CHAPTER EIGHT

DEMPSEY HILL, SINGAPORE

PS.Café was an oasis nestled in the parklands of the former Dempsey Hill barracks, and the moment Nick entered the tranquil space with Astrid he felt like he could breathe easier.

As if echoing his thoughts, Astrid said, “I’m so glad we managed to make our escape.”

“Two hours with the family in the lawyers’ office…I think it’s going to take me a year to recover!” Nick laughed, looking around to see if Rachel and Carlton had arrived. “Ah, they’re hiding over in the corner.”

“So you have a hot date tomorrow night?” Rachel teased her brother as they sat at a table bathed in sunlight filtering through the giant plate-glass windows.

“I’m hoping it will be a hot date! You know, sometimes an actual date just screws things up,” Carlton said, taking a sip of his lychee-and-lime soda.

“Scheherazade and you have been inseparable for the past week. I don’t see how you could possibly screw it up at this point.” Rachel looked up and saw Nick and Astrid navigating between the crowded tables toward them. “Here they come. Let’s ask Astrid—”

“Noooo!” Carlton said bashfully.

“Ask me what?” Astrid asked as she leaned over to give Rachel a peck on the cheek.

“In your expert opinion, do you think it’s a bad idea for Carlton to take your cousin on a date?”

“What, a real date? I figured they were already halfway to Vegas to get married!” Astrid teased.

“Stop it, I’m not sure she’s that into me,” Carlton said.

“Carlton, if she wasn’t into you, you wouldn’t even be able to get close.”

“Really?” Carlton seemed dubious.

Astrid sat down next to him. “First of all, her parents are pathologically protective of her. You’ve seen her security detail. I’m told that in Paris, she has undercover agents trailing her everywhere she goes, and even she doesn’t know who they are. But aside from that, Scheherazade has left a trail of carnage since she was a teenager. I’ve never seen so many love-sick puppies get their hearts stomped on. But you, Mr. Dimples, have gotten through the Praetorian Guard.”

“So where are you taking her on your hot date?” Nick prodded.

“I thought I’d keep things really casual…maybe a walk followed by drinks at LeVeL33?”

Astrid made a little face. “You might want to rethink that.”

“You’re going to have to up your game, Carlton. Scheherazade Shang does not impress easily,” Nick warned.

“Okay, duly noted.” Carlton laughed.

Rachel, meanwhile, was on the edge of her seat wanting to know what happened at the reading of the will. “Anyway, enough about Carlton’s love life. How are you guys? Did everything…um…go okay?”

Nick stared out the window. From where he was sitting, it seemed as though the entire café was a glass tree house, and he just wanted to dive out the window and be enveloped by the foliage. “I’m not sure, my brain is totally fried. How do you think it went, Astrid?”

Astrid leaned back in her chair and let out a sigh. “I’ve never been in a room that was filled with that much tension. There were many surprises, and I think everyone’s in shock at the moment. Eddie especially.”

“Why Eddie?” Rachel asked.

Nick gave a little laugh. “The poor sod thought he was going to inherit Tyersall Park.” Knowing the big question on Rachel’s mind, he continued, “It’s not going to me either. I have a small share, but Tyersall Park is being divided up like a big wheel of cheese among my father, his sisters…and Alistair, as it turns out.”

Rachel’s jaw dropped. “Alistair? Jeez, no wonder Eddie’s in shock!”

“Shock today, fratricide tomorrow,” Astrid quipped.

“How about you, Astrid? Are you surprised that you didn’t get a share of the house?” Rachel asked.

“I never imagined I would. I’m happy enough that Ah Ma left me a few things she knows I’ll cherish.” Astrid’s phone began to ring, and seeing that it was Charlie, she quickly got up from the table and said, “Back in a moment. If the waitress comes, can I get a peach-and-lychee fizz?”

After Astrid had left the table, Rachel asked, “So if the house is being divided up among so many people, how’s that going to work?”

Nick shrugged. “I guess that’s what they’re trying to figure out now. The rest of the family is back at the house having a big powwow over lunch.”

Rachel reached across the table and gave Nick’s hand a squeeze. She could only imagine how difficult it must have been for him, to sit there in that office and find out how his grandmother’s entire life was going to be dismantled and dispersed. Changing the topic, she said cheerily, “Well, let’s order. I’m starving, and I hear the Tiger beer-battered fish-and-chips are amazing.”

Standing in the patio outside the café, Astrid listened worriedly as Charlie tried to explain the situation. “My security team did a full sweep. They searched every last inch of my apartment but they couldn’t find a thing. No hidden cameras, no surveillance devices, nothing. And I just heard back from the Singapore team—they couldn’t find anything in your house either.”

Astrid frowned. “What does this mean?”

“I’m not sure. It’s pretty damn alarming that there’s video footage of us in my bed, but no one has any idea how it was recorded.”

“Could it have been done from a drone?” Astrid wondered.

“No, it’s the wrong angle. We studied every frame of the footage, and it had to have been shot from the foot of my bed, not out the window. Whatever device was in my bedroom is now gone.”

“Oh that’s reassuring,” Astrid said mordantly. “So whoever planted the device came back to remove it.”

“That would appear to be the case. Listen, I’m flying in more security experts from Israel to do another assessment. I want them to go over everything with an even finer comb. And then I’ll send them to Singapore to do another sweep of your house. Until then, I don’t think you should go back to your place until we figure this out.”

Astrid leaned against a pillar, sighing in frustration. “I can’t believe this is happening. I feel so violated, like nowhere I go is safe anymore. I feel like Michael has eyes everywhere in this town.”

“Why don’t you come to Hong Kong? I’m holed up at the Peninsula now, in their Peninsula Suite. This is where all the heads of state stay. It’s really the most secure place you can be at the moment.”

“I feel like if I leave now, it’s admitting defeat. Michael will know he’s managed to intimidate us.”

“Astrid, listen to me. What did we say last night? We’re not going to let Michael win. We’re not going to let him dictate the rules here. You’re not fleeing town. You’re coming to Hong Kong to see me, to have a good time, to start looking into options for our wedding. Your grandma’s funeral is over, and we’re getting on with our lives,” Charlie said reassuringly.

“You’re absolutely right. I have to come to Hong Kong. We have a wedding to plan!” Astrid proclaimed, the fire returning to her voice.