Penumbra (The Midnight Society #2) (6 page)

I needed to feel something else besides the pain lingering in my heart. Perhaps some pleasure would make me forget everything.

I slipped my hand downwards as my finger grazed my clit.

“You’re so damn hard,” Juno gasped.

“And you’re my filthy girl,” he said. “Aren’t you?”

“Yes. Fuck yes.”

I opened my eyes and watched hungrily as Lincoln pulled harder on her nipp
les, causing her to scream. Her body bobbed up and down over his flesh, her movements rhythmic, the beautiful tattoos of flowers and birds on her body suddenly taking on new life from her organic movements.

“You’
re going to come for me,” Lincoln instructed.

“I want you to come
too,” she moaned.

My fingers traced circles around my sex, illuminating my body with a warm, desirable glow while I pictured myself in Juno’s flesh.

“You don’t tell me what to do. I’ll come whenever and wherever I please. I’ll come all over—Aria?...shit…” Realizing he just mentioned my real name, Lincoln paused and composed himself. “I mean areola. I’ll come all over your areola.”

I was busted. Instinctively I pulled my hand out of my pants and felt immediate shame, like a child caught by their parents.

Lincoln’s eyes locked with mine and for a moment, I couldn’t look away. Juno opened her eyes and stared in my direction as well.

Well this was awkward.

My eyes hit the floor instantly and I began scrubbing with the mop in my hands. I pretended to clean the grimy floors of the tattoo parlor, hoping it served as a good excuse as to why I was outside their door.

I backed away from the scene slowly.

I could only imagine how weird things were going to get with Lincoln after.

Once you’ve seen someone naked, you could never look at them in the same light again.

Juno was laughing, but that quickly changed into moans.

I took a seat on the couch and knocked my fist against my forehead, while the words ‘stupid, stupid, stupid,’ played in my head on repeat.

Five minutes later, I heard a chorus of moans that signaled the climax of their tattoo parlor sex session.

It wasn’t long before Lincoln strolled out of the room, topless, and staring at the tattoos on his arms. He stood in front of one of the mirrors and examined the southern inspired artwork inked on his chiseled body, the Fleur-de-lis displayed predominantly above his right pec. Over the left one, there was a large tattoo that practically radiated, one displaying a crescent moon with a face in it. The moon was frowning like he had his heart broken. There were symbols written underneath it that I couldn’t make out.

I’d have to ask Lincoln about it later.

“What do you think?” he asked, pretending like I didn’t just witness him screwing Juno’s brains out on her tattoo table. I guess he was going to play this one cool, like it never happened.

Juno strolled out of the room, fully clothed, with a wide grin on her face.

“That was great, Dorian,” she
exclaimed, shooting me a joyous look. “You really hit the right spot.” Her eyes never left me while she spoke.

“I assume you just broke over fifty health violations,” I stated.

Juno shrugged as she wrapped herself around Lincoln’s body, like a snake coiled around a tree branch.

“You going to report me?” she asked.

I was about to retaliate, but Lincoln was quick to hush us both.

“Relax you two,” he said. “I have a lot to do already. The last thing I want to add onto my list is babysitting. Juno, stop harassing Lucy. It was part of the agreement.”

“Whatever you say,” she said, scowling at me.

I rolled my eyes and plopped myself back down onto the couch.

“Are we done here?” I asked.

Lincoln shook his head. “The piercings, and then we’re done.”

It took another ten minutes for Juno to pierce both his ears with the needle. When she was finished, Lincoln wet his hair, and slicked it back.

He observed himself in the mirror.

“A bit of trimming off the sides, and a five o’ clock shadow and I think I’m set,” he said as he turned to me. “What do you think Lucy?”

“You definitely look different,” I replied. “More edgy looking, if that’s what you’re going for.”

Lincoln turned his attention back into the mirror, rubbed his chin, and grinned.

“Good,” he said, “Sometimes a bit of change is just what we need to continue living.”

#

Chapter Seven

Shadow

“I want you to give me Elena Zhao,” I stated bluntly. “I want you to put me in a room with her. In exchange, I will give the Triad an empire.”

“It is funny how things changed so quickly in a matter of weeks, Mr. Tremaine,” Tsung said, raising the steaming noodles to his mouth with a pair of wooden chopsticks. He slurped them like a heathen, the translucent grease dripping from his fat lips.

“Nothing’s changed, Tsung,” I said as I sipped my tea.

It was a cold
night. It usually was in Hong Kong, after an evening storm. The air was cool and damp and I felt a wet chill that soaked right down into my bones.

I placed my hands in my pockets and watched as the fat man devoured his large bowl of wonton soup. He had the physique of an overstuffed turkey and his greasy long hair and paper thin moustache added to his unsavory appearance.

We sat in the center of one of Kwonloon’s many outdoor street vendors. I felt exposed.

The thought of being double-crossed during my meeting with the Triad wasn’t too far-fetched. However, I had no other choice but to take my chances with them.

Tsung had brought an entourage of eight men, all sitting at adjacent tables, their eyes focused on me. They were anxiously waiting for orders to be given, their hands buried within their coats, clutching weapons no doubt.

I hoped the offer I made to the Triad was one that was too good to pass up—one that would keep me alive.

This was the dark side of the Midnight Society’s business. These were the types of people we had to deal with at times.

Tsung polished off the last of the noodles and let out a gluttonous sigh of satisfaction. Just as I thought he was finished eating, he raised the bowl to his mouth and chugged down the leftover soup in one remaining gulp.

“Best noodles in town,” he said when he was finished, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve. “Are you sure you didn’t want some?”

“I’ll pass,” I said. “Watching you eat made me lose my appetite.”

Tsung snorted. “You always were cocky, Shadow. No respect for your elders.”

“You met me only once,” I stated. “Let’s not pretend you know me.”

The fat man leaned back in the plastic chair and rested his left hand on the table, tapping it with his fingers.

“Why are you here?” he asked.

“To do business.”

“I must admit, I was surprised to hear from you,” Tsung said. “Usually your people get one of your errand boys to come speak to me.”

“I can’t trust them anymore.”

“Of course you can’t,” Tsung said with a grin. “Your offer is very intriguing Shadow, but there is one fundamental flaw to it.”

He paused, looking at me with his cat-like eyes, waiting for a response from me.

I decided to take another sip of my tea instead.

“You’re not curious to know what that flaw is?” Tsung asked.

I shrugged my shoulders.

“Well I’ll tell you then,” he said.

“Okay.”

“The Triad does not work for the Midnight Society anymore,” he stated. “Your organization has no power to implement what you proposed.”

I set the cup of tea down, rose from my seat and walked behind Tsung. He eyed me suspiciously.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Cutting through the bullshit,” I replied as I kicked the seat out from under him. He crashed to the ground like the sack of MSG he was. His goons immediately rose from their chairs but made no move to approach me.

That’s what I thought.

“You dare lay your hands on me?” Tsung screamed, scrambling back to his feet.

“I didn’t lay my hands on you,” I corrected him. “I kicked your chair.”

Tsung walked up to me, hellfire in his eyes, and tried to stare me down. It was a difficult task for Tsung, seeing as how I had a good six inches on him.

“You are nothing, Shadow,” he spat. “Your organization is gone, stripped away from you by your own sister. You’ve been castrated. You have no more power.”

“And neither do you,” I said.

Tsung seethed. “You would disrespect the Triads in our own territory?”

“No,” I said. “I disrespect you.”

I turned to the rest of Tsung’s men and grinned. “Who’s in charge?” I asked.

“Have you lost your mind?” Tsung asked. “I’m in charge. I’ve always been in charge.”

I laughed. “The Midnight Society practically invented the art of deception,” I said. “You are just an oily man who sloughs down noodles and puts on a terrible song and dance.” I turned and faced the other Triad members. “You have to remember that first and foremost, I’m a businessman, and a resourceful one at that. The Midnight Society keeps extensive records of all the organizations we have under our umbrella—the Triad being one of them. I investigated your organization, analyzing the data on all your businesses—legal and illegal—as well as your numbers, profit margins, and economic growth. After five years of stagnant growth, I noticed that in 2009, your monthly profit margins began to increase at an exponential rate. Your portfolio also diversified, expanding into business investments and real estate.”

I looked at Tsung. “We all know that baby beluga over here doesn’t have the smarts to expand the Triad into these territories,” I said. Tsung’s nostril’s flared. I ignored him and continued. “I also know that gangsters are loyal to the person that gives them a bigger paycheck. You have a new boss, one that’s kept himself well hidden. I want to speak to him.”

After a short moment of silence, one of Tsung’s entourage stepped forward. He was younger than I expected.

He was handsome, sporting short cropped hair and a clean shaven face. What truly surprised me was that he was of mixed ethnicity, with rosy cheeks and distinctive blue eyes that set him apart from other Chinese.

When it came to race, the Triads were typically old school and traditional. They didn’t like half-bloods or “white devils”, as they called them, being a part of their organization. Whoever this guy was, he was either an absolute genius, or extremely dangerous. Perhaps he was both.

The man walked up to me and extended his hand. “Nathan Tse,” he said.

I eyed him suspiciously, before shaking his hand.

“How about we go for a walk, Shadow?” he asked, “Just the two of us.” He looked back at the rest of his men and gestured for everyone to sit down again.

I nodded. “I can’t say no, can I?”

“No, you can’t,” Nathan smiled. He definitely wasn’t a traditional gangster. I could tell from the way he presented himself.

I needed to know more about him. I needed to see if he was a potential ally down the road. But first, I had to make sure Calisto didn’t have the Triad in her pocket already.

Nathan gestured towards the Temple Street Night Market, across from the street diner. Crowds of people were filing in and out of the entrance to the marketplace with plastic bags in hand, filled with food, clothing, and other merchandise.

“Shall we?”

I nodded.

“Are you surprised that I’m a half-devil?” Nathan asked, as we stepped into the outdoor market.

I shrugged my shoulders. After the shocking revelation that Calisto had murdered our parents, I felt prepared for anything.

“I have to admit, I was surprised about recent changes to the Midnight Society, that it no longer exists,” Nathan continued.

“The Midnight Society still exists,” I replied. “We’re just streamlining.”

Nathan laughed. “I won’t pry into family disputes between you and your sister, but I will say this: The Triad is not too happy with the recent change in direction Calisto and her Revenants have forced on us.”

“Elena Zhao,” I stated.

Nathan nodded. “Elena Zhao.” He walked over to one of the vendors selling an assortment of foods. He pulled out his wallet and purchased two skewers filled with steaming balls of meat.

“Curry fish balls,” Nathan said as he handed one stick over to me. “I insist.”

I took it. “Thanks.”

“Always one of my favorites,” he said as he took a bite from his snack.

“How is it?”

“I’m sure it’s not the savory meal you high society are used to, but it hits the spot,” he said, waiting for me to take a bite.

I did.

It wasn’t half bad.

We continued walking through the market, passing by vendors selling wooden jewelry, scarves, plastic toys, and other varieties of accessories.

When Nathan was finished with his snack, he tossed the bare stick into a garbage can, and turned to me.

“I’ll be honest with you Shadow, I do not enjoy doing business with Elena Zhao,” he stated. “She is a shake-down artist, increasing the kickbacks to the Revenants by almost twenty percent. At least with the Midnight Society, the Triad could still earn a decent living. She is also vocal about how my organization should be run and sticks her nose into my business more often than I’d like.”

“She’s a bitch,” I agreed.

“The fact of the matter is, she looks down on Triad,” Nathan said. “She thinks she’s better than us with her clean money, her high society lifestyle, and the fact that she’s a high ranking member of the Revenants.” Nathan paused and took a deep breath. “She does have a point with her thinking though,” he continued. “She is better than the Triads.”

I was puzzled.

“The days of the gangster are numbered,” he explained. “The world has evolved, and so too must our ways to make money. Holding a knife to someone’s throat simply doesn’t work anymore. This is where your offer is most intriguing, if you can deliver what you promised.”

“I can.”

Nathan smirked as he stopped by a vendor selling plastic toy knock-offs—Superb Man, Transmorphers, and G.I. Jacks to name a few.

“I can’t just take your word for it,” Nathan said as he picked up a Transmorpher and examined it. “I need to know how you will free the Triads from the Revenants, the Midnight Society, and whoever else decides to sit on that throne. I need to know how you’ll free the Triads from your secret organizations.”

“As I mentioned before, I looked at your record books. It doesn’t take a genius to see that you’re trying to move your business ventures into legit territories,” I said. “Hong Kong is a melting pot in terms of real estate—too much demand, not enough supply. You’ve slowly taken over all the slums in terms of business and protection—the seedy parts of Hong Kong where only low-lives and degenerates hang out. I’m sure with your resources, it wouldn’t be hard to clean up and move all the filth out of these areas. Then it’s a matter of buying the land. Am I right?”

Nathan nodded.

“You’ll have enough land to build five condos, each one of them a gold mine. However, you can’t do this as long as you’re kicking back available capital to the Revenants.”

“You’ve told me what I already know,” Nathan said. “Now tell me, how you can make this vision a reality.”

“I can set you up as a legitimate business.”

“As can I,” Nathan said as he dropped the toy and faced me. “I do have a Masters in economics from Stanford.”

“Are you a hacker as well?” I asked.

Nathan looked at me, confused.

“Listen to me,” I continued. “Currently, all the money you make is directed into one single joint account between the Triads and the Revenants. Every week, Elena automatically siphons twenty percent of the gross profits from your earnings and stuffs her own pockets. As it stands, there’s no way you can move the money from this account to another one without the Revenants finding out. However, I have access to one of the best hackers in the world—one that can surgically remove the Revenants from this account, place security measures around it, and also deposit a large sum into it, straight from Elena’s own pockets. That deposit will be more than enough capital for you to get a head start in this real estate game.”

Nathan laughed. “Sounds like a wonderful dream. But as you said, Elena will realize that she’s not getting her weekly twenty percent, and she’ll definitely know that we removed a large chunk of her cash.”

“My hacker is very good,” I pointed out. “We’ll arrange it so that the twenty percent that lines her pocket is taken from many of her own business ventures. She’ll be cannibalizing her own profits. As for the chunk of money, we can skim it from the Zhao Corporation and make it look like overhead. We’re very resourceful when it comes to creative forensic accounting.”

“I fail to believe Elena won’t notice any of this.”

“Money these days is just a number on a digital screen,” I said. “That number you see doesn’t necessarily have to be an exact reflection of physical dollars in someone’s bank account.”

Nathan laughed. “You must have one hell of a hacker if he’s able to do all of this,” he said. “I’m curious to know, who is he?”

I shook my head. “Give me some credit,” I said. “If I told you that, you wouldn’t have a need for me anymore.”

Nathan grinned. “It was worth a try.”

“Do we have a deal?”