“You did not!” the grand master barked. “You are whole and strong. Your wife has been chosen, and you will marry.”
“I will marry,” the younger man echoed.
There it was. Though Kong had been the seducer, his father blamed the outsider. It made sense now. And damnation, Bing couldn’t see a way to escape the trap.
Meanwhile, Walter was just now seeing what had happened. “Homophobia?” he gasped. “You’d destroy everything because your son is gay?”
Yes. In China, homosexuality was a sin punishable by death. Perhaps not legally, but certainly within families. And it would without question destroy a man’s career.
“My son is not one of you!” Grand Master Wu spat, and the wetness landed ugly on Bing’s face. “Gutter dog,” he said in Chinese.
Walter was still gaping at the grand master and his son. His words came out clearly, though Bing heard the asthmatic wheeze. “Bullshit. This is about the insurance. You sabotaged us on purpose. We can prove that. And then who—?”
“Bing is finished,” Grand Master Wu interrupted, “his family destroyed and his name erased from my scrolls.”
Bing winced, though he’d known it would happen. Even when he and Kong had first kissed, they’d both known the consequences if they were ever caught. But they’d been young and stupid and so horny that need had driven them into each other’s bed. How naïve he’d been to think that Kong would stand strong in the face of his father’s fury.
Someone had to take the blame.
“But you don’t need to fall with him,” Grand Master Wu said, turning to Walter. His gaze was kind and almost paternal—a look Bing recognized and only now realized how false it was. “This production is finished, but we can start a new company, a new movie with a new Red Wolf.” He pointed to Kong.
To his credit, Walter gaped at the grand master. “You expect me to screw my partner because of your homophobia? You think I’ll just hop into bed with you, you—”
Bing interrupted him before he could say more. “Guard your tone, Walter. The script is done, and your family’s money is wrapped up in this production.”
“As is yours!”
Yes, but he was finished. He had been well and truly played by the grand master—there was no hope for him. “Salvage what you can.” He took a breath and spoke the words that the Red Wolf would. “Save yourself.”
Walter shook his head. “You seriously think I’d just ditch you for money?”
“It is good money,” the grand master said. That translated to:and you are an American. His mentor’s unspoken words, that bigoted attitude that since Walter was an American, loyalty and honor meant nothing to him, were blatantly clear. Bing knew it wasn’t true, and his partner proved that with his next words.
“I’ll tell you what you can do with—”
Bing grabbed Walter and jerked him into the sparse conference area. “Don’t say a word,” Bing hissed. “Just listen.”
“I’m not screwing you over,” Walter said. “We’ll find another way.”
“There won’t be another way,” Bing said, experience making his voice bitter. “I know him. He will have locked up all of our other options.”
“Because you fucked his son?”
“Because his son fucked me.” Then he winced, unable to lie even in so small a matter. “The first time. Then we fucked each other. A lot.” And then Bing had met Walter, and he’d been able to compare. He had seen how cruelly Kong had acted toward the American outsider. And he had seen the gold in Walter’s spirit when no one else had. That was the last time he’d touched Kong as anything but a sparring partner.
“This is unbelievable,” Walter said, his eyes glittering with fury. “I thought you weren’t gay.”
Bing winced. Now was not the time to confess how very deeply he didn’t want to be gay. What was important now was salvaging Walter’s career. Bing’s was already lost. “Look at his offer,” Bing said. “It will be decent. His honor will require that you are fairly compensated for your work.”
“And what about yours?”
“In his mind, revenge is compensation.”
Walter shook his head. “I don’t care what’s in his twisted, screwed-up mind. We’ll find another way.”
Bing bowed his head, humbled by Walter’s passionate defense. It galled him to realize that a guy his mentor considered weak was acting with more virtue than his own grand master. So he spoke in a way that honored them both.
“Thank you,” he whispered. Then he clicked on the Record button on his phone. “Walter Chen, I release you from all our bonds. I relinquish ownership of the Red Wolf script. All is yours. Choose whatever would be best for your family. I have no wish to have your fortunes tied to mine.”
