Last Resort (43 page)

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rotting sampans. There had been other excursions too, to the decorously named and vibrantly oriental Thieves Market; the Fung Ping Shan Museum with its ancient Chinese pottery and Yuan Dynasty crosses; and a brief though tranquillizing stroll through the pergolas and statues of the Aw Boon Haw Gardens. She'd enjoyed them all, for her inherent fascination for anything new enabled her - with some effort, it was true - to suspend the despondency of her predicament and indulge herself in the comforting fantasy that she was simply a tourist. But those moments were preciously few for Tse Dong and Lei Leen were as omnipresent as the soggy air, silently stalking her every move, crushing her space and suffocating her mind like grim, Orwellian jailers.

There was nothing she could do about it because Christian was adamant that unless she was with him Tse Dong and Lei Leen must never leave her side.

"But why?"

she had cried the night before, her bright blue eyes flashing with anger and frustration.

"I feel like you're keeping me prisoner."

Christian's face darkened with anguish.

"I'm never on my own,"

she went on heatedly,

"not even for a minute, and I can't stand it. I need to breathe! I need to have time for myself. What is it? Are you afraid I'm going to run away?"

"Che'rie,"

he sighed, attempting to pull her into his arms and looking hopelessly dejected when she resisted.

"You have to understand the position we're in here,"

he said.

"I know it's hard, but there are certain things I have to tie up and arrangements to be made for how we're going to live once we leave Hong Kong.

If I could I'd come sightseeing with you myself, I'd like nothing more than to spend all my time with you, but right now it just isn't possible. So please, try to be patient. It won't be for much longer."

"You're missing the point, Christian,"

she cried in exasperation, her voice echoing around the pale marble 332

walls of the opulent bathroom. The point is that I don't want Tse Dong breathing down my neck every minute of the day, treating me like I'm some kind of god-damned prisoner!'

"I'll have a word with him/ Christian responded, reaching up to adjust the towel that was tumbling from her hair.

"He is a little overzealous, I know, but he knows how much I care about you and I'd never forgive him if anything happened to you."

Had the telephone not rung at that moment, as it constantly did day and night, she might have pursued it further; but, knowing she wouldn't win anyway, she'd sunk herself irritably into the vast, foaming Jacuzzi bath and flicked mindlessly at the remote control, changing channels on the TV monitor in the gold-painted dome overhead.

With the jets of water pummelling her body, she felt the anger seep steadily away as the weight of despondency and shame began to erode the pretence she had enclosed herself in. At times it was as though she were standing aloof from herself, watching herself with the curious detachment of a stranger. But there were so many recriminations begging to be heard, so much regret and dread waiting to flood her mind with the enormity of what she had done, that as always she turned herself away from it, unable to face either the pain or the guilt.

Now, buoyed by the fleeting intoxication of having spent something in the region of thirty thousand dollars at the designer emporiums of Landmark and Prince's Building, she let herself in through the door of their suite eager, despite all her misgivings, to see Christian. He took such pleasure in giving her things and though she'd been unaware of possessing such a wanton materialistic streak before she seemed, to Christian's delight, to be having no problem at all in giving it free rein.

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Leaving Tse Dong and Lei Leen to struggle into the hall with her parcels she pushed open the door of the sitting room, to be met by a fog of cigar smoke mingling with the bitter smell of alcohol and the gutteral murmurings of Cantonese. The light in her eyes instantly died as the voices fell into silence and her face tightened with resentment.

"Ah, cherie,"

Christian said, extricating himself from the group of fat, hostile little men who were turning on the sofas in the raised seating area to look down at her.

Behind the contorting lenses of pebble glasses their eyes were implacable, but their malice, along with the murky corruptness of their dealings, stained the air.

"I was beginning to worry/ Christian said, walking around the statue of the Tang Dynasty horse and corning down the carpeted steps to greet her. Though his eyes were shining with indulgent laughter, his face was strained and he seemed uncharacteristically on edge.

Putting an arm around her, he turned back to the men, who were getting reluctantly to their feet. Penny recognized some of them, for they had become regular visitors these past few days and they did no more to disguise their resentment than she did. She knew that as a woman she was so far beneath their contempt that it was only Christian's presence that forced them to acknowledge her at all. Even so, only one or two muttered a greeting, calling her by the name on her new passport, Madame Sevier.

"So, have you bankrupted me?"

Christian asked, smiling and bringing her further into the room.

Penny was about to respond, when a telephone rang and numerous hands made ridiculous lunges towards briefcases and pockets. The door opened behind her as Tse Dong and Lei Leen came in, followed by the ovalfaced butler with his soft Confucian eyes and long-toothed smile. He was carrying a tray of steaming 334

dim sum. Christian waved him towards the dining table, while raising his voice to the man who was shouting into the phone. Since both were speaking in Cantonese Penny had no idea what was going on as a couple of the others rapidly punched out numbers on their mobile phones while the fax pumped through messages in an untidy, illegible calligraphy.

The door opened again and Penny felt Christian tense. She turned to follow the direction of his eyes and instantly felt her own tension mount as she watched a scrawny, wide-faced man, who had obviously been in the cloakroom across the hall, swagger into the room, thumbs hooked in his belt loops, the customary mobile phone poking out of his Versace leather jacket. His eyes were masked by wraparound Porsche glasses and heavy chunks of gold dripped from his neck and wrists, while his thin mouth worked frantically at a thick wodge of gum. He was at least half the age of the other Chinese in the room, but managed to ooze twice the arrogance and apparently revelled in his thuggish, gangland image.

As his hidden eyes alighted on Penny he stopped and she felt her skin crawl at the way his lips curved in a grin.

"So, this is Penny Moon/ he drawled in a heavily accented English.

Penny's face tightened. It was the first time since she'd been there that anyone had used her real name and that it should be this insolent, noxious little specimen of lowlife was as ominous as it was offensive.

"Che'rie, this is Benny Lao,"

Christian said.

"How do you do?"

Penny said coldly as his gaze travelled the length of her body, turning her blood hot with revulsion.

His grin widened as, reverting to his native tongue, he began speaking to Christian in insulting, mocking tones. Almost instantly Christian cut across him and Penny's eyes shot to Christian's face. His fingers were digging 335

into her shoulder, pulling her closer as his eyes darkened with rage and the others started to laugh. Until now Penny had never seen Christian anything other than in control, but it was clear, as Benny Lao's tauntings increased the laughter in the room, that whoever Benny Lao was he neither respected nor feared Christian Mureau.

"What's he saying?"

Penny demanded, knowing that, whatever it was, it was about her.

"Nothing,"

Christian snapped, not looking at her as Lao continued his unintelligible gibes, obviously as spurred on by Christian's impotence as he was by his audience.

Penny's eyes, blazing with fury, moved back to Lao. Her rage seemed to incite him further and, sensing Christian to be suddenly at a loss, she shouted again,

"What is he saying?"

"Nothing,"

Christian said, pulling her away.

"It doesn't matter."

"Don't!"

she cried, shrugging him off and turning fearlessly back to Lao.

"I want to know what you're saying,"

she demanded.

"Penny, leave it!"

Christian barked.

"No! I know you were talking about me, so I want to know'

"Penny!'

Tell her/ Lao said, idly grinding his chewing gum while relishing the scene he had created.

"No! You tell me!"

Penny seethed.

"Or don't you have the courage?"

Lao laughed and, to Penny's horror, as he removed his glasses to reveal the scarred and callous slits of his eyes he rubbed a hand suggestively over his groin.

Her lips curled in disgust as she turned to Christian. For the moment she was too enraged to feel the fear that was burgeoning inside her.

"Get him out of here!"

she spat.

"Get him out now!'

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'Chfrie, please, just go into the other room/ Christian responded, his face pinched with unease as his eyes bored into Lao's.

Lao's telephone suddenly rang, stealing the tension from the moment. He snatched it from his pocket and put it to his ear. His eyes remained on Christian's as he listened to the voice at the other end. The smirk never left his lips as he worked his gum and clicked his fingers for someone to present himself at his side. As someone hurried forward, Christian drew Penny away and steered her towards the door of the master bedroom.

Penny was about to speak, when she saw Tse Dong, who'd been standing to one side throughout, slide a hand out from under his jacket. Knowing that was where he carried his gun, she turned her panicked eyes to Christian.

"What's going on?"

she demanded in a whisper.

"Who is that man?"

"A necessary evil,"

Christian answered.

"Now, please, cherie, do as I say and go into the other room. Tse Dong will go with you, you'll be safe there."

"Meaning I'm not here, with you?"

"Yes, of course you are,"

he soothed,

"but he's using you to weaken my position and I don't want any blood shed over threats that are being made worse by your temper."

"What kind of threats?"

she said, flinching at the rebuke.

Before he could answer, Lao interrupted.

"Did you tell her?"

he jeered, digging his phone back into his pocket.

Ignoring him, Christian turned back to Penny. T'm sorry,"

he said softly.

Penny looked into his eyes, unsure what he was apologizing for. Then a sudden, icy fear slithered through her veins as she wondered just how powerless he was against Lao and if he was apologizing for something that 337

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he was about to let happen.

They both turned as Lao sauntered towards them, slaking Penny with his eyes.

"He tell you I going fuck you like a dog?"

he hissed, poking his face towards her.

"He tell you I going make you suck every cock in the room?"

When Christian didn't speak, fear wrenched the blood from Penny's heart. She drew breath to speak herself, then froze as she saw the knife slide out of Lao's sleeve. A blinding rush of terror dizzied her. The lacquer chests and Chinese curios loomed in a grotesque parody of menace. The room was spinning, colours and faces were merging. A flicker of light glanced off the blade as he came closer. Obscenities dripped from his lips. Waning sunlight pooled in his eyes. Dear God, wasn't Christian going to stop him? She whirled round in panic, then was thrown against Christian as Tse Dong moved in front of her, his hand back inside his jacket, his muscles bulging with intent. She could no longer see Lao's face, but the violence in the air was palpable. Christian pushed her behind him and barked something in Cantonese. Lao shouted back and Christian turned to Tse Dong. Tse Dong didn't move. Christian spoke again and Tse Dong whipped his hand from his jacket. Christian's face hardened. The gun was pointing at Lao. It was a weapon that was powerful enough to blast Lao's head from his shoulders. Christian snatched it away. Instantly Lao thrust forward with the knife. The gun crashed down on his wrist, splintering the bones. Lao screamed and the knife fell. Tse Dong kicked it across the floor.

Lei Leen pounced on it. Christian pushed the gun inside his jacket and held out his hand for the knife. Lei Leen passed it to him. He nodded and she quickly opened the bedroom door, pushing Penny inside and coming in after her.

Tou OK, ma'am?"

Lei Leen asked.

Penny stared at her, unable to speak.

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Take deep breath, ma'am/ Lei Leen said.

Penny did as she was told, hearing the breath shudder into her lungs as her heart pumped the numbing shock from her brain. It had all happened so quickly.

A man had almost been blown apart in front of her eyes. If he'd touched her, he would have been. Another had come within inches of a blade plunging into his throat. The violence had been cut through with a madness that was barbaric. These men didn't fight, they killed! All that had stopped them then was Christian's swiftness of hand. What would have happened had he not been there?

She sank down on the edge of the chaise-longue and buried her face in her hands. Only then did she realize how badly she was shaking. How much power did Lao have? she was asking herself. What would the reprisals be for this abhorrent loss of face? Would she be the one to pay, or would it be Christian?

She bunched a fist to her mouth to stifle the sob that was choking her. How did Lao know her name? Why had he made such a point of using it? Why was he using her to torment Christian?

She looked up as Lei Leen handed her a glass of water. Taking it, she tried to force a smile, then her head spun towards the door as she heard a burst of laughter in the next room. As it died she turned her eyes back to Lei Leen.

Lei Leen shrugged. They men, ma'am,"