The King of Shanghai (21 page)

( 28 )

“How did you get my number?”

“From Carlo.”

“When?”

“Ten minutes ago.”

“Where are you?”

“I’m in Hong Kong. Carlo is in Macau, with two of my men and that old whore he likes to hang around with. He shouldn’t have run out on us. He shouldn’t have told you what he did,” he said calmly.

“Is he okay?”

“For now.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Let’s talk about that later. Right now what I want is for you to set up a meeting between me and Xu.”

“We tried that before. It didn’t work out too well.”

“And now I’m paying for it.”

“And you think you shouldn’t?”

“What does that matter? I’m paying and I want to stop.”

“You should have thought of that before you tried to kill us.”

“The men were told to leave you out of it.”

“I’m sure the fact that Xu was the only target will make him feel more charitable.”

“Call him. I’ve tried but his phone is off, and I don’t know how to reach Suen.”

“You haven’t even asked if Xu is well enough to speak.”

“My man who survived that mess in Shenzhen said Xu was wounded but alive. I assume that’s still the case.”

“He is alive, but in no condition to talk. So you’re going to have to deal with me.”

He paused and then laughed. “You’re joking.”

“Sammy, I want you to count to ten. When you get to ten, the phone line will go dead, and Xu’s men will continue to round up and kill as many of your men as they need to until they get to you. If, somewhere between one and ten, you decide that I’m serious, then we’ll choose a place to meet.”

“If I can’t talk to Xu I’ll have Carlo killed,” Wing said.

Ava drew a deep breath. “Is Carlo still alive?”

“You don’t trust me?”

“No.”

“How do you want me to prove it to you?”

“I want you to put Carlo on a jetfoil back to Hong Kong and then I want him to call me from the jetfoil and tell me he’s okay.”

“I won’t send him alone. I won’t lie to you about that.”

“I want him out of Macau and I want to hear his voice.”

“And if I do that?”

“Then you can decide if you want to talk to me or if you want the carnage to continue. Because, Sammy, you won’t be talking to Xu, today or tomorrow. I’m the only person who can stop this.”

“I don’t believe it.”

“Put Carlo on the jetfoil. When I know he’s safe, we can arrange a meeting. In the meantime, let’s just hope Xu’s men don’t find you.”

She could hear his deep, raspy breathing and she wondered what thoughts were bouncing around in his head. What was controlling him, fear or rage?

“Are you really calling the shots?” he finally said.

“Yes, I am.”

“He’ll be on the fucking boat,” Wing said. “And if you’re really speaking for Xu, then call off the war. I’ve lost more than ten men tonight, and not all of them were armed. Another fifteen are being held hostage. I’m not a threat to anyone.”

“We didn’t start this,” Ava said.

The line went silent.

“Now give me a phone number where I can reach you after I talk to Carlo,” she said.

He hesitated and then very slowly and precisely recited the number.

“I’ll contact you when I’m satisfied,” she said.

“I’ll be waiting,” Wing said, and then gave a painful laugh. “I have no other immediate plans.”

( 29 )

Ava pushed herself out of the chair.
I should get dressed,
she thought. She stopped at the kitchen on the way to the bedroom. A check of the cupboards revealed an unopened jar of Nescafé instant coffee. Ava turned on the hot water thermos and then went to the bedroom.

She pulled out her track pants, a black T-shirt, and a clean bra and underwear. She dressed quickly and then went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth and hair. If she decided to see the lawyers later, she would shower and change into something more businesslike.

The kettle’s light indicated that the water had boiled. She made a strong cup of coffee, sat down at the dining room table, and called Sonny. He answered on the fourth ring.

In the background Ava could hear men yelling. “What’s going on?” she said.

“We’ve just rounded up four more of Wing’s men. They all know what happened during the night. None of them want to fight.”

Ava noticed his use of the word
we
. Sonny hadn’t been as neutral as he had promised. “How many men are dead?” she asked.

“I don’t really know. Suen and his guys took out three. I have no idea about Lop — the two of them are still operating separately. They talk by phone, but the only thing Suen has told me is that as of an hour ago they hadn’t found Tan or Wing.”

“Wing called me.”

“Fuck.”

“He wants to negotiate.”

“No fucking wonder.”

“And he’s holding Carlo hostage to make sure I do.”

“How did he get Carlo?”

“What does it matter?”

“And you’ll be the one negotiating with him?”

“Unless Xu makes a miraculous recovery, who else is there?”

“He made it clear enough in the car that if he was out of action you were to handle it.”

“I know Suen and Lop agreed, but do you think they’ll still feel that way?”

“I don’t think you have to worry about them. They’d never go against Xu’s wishes. I’d be more concerned about Sammy Wing believing he has to meet with you and not Xu.”

“I was direct with him.”

“Did he buy it?”

“Reluctantly.”

“Do you trust him?”

“Not particularly. But I’ll have you, Suen, Lop, and as many other men as we need alongside.”

“Jesus, Ava, I hate to see you getting so involved in shit like this.”

“We need to protect Carlo, and I owe Xu. Besides, I’m a big girl and I’m no stranger to shit.”

“When’s this supposed to happen?”

“As soon as I hear from Carlo and I’m convinced he’s well.”

“Suen and Lop are still going at these guys.”

“Tell them not to back off until I give the word, and don’t say anything about Wing just yet.”

“Okay, boss.”

“And Sonny, it doesn’t sound like they need you there anymore. Why don’t you go home?”

“In a while.”

“Sonny —”

“Ava, after five months of driving your brother to business meetings it’s been good for me to get my juices flowing again. I’m too pumped to sleep, and I want to see this through to the end.”

“Don’t —” she said, and then swallowed the rest of her scolding. She wasn’t his mother, she wasn’t his wife. “Just be careful.”

She made herself another coffee and went over to the window. Uncle had always kept the blinds raised during the day. His chair was positioned so he could look out onto the street and, as he always said, “feel the life out there.” She pulled up the blinds now and was amazed at how quickly Kowloon had come to life. Nearly all the stores and restaurants were open for business, the sidewalks were jammed, and three double-decker buses and two minibuses were on the street. She checked the time: more than thirty minutes since she had spoken to Wing. The jetfoil terminal in Macau was a fifteen-minute car ride from just about anywhere in the territory. Had Wing been playing her? Maybe he didn’t yet have his hands on Carlo. As that thought crossed her mind, the phone rang, and she saw Carlo’s number.

“Carlo, are you on the jetfoil?” she said.

“Got on two minutes ago.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah. Just embarrassed.”

“What happened?”

“When I got to the terminal in Central, I met a couple of guys who work for Jimmy Tan. They asked me where I was going, and since I was in line to get the boat to Macau, I couldn’t lie. When all hell broke loose last night, they started calling everyone to come in. I had left my phone on but didn’t answer when I saw who was calling. That was stupid. Someone got suspicious, and of course Tan and Wing know we’re close, so they sent some guys to look for me. I wasn’t hard to find. Ava, I had to tell them what I told you. It was either that or —”

“Did they hurt you?”

“No, but they were ready to. Fuck, Ava, I’m sorry.”

“I understand, Carlo. No harm has been done.”

“What’s going to happen to me?”

“I’m doing a trade. I’ll get you back.”

“Jesus. What does Wing want for me?”

“A meeting.”

“That’s it?”

“Do you have any idea what’s been happening?”

“Not in any detail. The two guys who grabbed me said it was bad, really bad. They’re as jumpy as hell.”

“They should be. Xu’s men arrived in Hong Kong last night. They’ve decimated Wing’s organization.”

“Holy fuck.”

“Now listen to me, Carlo. I’m going to call Wing and make some arrangements. You need to keep in touch. I want to know when you land in Hong Kong. If things go smoothly, you should be able to say goodbye to those two guys at the terminal.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. But you know what? When I think of all the things you did for me over the years, all this does is make us even. Take care of yourself, and wait for my call.”

She hung up and went back to the kitchen to make herself another coffee. She knew that Carlo would be safe and that she could call Wing — except as a pre-negotiating strategy it didn’t make sense. The longer they hammered Wing’s organization, the more receptive he would be to accepting Xu’s deal. But she knew she couldn’t let it go on indefinitely or there wouldn’t be any organization left. Still, she first wanted to know for certain that Carlo was back in Hong Kong. Another hour shouldn’t make that much difference.

Neither Wing nor Sonny had mentioned Li, Ava thought. And Li hadn’t come to Wing’s aid. She assumed that, despite being only a few hours away, he might not have had time to react. Or maybe he just didn’t care enough. Either way, without him Wing was helpless.

She took her notebook from her Chanel bag and returned to Uncle’s chair. The front of the book was full of notes about Suki Chan and the Pos. She turned to the back and on the last page wrote
Sammy Wing
.

It had been a rule when she worked with Uncle that they took on only one job at a time, and she only ever carried one notebook. It struck her as odd, almost disquieting, that she was now listing issues that would have to be discussed with Wing in the same book that contained details of the beginning of her new life. She worked slowly and several times closed the book, but then she began again, unable to shake the promises she’d made to Carlo and Xu.

She checked the time, counting down the minutes until Carlo should have arrived safely. It was only a few minutes short of the scheduled docking when the phone rang.

“Lop has caught Jimmy Tan,” Sonny said.

“Where?”

“In Central. He was hiding in a closet at his girlfriend’s apartment.”

“Is he alive?”

“So I’m told.”

“What does he actually do for Wing?’

“He’s the street operator. He’s the one who knows the nuts and bolts.”

“Make sure he isn’t harmed. We may need him.”

“I’ll pass the word.”

Ava’s phone lit up again and she saw Carlo’s number on the screen. “Carlo is calling. Let me talk to him and I’ll get right back to you.”

She switched lines, and as she did she couldn’t help but notice a jump in her adrenalin level. “Are you okay?” she said.

“I’ve landed and the two guys who were with me have left.”

“Anyone else lurking around?”

“Not that I can see. I have to tell you, the guys were anxious to get as far away from me as possible, so I’m not worried.”

“Still, go home and keep your head down. This isn’t over yet.”

( 30 )

She looked at the contact list on her phone and dialled a Kowloon number. “Andy, it’s Ava. Are you at the restaurant yet?”

“I’ll be there within an hour.”

“I’m sorry, but I need to use the kitchen again.”

“No problem.”

“I’ll need a table that can seat up to six people. Can you set it up in the kitchen as far from the cooks as possible? I need to have a private conversation.”

“I can do that.”

“We’ll be there just before noon. I’ll be arriving with Sonny and some Shanghai men.”

“Okay.”

“Sammy Wing will show up as well. I’ll tell him to check in at the hostess stand. You can bring him into the kitchen.”

“He’ll be alone?”

“If he isn’t, don’t let him in. If you see anyone suspicious hanging around, let me know and leave Wing at the entrance until we can confirm who they are.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? That’s all you have to say? Andy, you are the least curious person I know.”

“My phone has been ringing constantly since last night. All anyone can talk about is the beating that Xu is laying on Wing. I didn’t have to ask.”

“It’s more than a beating.”

“I’m not surprised. Is Carlo all right?”

“He’s fine,” Ava said, seeing no reason to elaborate.

“Good. I was thinking about him all night.”

“So we’ll see you around noon?”

“My kitchen is your kitchen.”

She looked at Sammy Wing’s name in her notebook.
He must be anxious
, she thought. He would be sitting by his phone, waiting and worrying, wondering if she would get back to him.
Let him sweat a while longer
, she thought as she called Sonny.

“
Wei
.”

“Carlo is back and safe, and I’ve just arranged to use Andy’s restaurant for the meeting with Wing, at noon. Tell Suen and Lop to meet me there about fifteen minutes before. They should bring Jimmy Tan and some of their own men with them. Can you pick me up at Uncle’s at eleven fifteen?”

“Yes, boss, I’ll be there,” he said, and then paused.

“Is something wrong?”

“Lop worked Tan over before Suen could talk to him.”

“But he’s alive?”

“Yeah, just bruised and battered.”

“Is Lop always that violent?”

“He’s a bit crazy, but he follows orders.”

“Well, what’s done is done,” Ava said. “Now there’s one more thing I need you to do for me: give me the number for the clinic. I’m going to see if I can talk to Xu.”

“He’s probably still out of it.”

“I know, but I want to try anyway.”

Sonny rhymed off the number without another comment.

“And what’s the doctor’s name?”

“Lui.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you here in a while.”

She thought again of Wing as she phoned the law offices of Burgess and Bowlby. The receptionist said Mr. Bowlby was in a meeting and asked Ava to leave a message. When Ava gave her name, the receptionist said, “Excuse me, but I think I can interrupt for you. Wait just a minute.”

“This is Richard Bowlby. Ms. Lee, I trust that you are calling to confirm our meeting,” he said when he came on the line.

“Actually, I’m not. I have to postpone.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“I know, and I apologize, but something’s come up. Can we reschedule for tomorrow?”

“Let me look at what’s in the planner,” he said.

“I’m available from early morning to late evening.”

“My younger associates don’t like to hear that — they think I work them hard enough as it is. But let me see . . . How is eleven a.m. again?”

“That will work just fine.”

“Fantastic. In the interim we’ll keep working away at trying to turn your quite basic agreement into something quite incomprehensible.”

Ava laughed. It came from God knew where and caught her off guard. “I have the same tendency,” she said.

“Then we should get along just splendidly.”

“Tomorrow, then.”

Ava ended the call. It was finally time to call Sammy Wing.

He answered halfway through the first ring. “Ava Lee?”

“The same.”

“Did you hear from Carlo?”

“You have your meeting. It will be at noon in Kowloon at the Three Clouds noodle restaurant, in the MTR station. Wait at the front door. Someone will come and get you.”

“I want to bring some people with me.”

“No.”

“They need to know what —”

“No.”

“Then just Jimmy Tan.”

“Xu’s men have caught Tan.”

The line went quiet.

“So I’ll see you at noon,” Ava said.

“Is Jimmy alive?” Wing said, the control in his voice surprising her.

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“The thing you need to understand is that Xu’s men won’t stop until the meeting is over.”

“Why not? He’s won already. You know that he’s won. Why go on?”

“You may not be agreeable to his conditions and we don’t want to give you a chance to regroup.”

“As if I could.”

“Or give Li a chance to arrive from Guangzhou.”

“Li has nothing to do with this.”

“Then why was his man Ko at the restaurant in Shenzhen?”

“He was a hired gun, nothing more than that.” He said it quickly, and Ava wondered if he’d been waiting for her to mention Li.

“It’s hard for me to believe that Ko isn’t still Li’s man. Either way, he tried to kill me twice and he wasn’t doing it on his own initiative. And don’t pretend you’re not tied to Li.”

“Don’t make things so complicated.”

“Fuck your concern about complications, Mr. Wing. You have your meeting. You know where and when. Show up or don’t — the choice is yours.”

“I’ll be there,” he said, the words sounding as if they were being forced out of his throat.

“See you at noon then,” she said, and ended the call.

She leaned back in the easy chair and felt her muscles collapse. She hadn’t realized how tense she had been. With Wing sidelined, she could go back to the Mandarin Oriental. She considered it for a moment and then decided to wait until the meeting was over.

She went into the bedroom and made Lourdes’s bed. She was actually glad Lourdes had changed things. This wasn’t a place where Uncle would have been comfortable; it wasn’t a place she could see him in. It was just an apartment in Kowloon now, not a shrine.

She went into the bathroom and took a shower, turning the stream to maximum power. When she was done, she wrapped herself in a thick towel and stared into the bathroom mirror as she dried her hair. The past forty-eight hours had been like a dream from which she had just woken, except that when she stepped outside, she would walk right back into it. Could she be faulted for anything that had happened? She thought not, at least not overtly, though her willingness to maintain contact with Xu had set off a chain reaction. Or had it? From what she had seen and heard, the collision between Xu and Wing had been almost inevitable. She had simply been an excuse, and if it hadn’t been her it would have been someone or something else.

She brushed her hair, pressing the bristles deep into her scalp. When it was completely dry and hung like a curtain of black silk, she pulled it back with her ivory chignon pin. After she had applied lipstick and mascara and dabbed perfume on her wrists and collarbones, she was ready to get dressed. She pulled on a pair of black slacks and then chose a white button-down shirt, fastening the sleeves with green jade cufflinks. Ava was superstitious. Over the years the chignon pin and the jade cufflinks had become good-luck charms. This was the first time on this trip that she had worn them at the same time.

It was almost eleven o’clock, and she began to feel nervous about the meeting that was about to take place. She picked up her phone and called the number Sonny had given her.

“The Lui Clinic,” a woman’s voice said.

“Doctor Lui, please. This is Ava Lee. I’m a friend of Sonny’s.”

“Just one moment.”

The moment became one, and then two, and then five. Ava was about to hang up when she heard, “This is Doctor Lui.”

“My name is Ava Lee. I’m a friend of Sonny’s and of Mr. Xu.”

“Sonny told me you want to talk to Mr. Xu.”

“I do, if that’s possible.”

“He’s heavily sedated.”

“Is he awake?”

“Off and on.”

“When he is awake, does he understand what’s being said to him?”

“Some of it. I’m not sure how much.”

“How long will he be like this?”

“At least another day, maybe more. And when he becomes less dependent on the pain medication, he still won’t be very mobile. He was lucky, you know. The knife wounds just missed his organs.”

“Thank goodness for that.”

“Yes. Now I assume you would like me to see if he is able to chat with you.”

“That would be wonderful.”

This time only a minute passed before she heard another voice. “This is Xu.” He spoke in a whisper, his name trailing off.

“It’s Ava. I don’t want to bother you, but I’m meeting with Wing in less than an hour.”

“Is it over?”

“The worst part.”

“You mean the easy part.”

“If you say so. Xu, are you up to telling me again what you want from Wing?”

The line was silent, and then she heard him say, “I’ll try.”