Broken Faith
Part 7
by Lois Cloarec Hart


Disclaimers - See Part 1 for disclaimers.

Chapter Seven

Gao rechecked the address he had scrawled on a scrap of paper. His flight had landed forty-five minutes ago and he'd wasted no time in disembarking and renting a car. He had received the summons to Vancouver late the previous night, with orders to meet the Chameleon at the specified address Saturday afternoon.

After a sleepless night, in which he'd endlessly reviewed his performance and any potential trouble areas, Gao caught the first available flight from Calgary.
His first thought had been of the shipment to Missoula that week, but from all reports, the transport had gone smoothly and the cargo was currently in transit to New York. Pike and Eddie had followed their orders to the letter this time, so Gao was sure he wasn't being called on the carpet because of his feckless subordinates.

Drawing a deep breath and cautioning himself that there was no point in buying trouble in advance, Gao glanced briefly at the city map resting on top of his briefcase as he slowed and entered a primarily industrial area. He quickly arrived at his destination—a nondescript strip mall which housed a convenience store, several unremarkable small shops and a shabby coffee shop tucked discreetly between a flower shop and drugstore at the far end.

After parking the car, he headed directly for the seedy coffee shop. Entering, Gao found himself pinned by a deceptively casual glance from the counterman who gave him a slight nod and returned to his newspaper. There were only two customers in the shop, and Gao ignored them as he made his way down a short hall to the door labeled, 'Employees Only.'

Passing through, he found himself in a small antechamber piled with cardboard stock boxes. On the opposite wall, a man Gao recognized as one of the Chameleon's inner circle sat next to another door, his chair casually tilted against the wall as he watched the newcomer. He'd met this man several times when instructions had been conveyed to him but he'd never been told his name and knew not to ask.

The man, a husky oriental with piercing black eyes and long graying hair tied neatly back in a ponytail, advanced on Gao who stood unmoving and submitted to a quick but thorough frisking.

Grunting his approval, the man indicated the door he'd been sitting beside. "Go in, she'll see you now."

As Gao made to move past him, the man stopped him with a warning hand. "Keep your eyes front and focus on the light."

Gao nodded nervously and surreptitiously dried his palms on his tailored trousers. The man moved aside and Gao opened the door. Stepping through, he found himself in a darkened room, the only illumination the tiny slivers of sunlight edging blackout shades and a dim lamp on a metal desk directly in front of him. He kept his eyes fixed on that lamp and stood silently until a voice sounded from a corner behind him.

"Gao Qui-jian."

The voice was unremarkable and the tone neutral, but Gao barely restrained a flinch on hearing it. "Yes, madam," he said, unsure if a response was required.

"Did you have a good flight?"

He was startled at the question, shocking in its ordinariness. He'd half expected an immediate interrogation but he shook off the surprise and repeated, "Yes, madam."

"Good. You were very prompt."

Gao almost relaxed at the hint of approval but sharply reminded himself in whose presence he stood and said for the third time, "Yes, madam."

A slight chuckle sent chills down his spine and he consciously locked his knees. The voice changed now, becoming coolly businesslike.

"You've done well by us, Gao. I'm pleased with your performance in keeping the Calgary end of our transactions running smoothly. However, I have a couple of local problems that require your personal touch."

Puzzled, Gao allowed himself a margin of relief as it became apparent he wasn't here to be disciplined. "I'm at your disposal, madam."

"That you are." Gao was jerked out of any slight complacence by the amused malevolence in those words.

Sharply now, the voice went on, "Your cousin Rhongji is becoming something of a liability. You brought him on board and he is your responsibility, Gao."

The slight man blinked, images of his amiable, fun-loving younger cousin flooding his mind. "May I ask what he's done, madam?"

"He has taken to an...ostentatious lifestyle and has come to the attention of the wrong people. You will either bring him to heel, reminding him forcefully of the requirement that our people maintain a low profile, or you will eliminate the problem all together."

The icy tone left no room for misunderstanding, and Gao nodded his head numbly. Clearing his throat, he tried for an impassive intonation as he asked, "You said a couple of problems, madam?"

"One of our customs agents had lately displayed a rather disturbing degree of greediness and needs to be reminded for whom he works and that his health and happiness continue at our pleasure. You are to remind him of that fact. Liang will provide you with the details you'll need. Once these matters are taken care of, you are to leave the city immediately."

Gao was sure he'd given no visible reaction to the orders, but his overlord chuckled and asked, "Do you have a problem with that?" The words were mild but Gao was not a foolish man.

"No, madam. Of course not."

The voice was deceptively soft. "It's a shame that you'll miss the opportunity to see your eldest brother's new son though, isn't it?"

Not at all surprised that the Chameleon knew family details that he'd only just learned, Gao said coolly, "It's not important, madam."

"You would like to return to Vancouver some day." It wasn't a question but Gao nodded again. "That's not an impossibility, eventually; but for now I require your talents in Calgary. You have been a very competent lieutenant, and I value that in an employee. Besides, Calgary isn't so bad now, is it?"

The man paused and chose his words carefully. "It's not Vancouver, madam."

"No," came the amused response. "But it has its—attractions." Briskly then the woman instructed, "See Liang on your way out. Send your report through the usual channels. I'll expect to hear from you within 24 hours."

Gao nodded and was carefully turning for the door in the opposite direction of the woman when a low sibilant warning halted him.

"What happened in Kalispell is never to happen again. Is that clear, Gao?"

Freezing, the man barely managed to force a nod.

"I judge my lieutenants by the conduct of their subordinates...and Gao...I do not give second chances."

"Yes, madam." Even as Gao croaked the words, his feet were carrying him to the door and out of this woman's presence. Closing the door swiftly behind him, he barely stopped himself from wiping the gathering sweat from his forehead. Clearing his throat he said to the man he now knew as Liang, "You have some information for me?"

The man extracted a large envelope from his inner pocket and extended it. Gao accepted it and glanced at the two typed sheets of paper and photograph within. Uncertainly he asked, "Can you tell me what exactly my cousin has been doing?"

Liang regarded him coolly and Gao wasn't sure the man would answer until he said, "Rhongji has become a player in high-stakes gambling circles. He has also acquired a taste for the flashier pleasures of life. It was necessary this week to intervene and eliminate a threat that his indiscretions caused. Your cousin is in danger of becoming a messy loose end."

Gao tucked the envelope in his pocket and made his exit, hearing Liang enter the inner office behind him as he did. On his way out to the car, he alternated between cursing his cousin's stupidity and wondering why Rhongji hadn't simply been eliminated, given the Chameleon's known intolerance for loose ends. He wasn't foolish enough to assume it was because of his own connection with Rhongji. Although he had been steadily rising within the organization, he had no illusions about his own importance.

Musing over the problem, he'd just started the car when a thought struck him. I'm being tested! Swiftly his mind ran over recent events. The fiasco with the King brothers and the cargo they'd mishandled; his cousin, whom he'd recommended and brought into the organization, turning out to be a liability. Though neither of those incidents had been a firsthand result of his actions, he was indirectly responsible, and he suddenly understood that his standing in the organization had been jeopardized. With sickening clarity he realized that he either executed his instructions with rapid perfection, or he'd find himself on the receiving end of similar orders.

With a shaking hand, he shifted his car into drive and pulled out of the lot. Heading for his cousin's apartment, he let his mind drift over his history with Rhongji. They had been boys together in Hong Kong where his father and Rhongji's mother had grown up. His father, a prominent businessman, had sent Gao and his two elder brothers to Vancouver in 1995, ahead of the Chinese takeover of the colony in '97. Gao's older brothers had dutifully followed their father's instructions and established themselves as solid members of the Hong Kong émigré society in Vancouver. Both had gone into banking, married local girls and prepared the way for the rest of the extended family to come to Canada ahead of the Hong Kong takeover.

Unlike his dutiful brothers, the younger Gao had ignored his absentee father's wishes and followed his own impulses. By the time Rhongji was sent to join them early in '97, Gao was already deeply involved in local triad activities, and he drew his impressionable younger cousin into the gang with him.

When Gao had been recruited for the Chameleon's organization, he'd brought Rhongji along with him. When he was sent to Calgary to oversee that branch of the snakehead operations, Rhongji had been left behind to continue running the local drug distribution branch. Gao knew his cousin was a malleable, hedonistic, often gullible man but he'd thought him experienced enough to handle things without direct supervision.

Merging with the increasing traffic, Gao shook his head. He had a certain fondness for Rhongji. As boys, the younger cousin had idolized him and in turn, he'd treated his acolyte with affectionate disdain, often taking advantage of the boy's good nature. Rhongji had earned his friendship by loyally trying to take the blame whenever the boys had gotten in trouble. Now, however...

Gao's jaw tightened. He would not allow Rhongji's excesses to jeopardize his own future. Ruthlessly he excised the memories of the chubby little boy who'd hung on his every word and hastened to do his bidding, no matter how outrageous. Dark cold eyes took in his surroundings as he considered his options. By the time he pulled up in front of his cousin's building, he'd set himself a clear path of action. It would be up to Rhongji how the encounter ended.

Once parked, he glanced quickly around. Seeing no one in the immediate vicinity, he opened his briefcase and shuffled the paperwork within forward far enough to press two tiny switches that dropped the leather back, revealing a hidden compartment. Gao smiled at the very narrow switchblade that had been hidden from airport X-rays by melding it with the metal frame of the briefcase. Sliding it out of its holder, the man slipped it into his jacket pocket and closed the case.

When Gao rang his cousin's apartment for entry to the building. Rhongji never even bothered to question the caller before buzzing him in. Shaking his head at the man's foolish complacency, Gao took the elevator to the 19th floor. When he knocked at his cousin's door, an emaciated slip-clad woman with unfocused sloe-eyes opened it. Frowning, he brushed by her to see his cousin sprawled on the couch, clothed only in scarlet boxer shorts, his eyes closed as he drew deeply on a pipe.

"Hey," the woman protested. "You're not Billy. You can't come in." When Gao ignored her, she turned to the supine man. "Ronnie," she whined, but before she could go on, Gao turned to her and snapped, "Get lost."

Rhongji's eyes flew open and a big smile lit his round face. "Qui-jian! Shit man, I didn't know you were coming to the coast. Why didn't you call me?"

Gao fixed icy eyes on his cousin and ordered, "Get rid of her."

Startled, Rhongji sat up and blinked in confusion. "Ah, sure. Look, honey, why don't you take a hike and I'll give you a call later."

When the woman began to protest, Gao wordlessly lashed out and caught her with a backhand across her face. Shocked, Rhongji stared at him as the woman whimpered and tried to staunch the flow of blood from her nose. Gao never took his eyes from his cousin and Rhongji was galvanized into action, grabbing the woman's clothing, purse and shoes and thrusting them into her arms. She struggled into her dress at the door and had barely fastened it before Rhongji was pushing her out into the hall.

Turning back to his cousin, Rhongji held out a hand in supplication. "Hey, you didn't have to do that. She didn't mean no harm."

"Shut up." The blunt order silenced Rhongji who stood, shifting nervously from foot to foot. "Sit." Gao pointed at the abandoned couch, and his cousin hastened to do as he was bid. Coldly, the slight man regarded his blood relative. "You are a fool," he finally told his cousin who was fiddling apprehensively with the abandoned pipe.

Rhongji glanced quickly up at him, but then averted his eyes without saying anything. For a fleeting moment, the man's hangdog expression reminded Gao of the boy he'd grown up with, but he reminded himself that neither of them stood a chance if he didn't get through his cousin's thick skull.

"Do you have any idea the danger you've put both of us in?"

The thickset man looked up in alarmed puzzlement and Gao shook his head in exasperation. "You don't have a clue, do you?"

Moving to stand over his cousin, Gao spat out the story of his summons to Vancouver and his orders to 'take care' of the problem Rhongji presented.
Concluding he said, "We get one chance, and you are not going to fuck this up."

Rhongji had steadily sunk into himself under his cousin's harsh words and cold tone. Now he looked up in fear. "I didn't think..." His excuse was abruptly terminated by a sharp slap across the head.

"That's right, you didn't think," Gao snarled. "You've never thought in your life, and you're not going to try now. When I left here, what did I tell you?"

Still cupping his ear where Gao's palm had hit him, the repentant man mumbled, "You told me to keep my nose clean and to tend strictly to business."

"Exactly, and what the hell did you do?"

"I do tend to business!" Rhongji protested. "We haven't had one break in distribution since I took over."

"And that's probably the only thing that's saved your miserable hide." Gao sighed as his cousin stared at him with dawning panic in his eyes. "Rhongji," he said more gently. "You do not mess around with these people. You know the Chameleon insists on discretion. She doesn't mind if you go elsewhere if you want to gamble and whore around, but she won't have you drawing attention in her backyard, got it?"

Shamefacedly, the other man asked, "Is this about the incident at the Aces High Club?"

Gao nodded. This had been part of the briefing Liang had given him. His cousin had been in an after hours high-stakes game with other high rollers, one of whom held a prominent position on the city parks commission. When the bureaucrat had lost heavily, he'd turned on Rhongji accusing him of cheating. Half drunk himself, the drug trafficker had taken exception to the slur and attacked his accuser until he was pulled away. Charges hadn't been laid after a Chameleon representative quickly visited the bureaucrat in hospital and explained how it would be in his best interests to attribute his injuries to a mugging.

"In part. Police had their suspicions, but they couldn't shake his story that he'd suffered his broken jaw during a robbery when he'd been walking to his car after work one night."

Regarding his cousin closely, Gao could tell the gravity of the situation was finally sinking in. Deciding Rhongji needed a more vivid demonstration of what the Chameleon's displeasure meant, he said, "Get your coat. You're coming with me."

Rhongji looked up in confusion and fear. Gao shook his head. "If I were going to kill you, cousin, I'd hardly have left a witness alive, would I?"

Pale, and not looking very reassured, the heavy man stood and made his way to the bedroom of the lush apartment. Gao followed him and watched as his cousin dressed, nodding approvingly when the man shuffled through his closet, donning conservative clothes in stark contrast to his brilliant red silk boxers.

Wordlessly, the shaken man followed Gao from the apartment and down to the rental car. The next few hours were spent in reconnaissance as Gao and Rhongji drove from the docks to a small bar close to the Port Administrative offices to a bland middle class Surrey neighbourhood. After carefully checking each location, Gao made his decision. His cousin had refrained from asking too many questions, and Gao approved of his newfound reticence. Deciding they might as well eat first, he stopped at a White Spot restaurant where he and Rhongji joined the early dinner crowd, slipping inconspicuously into a back booth.

It was only after they'd ordered that Rhongji finally asked, "What are we doing?"

"We are having dinner," Gao answered calmly, his dark eyes forbidding any further questions. His cousin nodded mutely and when his meal came, only played with his food. Gao made no attempt to put him at ease, finishing his own dinner in silence.

They were back outside the Port buildings before six, parked discreetly between two cars on a side street that provided a view of the employee's parking lot. Keeping a late model green Grand Prix in sight, he glanced again at the photo Liang had given him. When a group of uniformed men left the building and split up in several directions, he smiled as his prey walked directly to the Grand Prix. The target, a balding, heavy-set man with a prominent beer belly, unlocked his car and slid inside. Gao started his car and smoothly pulled away from the curb, not waiting to see which direction the Grand Prix would leave in.

Startled, Rhongji turned to him. "Aren't you going to follow him?"

"No need. Our foolish friend is a man of unchanging habits. He always goes to the same bar directly after work. He stays for a couple of hours and then goes home to the wife and kids." With a cold smile at his cousin, Gao added, "You and I are going to change his routine slightly tonight."

The two men drove directly to the bar they'd checked out earlier in the day. The bar was on a busy street, which suited Gao well. Stopping a block away, he parked where he had a clear view of the bar's front door. He permitted himself a small triumphant smile when the Grand Prix drove past him and turned onto a side street. Within moments, their target could be seen walking out onto the main street and entering the bar.

"Now what?" Rhongji asked restlessly. His cousin's icy glare instantly stopped his fidgeting.

"Now we wait." Deliberately Gao turned away from his companion and fixed his eyes on the bar. Several hours passed in virtual silence as Gao ignored all attempts at conversation. Finally, glancing at his watch, Gao started the car, ignoring a sigh of relief from beside him. Turning onto the side street, he saw the Grand Prix parked in a pay lot, as he knew it would be. Pulling into the alley that ran behind the bar, he edged the car close to the buildings and shut it off. Motioning his cousin to follow him, he exited the car, leaving it unlocked.

Taking the long route around the parking lot, Gao laughed a little at his own caution. There was no attendant, only a machine that dispensed prepaid tickets, but he wasn't taking any chances. Slipping soundlessly between rows of cars, he approached the Grand Prix and quickly punctured all four tires with his blade. Retreating one row over, he and Rhongji waited.

Having to duck once when a patron returned for his car, it was no more than ten minutes later when the customs agent entered the lot. Weaving a little, he made his way to the Grand Prix. He'd begun to open his door when he noticed his flat front tire. Swearing, he kicked at it only to notice the back one was flat too. Cursing loudly, he walked around the car, his tirade getting louder with each flat tire.

Gao and Rhongji walked over. "Hey man, everything all right?" Gao asked pleasantly. The man had knelt beside his front tire and was shaking his head.

"Some asshole slashed my tires!" he complained angrily, not even looking up at the men's approach.

Gao was on him instantly, holding his blade to the man's throat and leaning over him as the customs agent froze in fear. Rhongji stood back slightly, glancing around nervously.

"I have a message from the Chameleon," Gao whispered in the man's ear. The terrorized man squeaked but didn't move. "Your demands are unacceptable, and the Chameleon wishes to remind you who it is you work for." His blade still at the man's throat, he moved his foot forward to press down on the man's hand that had been resting on the pavement by the tire. "You and your family exist at the Chameleon's pleasure, and if you need help remembering that little fact..."

Gao pulled his blade from the man's throat and slashed downward, severing two of the man's fingers that had been pinned against the ground. Before his victim could recover from the shock enough to even scream, Gao stood and slammed the man's head against the side of the car, dropping him like a stone into a gathering pool of his own blood. Contemptuously kicking the sundered digits under the car, he turned and walked rapidly away, followed by his stunned cousin.

It was only once they were back on the main street, melding smoothly with the heavy traffic that Gao glanced over to his cousin. Rhongji was pale and staring blindly out the window. The slender man inwardly shook his head. The other man projected a tough image that had served him well, but Gao knew his cousin lacked the streak of barbarity that he himself had. Even his cousin's position in the Chameleon's organization was mostly an administrative one, setting up and regulating drug distribution routes. Rhongji rarely had to get his hands dirty, and Gao knew he'd remember this evening's work for a long time, which was exactly what he had intended.

Several blocks away Gao pulled up next to a public phone. Rhongji glanced at him in puzzlement. "It hardly serves the Chameleon's purpose if he dies from blood loss. Call 911 and report a mugging in the parking lot. Tell the operator that it looked like the man was hurt badly, and they should send an ambulance. Then hang up."

Uncertainly Rhongji opened his door. As he got out, Gao snapped, "Don't leave any fingerprints."

He watched approvingly as his cousin used his jacket sleeve over his hand to grasp the receiver and the corner of his lighter to punch the buttons. With a few quick sentences Rhongji followed orders and then hung up abruptly, swiftly sliding back into the car.

Driving directly to the airport, Gao parked his car in the rental return lot and then turned to his cousin. Extracting his blade from his pocket, he idly turned it over in his hand as he eyed Rhongji coldly.

"Do I need to go over what is expected of you from now on?"

Rhongji shook his head jerkily.

"Good. But just so we're clear, understand this, cousin. What you saw tonight is infinitesimally minor compared to what will happen if you cause the Chameleon any further problems."

Gao could smell the stink of his cousin's fear, but he continued relentlessly. "I won't be able to protect you. Understand, too, that if she orders me to eliminate you as an unacceptable threat to the organization, our relationship won't save you." He sighed inwardly at the look of horrified incredulity on Rhongji's face that slowly evolved into fearful acceptance.

"Can I go?"

Gao considered his cousin's stiff posture and then nodded. "Go." As the man reached for the door handle, he added, "Behave, Rhongji." With a bitter backwards look, his cousin exited the car and stalked off. Gao watched him head for a taxi stand. Sitting quietly for several long moments, he finally stashed his knife back in the briefcase, extracted his return ticket and went to turn in his car and await his flight.


Continued in Chapter 8

Return to The Bard's Corner