Revenge (7 page)

After just three hours of sleep, Jason was woken by angry shouting downstairs in the hallway. At first, he thought he was dreaming, but it returned and alerted him. Someone with a deep Scottish accent shouted, “No, out of the question. Over my dead body.”

Jason recognized the voice of his grandfather. Jason still felt guilty after the talk he had had with his grandfather when he had gotten home. He told Jason that he had worried his grandmother sick and that he was disappointed in him. Jason protested that he was undercover and couldn't tell his grandparents what was happening, but he realized that he had never stopped to think how they might have felt. He leapt out of bed and hurried to the top of the stairs so he could see what was happening.

George was at the front door. His grandfather was blocking the entrance—his grandmother at his side. Mrs. Beeton was on the phone, talking to someone. She also looked agitated.

“It's too bloody important to argue about. I need to see Jason. Either you move or I'll move you,” George shouted, pointing his finger in Jason's grandfather's face. Jason was walking barefoot down the wooden staircase. He jumped down the last four steps and ran up to the door.

“You lay a finger on my grandparents and I break every bone in your body. What do you want now?” Jason shouted. He stepped between his grandfather and George. His grandfather rested his hands on Jason's shoulders and lovingly stroked the back of Jason's neck with his thumbs while George explained.

“Jason, the gas explosion at the apartment block? It turns out that was no accident. It was a bomb. It was the Bristows' home.”

“Oh…are they hurt?” Jason asked, concerned.

“They didn't stand a chance, son. The place is gutted. I'm sorry. My home was also attacked with a mortar. It blew the bloody roof off. Jean and my son were staying at her mother's, thank God. Jean and I aren't getting on too good. You know, grown-up stuff. Anyway, bloody lucky really.”

Jason could see the fear in George's eyes. The man's hands were shaking, and he looked very frightened. Two armed police officers stood on the doorstep with him, and Jason wondered if they were bodyguards. He was devastated to hear what had happened to the Bristow family.

“Dr. Turner is coming over,” Mrs. Beeton said. “I told him we were having trouble with
you
,” she said, glaring at George. She stood next to Jason's gran—the three of them standing together behind Jason.

“What do you want with me?” Jason asked.

“It's not safe, Jason. If Boudica works out you live here, they will come after you.”

“They? We caught them. You should have them locked up.”

“Boudica has not been seen and the Chos have also disappeared. Once they got Jim Kinver to talk, they went into hiding. Our information is that Boudica has a large bounty on me and my family, the Lin Tse-Hsu family, and you, Jason.”

“Who is Lin Tse-Hsu?” Jason asked.

“Lin Tse-Hsu is the Chinese commissioner and a supporter of Chairman Mao. He is working hard to stop corruption in China and has frozen all of Boudica's Chinese assets. Our informants believe Boudica will try to snatch someone he cares about so she can ransom the release of her funds. His youngest daughter attends school here just outside London. We believe that she is a target.”

What George didn't say—and couldn't prove—was that he suspected the Triads had been tipped off. The Cho family had fled their home just minutes before the raid.

“What have you done? What have you gotten him into? He is just a wee schoolboy. He came home covered in blood with his hands in bandages and his body covered in bruises. Why can't you leave the boy alone?” Mrs. Macintosh scolded.

“Sir, a car is approaching,” one of the armed police officers warned.

Jason looked out the open door.

“That's Scott and his father,” Jason said before he squeezed out the door past George. Before the car stopped, Scott was opening the car door. He jumped out and ran up to Jason. They gave a brief welcome hug, and Dr. Turner ruffled Jason's hair.

“Is everything all right, Jason? Mrs. Beeton called and asked for help,” Dr. Turner said.

“I'll let them explain. I'd better get dressed.” Jason went up to his room with Scott to get dressed. It felt good to get into his own clothes at last. For weeks, he had been wearing the juvie overalls or the clothes Mrs. Bristow had bought him.

“Jason, what's with the bandages?” Scott asked.

“I cut my knuckles up pretty bad. I had some good fights though. Unfortunately, Jim Kinver was already dead, and he'd talked. Help me with my buttons and belt. I can't do it with these bandages,” Jason said, trying to do his shirt up.

As Jason and Scott came thundering back down the stairs, George was suggesting that the Macintoshes go back up to Scotland.

“Then Jason will be coming with us. We'll take him to Scotland,” Jason Macintosh demanded.

“No, Mrs. Macintosh, that won't be safe. If these geezers work out where he lives and come here, they might find something to trace him back to you. We can't protect him in Scotland,” George argued.

“I can ask to stay with Princess Catherine at Buckingham Palace. They have great security,” Jason suggested.

“No, we can't put the Queen at risk, Jason. I've already made plans. You're flying to Spain this afternoon,” George said. “Pack a bag. You won't need much—it'll be hot. Treat it like a vacation paid for by Her Majesty's government for all your help.”

“Do I have to? I have just got back home! I've missed tons of school and I haven't spoken to Catherine for weeks. That's not fair,” Jason whined, showing his age. He was acting like any normal boy who didn't get his own way.

“Will Scott be safe?” Dr. Turner asked.

“I believe so. He's pretty smart, that one. Used a fake name when he went to visit Jason, so they can't trace him. However, I will be placing a police guard outside your home twenty-four hours a day. It's just to be on the safe side.”

Within ten minutes, Jason was once again saying good-bye to his family and friends.

You'll be traveling with my family and Lin Tse-Hsu's daughter, Joanne. I told the ‘Trouble and Strife' that she's helping hide two children—nothing more. My boy isn't too happy about two strange kids coming along, but he'll have to make do. I got a villa up in the mountains in Spain just north of Malaga. It's got a swimming pool, and you will get to have a well-needed rest. But most importantly, it's safe. It's the last place in the world anyone would suspect. You'll hide out until we capture Boudica.”

“And what about you, George?” Jason asked.

“I got myself into this mess. I will get meself out. I will catch Boudica and the Chos. I'll make them bleeding pay for all this hassle.”

They drove for nearly an hour toward Kent and turned down a tree-lined road. Jason read the sign: “Benedon Girls School.”

“This is Catherine's school. I've been here before.” He grinned.

“Looks like a right stuck-up school,” George grunted. “I bet the kids who go here don't even fart.”

Benedon School thrust into the air proudly—the main building towering imposingly over the smaller wings. The entrance was flung wide open as if with greeting. George marveled.

The car slowed down as it drove into the front courtyard. The two-hundred-year-old building stood majestically before them. A group of girls stood in the doorway and talked. Jason opened his door and jumped out. One of the girls had a suitcase with her. She was Asian and about eleven years old. George smiled as he climbed out and opened his trunk, thinking Jason was going to collect the girl's case. Jason walked passed her, his eyes looking farther back at two girls talking.

“We have to stop meeting like this.” He grinned at the two girls.

“Jason!” Catherine screamed with a huge smile. “What a nice surprise.” She dropped her books and threw her arms around him.

George shook his head and paced toward them. A lady with glasses balanced on the end of her nose came out of the corridor and coughed behind Catherine and Jason, who were now hugging and rubbing foreheads.

“Miss Catherine, you do know the rules about boys and safety. We can't have strangers turning up whenever they feel like it,” she said abruptly.

George introduced himself and showed his ID. Mrs. Cookson, the school principal, shook his hand and introduced George to Miss Tse-Hsu.

Joanne Tse-Hsu slightly bowed her head as she shook George's hand. She smiled nervously at him. Her left hand was playing with one of the pigtails that hung down her chest.

“Is that
boy
with you, Mr. Young?” Mrs. Cookson asked as she jabbed a finger at Jason, who was still hugging Catherine.

“Yeah, that's Jason. He's coming with us,” George said, trying to conceal a smirk.

“Well, I hope he keeps his hands off Miss Tse-Hsu,” she tutted.

“Jason, we have to go. Put her down,” George shouted with a grin on his face.

Jason quickly explained to Catherine that he had to go away and could not say where. He said he and Joanne were being taken to a safe house. The meeting was very brief, but he was glad he had a chance to see her at last. He realized how much he had missed her. He gave a tight-lip smile to Joanne. They gave a nod but didn't speak. She had no idea who he was or how he knew Princess Catherine. Joanne looked just as unhappy as Jason about the situation.

George tried to make conversation on the drive back into the city, but his attempts fell on deaf ears. Joanne gazed out the car window as she sucked on her hair. She was good-looking with large, dark eyes and black hair tied in two long pigtails. Jason looked at her through his long blond bangs, which hung over his eyes. The rest of his hair was short, but he kept the front as long as he could. He had done this since he had been old enough to argue about his haircuts. He was naturally shy and had always felt safe behind his bangs.

George stopped outside a home in a quiet suburb of London. Large chestnut trees shaded the front gardens. The redbrick, terraced home was surrounded by rose bushes and flowering red geraniums.

George disappeared into the house. A while later, the Young family came out with suitcases. George placed their luggage in the trunk and introduced Jason and Joanne to his family.

“Right then. This is the boy I told you about—Jason. He's quiet and no trouble. I am sure you will all get along. Martin, Jason's a good swimmer. You boys will have a good time. And this is Jong Tse-Hsu…or Joanne, as she calls herself here.”

Martin, George's fifteen-year-old son, looked down at Jason. He had jet-black hair like his father and was a little overweight, with acne spread around his mouth. He sat in the back of the car and ignored the rest of them, flipping through a football magazine.

“Hello, pet. I'm Mrs. Young. You can call me Jean,” Mrs. Young said, shaking Jason's hand gently. Jason forced a smile. “What did you do to your hands?”

“I fell on some broken glass.” He looked up at George after he lied. George gave an agreeing nod. His wife and son did not need to know everything.

At the airport, George kissed his family good-bye at the departure gates and took Jason to one side.

“Jason, I ain't been that honest with you,” George said, looking Jason in the eye.

“So what's new?” Jason shrugged.

“Yeah, I guess I deserve that. Look, I had a tough job getting the higher-ups to let you go so Spain. SYUI wanted to keep you and Joanne locked up safe. I know a couple kids don't want to be stuck in a safe house, so I got you this. Plus, I have the other benefit.”

“What other benefit?” Jason asked.

“I know you will look after my family, Jason. You will all be safe, but just in case, please look after them,” George said, holding out his hand.

“I will. Besides, Joanne is kinda cute,” Jason said, winking and grinning. George returned the grin and nodded.

Jean sat in a row of three seats with Martin and Joanne. Jason had to sit next to a red-haired man and his three-year-old daughter, who insisted on sitting by the window and then using the bathroom every ten minutes. The two-hour flight seemed endless to Jason. Although, Jason could have sworn that an Asian man sitting several rows away kept looking at him.
I'm probably just being paranoid.

At Malaga Airport, Jean rented a lime-green Volkswagen Beetle. The little car had no air-conditioning. As the car twisted its way up the narrow mountain roads, the temperature inside became unbearable. They eventually arrived at Villa Rosa—high in the Spanish mountains. It was just off the main road down a small dirt track. The white building with a terra-cotta roof stood out on a ledge overlooking some of Spain's finest scenery. Just below Villa Rosa was another similar villa owned by a French writer and his young wife.

Villa Rosa had a pool on the terrace surrounded by a grapevine. George and Jean had used the villa for many holidays. Martin was upset when he found out he had to share his room with Jason and insisted on calling him “that boy” despite Jean's attempts to chastise him.

• • •

Back in the United Kingdom, SYUI raided several properties owned by members of the Triads. Many were arrested on small theft charges or tax evasion—any charges the police could come up with. However, none of them would give up any information on Boudica.

Every shop and supermarket had to remove Coco-Bites from its shelves. Many children and some adults throughout the country had major withdrawal symptoms. Boudica's assets were seized, and the Inland Revenue was amazed by how much money she had made in such a short while.

Boudica and Lin Cho had gone underground, and the police were no closer to arresting them despite several failed assassination attempts on Lin Tse-Hsu's life. But in West London, an Asian man and his sumo-sized bodyguard quietly slipped into the back room of a club.

Dark smoke filled the room and stung Cho's eyes as he tried to focus. Boudica sat in a throne-shaped chair. She wore a black, skin-tight, silk shirt and tight black trousers. On the floor next to her eating small cubes of meat out of her hand was a fully grown male leopard. Three other men sat in chairs around the room. A few heads nodded, but none spoke.

“Boudica, it's good to see you again,” Cho said, bowing his head nervously.

“Ah, Lin Cho, the very man I wanted to see. You haven't met Luke, have you? He is hungry. Take some meat from the bucket behind you and show him you are a friend,” she ordered. Lin dipped his hand into the bucket of warm blood and pulled out some flesh. He slowly approached Luke with his hand outstretched. The leopard lazily stood and opened its huge mouth to reveal large white incisors. As it got close to Lin's hand, it snapped, took the meat, and growled loudly as it chewed. Boudica smiled and clapped her hands in delight.

“More. Give him more. He likes you,” she said. Her whole face lit up with excitement. Reluctantly, Lin continued to feed Luke by hand.

Boudica continued to watch, but the smile slid from her face. She glanced at Kotang in the corner before narrowing her eyes on Lin. “My whole operation has been destroyed. I am an embarrassment to our homeland. Everything I have worked for is gone. Do you believe in ‘an eye for an eye,' Lin Cho?” Boudica asked.

“Yes, Boudica. This very moment, I have all my men looking for the SYUI man, George Young, and his family. I will personally see to it that they all die. I will bring you the head of George Young,” Cho said, his hand dripping with blood from the meat he was feeding the leopard.

“Was it not your son, Andrew, who allowed the ‘boy,' Jason Steed, into our operation? You even brought him to my factory yourself! You got careless and allowed a spy among us.”

“Boudica, we didn't know! How would we? We checked him out and he was just a boy. Anyway, he's dead. We blew up his home and entire family!”

“His is not the only family about to be destroyed. Andrew is not missing—your mistake has already cost you a son,” Boudica said coldly. Lin's face turned gray and he shook his head in disbelief.

“And now…Kotang, they tell me that you can crush a man to death. If you want to work for me now, you will have to prove your worth. Show me how you can crush a man to death,” Boudica ordered.

Kotang grabbed Cho from behind, took a deep breath, and started to squeeze.

• • •

Back in Spain, the Young family and Jason prepared to go out for the evening.

“How much of that stuff did you put on? It stinks.” Jason laughed, waving his hand in front of his nose.

“Not too much. There'll be a disco at the bar and probably some girls. I want to look my best,” Martin said. He was standing in his underwear in front of the mirror, arranging his hair. He had covered his neck and chest with aftershave. “Do you want some?” Martin asked, passing the bottle of Hai Karate aftershave. Jason was drying himself off after his shower and examining himself. He was sunburned on his neck, back, and arms.

“No way! I mean, it'll sting my sunburn.”

“Ha! So!” Martin shouted as he made a karate move toward Jason. Jason ignored him. “I might take up karate. I would be good at it.” He grinned as he threw his arms around in the air.

“You should. It's the best sport you can do,” Jason enthused.

It was an hour's drive to Port Malaga. The ancient Spanish town sat in the center of Costa del Sol. Soft sea breezes from the Mediterranean coastline regulated the summer heat, making the harbor a favorite tourist destination for northern Europeans. The ancient streets were overcrowded with modern, oversized hotels, restaurants, and bars. Gift shops selling tacky tourists trinkets of Spanish bullfights, donkeys, and beach towels littered the streets. The ice cream shops had customers spilling onto the payments and out into the busy street. The entire town was relaxed with a party atmosphere.

Jean found a place to park, and they walked along the shops and bars like any other family on vacation. Most of the British and German tourists were sunburned and smelling of coconut oil and mosquito repellent. Jason was relaxed. He enjoyed the company of the others. Jean treated him and Joanne as part of the family, and he was enjoying the motherly attention. Martin was four years older but immature for his age. He made Jason laugh and forget his troubles. Joanne didn't speak much, and when he caught her looking at him, she immediately looked away.

Night was coming, proclaimed by a blinding orange sun piercing an immense, fluffy wall of clouds to the west. Soon darkness would spread across the sky—but not here. Here the blazing neon lights would garnish the harbor and tiny streets.

“This is it. The Red Bull, they cook proper English food and have a disco, so you kids can dance after,” Jean explained, tugging Joanne behind her. Jason allowed Martin to follow next. He was about to follow them in when he noticed a man across the street watching them. As soon as Jason glanced his way, the man pretended to be looking at a rack of postcards.

What
is
he
doing
on
his
own? Why is he watching us?

Jason was now concerned. He couldn't be sure, but he could have sworn the guy was the same man he had seen on the airplane.