a cab to the hospital
my only thought was I would do all I could to make damn sure Ivy remained safe.
I
glanced out the window and saw lightning light up the gray sky across the
water. The rain had been heavy even before I left JFK. When the bolt flashed,
it brought to mind the memory of the flash of Jai’s blade striking against my
own. He let me gaze upon his hatred for me stamped on his face, his
determination to see me dead. In the end, I also witnessed his acceptance of
his own death when my knife sliced across his throat. I don’t think I’d ever
experience a storm again and not think of how my life had changed.
I
pulled out my phone and texted Ivy I was there. I just needed to get to her. At
least I came alone. Uncle Tsang didn’t want me to travel without Will but after
what went down, Joe’s death and then Jai’s, the Triad wasn’t doing anything for
a while. Tsang wasn’t too happy with what I’d done either. I’d gotten the
information I wanted without involving him. The day I left Ivy with Dante I’d
gone to a popular fight hang out and found out where Jai was going to be the
next night. The message I sent to the Triad was loud and clear. I understood
Tsang’s fear that I would be unprotected, but our enemies didn’t know who Ivy
was. It would take time to find out her information and then to figure out
where I’d gone. By then we’d be back in New York surrounded by Tong where the
Triad couldn’t touch us.
Yesterday
I’d signed all the paperwork with the lawyers, and then met with some of the
business owners. I now owned the primary shares in the Tong. A conglomerate of
business interests spanning the gambit from restaurants, retail stores, dry
cleaners, even a few small IT and software companies. All of which I didn’t
know fuck about. Almost twenty-four years old and I had businessmen who’d run
successful companies for years looking up to me. Crap! I had a shitload to learn and no time to learn it. First and
foremost the Triad had to go. Really just Liu. Cut off the head of a snake and
the rest will die. This shit began with the deaths of his father and my mother.
It was time for it to end. I hoped it ended with Jai’s death but that could be
just wishful thinking on my part.
I
got out of the cab in front of the hospital entrance. The last song playing in
the cab ride over resonated in my soul. Yeah, I was knee deep in Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise . Right down to the
fucking snakes. I took a deep breath to shake out the depressing thoughts. I
had a woman to face who needed me strong and focused on her. I only carried a
backpack with a change of clothes. I didn’t need much. I was there for Ivy. As
soon as I stepped through the sliding doors I walked toward the reception desk.
It didn’t escape my notice I’d been spending an awful lot of time in hospitals
lately. Creeped me the hell out. The sound of my name had me swinging in
another direction, and there was my girl hurrying to me. I smiled for the first
time in days and opened my arms. She hobbled right into them, I picked her up,
and covered her lips to mine.
God,
I missed her. I wrapped my arms around her tighter. She was my anchor. My
light. Her warmth rushed through my veins breaking the ice. I prayed to God she
never found out what I was capable of doing. What I had done. When I thought I
could breathe on my own I put her down.
“Well,
I guess that means you’re happy to see me,” I joked.
She
smiled. “Yeah.” She grabbed my elbow. “How was the flight? I’m sorry the
weather is so crappy.”
“It
was fine. No worries.”
“Come
on. Bev’s being prepped now.”
I
followed her to the elevator. I would have kissed her again but a woman and a
toddler got on with us. When the elevator opened, we got off and walked down a
hallway past a nurse’s station. Ivy led me into another section but it was
kinda crowded. It looked more like a prepping area cause only curtains
separated one room from another. I recognized
my only thought was I would do all I could to make damn sure Ivy remained safe.
I
glanced out the window and saw lightning light up the gray sky across the
water. The rain had been heavy even before I left JFK. When the bolt flashed,
it brought to mind the memory of the flash of Jai’s blade striking against my
own. He let me gaze upon his hatred for me stamped on his face, his
determination to see me dead. In the end, I also witnessed his acceptance of
his own death when my knife sliced across his throat. I don’t think I’d ever
experience a storm again and not think of how my life had changed.
I
pulled out my phone and texted Ivy I was there. I just needed to get to her. At
least I came alone. Uncle Tsang didn’t want me to travel without Will but after
what went down, Joe’s death and then Jai’s, the Triad wasn’t doing anything for
a while. Tsang wasn’t too happy with what I’d done either. I’d gotten the
information I wanted without involving him. The day I left Ivy with Dante I’d
gone to a popular fight hang out and found out where Jai was going to be the
next night. The message I sent to the Triad was loud and clear. I understood
Tsang’s fear that I would be unprotected, but our enemies didn’t know who Ivy
was. It would take time to find out her information and then to figure out
where I’d gone. By then we’d be back in New York surrounded by Tong where the
Triad couldn’t touch us.
Yesterday
I’d signed all the paperwork with the lawyers, and then met with some of the
business owners. I now owned the primary shares in the Tong. A conglomerate of
business interests spanning the gambit from restaurants, retail stores, dry
cleaners, even a few small IT and software companies. All of which I didn’t
know fuck about. Almost twenty-four years old and I had businessmen who’d run
successful companies for years looking up to me. Crap! I had a shitload to learn and no time to learn it. First and
foremost the Triad had to go. Really just Liu. Cut off the head of a snake and
the rest will die. This shit began with the deaths of his father and my mother.
It was time for it to end. I hoped it ended with Jai’s death but that could be
just wishful thinking on my part.
I
got out of the cab in front of the hospital entrance. The last song playing in
the cab ride over resonated in my soul. Yeah, I was knee deep in Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise . Right down to the
fucking snakes. I took a deep breath to shake out the depressing thoughts. I
had a woman to face who needed me strong and focused on her. I only carried a
backpack with a change of clothes. I didn’t need much. I was there for Ivy. As
soon as I stepped through the sliding doors I walked toward the reception desk.
It didn’t escape my notice I’d been spending an awful lot of time in hospitals
lately. Creeped me the hell out. The sound of my name had me swinging in
another direction, and there was my girl hurrying to me. I smiled for the first
time in days and opened my arms. She hobbled right into them, I picked her up,
and covered her lips to mine.
God,
I missed her. I wrapped my arms around her tighter. She was my anchor. My
light. Her warmth rushed through my veins breaking the ice. I prayed to God she
never found out what I was capable of doing. What I had done. When I thought I
could breathe on my own I put her down.
“Well,
I guess that means you’re happy to see me,” I joked.
She
smiled. “Yeah.” She grabbed my elbow. “How was the flight? I’m sorry the
weather is so crappy.”
“It
was fine. No worries.”
“Come
on. Bev’s being prepped now.”
I
followed her to the elevator. I would have kissed her again but a woman and a
toddler got on with us. When the elevator opened, we got off and walked down a
hallway past a nurse’s station. Ivy led me into another section but it was
kinda crowded. It looked more like a prepping area cause only curtains
separated one room from another. I recognized
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