Black Karma (11 page)

“That's not a good idea,” he said in an ominously flat voice.

She found her temper rising. “Since when do I need your permission to date?”

He hesitated before answering. “Stay away from Howard Kwan. His family is poison.”

“I'll take your advice under consideration,” she replied, unwilling to cave in to his demands without at least token resistance.

“I'll be back in a day or two. Don't do anything foolish while I'm gone.”

“How do you define ‘foolish'?”

“‘Foolish' would be taking on three thugs with a dozen witnesses around to take pictures.”

He might have had a point, but she couldn't see any advantage in ceding it to him. “It was a spur-of-the-moment reaction. A girl has to do what a girl has to do.”

“There you are. You just defined ‘foolish' and saved me the trouble. I'm serious, Bai. His family is bad news.”

“Then we have something in common. Don't we?”

“More than you know.” His flat tone made the hair on the back of neck rise. “Give my love to the girls. I'll see you in a day or two.”

He hung up before she could reply.

She huffed into the phone and tossed the device to the other side of the couch. The phone hadn't finished bouncing on the leather cushion when it rang again. She belly-flopped onto the cushions and stretched to retrieve the device. It was Lee.

“Did you find something?” she asked.

“Yes. You need to see this.”

“I'm on my way.”

She ended the call and walked across the living room to the foyer where the open elevator waited. The lift took her to the ground floor where she took three steps across the lobby and through the door Lee held open.

He smiled and put an arm around her shoulders to direct her into his study. “Let me show you what Wen was trying to protect.” He pointed at the monitor on his desk. “Come and look at this.”

She walked around the desk in order to see the screen. “What am I looking at?”

“These are the encrypted files on the flash drive,” he explained, pointing at small icons on the screen's monitor. “I've just started to look at what's inside the files, but I've already come across a half dozen confidential documents. What I've seen indicates she had a wide range of interests, everything from pharmaceutical research to engineering diagrams.”

“What do you think the files mean?”

“I think she was an information broker, someone who buys and sells confidential information, like a fence for stolen secrets. From the correspondence I've seen, she appears to have had a number of aliases. That's assuming ‘Wen Liu' is her real name and not an alias. Look at this.”

He clicked on another folder, and a list of names with contact information appeared on the screen. “This is her address book. She has hundreds of contacts listed.”

He scrolled down the list. “Here's someone we know who might be able to shed some light on her activities.”

Jason's name was listed under “L” for Lum, along with his private cell number.

“It seems I'm not the only woman to have his private number,” Bai said. “How about a Daniel Chen?”

“I looked,” Lee stated. “There's nothing under Chen, and I wasn't able to access her call log to see whom she called and when. I may have to activate the phone to do that, and I want to get as much data as possible first in case I trigger a defensive program that will shut down or wipe the phone.”

She nodded without really understanding. “I can see why she'd want to hide her identity. Selling confidential information is a dangerous business. Do me a favor: see if Howard Kwan is on her list.”

He did as requested and scrolled the screen up. There were about a dozen Kwans on the list, Kwan being a common name. Howard was among them. Whether or not the Howard Kwan listed happened to be the one she'd just met, Bai had no way of knowing.

She tapped the number listed for Howard Kwan into her phone, which had a blocked caller ID.

“Who is calling?” asked a voice she recognized as Howard's.

She ended the call without responding. “Wen, it appears, led an interesting life.”

“Yes,” Lee replied with a thoughtful expression, “the kind of interesting life that can get you killed. I have the sneaking suspicion the more files we decrypt, the more suspects we'll find who might have wanted her dead.”

Chapter 13

The day started out humid and warm with the scent of rain in the air. Bai decided to take advantage of the balmy weather and walk the three blocks to her office. While she stood at the crosswalk waiting for the light to change, a limousine pulled to the curb in front of her. A man in a black suit wearing an earbud stepped out of the front passenger door to walk back and hold the rear door open. She regarded him as she crossed her arms, her hand on the sleeve of her jacket.

“Who?” she asked.

“Chairman Kwan,” he replied and bowed deeply.

Frowning, she hesitated before stepping into the car, curiosity overruling common sense. The car pulled back into traffic and headed west. The limo rolled up California Street and into the Nob Hill District to stop in front of the venerable Mark Hopkins.

An opulent hotel, the Hopkins once served as a destination for celebrities and royalty. During the thirties and forties, music greats such as Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman provided a swinging nightlife. John Barrymore had been a regular. Located at the top of Nob Hill, the hotel still retained its charm and a fabulous view.

Bai's escort led her through the lobby and into the elevator that took them to the eighteenth-floor penthouse. When she stepped out of the lift, six Asian men in similar dark garb stood guard. A couple of them frowned at the sight of her. She returned their measured gazes without smiling.

Her guide ushered her through a set of dark-paneled double doors. She inhaled deeply and braced herself before walking into a lavish apartment decorated with neoclassical furniture. Fresh long-stem roses in large vases sat on leather-topped tables embossed with gold filigree. At the far side of the room sat a diminutive woman in a high-backed upholstered chair with her hands folded and her legs tucked to the side, the embodiment of appropriate comportment.

She wore a perfectly tailored black suit that showed off a fortune in diamonds. Rings stacked her fingers, and a necklace wrapped around her throat in a glistening display of wealth. Her bob was perfectly cut and framed a lovely face with a welcoming smile. Bai stood transfixed for a brief moment. Somehow, the woman seemed familiar.

“I can't help feeling we've met before,” Bai said.

The woman smiled and gestured to the matching chair facing her. “My name is Jade Kwan. I'm Howard's mother. Won't you be seated and have tea with me? I believe we have a great deal to discuss.”

Bai balked. “I've already told Howard I'm not interested. You have nothing to worry about.”

Jade's smile widened as she nodded. “Please, have a seat and let me explain.”

Bai sat down cautiously. Her eyes remained fixed on Howard's mother, who continued to smile as she poured tea from a porcelain pot into matching delicate cups of fine bone china.

With a gesture of her hand, the woman indicated the steaming cup of tea. “Please.”

Bai lifted the cup to her lips and sipped. The fragrant green tea tasted delicately bitter.

Jade sipped her tea before speaking. “You needn't be afraid. You're among family.”

The statement surprised Bai. “What do you mean?”

“I'm Elizabeth's sister. Please, call me Jade.”

Jade's smile remained fixed in place as she studied Bai in obvious amusement.

Bai wasn't sure what to make of her assertion. “Elizabeth never mentioned a sister.”

“We've been estranged since she decided to marry a gangster and waste her life. I was surprised to hear from her. It seems we have a common interest.”

“And what would that be?”

“You. My sister and I agree your talents are being wasted. You should be flattered. My sister and I don't agree upon a great many things.”

Bai leaned back into the chair to quietly decipher Jade's words. Obviously, forces were at work she hadn't foreseen. She found the thought disturbing. And, as she observed the determination on Jade's face, a bit frightening.

Jade seemed to read her. “Have I scared you?”

“Maybe, a little.”

One side of the older woman's mouth drew up in a lopsided grin. “I don't mean to alarm you. I brought you here to offer you a challenge—one, I feel, you're well-equipped to meet.”

“I don't understand.”

“Marry my son and help him build Kwan Industries into the largest consortium in the world.”

Bai's mouth flopped open as command of her jaw, along with her ability to speak, abandoned her. Jade laughed and sat back to sip tea.

When Bai finally got herself sorted, she had questions. “Why me?” she asked tentatively. “I'm an unmarried mother—old, as Howard likes to remind me. I'm not exactly virgin bride material.”

“I'm not looking for a virgin or a naive young woman for my son. He's like his father in many ways—brilliant, talented, and timid.”

She reached for a remote sitting on the tea table between them and pointed the device at the wall behind her. A flat screen came to life showing a video of Bai tackling the three assailants from the black van. “You attack,” she stated, “while Howard retreats. One doesn't win wars by retreating.”

She turned off the monitor before continuing. “For thirty years I've been the strength behind my husband's genius. Together, we've managed to build an industrial empire from one tired, outdated textile mill. Kwan Industries employs more than thirty thousand people. I want to ensure expansion continues. I believe you're the woman capable of bringing my dreams to fruition.”

The dour expressions on the faces of Jade's bodyguards suddenly made sense to Bai. They'd been the men she'd tumbled to the tarmac in front of the Grand. Everything fell into place. The attempt to kidnap Howard had been a ruse to test her. She didn't know whether to be flattered or outraged.

She settled for blunt. “I have a life here and children who need me. I'm not naive, as you pointed out. Marrying into your family would require that I produce children to inherit the empire you envision. I won't set aside my own children for the sake of your family.”

“You don't have to. Your daughter, my sister's granddaughter, has my bloodline. She's also brilliant and, from everything I've heard, fierce. Then, too, there's something about which you're not aware. Howard's been a prolific womanizer for more than a decade, yet not one illegitimate child has resulted from these liaisons. I'm not positive, but I fear my son may be unable to father children. Your daughter would be as dear to me as my own child. Even if you decide not to marry Howard, I would still consider your daughter the most viable successor to Kwan Industries.”

Bai thought about rejecting Jade's offer outright, but it wasn't every day a thirty-billion-dollar consortium got dropped in her lap. The prospect of leading a polynational corporation sounded intriguing. She held up a hand. “Let me just put things in perspective for a moment. If what you say is true, and I have no reason to doubt you, Howard and Jason are cousins. How does Howard feel about marrying his cousin's ex? Do they even know they're cousins?”

“They know they're cousins, but they're not close. I've been absent from my sister's life for more than thirty years, and our relationship with Jason is somewhat contentious. Only last month, Jason managed to take a casino away from Kwan Industries in Macau. We took a loss of nearly three hundred million. I wouldn't say we're on friendly terms, but he is family.”

Bai felt overwhelmed. Slapping a hand to her forehead, she said, “This could get really ugly.”

Jade scoffed. “I trust you'll be able to deal with two childish men. After all, I trust you to run an empire.”

“I hadn't thought to run an empire. I'm still working on organizing my closet.”

“You can hire someone to organize your closet, buy your clothes, and drive your car. Doesn't the thought of wielding real power appeal to you? I'm offering you a chance to live life on a larger scale, Bai. And, I'm offering you a chance to pass that legacy on to your child.”

The idea of taking on Kwan Industries sounded interesting, while the thought of marrying Howard didn't appeal to her at all. But she wouldn't lightly brush aside the opportunity to pass that birthright to Dan.

“What does it mean to be Howard Kwan's wife?” she asked.

Taking her time, Jade seemed to consider her answer carefully. “Initially, marrying him will mean relocating to Hong Kong, at least for a while. You'll work with me at our corporate headquarters to learn the business. You'll work long hours, but I can assure you the work will be interesting and challenging.”

“What about my children?”

“They'll be given every advantage: the best schools, private tutors, anything you want.”

“And Elizabeth?”

The question eased the smile from Jade's face. “She knew she would lose you when she set you on this course. But you don't have to worry about her. Without you, she'll get her son back. As I understand the situation, the only thing standing between Elizabeth and Jason is you.”

Jade's words struck home. Elizabeth wanted Jason out of Bai's life. She only now realized the lengths to which his mother had been willing to go to make that happen. Elizabeth had chosen to give up her family to ensure their safety. The thought sobered Bai.

“What about my friend, Lee?”

“The gay man? Bring him with you. You can make him the head of your security. He's perfect since there wouldn't be any talk of an illicit relationship if he's openly
tongzhi.”