The Mountain Master of Sha Tin, page 26
“Sonny, please help Ko get Feng and Wai into the back of the van,” Ava said. “The rest of you get into the Nissan and head back to our meeting point. Andy, remind the driver not to speed, and take off your balaclavas as soon as you leave the property.”
“Okay, boss,” Andy said.
Sonny opened the back doors of the van and helped Ko lift Feng off the ground and carry him. They sat him in the back seat and then came back for Wai’s body. When it had been laid in the rear of the van, Ava, Sonny, and Ko climbed in. Ava sat in the front with the driver while Ko sat next to Feng, clutching his arm to help him stay erect. Sonny sat behind them on the floor.
The van drove away slowly. Ava looked back. The Land Rovers and their own cars looked like they belonged in a junkyard. “No sign of security or any police yet,” she said.
Ko looked at his watch. “I know it seemed like a long time, but it’s been only ten minutes since the shooting started. Even the Hong Kong police can’t move that fast.”
“It was a good operation,” Feng said through clenched teeth.
“They were like sitting ducks. They had no time to react,” Sonny said.
Ko took off Feng’s balaclava and then his own, shaking his head as if traces of wool still clung to it. “Xu wanted you to call him as soon as we were finished here,” he said to Ava.
“I’ll wait until we’re on the highway,” she said.
The van continued unimpeded along Sha Tin Centre Street, and when they saw the first sign for the Tsing Sha Highway, Ava felt her tension begin to ease. As the van reached the highway entrance she reached for her phone.
“Ava, are you all right?” Xu answered after half a ring.
She imagined him sitting in his hospital bed with the phone in his hand. “I’m fine, but Feng was shot in the leg and one of the men Sonny brought with him is dead,” she said. “We’ve left the plaza and are on the highway, going back to the rendezvous point. So far we haven’t seen any police.”
“What happened with Carter and Sammy?”
“They’re both dead, and so are about ten men they had with them. It was a bloodbath.”
Xu paused. For a second Ava wondered if he was going to ask who had actually pulled the trigger that killed the Wings, but he said, “Will you take Feng to the clinic in Kowloon?”
“I imagine that’s where we’ll go.”
“We’re giving that doctor so much business we should become partners in his clinic,” he said.
Despite the gory reality that underpinned his comment, Ava smiled. “I don’t think he’d take us up on that kind of offer,” she said.
“No, I don’t imagine he would,” Xu said. “Now, as for our dead man, did he have a family?”
“I don’t know. I’ll ask Sonny later.”
“If he does we’ll look after them, of course, and we’ll cover the costs related to his funeral.”
“I’m sure that will be appreciated.”
He hesitated again. “Ava, I know this has been hard — ”
“It was necessary,” she interrupted. “It was the responsible thing to do for many reasons. But I have to say I hope you can find a way to prevent any of us having to go through that again.”
“As soon as I end this call, I’ll be contacting Lam. Between us we’ll be reaching out to every Mountain Master in Hong Kong, Kowloon, and the New Territories. We want them to hear the news directly from us. We also want them to know we have a plan that will bring peace to Sha Tin and Wanchai and allow me to bring my men back to Shanghai.”
“And you’re sure they’ll accept your plan?”
“The groundwork has already been laid, but now we’re in a position to finalize things. Lam’s first call will be to Chan, the Mountain Master in Tai Po. Chan will call his friend Sung in Sha Tin and tell him he’s just lost Carter Wing as his boss, and that we will all support him as Carter’s replacement.”
“What about Wanchai?”
“Fok visited Lop at the clinic this morning. Our proposal was put to him and he accepted, with one condition.”
“Which is?”
“Instead of a three-month transition, he wants to make it six. He told Lop he has a lot to learn from him and doesn’t want to be rushed,” Xu said. “Lop was really pleased. He doesn’t get many compliments from people other than you and me.”
“And the other Mountain Masters are okay with Fok taking over Wanchai?”
“Most definitely, and they also have no objections to us maintaining our distribution centre in co-operation with him.”
“Letting go of control in Wanchai is the smart thing to do.”
“I just wish it hadn’t taken this war to make me realize it.”
“You would have figured it out — you always do,” she said. “Besides, you have enough going on in Shanghai and in all those factories elsewhere to keep you busy. You don’t need all this aggravation in Hong Kong.”
“When are you going to be leaving?”
“As soon as I can pack and get to the airport.”
“Will you stay long in Shanghai?”
“I’ll be there until you’re settled at home.”
“Thanks for that,” he said. “Thanks for everything.”
“I only do what any mei mei would do.”
“You’re a mei mei unlike any other.”
The car came to a stop. Ava looked out the window and saw they had arrived back at the parking lot. “I have to go,” she said. “I’ll call Fai when I’ve booked a flight. She can pass along the information to Auntie Grace and Wen. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The van entered the lot and drove to the far end, where the BMWs and Mercedes were parked. Ko jumped out and opened the back door. Sonny slid out onto the tarmac. “Help me with Feng,” Ko said.
The two men walked back to where Feng was sitting, his eyes closed and his jaws clenched.
“How are you feeling?” Ko asked him.
“It hurts like hell.”
“We’ll have you at the clinic in half an hour,” Sonny said.
“Let’s move him to my BMW,” Ko said.
Feng wrapped his arms around the necks of both men and Sonny put a hand under his good leg. Together he and Ko picked up Feng and carried him to the BMW. They lay him on the rear seat, his back against the door and his legs stretched out in front of him. “We’ll be out of here in a few minutes,” Ko said.
“Do whatever you have to do,” said Feng. “Don’t worry about me.”
Ava joined Ko and Sonny. “The men are ready to put away their gear,” she said.
“I’ll open the trunk of my car,” Sonny said.
“Before you do, we have to decide what to do about Wai,” she said. “Xu has committed to taking care of the funeral expenses and looking after his family, but that doesn’t resolve the immediate problem of what to do with the body.”
“There’s a funeral home in Fanling that’s accustomed to dealing with triads,” Sonny said. “Let me call them. If they’re prepared to take Wai, Andy can give them the body and ditch the van.”
“Who will notify his family?” Ava asked.
“He didn’t have any that I’m aware of.”
“That makes it a bit easier,” Ko said.
“Not for Wai,” Ava said, and then quickly added, “Sorry, Ko, I wasn’t being critical of your remark. I’m just upset about losing him.”
“No problem,” Ko said.
“What about the other car? Will you just leave it here?”
“That was always our plan.”
“Then I guess we should get moving,” she said. “Sonny, will you please call the funeral home and then speak to Andy?”
“Sure, boss.”
When Sonny had left, Ava moved closer to Ko and said softly, “Thank you for your help. This was a nasty business, and we wouldn’t have come through it without you.”
“From what I heard of your conversation with Xu, I think I should be thanking you,” Ko said. “Has he really resolved the problems with Wanchai and Sha Tin? Can we actually start thinking about going home to Shanghai?”
“It certainly seems that way, although you won’t be leaving immediately. It will take a few months to get things properly organized.”
“Still, we’re in a much better place than we were a few days ago,” Ko said. “Those Wings were so stupid.”
“Stupid and cruel.”
Ko nodded but his attention was drawn to the street behind Ava. She turned and saw a police car drive by at breakneck speed.
“We should get going. We can’t assume the cops won’t be able to track us to here.”
Ava walked over to the Mercedes, where Sonny was talking to Andy and Jimmy. “Are we ready to go?”
“The funeral home will take Wai with no questions asked,” Sonny said. “Andy will drive him there and Jimmy is going to keep him company.”
“That’s very good of you, Jimmy,” she said.
“It’s only a short train ride home from there,” he said.
“All the same, it is good of you,” she said, and turned to Andy. “And you too, Andy. Thanks for doing this.”
“It’s the least I can do for Wai. I’ve known him for years.”
Ava stepped towards him and placed her hands gently on his shoulders. “My dear friend, whatever you want, whenever you want it, all you have to do is ask.”
Andy nodded, his embarrassment apparent.
“It’s time for us to go now, boss,” Sonny said.
“Yes. After all the work we’ve done and all the luck we had this morning, it would be ridiculous to let the cops catch us here.”
( 32 )
Ava thought about sitting in the front of the car with Sonny, but he opened the back door with such alacrity that she decided it wasn’t the time to upset the status quo. Neither of them spoke during the drive until they reached Kowloon. It was Ava who had started to say something when her phone rang. She excused herself and took the call, from a number with a Beijing area code.
“Chen?” she said.
“This is Lau Lau,” he said in a smoky, trembling voice.
“How are you?” she asked, slightly taken aback at hearing from him.
“I’m grateful, as long as you aren’t fucking with me about this rehab thing.”
“I’m not fucking with you.”
“Good, because I want to get better. I want to work again.”
“And we want to help you in any way we can.”
“I have this film idea . . . ” he said, his voice trailing off.
“I know you have film ideas. That’s why I suggested rehab.”
“This idea will make me more enemies that any one person should have.”
“I’m listening,” Ava said, not sure where the conversation was headed.
“It’s about Tiananmen Square in 1989 — the protest, the massacre.”
“Yes . . . ”
“The boy, the young man who stood in front of the tanks and defied them to run over him,” Lau Lau said. “I keep thinking about him. I can’t get him out of my head.”
“You want to make a film about him?”
“No.”
“Lau Lau, you’re confusing me.”
“I want to make a film about his mother. I want to tell the story of Tiananmen through her eyes,” he said. “The protest went on for weeks, and every morning her son left his apartment and went to the square. And every morning she begged him not to go, because she had lived through the Cultural Revolution — she knew what the government was capable of doing to their own. She had fears based in reality; he had hopes rooted in pipe dreams.”
“I still don’t understand the basis for the film,” she said.
“The night the protest ended, the night the PLA used tanks and guns to kill twenty thousand, fifty thousand — perhaps even a hundred thousand — unarmed people in the square, her son didn’t come home,” he said. “The film is about her search for him, for any scrap of him that was left after the tanks ran over him.”
“You do know that this film could never be made in China.”
“I know.”
“And could never be distributed in China.”
“I know that too.”
“So why are you telling me this now?” she asked.
“Because it’s the only film I really want to make before I die,” he said. “It’s the only film worth the pain of going through rehab.”
Ava drew a deep breath. “Lau Lau, go to rehab. While you’re there, write that script. If Chen and Pang Fai tell me it will make a great film, then I won’t care about the politics. I’ll put up the money to have it made.”
“Chen is a good judge of a script.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“Fai isn’t so bad either.”
“And both of them want you to succeed.”
“With a film that will never be shown in China?”
“Your work is universal. We’ll find a market that will appreciate it.”
He became quiet and then blurted, “I’m going into rehab.”
“I couldn’t be more pleased.”
“And when I come out, I’m going to make a film that’s so good the government will want to put me in jail, or worse.”
“Yes, Lau Lau, I believe you’re still capable of making a film that’s that good. And trust me, we’ll stand by you when you do.”
“Then I’ll talk to you again soon,” he said, ending the conversation.
Ava saw Sonny eyeing her through the rear-view mirror. “That was Lau Lau, the film director. We’re thinking of backing him.”
“Making movies? That’s something new for you,” Sonny said.
“Not just me. May Ling and Amanda and Pang Fai are all prepared to participate,” Ava said. “Besides, we wouldn’t actually be making movies, we’d just be making it possible for movies to be made.”
“Still, it’s a different kind of business for all of you.”
“Uncle always encouraged me to try new things. I remember him telling me that people who don’t welcome change are condemned to live in the past.”
“Like Sammy Wing.”
“What do you mean?”
“He couldn’t let go, could he. His best days were behind him, and even though Xu offered him a way to live out the rest of his life with respect and in comfort, he couldn’t adapt.”
“I know. I still regret that it had to end the way it did,” she said.
Ava saw Sonny eyeing her again, and she could sense that he was uncomfortable. “Is something bothering you?” she asked.
“Yes. I should never have taken it upon myself to shoot Sammy. That was your right. In fact, when I think about everything you went through with him, it was almost destined,” Sonny said. “I’m sorry I got between the two of you.”
“Is that your way of trying to make me feel better?”
“I don’t get what you’re trying to say.”
“You know I might not have shot him. You know I might not have been able to pull the trigger,” she said. “Even though he tried to kill me twice and he couldn’t let go, you knew it was possible I couldn’t bring myself to do it. So you did it for me.”
“Ava — ”
“Sonny, I’m not upset. I’m grateful. It was the right thing to do.”
He nodded and his shoulders seemed to settle. “He just couldn’t let go.”
“Unlike Uncle.”
“It wasn’t that easy for Uncle either for the first few years after he left the Fanling gang.”
“How so?”
Sonny shrugged. “Maybe I shouldn’t be talking about this.”
“No, you started it and now I want you to finish.”
“Well, when you’re a triad, you’re in or you’re out. When Uncle left, a lot of people stopped having anything to do with him. It wasn’t that they didn’t respect him; it was that he wasn’t a part of their daily life anymore. That bothered him, because the gang was the only family he had,” Sonny said. “What was strange was that while he was Mountain Master, he had a reputation for being a loner. Outside of Uncle Fong and, before him, Xu’s father, not many people could say they knew him well. What no one guessed was how much they all meant to him and how intensely loyal he was to each of them.”
“How did he get past that?”
“He started the debt-collection business. He brought me, Carlo, and Andy into it and we became a new family. Then he cared about every client as if they were family, and he would go to any length to help them. When you came along, you filled the biggest void in his life — or however you want to express it.”
“The biggest void?”
“He said he’d loved four women in his life. The first three — his mother, his sister, and his fiancée — had all died years ago. You were the only one alive, and he worried about you constantly. In fact, there were many times when he thought about closing down the business, but he was afraid that if he did, he wouldn’t see you again.”
“Of course I would have seen him.”
“I think he knew that, but maintaining the business kept you close — although there was a cost,” Sonny said. “He knew you would do anything for him, for us, and for the clients. He watched you take risk after risk, and every time a job ended it was like fifty pounds had been lifted from his shoulders.”
“He never once mentioned anything like that to me.”
“That’s because he knew you would be respectful enough to listen but then you’d go off and do what you thought had to be done anyway,” Sonny said. “He said you reminded him of himself as a young man, and that scared him, because he’d always been willing to do what he thought was the right thing, regardless of the personal cost.”
“I think he saw more in me than there is.”
“No, he didn’t,” Sonny said. “He thought you were special. And those of us who know you agree with him.”
“I can accept different, but I have trouble with special.”
“Okay, boss,” Andy said.
Sonny opened the back doors of the van and helped Ko lift Feng off the ground and carry him. They sat him in the back seat and then came back for Wai’s body. When it had been laid in the rear of the van, Ava, Sonny, and Ko climbed in. Ava sat in the front with the driver while Ko sat next to Feng, clutching his arm to help him stay erect. Sonny sat behind them on the floor.
The van drove away slowly. Ava looked back. The Land Rovers and their own cars looked like they belonged in a junkyard. “No sign of security or any police yet,” she said.
Ko looked at his watch. “I know it seemed like a long time, but it’s been only ten minutes since the shooting started. Even the Hong Kong police can’t move that fast.”
“It was a good operation,” Feng said through clenched teeth.
“They were like sitting ducks. They had no time to react,” Sonny said.
Ko took off Feng’s balaclava and then his own, shaking his head as if traces of wool still clung to it. “Xu wanted you to call him as soon as we were finished here,” he said to Ava.
“I’ll wait until we’re on the highway,” she said.
The van continued unimpeded along Sha Tin Centre Street, and when they saw the first sign for the Tsing Sha Highway, Ava felt her tension begin to ease. As the van reached the highway entrance she reached for her phone.
“Ava, are you all right?” Xu answered after half a ring.
She imagined him sitting in his hospital bed with the phone in his hand. “I’m fine, but Feng was shot in the leg and one of the men Sonny brought with him is dead,” she said. “We’ve left the plaza and are on the highway, going back to the rendezvous point. So far we haven’t seen any police.”
“What happened with Carter and Sammy?”
“They’re both dead, and so are about ten men they had with them. It was a bloodbath.”
Xu paused. For a second Ava wondered if he was going to ask who had actually pulled the trigger that killed the Wings, but he said, “Will you take Feng to the clinic in Kowloon?”
“I imagine that’s where we’ll go.”
“We’re giving that doctor so much business we should become partners in his clinic,” he said.
Despite the gory reality that underpinned his comment, Ava smiled. “I don’t think he’d take us up on that kind of offer,” she said.
“No, I don’t imagine he would,” Xu said. “Now, as for our dead man, did he have a family?”
“I don’t know. I’ll ask Sonny later.”
“If he does we’ll look after them, of course, and we’ll cover the costs related to his funeral.”
“I’m sure that will be appreciated.”
He hesitated again. “Ava, I know this has been hard — ”
“It was necessary,” she interrupted. “It was the responsible thing to do for many reasons. But I have to say I hope you can find a way to prevent any of us having to go through that again.”
“As soon as I end this call, I’ll be contacting Lam. Between us we’ll be reaching out to every Mountain Master in Hong Kong, Kowloon, and the New Territories. We want them to hear the news directly from us. We also want them to know we have a plan that will bring peace to Sha Tin and Wanchai and allow me to bring my men back to Shanghai.”
“And you’re sure they’ll accept your plan?”
“The groundwork has already been laid, but now we’re in a position to finalize things. Lam’s first call will be to Chan, the Mountain Master in Tai Po. Chan will call his friend Sung in Sha Tin and tell him he’s just lost Carter Wing as his boss, and that we will all support him as Carter’s replacement.”
“What about Wanchai?”
“Fok visited Lop at the clinic this morning. Our proposal was put to him and he accepted, with one condition.”
“Which is?”
“Instead of a three-month transition, he wants to make it six. He told Lop he has a lot to learn from him and doesn’t want to be rushed,” Xu said. “Lop was really pleased. He doesn’t get many compliments from people other than you and me.”
“And the other Mountain Masters are okay with Fok taking over Wanchai?”
“Most definitely, and they also have no objections to us maintaining our distribution centre in co-operation with him.”
“Letting go of control in Wanchai is the smart thing to do.”
“I just wish it hadn’t taken this war to make me realize it.”
“You would have figured it out — you always do,” she said. “Besides, you have enough going on in Shanghai and in all those factories elsewhere to keep you busy. You don’t need all this aggravation in Hong Kong.”
“When are you going to be leaving?”
“As soon as I can pack and get to the airport.”
“Will you stay long in Shanghai?”
“I’ll be there until you’re settled at home.”
“Thanks for that,” he said. “Thanks for everything.”
“I only do what any mei mei would do.”
“You’re a mei mei unlike any other.”
The car came to a stop. Ava looked out the window and saw they had arrived back at the parking lot. “I have to go,” she said. “I’ll call Fai when I’ve booked a flight. She can pass along the information to Auntie Grace and Wen. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The van entered the lot and drove to the far end, where the BMWs and Mercedes were parked. Ko jumped out and opened the back door. Sonny slid out onto the tarmac. “Help me with Feng,” Ko said.
The two men walked back to where Feng was sitting, his eyes closed and his jaws clenched.
“How are you feeling?” Ko asked him.
“It hurts like hell.”
“We’ll have you at the clinic in half an hour,” Sonny said.
“Let’s move him to my BMW,” Ko said.
Feng wrapped his arms around the necks of both men and Sonny put a hand under his good leg. Together he and Ko picked up Feng and carried him to the BMW. They lay him on the rear seat, his back against the door and his legs stretched out in front of him. “We’ll be out of here in a few minutes,” Ko said.
“Do whatever you have to do,” said Feng. “Don’t worry about me.”
Ava joined Ko and Sonny. “The men are ready to put away their gear,” she said.
“I’ll open the trunk of my car,” Sonny said.
“Before you do, we have to decide what to do about Wai,” she said. “Xu has committed to taking care of the funeral expenses and looking after his family, but that doesn’t resolve the immediate problem of what to do with the body.”
“There’s a funeral home in Fanling that’s accustomed to dealing with triads,” Sonny said. “Let me call them. If they’re prepared to take Wai, Andy can give them the body and ditch the van.”
“Who will notify his family?” Ava asked.
“He didn’t have any that I’m aware of.”
“That makes it a bit easier,” Ko said.
“Not for Wai,” Ava said, and then quickly added, “Sorry, Ko, I wasn’t being critical of your remark. I’m just upset about losing him.”
“No problem,” Ko said.
“What about the other car? Will you just leave it here?”
“That was always our plan.”
“Then I guess we should get moving,” she said. “Sonny, will you please call the funeral home and then speak to Andy?”
“Sure, boss.”
When Sonny had left, Ava moved closer to Ko and said softly, “Thank you for your help. This was a nasty business, and we wouldn’t have come through it without you.”
“From what I heard of your conversation with Xu, I think I should be thanking you,” Ko said. “Has he really resolved the problems with Wanchai and Sha Tin? Can we actually start thinking about going home to Shanghai?”
“It certainly seems that way, although you won’t be leaving immediately. It will take a few months to get things properly organized.”
“Still, we’re in a much better place than we were a few days ago,” Ko said. “Those Wings were so stupid.”
“Stupid and cruel.”
Ko nodded but his attention was drawn to the street behind Ava. She turned and saw a police car drive by at breakneck speed.
“We should get going. We can’t assume the cops won’t be able to track us to here.”
Ava walked over to the Mercedes, where Sonny was talking to Andy and Jimmy. “Are we ready to go?”
“The funeral home will take Wai with no questions asked,” Sonny said. “Andy will drive him there and Jimmy is going to keep him company.”
“That’s very good of you, Jimmy,” she said.
“It’s only a short train ride home from there,” he said.
“All the same, it is good of you,” she said, and turned to Andy. “And you too, Andy. Thanks for doing this.”
“It’s the least I can do for Wai. I’ve known him for years.”
Ava stepped towards him and placed her hands gently on his shoulders. “My dear friend, whatever you want, whenever you want it, all you have to do is ask.”
Andy nodded, his embarrassment apparent.
“It’s time for us to go now, boss,” Sonny said.
“Yes. After all the work we’ve done and all the luck we had this morning, it would be ridiculous to let the cops catch us here.”
( 32 )
Ava thought about sitting in the front of the car with Sonny, but he opened the back door with such alacrity that she decided it wasn’t the time to upset the status quo. Neither of them spoke during the drive until they reached Kowloon. It was Ava who had started to say something when her phone rang. She excused herself and took the call, from a number with a Beijing area code.
“Chen?” she said.
“This is Lau Lau,” he said in a smoky, trembling voice.
“How are you?” she asked, slightly taken aback at hearing from him.
“I’m grateful, as long as you aren’t fucking with me about this rehab thing.”
“I’m not fucking with you.”
“Good, because I want to get better. I want to work again.”
“And we want to help you in any way we can.”
“I have this film idea . . . ” he said, his voice trailing off.
“I know you have film ideas. That’s why I suggested rehab.”
“This idea will make me more enemies that any one person should have.”
“I’m listening,” Ava said, not sure where the conversation was headed.
“It’s about Tiananmen Square in 1989 — the protest, the massacre.”
“Yes . . . ”
“The boy, the young man who stood in front of the tanks and defied them to run over him,” Lau Lau said. “I keep thinking about him. I can’t get him out of my head.”
“You want to make a film about him?”
“No.”
“Lau Lau, you’re confusing me.”
“I want to make a film about his mother. I want to tell the story of Tiananmen through her eyes,” he said. “The protest went on for weeks, and every morning her son left his apartment and went to the square. And every morning she begged him not to go, because she had lived through the Cultural Revolution — she knew what the government was capable of doing to their own. She had fears based in reality; he had hopes rooted in pipe dreams.”
“I still don’t understand the basis for the film,” she said.
“The night the protest ended, the night the PLA used tanks and guns to kill twenty thousand, fifty thousand — perhaps even a hundred thousand — unarmed people in the square, her son didn’t come home,” he said. “The film is about her search for him, for any scrap of him that was left after the tanks ran over him.”
“You do know that this film could never be made in China.”
“I know.”
“And could never be distributed in China.”
“I know that too.”
“So why are you telling me this now?” she asked.
“Because it’s the only film I really want to make before I die,” he said. “It’s the only film worth the pain of going through rehab.”
Ava drew a deep breath. “Lau Lau, go to rehab. While you’re there, write that script. If Chen and Pang Fai tell me it will make a great film, then I won’t care about the politics. I’ll put up the money to have it made.”
“Chen is a good judge of a script.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“Fai isn’t so bad either.”
“And both of them want you to succeed.”
“With a film that will never be shown in China?”
“Your work is universal. We’ll find a market that will appreciate it.”
He became quiet and then blurted, “I’m going into rehab.”
“I couldn’t be more pleased.”
“And when I come out, I’m going to make a film that’s so good the government will want to put me in jail, or worse.”
“Yes, Lau Lau, I believe you’re still capable of making a film that’s that good. And trust me, we’ll stand by you when you do.”
“Then I’ll talk to you again soon,” he said, ending the conversation.
Ava saw Sonny eyeing her through the rear-view mirror. “That was Lau Lau, the film director. We’re thinking of backing him.”
“Making movies? That’s something new for you,” Sonny said.
“Not just me. May Ling and Amanda and Pang Fai are all prepared to participate,” Ava said. “Besides, we wouldn’t actually be making movies, we’d just be making it possible for movies to be made.”
“Still, it’s a different kind of business for all of you.”
“Uncle always encouraged me to try new things. I remember him telling me that people who don’t welcome change are condemned to live in the past.”
“Like Sammy Wing.”
“What do you mean?”
“He couldn’t let go, could he. His best days were behind him, and even though Xu offered him a way to live out the rest of his life with respect and in comfort, he couldn’t adapt.”
“I know. I still regret that it had to end the way it did,” she said.
Ava saw Sonny eyeing her again, and she could sense that he was uncomfortable. “Is something bothering you?” she asked.
“Yes. I should never have taken it upon myself to shoot Sammy. That was your right. In fact, when I think about everything you went through with him, it was almost destined,” Sonny said. “I’m sorry I got between the two of you.”
“Is that your way of trying to make me feel better?”
“I don’t get what you’re trying to say.”
“You know I might not have shot him. You know I might not have been able to pull the trigger,” she said. “Even though he tried to kill me twice and he couldn’t let go, you knew it was possible I couldn’t bring myself to do it. So you did it for me.”
“Ava — ”
“Sonny, I’m not upset. I’m grateful. It was the right thing to do.”
He nodded and his shoulders seemed to settle. “He just couldn’t let go.”
“Unlike Uncle.”
“It wasn’t that easy for Uncle either for the first few years after he left the Fanling gang.”
“How so?”
Sonny shrugged. “Maybe I shouldn’t be talking about this.”
“No, you started it and now I want you to finish.”
“Well, when you’re a triad, you’re in or you’re out. When Uncle left, a lot of people stopped having anything to do with him. It wasn’t that they didn’t respect him; it was that he wasn’t a part of their daily life anymore. That bothered him, because the gang was the only family he had,” Sonny said. “What was strange was that while he was Mountain Master, he had a reputation for being a loner. Outside of Uncle Fong and, before him, Xu’s father, not many people could say they knew him well. What no one guessed was how much they all meant to him and how intensely loyal he was to each of them.”
“How did he get past that?”
“He started the debt-collection business. He brought me, Carlo, and Andy into it and we became a new family. Then he cared about every client as if they were family, and he would go to any length to help them. When you came along, you filled the biggest void in his life — or however you want to express it.”
“The biggest void?”
“He said he’d loved four women in his life. The first three — his mother, his sister, and his fiancée — had all died years ago. You were the only one alive, and he worried about you constantly. In fact, there were many times when he thought about closing down the business, but he was afraid that if he did, he wouldn’t see you again.”
“Of course I would have seen him.”
“I think he knew that, but maintaining the business kept you close — although there was a cost,” Sonny said. “He knew you would do anything for him, for us, and for the clients. He watched you take risk after risk, and every time a job ended it was like fifty pounds had been lifted from his shoulders.”
“He never once mentioned anything like that to me.”
“That’s because he knew you would be respectful enough to listen but then you’d go off and do what you thought had to be done anyway,” Sonny said. “He said you reminded him of himself as a young man, and that scared him, because he’d always been willing to do what he thought was the right thing, regardless of the personal cost.”
“I think he saw more in me than there is.”
“No, he didn’t,” Sonny said. “He thought you were special. And those of us who know you agree with him.”
“I can accept different, but I have trouble with special.”
