Drawn in Blood (Burbank and Parker 2)

“Talk about getting into Liu’s good graces,” Derek muttered. “That was quite a gift from Xiao, not to mention a huge display of loyalty. It probably raised Xiao up about three rungs on the organizational ladder. Which is another reason for Liu to designate him the chosen one and to send him off to New York with the backing and resources to become the Dai Lo of the Red Dragons—and who knows what ther

eafter.”

Rich took another belt of coffee. “Now I understand why Xiao Long was so freaked out when the identical Rothbergs surfaced and I started tracing the provenance of the real deal. It wasn’t just himself he was protecting. It was Johnny Liu. Xiao knew there was a chance that Burbank, Fox, and Leary could identify him from Cai Wen’s murder scene. He had to get his hands on Burbank’s receipt for the Rothberg sale—and he had to scare Burbank and his partners off. He must suspect that C-6 has him and his gang on their radar screen.”

“Oh, he more than suspects. He’s been playing cat and mouse with us for months now. But you’re right. Between his high visibility here, and his involvement in the Rothberg—if the Bureau started connecting the right dots, it would lead them straight to Johnny Liu. And he was protecting his Dragon Head at all costs.”

Rich’s brows drew together. “But the rest of it; Liu’s personal agenda…”

“Sloane was right about that,” Derek broke in. “Her father and his partners are all victims. Xiao’s the long-distance enforcer of Liu’s vendetta. Leary’s dead. Martino’s on the verge of bankruptcy. Burbank’s wife and daughter were both assaulted. Fox I’m not sure about, but I will be after I grill him and find out what he was looking for in Sloane’s files. And Johnson…” Derek sucked in his breath. “Wallace Johnson is the prime target. Having Cindy Liu work her way into his heart and then break it is only a small facet of what her uncle would regard as an eye for an eye. God only knows what else Liu has in store for Johnson.”

In the office of his palatial Hong Kong mansion, Johnny Liu’s private telephone line rang.

He lifted the receiver and, as was his custom, said nothing. If the person at the other end was one of the select few who’d been given this number, he or she would know to speak first.

“Liu? It’s Keong.”

It was Sergeant David Keong, Liu’s best and most loyal contact at the Hong Kong Police Department.

“Yes. Go ahead,” he said, using the Loong Doo dialect the two men shared.

Keong followed suit, stating his business in the same prided dialect. “The FBI has been on the phone with our department all weekend. Many questions about Meili were asked. Answers were supplied by others beyond my influence. The death certificate was located. They are on the verge of figuring things out. I thought you should know right away.”

“You thought correctly. My thanks.”

Liu disconnected the call.

Then he dialed Xiao Long on his throwaway phone.

Xiao answered instantly, greeting his Dragon Head with the utmost respect and, as always, in Loong Doo.

“I just heard from Keong,” Liu said without preamble. “The FBI has made the connection to Meili. It’s time to finish what we’ve begun. You did good work with Leary. Go on to Martino.”

Sloane met Derek at a small café near her parents’ apartment.

“You summoned. I obeyed. Here I am.” She sat down across from Derek at the private corner table he’d requested—but not before giving him a long hello kiss and scrutinizing his face. “You look wiped,” she noted.

“Nothing a little rest won’t fix.”

A teasing smile curved Sloane’s lips. “I have to admit, the five o’clock shadow is kind of sexy.” She reached across the table and rubbed her knuckles against his jaw. “In fact, all of you is kind of sexy. I missed you this weekend.”

“Don’t tempt me. Or we’ll be banished from this café for life.” Derek kissed her fingertips. “The good news is I’m coming home tonight. So you’ll have a chance to show me just how much you missed me. Plan on an allnighter.”

“I’m up for it.” Concern flickered across Sloane’s face. “But I’m not sure you are. Did you get any sleep since Friday?”

“A catnap here and there. But Rich and I finally got our answers.”

“I’m all ears.”

Derek leaned forward, speaking in a hushed tone despite the fact that they were very much alone. “You were right. There’s a major connection between Cindy Liu and Meili. They’re cousins. Meili was Johnny Liu’s daughter.”

Sloane let out a whistle. “That puts things in perspective.”

“Yeah. Also, I ran that background check on Cindy. She’s squeaky clean, from top grades at the best schools to a prestigious job at a major architectural firm. Interesting side note—she and her uncle are very close. As a kid, she traveled with him, grew up at his knee. She was more interested in his world than in the traditional one her parents wanted for her.”

“So she and her uncle planned this.” Sloane gave a rueful shake of her head. “Cindy is part of the retribution Liu has planned for Wallace. He capitalized on his niece’s striking resemblance to Meili, asked her to play it to the hilt and make Wallace fall in love with her. And it worked. What’s more, I doubt it’s more than the tip of the iceberg. If Liu’s hatred has been festering for two and a half years, a broken heart for Wallace is only the beginning.”

“I agree. There’s no doubt that, in Liu’s mind, Wallace is the villain in this tragedy.”