The Long Siege - Chapter 11

A stick and a cake, classic tactic, I just did it with the gym’s manager and now I realize I’m also a receiving end.

The old gym brings back more memories than I thought it would. Manh Cuong, one of my friends from the urchin gang, who earned his own birth name. He has always been the strongest and the bravest of us all, and it has cost him more than everyone. With a twenty-years sentence on his back, Cuong left the gym to me so I can flow the cash back to his mother. Tell her I’m dead, he said to me but I didn’t. I tell his mom he’s working overseas. Then I tell her he is married to a woman and they have a kid. Then I faked the photos as well as the correspondence. When her doubts reach the breaking point and asks for a phone call, I bribe the warden so Cuong can speak with her. I remember how he cried, and how his reactions towards me switched between anger, gratitude, then recognition, the one that only man to man can understand.

The story worked out for him. I don’t know about mine.

The gym manager recognizes me immediately and busts on working as if I’m an old investigator who will fire him in a heartbeat. To be fair, the gym smells like decades of sweat, liniment, and rust. To be fair again, it’s an old gym, acquired after the last owner drowned in gambling debts. Do you know how fast a man loses his years of trained muscle in just a few months? I saunter past the general power lifting area, stopping occasionally to investigate the house rules and safety measures. It’s messy but still acceptable. A couple of guys are posing near the bathroom, feeling good about their achievement. I can see their juiced up muscles and their bottle of juice water. This manager guy is selling powder, using the gym’s lack of management presence. I walk back to the entrance, where the manager guy has his stuff. Yes, he is selling powder.

“It’s the good stuff, I promise,” his voice rings behind me.

I turn and face him. “You should hide them better. I’m not here to take this little cut, but when you do something slick, you should take extra safety measures for the house’s risk.”

“I’m sorry, boss.” He slides past me and conceals his stuff.

I wait. Then I grab his shoulder when he faces me again. “I’m serious. The house can get another one of you, but you won’t get easy money like this from any other house.”

His eyes say he understands what I just said, even better, his eyes say he is afraid.

I squeeze a bit harder. “Do you know how incentive works? I’ll cut a tenth of your salary now and allow you to sell. Tell Mrs. Ha that her son sent her money through you.” When he’s about to bargain, I cut him short. “That’s also a tenth of your earnings on the side, in the name of the house. Greed has its cost.”

His eyes drop. That’s good because if his eyes darted around, I would certainly fire him. That’s another side of my life, you see, constantly dealing with this kind of stuff. And I have to deal with it in a way that no one will feel bad, but feel appreciated and get their ass in line. I tap his shoulder as if I’m giving him a favor while my other hand tugs him some bills. “I want the second floor cleaned up by noon.”

I wait for Elise in the coffee shop nearby, walking through these events that have recently driven me into a corner. Despite the suspicion on her motive, I’m leaning over the chance that the Jade Dragon is throwing another lasso on my neck. It all started with Brooke’s death. Yes, they use that to manipulate me, turning me against Aunty Three. The dealer gone missing is such a convenient tool. He fades away from the light, and walks in my shadow. He eventually grabs my weakness, the footage of me and Brooke’s father. Hell, they might be the one who feeds uncle Tam my whereabouts, whispering to him that I’m Brooke’s killer. Their entire plot appears before my eyes now, and the one who concocted it is often the friendlier one, the one who wants to ally with me. In this business, you can only trust your ally when you hold something over them.

Uncle Long. The fat fuck wants to leash me up like a dog. Linh, his daughter, has a crush on me, it is true. Who else will hold the leash but her. If she somehow appears now, then it will confirm my logic. A stick and a cake, classic tactic, I just did it with the gym’s manager and now I realize I’m also a receiving end.

I know what he wants now. The thought’s as clear as daylight. He wants Ty gone, and I’m his knife. Beautiful plot, it fits him. An ugly person like him is allowed to have beautiful thoughts while me has to wade in the dirty mud of dark thoughts, it’s fair. How can I break this? How can I turn his beautiful plan to ashes?

Speaking of the devil, my phone vibrates with an anonymous number. Tricking your own father and your new girlfriend against each other? You are cold. My jaw tightened. Girlfriend, the word is a deliberate provocation. They are watching me, closer than I thought. The park, the police station, they’ve seen it all.

I’m going overseas in a few days. Be quick or your money will fly away. I text them.

You broke our deal.

No you. I brought the money but I will not hand it to my gamble father.

Still playing tough? You will go to the prison If I send it to the police.

I sigh. This blackmailer talks too much. Where and when? I text them again.

There is a long pause. I can almost feel the blackmailer’s frustration through the screen.

Enjoy your time with your girlfriend, Harry.

Elise arrives at the gym, looking around to find me. I nod to myself. This blackmailer is near, I can sense it. Perhaps, they will follow us into the gym, into my lair. I let Elise to the second floor, where our little gang used to hang out in the past. It has been renovated into a boxing ring and is rented for some guy to host underground fights. The smell of bleach is still strong despite the windows being opened.

“Only us here?” Elise asks.

“Yeah,” I say, “I think you appreciate privacy.” I hand her gloves and hold the sparring pad. “Throw me some.”

She shifts her weight almost immediately and throws a one-three combo before I can lift my guard. I dash back, keeping distance instead of clumsily tackling her attack.

“What?” You told me…” Then she continues with another combo.

I feel the weight of her punch. They aren’t fast, but each is executed with the full support from her legs, her hips, her shoulders, then her arms. “You were laughing inside when I…?”

She doesn’t let me finish and corner me into the ring as if she’s challenging me for a spar up there. Her breath control is phenomenal. Perhaps she can take some. I stop retreating, sliding myself on her left while throwing three jabs. A sharp pain spread on my stomach. She doesn’t retreat but slides under my arm and lands a hook.

I put my hands up. “Well, let’s do ten rounds first.”

She pouts and begins jogging. I run after her and in those ten rounds, we don’t even talk. I smell the faint, expensive fragrance of her shampoo cutting through the gym’s musk. Her breathing becomes heavier, a fine sheen of sweat appearing on her temple. She doesn’t complain, doesn’t ask for a break. She is doing this everyday. It seems like I made a fool of myself yesterday. It doesn’t matter though.

When we are done with the warmup, I invite her to the ring. “Wait. We shouldn’t,” I say.

Her eyes slightly open up in surprise. “Why?”

“Your wound.” I signal at the red streak of blood just seeped through her bandage. “Let me see.” Before she can protest, I’m already holding her arms.

“It’s nothing,” she says, her voice so tender. “So… Am I proven myself?”

I nod. “Yes. Reckless and well trained. Even worse than I thought.” I see her wound before my eyes, and all doubts disappear. She has truly bled for me and I still suspect her intention. “The good thing is you can actually run.”

“Who can run?” A girl’s voice rings across the empty level. I recognise it immediately, Linh. She advances to my side and hooks her arms around mine. She’s dressed as if she comes straight from a lecture hall, in a crisp white blouse and tailored black trousers. Her hair is pulled back in a severe ponytail that sharpened her features. A single, expensive-looking pen is clipped to her pocket, a tiny badge of her academic discipline. She advances to my side and hooks her arms around mine.

I flinch, but she grabs my arm tight. “What are you–”

“Hi there. I’m Linh, his fiancee,” she introduces herself to Elise. Her hand hangs aloft for a handshake. Her nails filed short and clean, devoid of polish, practical and unadorned.

Elise looks at me, then Linh, then she smiles politely and takes Linh’s hand. “Hi Linh, I’m Elise, his therapist.”

“Therapist? Are you threatened, honey?” Linh tilts her head, looking at me as if Elise isn’t present. Her eyes, dark and analytically sharp, are scanning me for a reaction.

I grab her hand and force it away from mine. “Stop playing, little Linh. We are not spouses.” I cross eyes with Elise, but she doesn’t give me any clue. Her eyes are completely emotionless and detached from this situation.

Linh catches our sharing moment. “Are you sure? Didn’t you promise my father that you will bring me to Missouri, then we will marry there?”

Fuck, I told Elise I’m done with the Jade Dragon. I can’t let Linh speak more. “I’m sure of that.” I grab her shoulders. “Listen, you are like a sister to me. You and Khuong will go together, not me and you.”

She shoves me away. “Because of this therapist? What has she done to your head? Hypnotizing, brainwashing?” Her composure cracks then, the law student’s calm is replaced by a flash of raw, entitled passion that makes her delicate features seem suddenly severe.

“Hey!” I hold a finger aloft. “This has nothing to do with her. You come here, uninvited, and acting crazy.”

“Wow, I’m crazy now.” Linh almost screams. “You are meeting a therapist, not me.”

I look at Elise for help but she’s already sparring with the punching bag across the room. “Do I have to escort you out?” My voice changes to a low tone. I can see Linh’s eyes, nose, and cheeks are reddened.

“Do I have to show footage of you kissing her?” Linh says. Her voice is as low as mine and her facial expression suddenly changes. Her facial expression suddenly changes, the heat of her outburst cooling into something calculated and cold, like a prosecutor resting her case.

I grab her arms and pull her toward the stair immediately. “What do you say? What footage?”

Linh smirks, letting me work hard on pulling her weight. “You kiss her, hug her, and let my dad’s proposal hang. What do I have to think of ‘em? What do I have to do to you now to put you in line?”

Put me in line? In leash you mean. I clear my throat, “What do you want?”

“You side with my dad, of course. The dragon has way too many heads for a long time, it’s time for a unify beast,” she says, dropping the act completely.

When we are halfway down the stairs, I stop and whisper to Linh, “I’ll not be controlled again. You know what happened to the one who chained me.”

“Yes, you fuck her, then you kill her,” Linh say, looking straight into my eyes. Her gaze is unwavering and forensic. “You’re one of us, always and forever. You better be done with your… fling and come back to me before it’s too late.” With that, she turns and walks as if her decision is final.

I walk with Linh for a while longer like I’m a beaten dog chasing after the master. It seems to please her. When we reach an alley, I pull her into the shade. My nose touches her nose, but I don’t kiss her. I drop a tag on her bag and snort, as if I’m smelling her perfume, as if I desire her. Then I draw my head back, pretending that I just got out of her spell. “I need some privacy with you, you know, your screa–-”

Her face blushes, knowing well what I meant, what I’ve seen her in private. “Whachu want?”

I play with her hair, twirling a strand between my fingers. “We’ll not be meeting for a year. Let’s make up for that tonight.”

She gives me the eyes of the needles and just turns and walks away again. Her gait becomes strong, like a winner. I check my phone, and it shows her location, good. Then I order lunch delivery for me and Elise and walk back to the gym. Time is tight, Linh will move the footage, and I have an eye in the sky. I call Vinny, he will track Linh. I call my henchmen, they will be where they should be.

The delivery guy shows up when I spar with Elise. She hasn’t talked to me and has been avoiding my gaze for quite some time. You might think I should apologize and explain the situation to her. But I beg to differ. I want to play a bit. I want to see her reaction, which she hasn’t shown, so I stretch the silence to see who will show their feelings first. I’ve to admit she knows the game and is very good with it. This all makes her temple more sacred to visit.

“Are you not going to ask who the girl is?” I ask Elise as she finishes her meal. She wipes her lips, drinks water, then applies moisture, all slow and deliberately avoiding my gaze.

“We only kiss once,” she says, “Then we have some intimate gestures. All of them are under extreme circumstances so… I don’t need to push you for such clarity.”

I bit my lip. “She’s uncle Long’s daughter, one of the big bosses of the Jade Dragon. I think she’s the one blackmailing us.” I let Elise digest the information for a moment. “Not directly, but she’s been given the command on my matter, our matter.”

She bit her knuckle. “How do you know? She seems like a sour girlfriend, not a sister of some gang.”

I shake my head. “She’s an honor student with a law degree. The gang listened to my advice. I’m almost certain that it’s her, I will be certain if she texts me soon.”

“What then?” Elise asks, her voice shaking. “You can give up and get in line, but me, she will destroy me for sure.”

I take her hands into mine. “I won’t let her. I put a tag on her bag. We can… break into her apartment.”

She frowns, looking at me like I just suddenly become an idiot. Then she sees I’m not joking. “You serious? I don’t think her father would allow her to have the original file.”

“It’s how they do business. Once you are charged with the task, you have full control.” I take out my phone and track Linh’s location. “Look, she’s stopped.” Then Elise’s phone flashes.

It’s a hundred thousand dollars now that you are in too deep with him.

“Now I’m almost certain…” Elise says. “But it’s not like before. We are breaking into a guarded house.”

“No,” I shake my head, “I’ll bring help this time.”

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