“And, Laurette? How long do you plan to keep her here?”
“She can leave whenever she wishes, but the girls stay.”
“That’s emotional blackmail. She won’t leave those girls, and you know that. Are you going to punish her by allowing her to watch those girls grow up, yet not able to tell them she is their mother?”
“She could change this situation at any time. All she has to do is welcome me back into her bed and her heart.”
“You can’t force her to love you.”
Chang finally looked up into his father’s eyes. “I’m one of the most powerful men in China. I can force anyone to do anything.”
Chapter 1
Present Day
The cold hard barrel of my gun bumped directly up against the back of Nina’s skull. “Did you honestly think I was going to let you get away with everything you’ve done scot-free?”
Her voice trembled. “This isn’t China, Gina. You won’t get away with this here.”
“Actually, I will. Your list of enemies is so long that even IF someone suspected me, a first-year law student could get me off.”
Nina slow clapped. “You are Chang’s daughter. I’ve got to give it to you. I wasn’t expecting you to be the one.”
“As are you. However, I should have been the first person to come to mind.”
*****
Six Months Prior . . .
Gina Lee-Xiou
Nina.
The blood in my body ran cold as I realized my sister—the one whose face was identical to mine—had just tried to kill me. She actually made an attempt on my life.
Hours before I’d been lying on my stomach on the ground of a private airstrip, rocks digging into the palms of my hands, and bullets flying over my head. Bullets only missing me by accident, but not missing Brody. He lay there with a hole in the center of his chest and blood gushing out of it. The memory was made more difficult knowing it was her. She was responsible.
For about five seconds, I couldn’t think, I couldn’t breathe. What the hell ever happened to Am I my sister’s keeper? Apparently, Nina missed the memo on that one.
As hard as I tried to make it clear that she was now an adversary, it wasn’t until I saw her name at the bottom of that text message that she truly became my enemy. The small part of me that was relieved to know she was alive . . . died. I was now afraid that when the time was right, I would show her the same mercy I’d shown Mr. Wong—maybe even less.
I responded to Hahn’s text.
Why don’t I already know what the hell Nina’s been up to these past fifteen years? I hate flying blind. Do I at least have her phone number?
The seconds of waiting for his response ticked by like the melting of a glacier. Then the numbers finally appeared on the screen.
I put the number into my phone and typed out a message. I’d never meant anything more in my life than this text. It wasn’t long and drawn out. It simply stated—I’m coming for you.
After I pressed the send button, my hardened eyes looked up into the gaze of the physician. “I want to see him.”
“Ms. Lee-Xiou you must be a relative . . .”
I wasn’t in the mood. I didn’t care what the rules were. I was going to see Brody. “I wasn’t asking you,” I glanced at his name tag, “Dr. Weller. What room is he in?”
He looked at the small band of armed security in the hospital waiting area, and my bloodied and disheveled appearance before responding. He was nervous. I saw his Adam’s apple move up and down as he swallowed. Good. He had reason to be. “Brody hasn’t been brought down from recovery yet.”
Irritated, I rubbed the back of my neck. “That’s not the answer I was looking for.”
He cleared his throat. “Right. Of course. I’ll make special arrangements for you. It might take at least an hour before he’s settled into his room. Maybe during that time, I can have a nurse take a look at some of your cuts and bruises.”
Jamal’s voice was steady but firm. “That’s a good idea Ms. Lee-Xiou, and you can also reach out to the Windhams. Remember, they haven’t been contacted yet.”
My eyes drifted from the physician to Jamal. His loyalty to Brody was deep and obvious. That was the only reason his words resonated with me. The firm set of his jaw and his tightly controlled focus brought me out of my anger filled haze. The Windhams. Brody was close to his family, and they needed to know what was going on.
It was strange, I could shoot someone without a second thought, but something about contacting his parents did weird things inside of me. I was out of my element. What did I know about family? What was I supposed to say to them? Hey, I met your son a couple of days ago, we had a really good time, and then he caught a bullet that was meant for me? You should get down here because he’s in bad shape and possibly has only hours to live? Crazy.
I wasn’t a coward. The phone call had to be made, and it needed to come from me. Slowly, I nodded. “I’m fine. I’ll call them, but I’m not leaving this hospital until I’ve had a chance to see Brody.” I turned to a couple of my guys. “I need clean clothes. Bring me something that will be appropriate for meeting the Windhams.”
*****
Nina Lee-Xiou Manchetti
Nina should have expected something crazy like this from her.
