I keep a close eye on her to see if she reacts to that name at all, but she doesn’t flinch.She seems very interested in the subject though.
“He’s local to Spokane and known to law enforcement as a gang member.”
She reacts to that information, a slight gasp as her hand twitches in mine.
“It’s a small-time gang, local to Spokane but, according to the FBI, they’re affiliated with the Lotus Squad, part of their narcotics distribution network.”
We stop at the small park at the end of the street to let Ragnar do his business.
“I don’t understand,” she volunteers.“What issue would they have with Clem?”
“They don’t,” I respond.“But Clem has something in common with you, an address.”
“What are you talking about?His place is down the street from me.I’m at 140 and he’s at?—”
“104,” I finish for her.
Realization flits over her face before it’s replaced with something more like fear.I hate making her afraid, but she needs to know what she’s dealing with.Whatever it is her brother did to piss his old gang off, it’s worth killing over.
Victor Zhang was found dead in the trunk of his petrol blue BMW XM, shot execution style.Rumor on the street is he fucked up on a job he was doing for the Squad, and they weren’t too pleased.
I’m keeping those details to myself, but there’s a reason I want to keep Bess as close as possible.
“That was meant for me.”
I drop her hand and fold her in my arms instead.
“Looks that way.”
Suddenly I feel her back go rigid under my hands.
“They’re trying to bait Ken.Draw him out in the open,” she deduces accurately.
That was the conclusion we came to as well.
And if Ken Choi is any kind of brother—estranged or not—he won’t likely sit by idle while his sister is under threat.Only the coldest of monsters would willingly throw their own family under the bus.From what I’ve been able to learn, Ken Choi was far from a choirboy, but he was not the devil incarnate.
“Probably.You should also know we’ve not yet been able to locate your brother, but we’re keeping a close eye out in case he decides to show up in Silence.”
She mumbles something under her breath I can’t quite make out.
“What was that?”
She lifts her face, looking up at me with resignation in her eyes as she takes a step back.
“I said, too late.He’s already here.”
My blood chills, even as my mind already starts filtering through what I might have missed.I don’t have to go far back to pick up on signals I may have dismissed at the time.
“He was at the coffee shop, in the alley.”
She confirms with a nod.
I try to keep a lid on the flash of anger at her failure to mention anything before.
“Was that the first time?”
The question comes out a bit harsher than I intended.
