Point Blank (Sisterhood Book 26) (7 page)

“But why?” Annie demanded.

“He doesn’t know. He thinks it has something to do with gambling. The monks are a peaceful lot and not into deviousness. There’s a new Abbot at the monastery, and he’s not exactly in favor. He said he’s heard rumors over the past year, since the new Abbot took over, that there is a faction that wants to commercialize the whole province. He has no proof. He thinks Jun Yu had the proof, but he isn’t sure. Dishbang Deshi is living at his place of business now that his family is gone. He says there are a lot of people around him to protect him and also to warn him if they sense trouble. He is anxious for me to get there. He doesn’t want to end up like Jun Yu.

“He said, the day Jun Yu went to get his son Hop and daughter Gan, he didn’t know the foreign students had been moved several days before. His son told him that men came, a lot of men, who walked with the Abbot and took all the foreigners away. And some of the older Chinese. Hop did not know where they were taken so he couldn’t advise his father. Dishbang Deshi said Jun Yu wanted to stay to try to find Lily, but the people with him said it was too dangerous and that they had to leave. I believe him. For whatever it’s worth,” Harry said sadly.

Maggie Spritzer let loose with a very unladylike sound. “So where does all this leave us?”

Charles looked up at the bank of clocks on the back wall that told the time all over the world. They hung directly behind Lady Justice. “Where that leaves us right at this precise moment is where we are. It’s late. I suggest you all try to catch some sleep, and we’ll reconvene in the morning. Fergus and I will be working here throughout the night. By morning, we should have something significant to report. All of you, stop looking at me like I’m some kind of ogre. Fergus and I are just two people. We do have other people working with us, but they also need time to gather information and get it to us, at which point we’ll know better how things will work.” Charles’s voice took on an edge of steel when he said, “If any of you think you can do a better job, have at it. If not, skedaddle and let us do what we do best.”

Skedaddle?
Now that’s a word I haven’t heard in at least a hundred years, Jack thought. He risked a glance at Harry, who looked like he was ready to explode any second.

Topside, which meant the kitchen, Jack took Harry aside, and said, “Let’s take all the dogs for a run. Across the field. You need it more than they do, Harry, so let’s do it. You need to lighten up, or this whole thing is going to come crashing down around all of us. You know in your gut that Charles is doing all he can. He loves Lily just the way we all do. We’re gonna make it work. You need to believe that. If you don’t, I’m going to kick that scrawny ass of yours all the way to the Canadian border. Now, what’s it going to be?”

Harry was saved from responding when Cooper appeared out of nowhere and nudged his leg. Harry shrugged as he reached for his jacket and opened the door. Cooper raced off into the dark night.

Harry whirled around. “You really believe all that, Jack?”

“I do, Harry.”

“Okay, then. What are we racing toward?”

“Nothing. Just running till we can’t run anymore. You okay with that?”

Harry thought about it for a minute. “Yeah.”

 

B
ert Navarro stared at the monitor above his desk. The floor of the casino was a throbbing mass of human flesh making enough noise to rock the casino. Nine o’clock at night, and the place was juking and jiving as it did every weekend night. He sighed as he continued to watch for his right-hand man, Dixson Kelly, as he approached his private office.

He felt good about leaving Dix in charge. They were old buddies from back in the day when Bert ran the FBI. Dix was his counterpart at the CIA. The spook business didn’t pay anywhere near what the casino paid him, and Dix liked Anna de Silva and the weird way she did business, so he had been an easy recruit. He liked and respected Bert, so it was a no-brainer when Bert asked him if he wanted the job as his right-hand man. He’d snapped it up, hopped into his RV and headed west, set up shop, and the rest was history.

Bert watched Dix as he strode down the long hallway that was off-limits to everyone except key personnel. Dix would be the perfect person to head up a casino in Macau if that’s the way things ended up. He had no baggage, no wife, no children, a few brothers he saw once every other year or so. His downfall, if you could call it that, was that he liked the showgirls. Maybe a little too much, but that was the private side of his life, and as long as it didn’t interfere with the job he had to do, Bert was okay with it.

Bert grinned as he watched his associate approach. He was everything Hollywood and the big screen depicted when featuring a CIA operative. Tall, six-four, weight around 210 depending if he ate pasta the day of the weigh-in. He was buff and ripped or whatever the saying was these days. The thing about Dix was his eyes, piercing blue, and they commanded truth. He could spot a cheat a mile away on a foggy day. It was said up and down the strip that Bert and Dix ran the tightest ship in all of Vegas, something both men were proud of.

Right this moment, Bert’s dilemma was how much to tell Dix. Certainly nothing about the sisters or the guys. Best to keep it strictly to the business at hand. Dix had stood in for him on the two occasions when he’d gone to China to get the lay of the land, so he was privy to all of that. This third trip fell right into that plan, so maybe the ex-spook wouldn’t ask too many questions.

Three sharp knocks on the door—Dix’s announcement of his presence. Bert pressed a button, and the hydraulic door hissed open.

The piercing blue eyes took everything in at one glance, Bert’s casual attire of jeans, Izod pullover, Nike running shoes, the duffel bag by the door. “Nothing like waiting for the last minute to tell me you were leaving,” Dix said lazily as he flopped down on one of the three ergonomic chairs in the office. That was another thing about Dix—he was like a bendable Gumby, loose as a goose.

“Cut the shit, Dix. You knew I was making the trip the minute I got off the phone with the boss. And that was twenty-three hours ago. Gossip leaks like a sieve in this place. Plus, I know you saw the car waiting for me out front. Right or wrong?”

“On the money, boss, on the money.” Dix grinned, revealing a magnificent array of pearly whites. “I was just making conversation. Any special instructions while you’re gone? And how long do you plan to be away?”

“Just run the place like I do. It’s up in the air. Those guys like to mess around and stall and make you sweat. I’m thinking three days. If I don’t make any progress, I’ll take my marbles and come home. I’m meeting up with Todd from the Wynn and Big Al from the Sands first. I think it’s a go. Clinching the deal is step two. In other words, it all depends how bad they piss me off.

“We talked about this already, Dix. Tell me now if you are having any second thoughts. You sure you want to run the Macau casino? Life will be quite different over there, as you well know. I’m not signing on any dotted line until I have your full commitment.”

Dix laughed. It was a deep rumble of sound. “Told you I’d give it five years as long as I got a piece of the action, and Annie and you both agreed to that. That’s a piece
plus
my salary. Just so we’re clear on that. At the end of the five years, I want the option of bugging out so I can buy an island somewhere and live off my dividends while I’m being catered to twenty-four seven. That’s the deal.”

“Okay. When I get back, we’ll put it together if it’s a go, and then you can take up residence in Hong Kong until the casino in Macau is completed. Then it becomes your headache.”

His blue eyes locked on Bert. “Why don’t you tell me now why you’re
really
going over there? Yeah, yeah, I heard everything you said, but there’s another reason, isn’t there?”

The guy was good, he had to give him that. “NTK, pal.”

“Need to know, my ass, Bert. Come on, level with me. This is me you’re talking to, pal. I thought we were best buds.”

“Can’t, Dix. Boss’s orders. You know how that goes. Hold the fort. You have my number. Call me if anything goes awry. Gotta run.”

Dix was up and out of the chair he’d been sitting on. The piercing blue eyes narrowed to slits. “This isn’t shits and giggles, is it, Bert? This isn’t even really
all
about the casino, either, is it?”

“No, Dix, it is not shits and giggles.”

“Okay, you need some guys, let me know. I know quite a few in the Orient who would jump at the chance to help if need be.” Bert nodded as he slapped Dix on the back.

“I’ll be in touch. Make sure those four weddings in the chapel go off smoothly.” Bert laughed out loud at the look on Dix’s face. He hated chapel duty. Especially when the preacher was an Elvis stand-in.

Ten minutes later, Bert hunkered down into the backseat of the casino car and closed his eyes. What the hell was he getting himself into? His least favorite people in the whole world were the Chinese. There was no trust there, no code of honor. At least that he could see.

He hated Hong Kong. Almost as much as he hated Macau. But he had gotten five pretty snappy custom-made suits the last time he was in Hong Kong. Maybe he’d get a couple more this time around since Kathryn said he looked sexy in them. Yeah, yeah, maybe some shirts, too. The monogrammed ones she liked so much. God, how he loved that woman.

His eyes closed as his mind took him from thoughts of Kathryn, the sisters, Dix, and other stray thoughts, to Lily Wong, Harry’s daughter. His heart skipped a beat at the thought of the little girl being in any kind of danger. That thought took him back to Kathryn and the fierce tone of her voice when she’d called to tell him what was going on. He shivered.

With an hour to kill before boarding, Bert sent off texts to Todd and Big Al in Macau, apprising them of his arrival and the wish to set up a meeting ASAP. Within minutes, he had a meeting, lodging at the Wynn, and a luncheon all scheduled. The third text he sent off was to Annie, informing her of the latest developments.

Satisfied that every last detail had been taken care of, Bert leaned back and watched the travelers as they scurried about. His FBI training served him well as he looked for oddities. Seeing nothing that seemed out of the ordinary, he let his mind take him to other places that were more pleasing at this hour of the night, but in the end his thoughts always took him back to a little dark-eyed girl named Lily Wong. When he could no longer bear the thought of the little girl’s being in trouble, he shifted his thoughts to Lily’s father, Harry Wong.

Harry Wong. He liked Harry Wong. But . . . in the deepest part of his heart and soul, he admitted to himself that he feared him like no other man walking the earth. Harry Wong was a one-man army. A man of few words. Very few. And yet in some strange, unexplained something or other, Harry had bonded with Jack Emery, of all people. While they constantly baited one another, everyone close to the two men knew that either one would, quite literally, die for the other—that was the nature of their bond. No amount of questioning or searching could reveal the why of it. It simply was.

Bert could feel his insides start to curdle when he thought about both Harry and Jack in China. Harry wouldn’t just be Harry Wong, the number two martial-arts expert in the world, with his sidekick at his side. He would be entering China as the number one martial-arts expert in the world now that Jun Yu was deceased. While that in itself was scary as hell, it was who Harry and Jack really were that made his blood run cold.

Harry Wong, the father of Lily Wong.

Jack Emery, godfather to Lily Wong.

At this point in time, probably the deadliest duo ever to enter China.

Bert’s eyes snapped open when he heard the announcement that first-class passengers were to begin boarding. He switched his mental gears and once again tried to concentrate on the little girl named Lily Wong.

Bert adjusted his seat belt and reached for the glass of wine the stewardess held out to him. Where are you, Lily Wong? Are you safe, little Lily? Your dad and Jack are coming for you. Nothing on this earth will stop them from getting to you. Stay strong, little one, stay strong.

 

 

Her name was Yuke Lok, and she was seventeen years old. She had been singled out to be what Americans would call Lily Wong’s big sister on the little girl’s arrival. It was her job to oversee and protect the little girl, a job she took seriously. She excelled at following orders and never questioned the monks when a task was given to her. And she liked Lily and considered her a true little sister since she had no blood sisters, only brothers.

She loved her little sister, loved when Lily told her what life in America was like. They shared their limited life experiences sometimes with laughter and sometimes with sadness. Yuke Lok especially loved hearing tales of Cooper and what Lily called his mystical powers. It was understood among the monks that sometimes Lily embellished her tales, but they just hid their smiles because, wise men that they were, they knew a four-legged creature couldn’t possibly know and do the things the mystical dog was credited with. They were even more amused when Lily would just smile knowingly and stare off into space.

The moment Brother Hung waddled, as fast as his plump body would allow, over to where Yuke Lok was teaching six young girls, of which Lily Wong was one, about the different species of butterflies, Yuke Lok came to attention. She listened as Brother Hung told her to take Lily and head into the forest. He drew a map on Yuke Lok’s open palm and admonished her to speak only English from that point on. “Yuke Lok, you must keep young Lily safe. She is your responsibility now. Do you understand? You must go now before the parade of men come here.” He handed over a sack of food and bottles of water, explaining that there would be more when she stopped at the various points marked on the palm of her hand.

Always inquisitive, sometimes more than she should be, Lily listened but did not question anything Brother Hung said. She smiled when he bent low to kiss the top of her head. Lily had looked up at him, and whispered, “I know. Cooper told me. I will see you again, Brother Hung, when my daddy comes here with Cooper. Please do not fret about my safety.”

The fat little monk shook his head to try to clear away the words, but they stayed firmly planted in his mind. A mystical dog, along with Harry Wong, was coming to the monastery. He didn’t know why, but he believed the child implicitly.

“Go, my children!”

Brother Hung trundled his way to the center courtyard and rang the bell. Monks came from everywhere, children from all directions in a blur of orange and yellow. He spoke quickly, breathlessly, his gaze on the terrain of his beloved Song Mountain, where the parade of men were advancing on the monastery. His message to the gathering was simple. Erase the life of Lily Wong. She was never here. Quickly, my brothers.

There was no need to repeat his order. Instant, unequivocal obedience was the order of the Shaolin Monastery. Only once did he turn his gaze in the other direction, praying that the two girls would remain safe.

Brother Hung had known the moment Jun Yu came for his son and daughter what would happen, and he had been right. He just wished he’d had more time to prepare, more time for Yuke Lok and Lily Wong to get farther away. He wished then that the mystical dog Cooper was sitting at his feet even if he didn’t believe in such things. And yet Lily Wong believed, and her eyes had been clear and unafraid. He shuddered at the thought of her father’s making an appearance along with the mystical dog.

Would life here at the Shaolin Monastery on Song Mountain ever be the same? Would the peace and tranquility that had survived for hundreds of years be able to survive the onslaught of whatever the men in boots intended?

Then Brother Hung had the first uncharitable thought of his life. He wished he weren’t so fat, so that he could run.

“Be safe, my little ones.”

 

 

The two girls were three hours into their trek when Yuke Lok called a halt for a rest period. “Are you tired, Lily? Do you want something to eat or drink?”

“A drink would be nice, but I am not hungry. Are you?”

“No. We still have an hour or so to go before we can stop for the night. Are you sure you are not too tired?”

“My legs are strong, Yuke Lok. Even you said so when we work out. I can walk as long as you can. I need to be safe, so Daddy and Cooper can find me. I will do whatever we have to do. Do you know why this is happening?”

“I do not. Today was the first time I ever saw Brother Hung so . . . what is the word in English, Lily?”

Lily laughed. “Rattled. My mother gets rattled sometimes, then Daddy tells her to cool her jets. That means calm down.” She laughed again, but it was a sad sound.

Yuke Lok laughed. “I just love to hear your American slang. When I leave here next year, I doubt I will ever find an occasion to use such words. Then I guess I will forget them.”