billion book
Chapter 57
My entire body tensed as I watched Lau.
Without looking away from my gaze, Lau answered calmly, “I am afraid that is impossible.”
“It’s NOT impossible! Just fucking KILL him!”
“I am afraid that is impossible,” Lau repeated.
“LISTEN TO ME – ”
“I already got a text from Niccolo, Uncle,” I said loudly. “You failed. Too bad Aurelio had to pay the price.”
There was a choking sound of rage on the other end.
A second later, Fausto seethed, “You’re dead, you little piece of shit – and your fucking halfwit brothers with you. I’ll send you all to hell myself.”
Then Fausto hung up.
I looked at Lau as he, Gota, and Xi stared back at me.
“Well, that was certainly dramatic,” I said. Then I forced a smile. “It seems, gentlemen, that the matter is resolved. So if you’ll – ”
“Nothing is resolved,” Xi broke in with his emotionless voice.
“My cousin is dead,” I snapped. “Fausto failed. The matter is resolved.”
“But your uncle is not dead,” Gota said.
I glared at him. “He will be.”
“But he is not yet.”
I stood up abruptly. “Fuck this – I’m leaving.”
“No,” Lau said softly, “you’re not.”
Every gangster behind Lau – including Han – pulled out a pistol.
They kept their guns pointed at the floor, but the message was clear:
Don’t try anything.
“You will continue to stay at the Continental Hotel as my guest, under guard, until the matter with your family is decided one way or the other,” Lau said. “Only then will you be permitted to leave Hong Kong. That is… if your brothers are victorious. If not, well…”
Lau smiled apologetically and shrugged.
Horror gripped me as I realized how utterly helpless I was –
But then I remembered what I had hidden back in my hotel room.
I decided to play along until I could return to the Continental and plot my next move.
A plane would be waiting for me tomorrow morning at Hong Kong International.
I just had to figure out how to get there on time.
“Very well,” I said coldly. “Then take me back to my room, because I’m done here.”
“When Mr. Han escorts you to the Continental,” Lau said, “you will kindly surrender what you purchased from Chaoxiang.”
I frowned. “Chao who?”
“The black market merchant you visited earlier today in Wan Chai.”
I stared at Lau in shock.
He knew.
But how?
“Did I purchase it from one of your underlings?” I asked bitterly, then turned to Xi. “Some triad flunky of yours?”
“No,” Xi said coldly.
“We found out from someone else,” Lau said.
Off my puzzled look, he continued.
“Haven’t you considered how easily I kept you here in Hong Kong the last three weeks? Yes, you nagged me the entire time, but you still stayed of your own volition. Why?”
“Because – ” I started, then stopped.
Horror filled me from head to toe. I felt like vomiting.
“Yes,” Lau said with a victorious smirk. “Because of someone you didn’t realize worked for me.”
I heard the door to the boardroom open behind me.
I turned to look, but I already knew with horrified certainty who I would see.
Flanked on either side by two gangsters, a woman entered the room.
She looked utterly ashamed and kept her eyes on the floor, refusing to meet my gaze.
“Allow me to introduce one of my most valuable employees,” Lau gloated, “Chan Mei-ling.”