Broken Faith Read online

  Still unseen, Dana leaned against the wall enjoying the spectacle as Marika wiped her mouth and handed over the bottle.

  "Your turn," the blonde hiccupped. "Worm's still there."

  Lee held the bottle over her head and peered at it closely. Suddenly she noticed her partner, and her face split in a wide grin.

  "Dana!" She stumbled to her feet and lurched over to where the stocky woman was standing. Wrapping her arms around the laughing woman she tried to whirl her in hug, but only succeeded in almost falling down. Dana grabbed her and steadied her, wrapping an arm around her mate's thick waist.

  "Didya mish me?" Lee slurred, nuzzling Dana's hair.

  "Oh yeah," Dana answered dryly.

  Lee gave her a doe-eyed look and declared, "I love you sooooo much!"

  "Love you too, sweetie. Now why don't we sit down before you fall down," Dana said as she steered her wavering partner back to the couch. Once she got Lee seated, she turned to Marika who held the bottle out to her.

  "We're playin' tequila roulette," the blonde said as she tried to focus. "Ya hafta take a swallow and whoever eats the worm loses." She giggled and tried to give Dana the bottle.

  "Euuuuww, no thanks," Dana said as she pushed the bottle away. "I'll leave it for you two." Kneeling in front of Lee, she patted her partner's knee. "Where are your keys, love? I'll take them with me and come back tomorrow to pick you up, okay?"

  Lee nodded and then with a look of intense concentration stared at the ceiling. "Keys, keys...Where'd I put 'em?"

  Shaking her head at the futility, Dana rose to her feet and glanced around. Spying Lee's jacket on the floor, the wallet half-out of the pocket, she smiled.

  When a search of the garment turned up the keys, she stuffed them in her pocket. Returning to the drunken duo, she surveyed them and shook her head in mock-pity. "Oh you two are so going to pay for this in the morning."

  Lee and Marika blinked at each other and then started laughing. Rolling her eyes, Dana dropped a kiss on her mate's forehead and dodged Lee's flailing hands when the big woman made a grab for her. Chuckling she shook at finger at her grinning partner. "Oh no you don't. You're sleeping here tonight."

  Pointing at Marika, she was amused to see a confused pout on the blonde's face.

  "But I only have one bed," the lawyer protested fuzzily.

  Dana chuckled. "You have the pull-out in the den. For that matter, she'd be perfectly safe in your bed. She's not going to be up to anything but keeping the white porcelain god company anyway."

  Lee tugged on her hand and drew Dana's attention to her stomach as she pulled up her shirt. "She blew bubbles on my belly," she complained to her laughing mate.

  Dana pulled the shirt down and patted Lee's stomach. "I'm sure she's very sorry and will never do that again...right, Marika?"

  The blonde did her best to look contrite, but collapsed in helpless giggles instead. Shaking her head, Dana stepped back and looked affectionately at the pair, both of whom were laughing now.

  "You two definitely deserve each other," she said cheerfully. She was about to leave when Lee started waving wildly at her. "Yes?" she drawled at her partner.

  "I forgot to tell you. Lady Mouse is coming to dinner and so is Marika." Lee turned to the blonde who nodded in agreement.

  "A mouse is coming to dinner?" Dana cocked her head in puzzlement, wondering what her mate was up to now.

  Lee sighed in exasperation. "Not a mouse...Lady Mouse." She stared at Dana expectantly, clearly assuming that explained everything.

  Deciding it would be useless to expect clarification in the present circumstances, Dana just nodded her agreement and made a mental note to question Lee tomorrow as she turned to go.

  Locking the door behind her, she could hear renewed snickers from the living room. Grinning, Dana headed down the hall to the elevators, promising herself she'd show up early the next morning to see how the miscreants had fared.

  The miscreants, having exhausted their giggles had returned to their game of tequila roulette when Lee suddenly slammed the bottle down.

  "I forgot!" she exclaimed with alarm.

  "What?" her barely coherent companion asked.

  "I forgot to ask her to marry me," Lee said sorrowfully, staring after her departed partner.

  Marika pursed her lips. "Phone her," she suggested helpfully.

  "Okay," Lee agreed and then tilted the bottle back. Soon lost in the excitement of the game, they forgot everything else, and the phone sat unused.

  Chapter Seven

  GAO RECHECKED THE address he had scrawled on a scrap of paper. His flight had landed forty-five minutes ago and he'd wasted no time in disembarking and renting a car. He had received the summons to Vancouver late the previous night, with orders to meet the Chameleon at the specified address Saturday afternoon.

  After a sleepless night, in which he'd endlessly reviewed his performance and any potential trouble areas, Gao caught the first available flight from Calgary.

  His first thought had been of the shipment to Missoula that week, but from all reports, the transport had gone smoothly and the cargo was currently in transit to New York. Pike and Eddie had followed their orders to the letter this time, so Gao was sure he wasn't being called on the carpet because of his feckless subordinates.

  Drawing a deep breath and cautioning himself that there was no point in buying trouble in advance, Gao glanced briefly at the city map resting on top of his briefcase as he slowed and entered a primarily industrial area. He quickly arrived at his destination–a nondescript strip mall which housed a convenience store, several unremarkable small shops and a shabby coffee shop tucked discreetly between a flower shop and drugstore at the far end.

  After parking the car, he headed directly for the seedy coffee shop. Entering, Gao found himself pinned by a deceptively casual glance from the counterman who gave him a slight nod and returned to his newspaper. There were only two customers in the shop, and Gao ignored them as he made his way down a short hall to the door labeled, 'Employees Only.'

  Passing through, he found himself in a small antechamber piled with cardboard stock boxes. On the opposite wall, a man Gao recognized as one of the Chameleon's inner circle sat next to another door, his chair casually tilted against the wall as he watched the newcomer. He'd met this man several times when instructions had been conveyed to him but he'd never been told his name and knew not to ask.

  The man, a husky oriental with piercing black eyes and long graying hair tied neatly back in a ponytail, advanced on Gao who stood unmoving and submitted to a quick but thorough frisking.

  Grunting his approval, the man indicated the door he'd been sitting beside. "Go in, she'll see you now."

  As Gao made to move past him, the man stopped him with a warning hand. "Keep your eyes front and focus on the light."

  Gao nodded nervously and surreptitiously dried his palms on his tailored trousers. The man moved aside and Gao opened the door. Stepping through, he found himself in a darkened room, the only illumination the tiny slivers of sunlight edging blackout shades and a dim lamp on a metal desk directly in front of him. He kept his eyes fixed on that lamp and stood silently until a voice sounded from a corner behind him.

  "Gao Qui-jian."

  The voice was unremarkable and the tone neutral, but Gao barely restrained a flinch on hearing it. "Yes, madam," he said, unsure if a response was required.

  "Did you have a good flight?"

  He was startled at the question, shocking in its ordinariness. He'd half expected an immediate interrogation but he shook off the surprise and repeated, "Yes, madam."

  "Good. You were very prompt."

  Gao almost relaxed at the hint of approval but sharply reminded himself in whose presence he stood and said for the third time, "Yes, madam."

  A slight chuckle sent chills down his spine and he consciously locked his knees. The voice changed now, becoming coolly businesslike.

  "You've done well by us, Gao. I'm pleased with your performance
in keeping the Calgary end of our transactions running smoothly. However, I have a couple of local problems that require your personal touch."

  Puzzled, Gao allowed himself a margin of relief as it became apparent he wasn't here to be disciplined. "I'm at your disposal, madam."

  "That you are." Gao was jerked out of any slight complacence by the amused malevolence in those words.

  Sharply now, the voice went on, "Your cousin Rhongji is becoming something of a liability. You brought him on board and he is your responsibility, Gao."

  The slight man blinked, images of his amiable, fun-loving younger cousin flooding his mind. "May I ask what he's done, madam?"

  "He has taken to an...ostentatious lifestyle and has come to the attention of the wrong people. You will either bring him to heel, reminding him forcefully of the requirement that our people maintain a low profile, or you will eliminate the problem all together."

  The icy tone left no room for misunderstanding, and Gao nodded his head numbly. Clearing his throat, he tried for an impassive intonation as he asked, "You said a couple of problems, madam?"

  "One of our customs agents had lately displayed a rather disturbing degree of greediness and needs to be reminded for whom he works and that his health and happiness continue at our pleasure. You are to remind him of that fact. Liang will provide you with the details you'll need. Once these matters are taken care of, you are to leave the city immediately."

  Gao was sure he'd given no visible reaction to the orders, but his overlord chuckled and asked, "Do you have a problem with that?" The words were mild but Gao was not a foolish man.

  "No, madam. Of course not."

  The voice was deceptively soft. "It's a shame that you'll miss the opportunity to see your eldest brother's new son though, isn't it?"

  Not at all surprised that the Chameleon knew family details that he'd only just learned, Gao said coolly, "It's not important, madam."

  "You would like to return to Vancouver some day." It wasn't a question but Gao nodded again. "That's not an impossibility, eventually; but for now I require your talents in Calgary. You have been a very competent lieutenant, and I value that in an employee. Besides, Calgary isn't so bad now, is it?"

  The man paused and chose his words carefully. "It's not Vancouver, madam."

  "No," came the amused response. "But it has its–attractions." Briskly then the woman instructed, "See Liang on your way out. Send your report through the usual channels. I'll expect to hear from you within 24 hours."

  Gao nodded and was carefully turning for the door in the opposite direction of the woman when a low sibilant warning halted him.

  "What happened in Kalispell is never to happen again. Is that clear, Gao?"

  Freezing, the man barely managed to force a nod.

  "I judge my lieutenants by the conduct of their subordinates...and Gao...I do not give second chances."

  "Yes, madam." Even as Gao croaked the words, his feet were carrying him to the door and out of this woman's presence. Closing the door swiftly behind him, he barely stopped himself from wiping the gathering sweat from his forehead. Clearing his throat he said to the man he now knew as Liang, "You have some information for me?"

  The man extracted a large envelope from his inner pocket and extended it. Gao accepted it and glanced at the two typed sheets of paper and photograph within. Uncertainly he asked, "Can you tell me what exactly my cousin has been doing?"

  Liang regarded him coolly and Gao wasn't sure the man would answer until he said, "Rhongji has become a player in high-stakes gambling circles. He has also acquired a taste for the flashier pleasures of life. It was necessary this week to intervene and eliminate a threat that his indiscretions caused. Your cousin is in danger of becoming a messy loose end."

  Gao tucked the envelope in his pocket and made his exit, hearing Liang enter the inner office behind him as he did. On his way out to the car, he alternated between cursing his cousin's stupidity and wondering why Rhongji hadn't simply been eliminated, given the Chameleon's known intolerance for loose ends. He wasn't foolish enough to assume it was because of his own connection with Rhongji. Although he had been steadily rising within the organization, he had no illusions about his own importance.

  Musing over the problem, he'd just started the car when a thought struck him. I'm being tested! Swiftly his mind ran over recent events. The fiasco with the King brothers and the cargo they'd mishandled; his cousin, whom he'd recommended and brought into the organization, turning out to be a liability. Though neither of those incidents had been a firsthand result of his actions, he was indirectly responsible, and he suddenly understood that his standing in the organization had been jeopardized. With sickening clarity he realized that he either executed his instructions with rapid perfection, or he'd find himself on the receiving end of similar orders.

  With a shaking hand, he shifted his car into drive and pulled out of the lot. Heading for his cousin's apartment, he let his mind drift over his history with Rhongji. They had been boys together in Hong Kong where his father and Rhongji's mother had grown up. His father, a prominent businessman, had sent Gao and his two elder brothers to Vancouver in 1995, ahead of the Chinese takeover of the colony in '97. Gao's older brothers had dutifully followed their father's instructions and established themselves as solid members of the Hong Kong émigré society in Vancouver. Both had gone into banking, married local girls and prepared the way for the rest of the extended family to come to Canada ahead of the Hong Kong takeover.

  Unlike his dutiful brothers, the younger Gao had ignored his absentee father's wishes and followed his own impulses. By the time Rhongji was sent to join them early in '97, Gao was already deeply involved in local triad activities, and he drew his impressionable younger cousin into the gang with him.

  When Gao had been recruited for the Chameleon's organization, he'd brought Rhongji along with him. When he was sent to Calgary to oversee that branch of the snakehead operations, Rhongji had been left behind to continue running the local drug distribution branch. Gao knew his cousin was a malleable, hedonistic, often gullible man but he'd thought him experienced enough to handle things without direct supervision.

  Merging with the increasing traffic, Gao shook his head. He had a certain fondness for Rhongji. As boys, the younger cousin had idolized him and in turn, he'd treated his acolyte with affectionate disdain, often taking advantage of the boy's good nature. Rhongji had earned his friendship by loyally trying to take the blame whenever the boys had gotten in trouble. Now, however...

  Gao's jaw tightened. He would not allow Rhongji's excesses to jeopardize his own future. Ruthlessly he excised the memories of the chubby little boy who'd hung on his every word and hastened to do his bidding, no matter how outrageous. Dark cold eyes took in his surroundings as he considered his options. By the time he pulled up in front of his cousin's building, he'd set himself a clear path of action. It would be up to Rhongji how the encounter ended.

  Once parked, he glanced quickly around. Seeing no one in the immediate vicinity, he opened his briefcase and shuffled the paperwork within forward far enough to press two tiny switches that dropped the leather back, revealing a hidden compartment. Gao smiled at the very narrow switchblade that had been hidden from airport X-rays by melding it with the metal frame of the briefcase. Sliding it out of its holder, the man slipped it into his jacket pocket and closed the case.

  When Gao rang his cousin's apartment for entry to the building. Rhongji never even bothered to question the caller before buzzing him in. Shaking his head at the man's foolish complacency, Gao took the elevator to the 19th floor. When he knocked at his cousin's door, an emaciated slip-clad woman with unfocused sloe-eyes opened it. Frowning, he brushed by her to see his cousin sprawled on the couch, clothed only in scarlet boxer shorts, his eyes closed as he drew deeply on a pipe.

  "Hey," the woman protested. "You're not Billy. You can't come in." When Gao ignored her, she turned to the supine man. "Ronnie," she whined, but before she could g
o on, Gao turned to her and snapped, "Get lost."

  Rhongji's eyes flew open and a big smile lit his round face. "Qui-jian! Shit man, I didn't know you were coming to the coast. Why didn't you call me?"

  Gao fixed icy eyes on his cousin and ordered, "Get rid of her."

  Startled, Rhongji sat up and blinked in confusion. "Ah, sure. Look, honey, why don't you take a hike and I'll give you a call later."

  When the woman began to protest, Gao wordlessly lashed out and caught her with a backhand across her face. Shocked, Rhongji stared at him as the woman whimpered and tried to staunch the flow of blood from her nose. Gao never took his eyes from his cousin and Rhongji was galvanized into action, grabbing the woman's clothing, purse and shoes and thrusting them into her arms. She struggled into her dress at the door and had barely fastened it before Rhongji was pushing her out into the hall.

  Turning back to his cousin, Rhongji held out a hand in supplication. "Hey, you didn't have to do that. She didn't mean no harm."

  "Shut up." The blunt order silenced Rhongji who stood, shifting nervously from foot to foot. "Sit." Gao pointed at the abandoned couch, and his cousin hastened to do as he was bid. Coldly, the slight man regarded his blood relative. "You are a fool," he finally told his cousin who was fiddling apprehensively with the abandoned pipe.

  Rhongji glanced quickly up at him, but then averted his eyes without saying anything. For a fleeting moment, the man's hangdog expression reminded Gao of the boy he'd grown up with, but he reminded himself that neither of them stood a chance if he didn't get through his cousin's thick skull.

  "Do you have any idea the danger you've put both of us in?"

  The thickset man looked up in alarmed puzzlement and Gao shook his head in exasperation. "You don't have a clue, do you?"

  Moving to stand over his cousin, Gao spat out the story of his summons to Vancouver and his orders to 'take care' of the problem Rhongji presented. Concluding he said, "We get one chance, and you are not going to fuck this up."