"A Mountain of Blades and a Sea of Fire" – Chinese Idiom

  Hangzhou, China – October 13th, – 6:00 AM

  Snuggled into a warm cocoon, Anna can hear her sister moving around in the kitchen. Apprehensive after last night's argument, she peeks out from under her pile of blankets on the couch. Hailee is pouring coffee into a to-go mug, her face set in quiet resignation. Anna hesitates, debating whether to stay pretending to be asleep or face her sister.

  “My substitute got food poisoning,” Hailee says matter-of-factly, “So I need to go in today.”

  The gig is up. Anna throws off the covers, the morning chill snapping her fully awake. She’s going to need something hot to face Hailee’s cold attitude. Grabbing her mug from the table, she shuffles over to the tea kettle. “That’s okay,” she yawns. “I’ll hang out here.”

  “Will you be fine on your own?” Hailee asks a hint of worry in her voice. Her concern is still evident despite the leftover tension from the night before. They haven’t been more than fifty feet apart since Anna was rescued.

  “Mm,” Anna grunts, pouring herself a cup of hot tea. She wraps her hands around the mug, savoring the warmth. Her hands feel cold when she is stressed. No surprise, they’ve been like ice lately. The heat from the cup sends a tingle down her arms, almost painful in its intensity.

  Amie places her phone on the counter, “Call the school if you need anything. You know the pin.”

  Anna has a fleeting desire to ask Hailee to stay or take her along, but she knows she is being ridiculous. She is perfectly safe in the apartment, and she shouldn’t disrupt her sister’s life any more than she already has. It’s probably good for them to have a little space.

  “Don’t worry about me,” Anna reassures, “I don’t plan to move from the couch.”

  Hailee doesn’t look convinced. Anna smiles confidently, masking her building anxiety at being alone. It works.

  “I’ll be back around six.” Hailee gathers her bag and coat as she goes out the door. Anna waves her goodbye, keeping her false confidence in place until the door shuts.

  Anna hurries to lock it and secures the deadbolt, but a tight feeling grows in her stomach. She looks around the apartment. Her mind races. She grabs the nearest kitchen chair and drags it over to wedge under the door handle. It doesn’t erase the knot of anxiety, but it takes the edge off.

  ***

  The closer Hailee gets to the school, the lighter her mood becomes. The sun's faint warmth on her skin mixes with the crisp, cool scent of the fall air. For a moment, everything feels normal.

  Students rush past her in matching blue and white tracksuits, their laughter lifting the weight from her shoulders. For a moment, everything feels as it should, as if the nightmare of the last few days could never have happened.

  “Teacher Westcott!” a sweet and excited voice rings out. Hailee turns to find Lina running to meet her at the entrance. She knows she shouldn’t have favorites, but Lina has held a special place in her heart since the first day of school. The young girl’s shyness and earnest desire to be good remind Hailee of herself at that age.

  When her dad isn’t home, Lina’s main caretakers are her grandparents. Hailee imagines Lina tries not to give them anything to worry about. She used to do the same-- not wanting to add any extra burdens to her parents’ shoulders. As a teacher Hailee should appreciate such a well-behaved student, but part of her wishes to see Lina let loose and be a little mischievous.

  Lina’s grandmother catches up, her face retaining a youthful quality despite being in her sixties. Her features, a softer, more feminine version of her son’s, are sharpened by the gray-streaked hair pulled tightly into a bun.

  “Lina, you forgot your bag,” Bai Jie Su says as she approaches, handing the Hello Kitty backpack to her granddaughter.

  Hailee’s smile of greeting is met by Bai Jie Su’s inscrutable expression. The warmth she saw before in the woman’s eyes is momentarily absent.

  Hailee suddenly feels like a mischievous student standing before an unforgiving principal. Has she done something wrong? Are the homework assignments she gives too hard—or too easy?

  “Thank you, Grandma!” Lina chirps, hugging her backpack tightly.

  Bai Jie Su's gaze lingers on Hailee for a second before shifting to Lina. Her soft smile holds no trace of the tightness from before. Hailee wonders if she only imagined the tension from a moment ago.

  ***

  In his office at the Hangzhou branch of Anderson Trading, Ryan’s head already aches from the fires popping up everywhere. “Supplement inventory from the US branch to fill VIP orders,” he says into the phone while firing off an email. “And notify headhunters there’s a $10,000 bonus per acquisition for the next week.”

  He barely hangs up before another call comes in.

  “Sir, the police visited yesterday,” the VIP Lounge manager says nervously. “They requested Miss Westcott’s luggage. She’s been located.”

  Ryan stiffens. Relief mingles with frustration, “Where is she? What happened? Why am I just hearing this now?” He’s had his people scouring the city, but coming up empty.

  “They… they didn’t g-give me any details,” the manager stammers. “J-just said it was a misunderstanding… and she’s safe. I-I only found out today—I was off yesterday.” Even through the phone, the man’s fear is palpable. If he were here, he’d likely be on his knees.

  Ryan’s pleasure over the news that Anna is safe is enough to temper his annoyance at the delay. Taking pity on the manager, he hangs up without another word.

  He gives himself a second to process the news and the unfamiliar sensation of gratitude. The irony of the situation isn’t lost on him. He is in the awkward position of being thankful to the local police for finding Anna. He should send them flowers, along with a far less pleasant message to the Anti-Smuggling Bureau.

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  He wishes he had more details about her recovery, but the rat he had inside the ASB went MIA as soon as the shit hit the fan at Wu’s—proving the man wasn’t an idiot. Once Li recovers, he’ll have him hunt down the wayward informant.

  Now, he can focus his attention on recouping his business losses and seeking retribution from Agent Kang. Then, his grandfather will have no more excuses to keep him from taking over.

  ***

  In the bathroom, Anna washes her hands; she glances over at the toilet paper roll— the one square left dangles mockingly. She searches the cabinet for a spare but comes up empty. Annoyed, but undeterred Anna expands her search from the logical places to the illogical ones.

  The simple task morphs into a desperate quest. The longer she searches, the more overwhelmed she feels by an irrational fear. Her pulse races as Anna scours every cabinet, drawer, and closet in the apartment to no avail.

  Her throat tightens, but she is afraid to have a sip of water. The feeling of desperation grows. In her mania, Anna can see nothing except a blur of obstacles.

  She climbs up on the counters and stretches to feel around the space above the cabinets. At that angle, she spies a package of napkins on top of the refrigerator. Relief floods her as she clutches them tightly to her chest. Only then Anna notices her surroundings.

  The countertop she is standing on is littered with the boxes and canned goods she took down from their shelves. Furniture is overturned in the living room. Coats, bags, and an umbrella are strewn across the floor. It looks as if the place has been ransacked.

  Anna sinks onto the countertop—I can’t live like this, she thinks. She places a hand over her chest, feeling the beats of her heart recede into its normal rhythm. It isn’t fair to the person who gave her this chance. She can’t waste both their lives.

  With that thought the weight of the guilt becomes heavier than the fear. She hops down, tosses the napkins back on top of the fridge, and pours herself a glass of water. The cold liquid soothes the burn in her throat.

  She faces the apartment door. The chair taunts her, daring her to move it. Anna knows if she doesn’t do it now, she’ll keep making excuses, and she doesn’t have the luxury of waiting. On borrowed time, she is lucky if she makes it another ten years.

  Anna grabs the legs of the chair. It isn’t heavy but the force of her grip causes the hard edge of the wood to bite into her palms. She takes a deep breath, then shuts off her thoughts.

  With a sharp yank, she unblocks the door.

  ***

  When Man Zhu Bai arrives at the Public Security Bureau, he is surprised by the sight of Kang leaning against the station wall, arms crossed, and his face unreadable. After lunch, they parted ways without much to say. Man Zhu Bai has no intention of giving up the case and he didn’t need anyone telling him to stay out of it.

  Man Zhu Bai keeps walking even when he sees Kang peel himself off the wall to intersect him.

  “I didn’t know about the trafficking before that night,” Kang says, his voice flat but firm.

  Man Zhu Bai stops. He faces Kang and searches for a clue to his intentions.

  “Then what were you there for?” Man Zhu Bai asks, if Kang is willing to share information, then he is willing to listen.

  Kang looks Man Zhu Bai straight in the eye. “Guns,” he answers, “Lots of them”

  Man Zhu Bai feels his throat drop into his stomach.

  ***

  In the back of his luxury car, Ryan continues to handle business over the phone, but now there’s a sharp edge of anticipation as the man he sent to locate Kang checks in.

  “He’s in front of the local PSB,” the hired muscle reports, his voice steady.

  Ryan’s lips curl into a satisfied grin. “Eliminate him,” he orders casually.

  Before the man can offer any objections, Ryan adds, “I’ll give you an extra $50k. Don’t screw it up.”

  He hangs up abruptly, the line going dead with a swift click.

  Ryan settles back into his seat, the weight of the day’s successes sinking in. The deal is on track: a new storage unit secured, and more inventory will arrive by the end of the week. A few client delays were compensated, but the real challenges have been conquered.

  Once Kang is out of the picture, the merger can proceed, and Ryan will be able to secure his rightful place at the top.

  He stares out at the city passing by, its streets teeming with people, each one focused on their little pursuits—promotions, limited-edition handbags, petty vanities to make themselves feel important. He scoffs. Money is only a tool you wield to gain power. Power is control and respect.

  Just as that thought crosses his mind as if fate were mocking him, a flash of red in the crowded street outside catches his eye.

  Ryan’s pulse quickens. “Pull over!” he snaps at the driver. He opens the door and hops out before the car finishes pulling up to the curb.

  ***

  “With Wu out of the picture, how long will it take for them to be up and running again?” Man Zhu Bai asks. With Wu still in the hospital and most of his underlings in jail, he hopes it will buy them some time.

  “Not long,” Kang says bluntly. “The ballistics came back on the bullet dug out of Wu’s chest. It wasn’t a police-issue casing.”

  Man Zhu Bai understands the implication. Wu was only a puppet, and his master had tried to cut his strings. There wasn’t going to be a lot of time, if any, to find whatever firepower had made it into the city.

  Before Man Zhu Bai could ask another question, Kang rushes past him. He turns around to find Kang holding a tattooed gangster in an arm lock. In the perp’s waistband is a large utility knife. Man Zhu Bai disarms him while Kang sweeps the criminal's legs out from underneath, sending him into the concrete.

  Man Zhu Bai scans his surroundings while Kang keeps the man pinned down. The bystanders are hurrying either away from the scene or for their phones, except for one. A person wearing a face mask and a black hoodie isn’t trying to get a better view of the arrest. Instead, he’s angling toward Kang’s exposed back.

  Man Zhu Bai hurls himself into Kang, knocking him over just as the bullet makes a dent in the concrete right above the gangster’s head. At that trajectory, it would have gone right through Kang’s back.

  People scramble for cover as Man Zhu Bai and Kang roll, and another bullet lands wild. A young officer returning to the station draws his own weapon and shouts above the din of the crowd, “EVERYONE DOWN!”

  The onlookers hit the ground, and the shooter takes off running. The young cop follows in pursuit. Officers in tactical gear and shields pour out of the station. Kang and Man Zhu Bai roll to their feet. One of the tactical officers takes over handcuffing the knife perp, while Kang and Man Zhu Bai take off after the shooter.

  They follow the trail of shocked civilians and shouts to an abandoned commercial building. The sound of a gunshot rings through the air, urging them to run faster. Kang takes the front, his movements sharp and deliberate, while Man Zhu Bai moves around the back, covering the rear.

  Kang opens the door slowly, using it as a shield, his eyes scanning the room. Inside, a familiar face greets him—the young cop, Xin Hao, was in his last batch of trainees from his military days. The two fall into sync without speaking, clearing the lobby and moving swiftly through the hallway.

  Man Zhu Bai reaches them from the opposite end, giving the "all clear" sign. The only other option is up.

  They find drops of blood on the landing. The perp is armed and has the high ground. Kang makes eye contact with Xin and mimics the motion of pulling a trigger, a silent question. Xin responds with the signal for a pistol and holds up three fingers. The perp only has three bullets left.

  Kang nods, his focus sharpening. He fires a round at the ceiling above the staircase. Then he, Man Zhu Bai, and Xin step back, taking cover as a barrage of bullets rain down on the stairwell.

  Kang fires another shot, but the echo of gunfire is replaced by a heavy silence. He leads the way up the stairs, weapon drawn. He has to make it to the landing before the shooter can reload—if not, he’ll be a sitting duck.

  The rhythmic thud of boots on the stairs echoes through the hollow building. Kang reaches the next floor without incident, his eyes scanning the area. In the stairwell, the shooter struggles to fit the cartridge into his pistol. The bullet wound in his shoulder makes it hard to steady his hands.

  The moment the shooter sees Kang, he surrenders, dropping the gun to the ground and lifting his one good arm into the air. Xin steps around Kang to pull the criminal roughly to his feet.

  "Do you think they only targeted you, or could the girls be in danger?" Man Zhu Bai asks, his voice low with concern.

  Kang has been wondering the same thing. "Call them."

  Man Zhu Bai waits impatiently for Hailee to pick up the phone, but it clicks over to voicemail.

  Kang turns down the stairs, “Let’s go”.

  Let me know what you think of the chapter size.