Chapter 126
Dongyang Dong would have agreed to anything. Each time Poe told him one of his demands, he said, ‘Yes.’ Towards the end, he was agreeing to things Poe hadn’t even finished asking for.
It was one thing fucking with the collected might of the world’s law enforcement agencies, another thing entirely to fuck with the most feared triad in the world. The NCA, the FBI, Europol and Interpol all played by the rules; the Forty-Fours didn’t.
Poe said, ‘To clarify, Esmerée comes back with me. Océane comes back with me. There will be no repercussions. No reprisals. None whatsoever. If anyone I know gets so much as a hangnail, this goes viral.’
‘Your terms are understood and accepted,’ Dongyang Dong said.
‘Please tell your man to let Esmerée go.’
He shouted something in Chinese. The small man holding Esmerée blinked in surprise. She twisted herself free and sprinted over to Poe, standing to his side, one step behind. The way Edgar did when he was frightened of something. He’d run towards the danger if Poe did, but he’d prefer not to.
‘You all right?’ he said, his eyes still on the Red Chamber guys. Cornering the rat was the most dangerous part of Bradshaw’s plan. Dong knew what was happening, but the rest of the Red Chamber didn’t. All they had seen was their leader losing face. And if he lost face, they lost face.
‘I’m OK, Poe,’ Esmerée said, her voice high and brittle. Still putting on a brave face for him.
‘They didn’t … you know … do anything to you?’
‘I was locked in a shipping container full of rubber ducks. I was given a bottle of water and a bucket to go to the bathroom in.’ She looked behind her, past her mother, past Towler. ‘Where’s the doc, where’s Tilly?’
‘Back at Cowie House,’ Poe said. ‘They have a prisoner to guard.’
‘We about ready, Poe?’ Towler asked. ‘Some of these arseholes don’t seem to have got the message yet.’
He was right. Some of the triads looked fidgety. Angry.
‘Yeah, c’mon,’ Poe said. ‘Let’s get out of here. Your guys will withdraw too?’
‘When we’re safe.’
‘Good.’ Poe took Esmerée’s arm and slowly backed away. Océane stayed where she was. ‘Get in the car, Océane,’ Poe said.
‘Not until I have my money.’
Poe sighed. That was all he needed. Someone changing the rules after they’d won the game. ‘Take the win,’ he said. ‘You’re free.’
Océane folded her arms and glared at the triads. ‘I earned that money. I want it.’
‘She’s got a point, mate,’ Towler said. ‘Just because they had no intention of coughing up the dough doesn’t mean it isn’t owed.’
She did have a point. Poe couldn’t help wondering if that had been her plan all along.
To piggyback onto whatever it was they had going on, then ramp up the demands.
Get the money she felt she was still entitled to.
He wasn’t sure what to do. He had persuaded the triad to agree to leave them alone.
But Océane was demanding ten million dollars.
That might be a step too far for a profit-orientated organisation like the Red Chamber.
Oh well, in for a penny, in for ten million dollars.
‘Océane gets her money,’ he said.
‘Including the money from the investments they pretended to make,’ Océane added. ‘The last time we reviewed my fake portfolio, that was over fourteen million bucks.’
‘Including her investments.’
For the first time, Dongyang Dong looked defiant. Poe thought he was going to refuse. He thought he’d better nip it in the bud. He opened his own iPad and navigated to the dragon head’s granddaughter discussing her death perversions. He pressed play. Caught her near the end of Bradshaw’s deepfake.
‘… And when the light in their eyes finally goes out, it’s a turn-on like nothing else on earth. It makes me so horny I have no choice but to—’
Poe pressed pause. The clip was crude, cruel and utterly convincing.
Estelle had provided the words and Bradshaw had used something called voice phishing, whatever the hell that was, to mimic the girl’s voice.
Like the rest of the package, it could not be detected as fake.
As far as anyone was concerned, the completely innocent pianist had said those despicable things. She did have a death fetish.
‘How will the Forty-Fours react to this?’ Poe asked. ‘Will they understand that ruining the lives of the dragon head’s family was a legitimate business decision?’
‘The woman gets her money,’ Dongyang Dong said.
‘All of it?’
‘Yes.’
‘My colleague will send the bank details within the hour. Please don’t dawdle. We’re all jumpy and you wouldn’t want me pressing the send button by accident.’ Poe turned to Océane. ‘Happy?’
‘As a New England clam.’
Poe shrugged, confused.
Esmerée helped him out. ‘She’s happy, Poe,’ she sighed.
‘Then get in the car. Everyone get in the car.’
Poe put himself between the Red Chamber and Esmerée and started backing away again. Océane ran to the car and climbed into the back seat.
Towler didn’t move. ‘One last thing,’ he said.
‘Oh for God’s sake, what now?’ Poe muttered.
‘Who hit you, Esmerée?’
Esmerée pointed at the small guy who had been holding her. ‘That ASSHOLE!’ she shouted, angry all of a sudden. ‘Punched me in the face ’cos I did a Poe and twisted his balls.’
‘That guy?’ Towler said. ‘The short-arse with one leg?’
Esmerée frowned. ‘Er … he has two legs, Lurch.’
In a single fluid movement, Towler reached behind his back, lifted his jacket tail and drew his Desert Eagle.
He barely sighted it. Just cracked off a single, deafening round.
The small triad’s left knee exploded. Bits of bone and gristle hung in the air like an indoor firework display.
He fell to the ground screaming. Blood poured out of his knee like a busted water main.
‘Not any more he doesn’t,’ Towler said.
The Red Chamber guys all reached for their weapons.
Dongyang Dong screamed a panicked instruction.
Confused, his men paused. He barked something else and they put their guns on the ground.
It was clear they’d never been asked to do that before.
They looked to be in shock. Then again, they hadn’t seen Bradshaw’s video montage.
‘Those five-o calibre bullets have some fucking stopping power, don’t they?’ Towler said calmly. He said it like he was discussing how quickly his new kettle boiled.
‘Holy shit!’ Esmerée said. Before Poe could grab her, she’d sprinted to the downed triad.
No one tried to stop her. Poe called her back, but she ignored him.
He assumed it was some sort of Stockholm syndrome.
That she was going to help the triad who’d hit her.
But when she reached him, she dropped to her knees and rifled through his pockets.
Slipped something into her own. Then she got to her feet and ran back to Poe.
‘What was that about?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Esmerée …’ Poe warned.
She reached into her pocket. Pulled out a rubber duck. An honest-to-goodness rubber duck. All yellow and smiling. ‘I boosted one of these for you. Thought you and the doc could play hide the duck when you take those lame-ass baths together.’
‘Pervert,’ Towler said.
Poe glared at him. ‘I thought I said no guns.’
Towler shrugged. ‘I didn’t think you meant me as well, mate.’ He put his Desert Eagle away, then shouted to the horrified Red Chamber men. ‘I’d get that prick to a hospital if I were you; I think I snagged an artery.’ He paused half a beat. ‘Or let him bleed out. I don’t really give a shit.’
And with that, he turned his back on them.
They got back into the car. Poe and Esmerée in the front, Towler and Océane in the back. Poe put it into gear, released the handbrake and watched in the rear-view mirror as Long Meg and Her Daughters disappeared.
He hoped he’d never see the stupid stone circle again.