nodded slightly. “Ask yourself again. Properly this time.”
The silence felt heavier.
“No,” I admitted.
Her expression didn't change. She wasn't surprised. She already knew. “Exactly.”
She didn't need to say anything else because she was right. I would never have let her do what she'd done, knowing she was being watched and someone could use her to get to Dannie. I wasn't sure whether that made me protective or controlling anymore.
Probably both.
“And Mack?” I changed the subject before I had to explain just how afraid I'd been of losing her.
Squirrel glanced back. “You know Mack?”
“Yes.”
“We'll tell you everything later,” June said quickly. “For now, just tell us what you know.”
Squirrel nodded. “Mack and Tony were both kicked out years ago. Dannie found out they were involved in drug smuggling, bringing product into Hong Kong. Boss wanted to clean things up and go legitimate. He wouldn't tolerate that kind of business anymore.”
“And then?”
“They disappeared for a while.” Squirrel looked through the windshield. “Tony came back about two years ago.”
“With Roger?” June asked.
He nodded. “Working with Roger.”
That explained enough. And not nearly enough at the same time. I leaned back and let the information settle, only then noticing how close Squirrel was sitting. Up close, he smelled of stale smoke, sweat, and exhaustion. Unpleasant. Distracting. But useful.
Right now, he was the only person in the car who knew things we didn't.
And that made him valuable.