Vendetta (4 page)

“Actually,” Charles said, “we’re on a small island outside Hong Kong. It’s called Po Toi Island. Li only lives here for part of the year. He’s in residence now with a full staff that will be at our disposal. Li understands that this is a very discreet operation and all his people, he assured me, can be trusted.”

The little group waited patiently while the ground crew assisted the pilot and co-pilot as they prepared to lower the air stair door.

On the ground, her legs wobbly from sitting so long, Nikki looked back at Myra’s luxurious Gulfstream. She’d felt safe sitting in the buttery-soft leather reclining seats, each equipped with a satellite television and phone. Each seat contained a laptop computer and a global positioning sensor. At any given point during the trip they could view what part of the world the aircraft was flying over. A stocked kitchen and bar provided enough food and drink to sustain twelve passengers and a crew for at least several days. And of course there were bowls and bowls of the famous Rutledge candies everywhere.

The Gulfstream was safe. Standing here on the ground in the bright sunshine, Nikki realized she no longer felt safe.

China!
She shivered. She took one last, longing look at the Gulfstream, wondering if she and the others would ever set foot in it again. She shivered again as she gave herself a mental warning not to think about negatives.

“I do believe this may be our ride,” Charles said, pointing to a gleaming black Lincoln Navigator coming across the tarmac. The driver leaped out of the
SUV
with the agility of a cat. He had to be at least seventy years of age, possibly older. A mini man, Nikki thought. He was as brown and wrinkled as a raisin. He offered up a toothless smile and then saluted smartly.

Charles rattled off something in fluent Chinese. The old man bowed and climbed behind the wheel as the women scrambled into the back seat, Charles into the passenger seat beside the small man who said his name was Jialing.

“So named after the river. Mr. Li calls me Jay and you may also call me Jay.”

Charles and Jay kept up a conversation as they traveled down a rutted road. “What are they saying?” Nikki hissed to Yoko.

“They are talking about how important Mr. Li is in this country. Jay is saying Mr. Li has important, influential friends. He is now saying Mr Li is a generous man and helps the needy. Jay has been in service to him for thirty years. They are now talking about the fabulous gardens at Mr. Li’s home. Mr. Li likes to garden and has beautiful roses. The rooms at his home are full of flowers all the time. How do you call it, chitterchatting. Nothing of importance,” Yoko whispered.

“I suppose that’s a good thing,” Alexis said quietly.

Thirty minutes later Jay announced they were on Mr. Li’s land. “The main house is just down the road,” he said.

The women were grateful to finally climb out of the Navigator. The roads here were worse than the roads in the States after a hard winter.

They saw a two-story redbrick house with jutting wings at each side of the building. A British house. Did that mean only tea would be served? Nikki wondered. She needed coffee and she needed it badly.

“If you want my opinion,” Alexis said, “this house looks as though it was accidentally built in the wrong place. You know, like Dorothy’s house when it landed in Oz. Oops, Dorothy landed in Oz, not the house. You know what I mean — look how out of place it is with the gardens.”

“The Chinese do not believe in alignment or symmetrical relationship to anything in the garden simply because they know this is foreign to mother nature. They like to copy nature as much as possible with small hills and slopes with different trees. To us it looks haphazard but I’d bet Alexis’s red bag that a lot of work and thought went into these gardens. I love it. Just look at all the little waterfalls, the small bridges and those gorgeous shrubs. Before I leave here I want to know the name of every one of those trees and bushes. Someday when I get my own house, I’m going to have a garden like this. Much work,” Yoko said, shaking her head. “Much maintenance.”

Alexis sighed. “Don’t rain on my parade, Yoko. As you can see, I don’t have an umbrella.”

Yoko tittered behind her hand. “So funny. No umbrella. So funny.”

Suddenly the bright, yellow door of the house opened and a tall, stoop-shouldered man stepped forward. “As I live and breathe, it is you, Sir…” He debated a second before he said, “Charles. On my shores at last. It is good to see you, old friend.” He bowed slightly before he extended his hand in greeting.

The introductions were made quietly as they all walked into the house, where Li turned the women over to three servants.

Yoko, Alexis, and Nikki looked at one another at the foot of the stairs before they followed the three maids to the second floor. “This is it, girls. The job starts
now,
and God help us all,” Nikki said.

“Yoko, can you ask if they can bring us some hot coffee? Lots and lots of hot coffee. But first I want to take a steaming shower and wash my hair. Then I just want to sit and drink all that coffee for ten minutes.”

“But of course, Nikki.”

Below stairs, the tall man known as Li ushered Charles into his private office. “We will speak English from here on, Charles. While I trust my servants, one can never be too careful, as you well know. Whiskey?”

“Of course.” Charles looked around the large, pleasant room. It had everything a man of Li’s stature needed. The room appeared to be divided into three parts. There was an entertainment area, where a large plasma television and
DVD
player, was attached to the wall. A stereo unit was nestled underneath in a cherrywood cabinet. Off to the side was a fully stocked bar area with four deep, leather swivel chairs and a table holding a glorious flower arrangement. To the right of the bar was what appeared to be Li’s work area. Rich, polished wooden file cabinets covered the wall; a comfortable desk chair that looked used sat behind a magnificent carved cherrywood desk. Everything one needed to conduct business from home was on the desk. Paintings with vibrant watercolors, dotted the wood-paneled walls that began at the highly polished plank floor and went all the way to the high ceiling.

What surprised Charles more than anything was the absence of window treatments. So Li could look out or so others could look in? He asked his friend.

“One must always be aware in this country, Charles. How would you put it? The odds are a little more even this way. I spend a great deal of time in this room and, if it should ever become necessary, I can make a hasty exit through the floor. I defy you to find the mechanism that operates the trapdoor. By the way, I crafted it myself. Are you up to the challenge?”

“You’re a crafty old fox, I’ll give you that. Show me!”

“No. You must find it yourself. We can do it later. I did say I was going to offer you a whiskey, did I not?”

Charles chuckled. “Yes, you did and I am patiently waiting. We must talk, Li. We can socialize later.”

Li nodded solemnly. “Tell me everything, Charles, so I can help you. You saved my life once and now it is my turn to help you. You may speak as freely as you wish, but only in English. I personally sweep this room twice a day for…ah…bugs.”

Charles leaned back in his comfortable chair, his whiskey glass in hand. He seemed to have no interest in drinking the amber liquid. He told Li everything. He watched the old man to gauge his reaction.

“Commendable! I applaud you, Charles. From the little you told me on the scrambled phone, I more or less surmised something like this. I personally know John Chai’s father. I know
of
John and his unsavory reputation and let me tell you, neither man is on my speed dial. Everything in this country is political, as you well know. Ming is detestable. John is beyond detestable. It gives me great pleasure to help you and perhaps rid this country of such parasites. However, I do not fool myself. Two more will spring up just like them.”

“And your safety, Li?”

Li shrugged. “All those I have cared for during my lifetime are gone. I am an old man now. I watch sunrises and sunsets and live with my memories. It is not much of a life these days. Do not worry about me. I always wondered what happened to you. There were, of course, rumors. I did pray for your safety.”

Charles allowed himself a small smile. “And I for yours. The old days, Li, are just that, the old days. I see that you have kept up with the times as I have. Do you think that back then we could have functioned in this high-tech world we now live in?”

Li looked around the room and smiled. “I think so, Charles. Now, let us speak of pleasantries. Tell me about the three lovely young ladies upstairs and the thorn in your side named Jack Emery; not that Mr. Emery is a pleasantry, but perhaps we can arrange it so he
becomes
a pleasantry. In the interests of true love, of course.” Charles laughed as Li poured more whiskey into his glass.

A long time later, Li apologized. “You look to me as if a nap is in order. I have been a selfish host wanting to hear everything that has happened in your life. Forgive me. We have all evening to talk.” He ushered Charles to the door. A petite woman with coal-black eyes and hair to match appeared out of nowhere to escort Charles to his suite of rooms.

Charles knew the moment the door closed behind him that Li would be working to finalize tomorrow evening’s plans. The thought pleased him. They were in safe hands.

The small dinner party took place on a multilayered terrace filled with hundreds of brilliant flowers. The only light came from colored Chinese lanterns. The food was simple but superb: Peking duck, wontons and fresh snow peas. The dessert was rice cakes drizzled with honey and powdered sugar. The wine was American in honor of Li’s guests. The conversation was light, almost bantering, as the women asked questions about China. Li in turn asked questions, subtle to be sure, but Nikki knew that she and the others were being grilled by a master. Charles had nodded ever so slightly to assure her it was OK to answer the questions.

It was a warm evening so the girls wore sleeveless sundresses. Charles and Li wore pressed khaki shorts with knee socks, white shirts and ties. It was formal yet informal. The women chatted about the gardens as Charles and Li descended two layers to a terrace below them with brandy and cigars, a courtesy the girls appreciated because they hated cigar smoke.

“Did you see those dresses Mr. Li sent to us? Fantastic,” Alexis said.

Yoko agreed. “Do you think I will look good in lavender?”

“Honey, you are going to be a knockout. I’ll do your makeup. You will be more beautiful than the…What do they call the woman who is getting engaged at the party tomorrow night?”

“Prospective bride, I guess,” Nikki said. “I think Charles said she is going to college in the States but came back here to have a traditional Chinese wedding. One old family marrying into another old family. Doting parents on both sides. In other words, the wedding of the year, and not at all unusual to have American guests. Which we are. Perfect cover. Mr. Li is a personal friend of the bride’s father and is related to the groom’s mother by way of his deceased wife. When Mr. Li told both families he wouldn’t be able to attend because we were visiting him, both sets of parents insisted he bring us along. And that’s all I know, other than that Mr. Li was able to get all our papers in order lickety-split.”

“John Chai is a woman-chaser,” Yoko said, her lips tight with anger. “And he prefers American women over…over his own kind. I read that in the dossier Charles put together for us.”

“I think that lets me and you out, Yoko. You’re his kind and I’m black. Guess who that leaves? Oh you lucky, lucky girl, Nikki.”

“Shut up, Alexis. How did we get on to this anyway? We were talking about our gowns. Mine is a sizzling red. Tonight I am going to be one hot chick! When, and only when, you see steam coming out my ears, intervene. I think I should play hard to get, don’t you?”

“Absolutely!” Yoko said. “Men do not like to be ignored. My husband told me this. It has to do with their ego. This is true, is it not? As a weapon it is wonderful to know. Do you think all women know this?”

“I think so,” Nikki replied, thinking about Jack. Jack hated to be ignored. He’d always wanted her undivided attention. When she ignored him, he sulked. “Let me share something with you two. Men are just little boys at heart. And they can be trained just like you train a puppy. You have to be relentless, though, because men/boys have one-track minds. You following me here?” Nikki laughed uproariously.

“What I think is that we’ve all had too much wine and it’s time for bed,” Alexis said. “Oh, in case you’re all wondering what my gown is like, it’s a mix of gold and copper. Slit to the navel, slit up to the groin, and backless!”

“Damn,” was all Nikki could say.

Alexis giggled. “My sentiments exactly. C’mon, let’s say our goodnights and hit the sheets so we can dream about what we’re going to do to John Chai.”

“I believe you used the wrong terminology,” Yoko said. “The word you want is nightmare.”

“Damn, you’re good, Yoko. Nightmare it is!” Nikki said as she swallowed the last of many glasses of wine.

Half a world away, as Charles and the girls were dressing for the engagement party in China, Myra Rutledge had her eye on the clock as she paced back and forth in the kitchen.

“Myra, stop! You’re making me dizzy. They’re fine. Charles isn’t going to let anything go wrong.”

“I know, I know,” Myra said. “My mind tells me the same thing but my heart tells me I should worry. Women have been worrying since the beginning of time. Why should I be any different? They’re in China, Kathryn. China is not a safe country.”

Kathryn slipped her arms into her flannel-lined denim jacket. Murphy growled and then barked. “I don’t like leaving you alone out here at the farm all by yourself, Myra. We should have insisted that Isabelle return this evening. What the hell was so important that she had to stay in the city?”

“I think it was a dinner meeting with someone who can help her get her license back. It’s so important to her, how could I say no? I’ll be fine. The dogs are here; I’ll lock up and wait for Charles or the girls to call me. The minute I hear something, I’ll call you. You have enough on your mind without worrying about me.”