My phone buzzes angrily on the dresser and I check it.
“Callum. I believe I told you to take the night off?”
“Sorry to interrupt your honeymoon.” The little bastard doesn’t leave sound sorry at all. “I’ve got news about the missing guard from the warehouse fire.”
Rubbing my forehead, I already know this is going to be bad news. Callum gets a tone. “Tell me.”
“They found the body,” he says, “Jonathan’s throat was cut like the others. But we found a brand on his back.”
“What kind of brand?” I frown, walking out to the deck to avoid waking my wife. Most brands came from the more vicious SouthAmerican cartels, though a few of the Korean Jopok and the Chinese Triads have adopted the practice.
“We sent the image to Terrence and it took him twelve hours to find a match,” he says, “but he says the likelihood of this pairing is around 98.5%.”
“You’re dragging this out, which is never good. Tell me.”
“It’s the old brand from the Chen Triad,” he says.
If I were a superstitious man - which I am not - the chill that runs up my spine would be from him merely uttering those two words.
It’s just the ocean breeze.
“The MacTavishes wiped the Chen Triad from the face of the earth after they kidnapped Sorcha and her cousins,” I say. “That can’t be correct. How long had the man been working for us?”
“Eight years,” he says, “Jonathan was thoroughly vetted, he proved himself, he was a good soldier.”
“The man showed up eight years ago wearing the brand of a defunct triad,” I say, watching the waves roll into the beach. “Only the most venerated soldiers receive the brand. His working his way into our organization is not an accident.”
“This means…” Callum says slowly.
“It means that Zhang’s uncle - or someone of power in the family - is still alive,” I say, suddenly enraged. “And rebuilding the family’s triad. Now I see why Zhang was so confident about attacking us. Fuck! The MacTavishes can’t do a single goddamned thing right.”
“Aside from his usual shitty business practices, it explains why Zhang was so obsessed with stealing Mrs. Taylor,” he says. “She would be the ultimate prize for a disgraced crime family.”
My decision to bring Sorcha to an island so hidden that it can’t be found on most maps is looking better by the moment. She’s safer here. The shell corporation I used to buy the island has no connection to my organization.
“Keep Terrence scrolling the dark web, see if he can find any rumblings about a new triad. They have to recruit or buy soldiers, they will leave a pattern,” I say.
“What do you want me to do with the body?” he asks, “Set it on fire and leave him on Zhang’s doorstep?”
“While I appreciate your savagery, no.” I say dryly, “We don’t want him to discover that we know about the resurgence of the Chen Triad. Tell them to put him in an oil barrel and drop him into the ocean.”
“Do you want to head back to London?”
“I’m staying here with my bride for the moment,” I say, “as my Second, I trust you to handle the day-to-day issues while we decide what to do with those bastards. How many men do we have on the island?”
“Twelve,” Callum says.
“Fly back in the morning and send me ten more men,” I say grimly. “I have some calls to make.”
“I’m deeply disappointed I won’t be in on those calls,” he says. “I’m sure there’s going to be some screaming.”
“I’ll record them for you. Get back home. Double the guard on our weapons storehouses. No more shipments go out until we know we can protect them.”
“That’s going to make the McCreedy Mafia very unhappy,” he warns.
“We’re the most reliable supplier in Europe,” I say, “they’ll wait.”
“On it, Boss. Enjoy your evening.” There’s a horrified pause and then, one of the biggest and toughest men I know starts to babble apologies. “I meant- just- sleep well. I didn’t mean anything regarding your wife. I was not thinking of your wife. I just meant you, and-”
