CHAPTER FOUR
Kira rubbed at the pain throbbing relentlessly at her temples with the tips of her fingers. Reaching into her small evening bag, she pulled out a bottle of aspirin, grateful that her knowledge that Ethan would be present at the exhibit had given her prior warning that the event would result in one big headache for her and that she had packed accordingly. Although, as she looked around at the swarm of police officers filling the exhibition room, she realized that she had not been at all prepared for this, nor for the fact that it would be Ethan’s absence rather than his presence that would be the cause of her headache. Downing both of the aspirin with a mouthful of tepid champagne, she made her way over to Yi who was in the process of verbally dressing Gabriel down in rapidly spoken Chinese.
“I’m sorry, Father,” Gabriel said shamefacedly. “I don’t understand how this happened. I promise you I took every precaution.”
“Obviously, you did no such thing. Otherwise, The Dragon’s Breath wouldn’t have been stolen,” Yi angrily spat out as he suddenly switched to reprimanding his son in English.
“You can’t blame Gabriel for this,” Jade insisted, once again jumping to Gabriel’s defense as she had been doing ever since the discovery that The Dragon’s Breath had been stolen.
“Of course he can, since it’s all Gabriel’s fault,” Jeremy piped in, not even bothering to hide his pleasure at the turn of events. “I said from the beginning that it was a mistake putting Gabriel in charge.”
“Yes, you did,” Yi replied, turning his attention pointedly towards his other son. “And I promise you I won’t be making that mistake again.”
“Don’t say anything that you’re going to regret, dear,” Bunny cautioned as she placed a calming hand on Yi’s arm.
“The only thing I regret is putting too much faith in Gabriel to begin with.” With that, Yi stalked towards the exit with Bunny trailing along in his angry wake, brushing past Ethan as he entered the building.
Kira’s eyes narrowed as she immediately made a bee-line towards Ethan, intercepting him before he could reach the remaining Wong family. “Where have you been?”
Ethan eyed her curiously. “I needed to cool off after my run in with Jared so I went for a walk around the grounds. Yi looked like he was fit to be tied,” Ethan said as he looked around the room. “And I can’t help but notice a distinct up-tick in police presence here. What happened?”
“Don’t pretend like you don’t know exactly what happened here,” Kira snapped angrily.
Ethan's eyes hardened in response to Kira's accusatory tone but he kept his own tone light and irritatingly pleasant. “OK. Then why don’t you pretend that I don't know what happened here and tell me anyway.”
“The Dragon’s Breath has been stolen. By you!”
A wry smile curved Ethan’s lips. “So, according to you, I’ve progressed from computer hacker to antiquities thief all in the course of one day. How versatile of me.”
“Don’t play coy, Ethan. It doesn’t suit you. You and I both know that you are not exactly a stranger to making off with things that don’t belong to you.”
“If you’re referring to Enclave...”
“No, actually I’m not referring to Enclave,” Kira replied, as she lowered her voice to a whisper. “I’m referring to your… extracurricular activities.”
“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Ethan insisted, appearing for all the world to be speaking the truth which only served to further infuriate Kira.
“Cut the crap, Ethan!” Kira snapped loudly. “After our disastrous relationship in Las Vegas, I decided to have you investigated, foolishly reversing the proper order of things I will admit, but what I found out was very interesting. Not to mention incriminating. Do you know what I’m talking about now or should we discuss a certain Degas that disappeared from the home of a certain South American dictator five years ago.”
“Would you please lower your voice,” Ethan demanded in a low whisper as he glanced around at the uniformed police officers still milling around the scene of the crime, his previously genial demeanor suddenly turning to annoyance when faced with evidence that he hadn’t been as careful at covering up his activities as he’d thought he'd been. “Let’s take this outside.”
Without waiting for Kira to reply, Ethan grabbed her by the arm and ushered her out of a nearby door that led to an adjacent courtyard.
“Now, tell me. Where on earth did you get the idea that I stole a Degas?” Ethan asked, eager to find out which of his admittedly shady associates had ratted him out.
“It's not my idea, it's Interpol’s. As it turns out they have a rather thick dossier on the subject.”
“Oh, that,” Ethan replied with a dismissive wave of his hand as his body visibly relaxed. “You shouldn’t believe everything you read in Interpol files.”
“Are you denying you stole it?”
Ethan watched Kira thoughtfully as he contemplated his answer. The convenient thing to do would be to lie to her, and goodness knows he certainly wasn’t above lying when it was convenient, but for some reason the thought of lying to Kira left a bad taste in his mouth.
“I’m not the same man that I was back then,” Ethan replied noncommittally.
“So you’re saying that you’re not a thief anymore,” Kira asked, shocked that she was receiving even this much candor from Ethan.
“I’m saying that I’ve dedicated my talents to loftier goals.”
“I take it you’re referring to obtaining a gambling sub-concession from the Wong family? Because it seems to me that stealing The Dragon’s Breath furthers that particular goal quite nicely.”
Ethan crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at Kira curiously, puzzled by her thought process. “How so?”
“You said yourself that Yi is fit to be tied. I’ve never seen him so angry and all of that anger is directed at Gabriel. By stealing The Dragon’s Breath you have completely disgraced Gabriel in his father’s eyes. There is no way in hell that Yi is going to give Gabriel the reigns of Gau Lung much less listen to anything he has to say about your partnership proposal after this debacle which removes Gabriel, and by extension me, as an obstacle to your obtaining the sub-concession.”
Ethan’s green eyes sparkled approvingly at Kira’s theory as a broad grin curved his lips. “I’d forgotten what a devious little mind you have beneath that goody-two shoes façade of yours. I wish that I could say that I was half as clever as you seem to think I am but I'm ashamed to admit, the idea of stealing The Dragon’s Breath from Yi to get Gabriel out of my way never even crossed my mind.”
“So I’m supposed to believe that it’s just a happy coincidence that it worked out that way? You must be under the mistaken impression that I'm the same fool you suckered back in Las Vegas,” Kira said bitterly as she recalled Ethan bragging about using her to out-maneuver Jared earlier in the evening.
Ethan’s smile faded at the pain he saw in Kira’s eyes. Regret once again flickered in his own eyes as he gently cupped her face with one hand. “I don't think you're a fool,” he said firmly. “I also don’t expect you to believe me about this but I promise you it’s the truth. I didn’t steal The Dragon’s Breath.”
Kira inhaled sharply at the unexpected physical contact as the warmth of his fingers caressing her cheek radiated throughout her body, disconcerting her. Even more disconcerting was the sincerity that Kira heard in his voice, causing her belief in his guilt to waver as, to her mortification, she realized that a part of her still wanted to believe in him.
“I wish I could believe you,” Kira admitted, the truth slipping past her internal censor and materializing in an exasperated puff of the cold night air before vaporizing along with all of the other words that were on the tip of her tongue to say. Flustered by the unintended admission, she pulled her face away from the warmth of his fingers and quietly walked away.
***
“The Dragon’s Breath has been stolen,” Ethan explained into his cell phone as he stood on the balcony of his penthouse, staring down at the glittering lights of Victoria Harbor.
“Old news,” the impassive voice of his brother, Donovan Chance, replied.
Ethan nodded slightly. Of course The Big D would consider an event that happened just a little over an hour earlier “old news”. Control freak that he was, he probably had spies planted in Hong Kong watching Ethan’s every move. One of the most exasperating truths of being a part of the Chance family was that Big Brother was always watching.
“I need to locate it.”
Silence greeted Ethan’s statement. There was a unmistakable note of irritation in Donovan’s voice when he finally broke that silence. “I didn’t send you to Hong Kong to solve the case of the missing dagger. I sent you there to get the Wong family’s gambling sub-concession.”
“I know why I’m here,” Ethan replied with equal irritation. “Tracking down The Dragon’s Breath is a key part of my plan to get it.”
“So you actually do have a plan. Good to know.”
“I always have a plan.”
“Then why are you calling me.”
Ethan inhaled deeply, hating the words that he was about to say. “Because I need your help to locate it.”
“Why? Stolen objects of art are your area of expertise. Surely, you have some contacts in Hong Kong that could help you out.”
“If there was anybody else I could call do you really thing that I would be subjecting myself to this irritating conversation?”
“None of your associates are willing to give up the information, huh?”
“You know how professional rivalry can be,” Ethan replied through gritted teeth, bracing himself for the ribbing he knew his admission would elicit from his brother.
“In other words, you’ve burned too many bridges,” Donovan snickered knowingly. “You never have been good at playing with others.”
“Oh, for crying out loud, I didn't call for a lecture, Donovan.”
“I’m just saying it wouldn’t hurt you to learn to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with others, even people you consider your rivals.”
“Cultivating mutually beneficial relationships is your area of expertise so tap into one of your many sources of dubious character and get me the info I need.”
Donovan paused briefly before responding. “This little side mission of yours wouldn’t have anything to do with Kira St. James, would it?”
Ethan bristled at the suspicion he heard lurking in Donovan’s voice. Even though his older brother was born suspicious, under the circumstances, he couldn’t help but take the question as a personal accusation. “This isn’t a side mission. While I’m in Hong Kong, I only have one mission, stopping Jared from getting his hands on that sub- concession.
“After Dylan’s recent escapade, that’s good to hear,” Donovan said, referring to their younger brother and the assignment he had nearly bungled when he’d made the mistake of falling in love with their father's trophy bride. It had all ended well enough for Dylan who got a beautiful wife and child out of the deal but for Donovan, who expected strict adherence to his directives, the results had been less than satisfactory. “I’ll look into The Dragon’s Breath situation and get back to you.”
“Make it quick,” Ethan said before ending the phone call.
Shoving his cell phone into the pocket of his tuxedo trousers, he attempted to shake off the unease that Donovan’s question about Kira had stirred within him. Taking a sip of scotch from the highball glass in his hand, he tried to push away the memory of the sadness and disappointment he’d seen in her eyes during their last conversation. It’s not like he hadn’t provided plenty of reasons for both of those emotions to exist in her with regards to him but this was different. It was one thing for Kira to hate him for things he actually did. He deserved that and had learned to live with it. What he couldn’t live with was the idea of her hating him for something that he didn’t do like stealing The Dragon’s Breath. That simple fact left him with only one option, he concluded as he finished off his scotch and stared determinedly at the colorful Hong Kong cityscape as it shimmered through the hazy night sky like a cache of jewels hidden behind a thin veil of gossamer.
He needed to find out who stole The Dragon’s Breath and steal it back.
***
“I am forever in your debt,” Yi gushed enthusiastically as he gently cradled the ancient dagger in his hands as if it were a newborn baby before carefully placing it on the obsidian cocktail table situated in the middle of the massive Great Room of the Wong family estate.
“Not at all. I’m just happy that I could be of assistance,” Ethan demurred as he glanced over at Kira who looked like she was literally chewing on glass as she ground her teeth disapprovingly. Not exactly the reaction he had been hoping for when he had embarked on his successful mission to retrieve The Dragon’s Breath.
“So tell us, Mr. Chance, how did you manage to track down The Dragon’s Breath so quickly?” Jeremy asked, looking every bit as peeved as Kira did. “It hasn’t even been twenty four hours since it was stolen?”
“Let’s just say that I have a great deal of acquaintances in the antiquities world. I was able to make a few phone calls and arrange the return,” Ethan replied, leaving out the part of ‘arranging the return’ that involved sneaking onto a freighter at a little past midnight, searching the cargo hold until the break of dawn looking for the bloody thing and then hightailing it off the ship before it could take him on an unplanned trip to mainland China. “It was no big deal.”
“Heroic and modest,” Jade cooed as she sidled up to Ethan eying him appreciatively.
“I don’t know that I would use the word heroic,” Kira countered. “After all I think it goes without saying that these ‘associates’ of Mr. Chance’s in the antiquities world are of a criminal variety. In fact, they are probably the ones who stole The Dragon’s Breath to begin with.”
“Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth, dear,” Bunny scolded mildly as she ran a soothing hand over Yi’s back as he continued to stare at the dagger before him as if mesmerized. “What’s important here is that The Dragon’s Breath has been returned to its rightful owner. All’s well, that ends well and all that.”
“Bunny’s right,” Gabriel said as he extended a hand towards Ethan. “And so is my father. We are forever in your debt.”
“I need to get back to the office,” Kira announced grumpily, rolling her eyes as she quickly exited the room, unable to take one more second of watching the Wong family fawn over Ethan Chance.
Ethan caught up with her at the front door. Grabbing her by her arm, he turn her towards him. “Is it my imagination or did I detect a bit of disapproval coming from your general direction back there.”
“If it’s approval you want, I suggest you talk to Jade. Clearly, she’s far more impressed by your so-called heroics than I am.”
“She’s not the one I want to impress.”
“Based on the way you were lapping up her attention while she was gushing all over you, you could have fooled me.”
A grin tugged at the corners of Ethan’s mouth. “Are you jealous?”
“Of course not,” Kira huffed angrily.
“Good. Because you have no reason to be.”
“You’re damn right I have no reason to be,” Kira snarked, trying her best not to feel relieved by Ethan’s statement. “But I have plenty of reason to be suspicious.”
“Suspicious of what?”
“You playing the hero, with emphasis on the word ‘playing’.”
“So let me see if I’ve got this straight. Last night you were suspicious of me because The Dragon’s Breath was stolen and now you’re suspicious of me for bringing it back. I just can’t win with you, can I?”
“No, you can’t. But you can win with Yi and Gabriel. You’ve gotten them eating out of your hand now which furthers your goal to get that gambling sub-concession. That’s all that really matters to you, isn’t it?”
Ethan opened his mouth to protest her assessment but decided against it. He recognized the stubborn look he saw in her eyes and knew there was nothing that he could say that would change her low opinion of his character. No, that would require action and, given the importance of his mission in Hong Kong and how far he was willing to go to accomplish that mission, he wasn’t sure that he could deliver.
Taking his silence as tacit acknowledgment that what she said was true, Kira’s face harden with disapproval. “That’s what I thought.”
Turning on her heels, Kira stormed out of the front door, leaving Ethan alone and frustrated in her angry wake.
***
Pushing the wire frame of her reading glasses further up the bridge of her nose, Kira curled into the plush comfort of her sofa and re-read the security report in her hand. The initial assessment of the computer breach had been delivered to her earlier in the day but she was still having a hard time wrapping her head around what it revealed. She would have bet her last dollar that Ethan was behind the attack but according to the report the attack came from within The Gau Lung Building and was carried out by someone with a level five security clearance, the highest security level within The Gau Lung Group.
Of course, Ethan could have someone working for him on the inside, she silently cautioned herself as she tried to ward off the distinct feeling of relief that she felt over the prospect that Ethan hadn’t been behind the attack. Tossing the report onto the wooden cocktail table next to the sofa she let out a sigh, disgusted at herself for even wanting to believe that Ethan was innocent. Thumbing through the file sitting on her lap, she glanced over the list of names of those who held level five security clearances. She was familiar with every name on the list, having personally investigated all of them and deemed them worthy of the level of trust Yi had granted them within his company.
And now it turns out that she had misjudged one of them.
The same feeling of humiliation that had tormented Kira for months after Ethan’s betrayal caused her stomach to clench painfully. This betrayal wasn’t as personal as Ethan’s had been but it was just as unsettling. She was supposed to be a professional, after all. How could she hire herself out as a troubleshooter when she apparently couldn’t spot trouble when it was staring her right in the face?
The image of Ethan suddenly popped into her mind in response to that question, his face both mocking and heartbreakingly handsome.
Kira forcefully pushed the image from her mind and shook off the bout of self-pity she felt coming on. As a professional troubleshooter, she knew damned well that these sort of things sometimes happen. Nobody is perfect and no amount of security checks, no matter how thorough, can keep the occasional bad apple from slipping into the bunch. It was only her painful experience with Ethan that had her doubting herself and taking a routine professional problem personally. But this wasn’t personal, it was just part of her job and Yi was counting on her to do that job efficiently. Glancing again at the list in her hand, she vowed to figure out which person listed on it had hacked into Gau Lung’s computer by investigating each and everyone of them, narrowing them down through the process of elimination. Going down the list one by one, she took note that the members of the Wong family were at the top of the list and had decided to try to clear them first when she was distracted from the task ahead of her by the sound of her cell phone ringing.
“I need you to come to my office immediately,” Yi’s voice sounded uncharacteristically breathless as it fought against the static of the bad connection caused by the fierce thunderstorm raging outside.
“Is something wrong?” A distinct feeling of dread gnawed at Kira’s gut as she instantly sprang to her feet and made her way to her bedroom in order to change out of the comfy silk pajamas she was currently wearing into something more office appropriate. Glancing at the alarm clock perched on her nightstand, she took in the lateness of the hour and answered her own question. If Yi was summoning her to his office at midnight, something was definitely wrong. When she didn’t get a response, she realized that she’d lost her cell phone connection with Yi before he could confirm her conclusion. Dressing quickly, she grabbed her car keys along with a sturdy umbrella before dashing out into the violent storm.
A flash of electric blue lightning lit up the night sky engulfing The Gau Lung Building, casting the darkened hallways in an eerie glow as Kira emerged onto the floor of the Executive Suite fifteen minutes later. The sound of the rumbling thunder that followed filled the ominous silence that hung over the entire building. Kira paused in front of the elevator door, something as powerful as it was inexplicable keeping her feet rooted firmly in place. Something she immediately recognized as fear.
Shaking off the icy grip of unnamed terror that was keeping her frozen in place, Kira forced her feet to carry her down the long hallway leading towards Yi’s office. Lightning continued to relentlessly slash and tear at the night sky, ripping through the darkness like a knife as it filtered into the hallway through the massive tempered glass windows lining Kira’s path and causing her to increase her pace in her eagerness to be in the presence of another human being.
Yi’s door was slightly ajar when she reached it. The electric blue light of the storm flickered in the dark, glassy eyes of the two onyx dragons positioned on either side of the door, causing them to blink forebodingly in the darkness as if they were in the process of coming to life. As if they were warning her against entering. Swallowing hard against the lump of fear coalescing in her throat, Kira knocked on the door and noticed for the first time that her hand was trembling. Receiving no response from Yi, she knocked once more before cautiously pushing the door open. The gruesome sight that greeted her, caused her to recoil in horror.
Yi’s lifeless body lay slumped over his desk as the ornate, jewel encrusted handle of The Dragon’s Breath protruding from his back gleamed menacingly in the lightning-lit darkness.