The Frenchman's Revenge (68 page)

“Where’s Elena?”

Lei started at the tone in Bai’s voice and looked in surprise
at
him and then
at Wyatt.

“What’s wrong
, Bai
? Elena isn’t with me.”

Bai
felt his
face harden
. H
is voice was soft, cold.

“We were told you asked her to come to the ladies’ room. Was she there?”

Lei paled and shook her head no.

“
I never asked for her.
I was talking with Mrs. Sinclair. …
Oh
my,
God …they
have her
…
they do…
don’t they?”

Bai
saw the look on
Wyatt’s and Nianzu’s
faces and knew it reflected his own
. At that moment
,
Liang and Quitin came up to them.

“Bai, Jim Thompson
grabbed me
in the hallway
.
He told me that one of his men saw Elena with Greg For
e
ster.
They were running down the
corridor
to the governor’s office.”

“I don’t understand.
The
g
overnor didn’t react to the necklace except to comment on its beauty. He didn’t act strange in any way…” Nianzu broke off staring at Bai.

Alex looked from his father to Bai and then to Lei.

“What the fuck is going on?
Where is Elena?
Why the hell do you all look like that?”

When no one responded, Alex turned white and grabbed Wyatt’s arm.

“Tell me,
F
ather.
Is something wrong with Elena?
Where is she?”

Bai ignored Alex and spoke crisply.

“Nianzu, come with me and Wyatt.
Quitin, tell the others then m
e
et us at the governor’s office.
Liang, take
Lei to Mrs. Sampson’s quarters and lock her in with two guards. Lei, don’t argue.
Do exactly as I say.”

Lei nodded and turned to go with Liang.

Alex grabbed her arm and held Wyatt’s
arm
with his other hand.

“No! No, I tell you.
Mother, Father, tell me, tell me now. Where is Elena?”

When they didn’t answer
,
he whirled toward Bai.

“I
can
see
it on
your face.
Something is terribly wrong. Something has happened to Elena and it’s your fault.
What did
Nianzu
mean about the
necklace
?
The necklace she was wearing.
M
y God!
You used her, didn’t you?
You used my sister in some fucking game of yours
!
You did, didn’t you?
Goddamn you
!
You used my sister as bait?
You son of a bitch, you…
”

Alex raised his hands and rushed toward Bai. Wyatt caught him from behind.

Bai spoke in a voice only his followers knew.

“
Hold him, Wyatt.
Take care of him. NOW!”

Wyatt twisted Alex’s arm up hard against his back and held it tight.
His breath was hot in Alex’s ear and he spoke in a voice as hard and cold as Bai’s.

“Listen to me,
s
on, and listen hard. Decide where you stand.
You can stand with me and these men and the man who loves your sister more than anything in the world or you can get the hell out of our way.
Decide, Alex.
Do you want to hate Bai or do you want to help us find your sister, my daughter
,
and Bai’s wife?”

Wyatt
shoved Alex up against the wall
,
then turned to Bai and Nianzu and said, “Let’s go.”

Chapter
31

Elena sat in the chair across from the governor
,
st
a
ring at his ashen face. Little by little
,
her fear lessened and her training stepped in.
As horrified as she was by
M
artin’s body and the hideous mess on the floor
at her feet
, she knew she had to get the gun f
rom
the governor.
He was too shaky, too
distraught
.
He could do anything
,
including killing her like he did Martin.
So much didn’t make sense
especially
Greg.
What the hell was wrong with him? Why was he acting the way he did? Saying the things he had?
She needed to know.
But first she had to get the gun and then she had to get to Bai.

She stood up carefully, trying not to startle the governor
,
but it was too late.
He stood up and moved toward her.
Looking down at the body the floor, he blanched. When he turned to face Elena he was holding the gun in his wobbly hand
.

“You don’t understand, Elena.
Please, dear, please.
Don’t look at me like that.
You know I would never hurt you.
I love you.
I love your family.
You don’t understand.
It’s not me.
I didn’t do this.
It’s Greg.
Please, Elena…”

Elena stepped back
focusing
on the gun.
The governor was shaking, wav
ing the gun in
wild
circle
s
like a conductor’s baton, as though he was
underscoring
a
note for
emphasis
,
not waving a loaded weapon.
She heard the panic in his voice which further steeled her.
Keeping her eyes
locked
on his face, she leaned down and pulled up the hem of her gown and tucked it in her drawers. Thank God, I am wicked
,
she thought with a shudder. The slit up the front of her dress gave her the leg room she needed.

The governor’s eyes widened and he reached out to her his gun pointing at her face. Elena
dropped
down in a fighting stance
. W
ith a wild spirit cry
, she
whirled in a circle
and sprung
from the floor
.
She
drove her
heel
at the gun in the governor’s hand and
caught his wrist with her foot
. T
o her shock the gun exploded
with a loud blast. It
ricocheted from the governor’s hand, flying across the room. With a quick turn
,
she drove her elbow hard against his ribs and heard a satisfying crack. He screamed in pain as he
fell to the floor. She jumped up
and stood over him
,
assessing the damage and gave a grunt of approva
l. He was
writh
ing
in pain
holding
his wrist
at an angle. She could only hope it was broken
.

Without a word, Elena turned and with a fierce shriek headed to the two men coming at her. She heard Greg warn them not to hurt her and had to believe they wouldn’t shoot
,
but f
rom
the look
s
on their faces she knew they were going to take her down.
She caught the man called Chris with a driving kick to his jaw
knocking him
to the floor. Hank dove for her
,
but she jumped aside
. A
s
he flew by
,
she crammed her elbow
against his shoulder joint
,
wrenching a piecing scream f
rom
the surprised man.
For the next
several
minutes
,
she alternated
between the two men
,
using every skill
she spent
a lifetime learning
.
She pummeled the two men with a barrage of flying kicks, elbow and knee strikes until both men were crouched on the floor begging for mercy.
She eyed the guns they’d dropped
and was moving to get them
when she saw
the shadow of a man
pointing a gun at her
from the side door to the office
. She whirled to charge him when she heard a familiar
shtick
and saw the man
drop the gun
. H
is
hands fl
ew
to his neck
,
too late to retrieve a nine inch blade from his throat.

~~~

Bai heard the gunshot and covered the length of the corridor to the
g
overnor’s office in seconds
,
followed by Wyatt and Nianzu.
He
burst through
the door in time to see Elena drive the governor to the ground and challenge the two men in front of her. Only when he saw the blond haired man in the side doorway did he act.
He
threw
the knife and watched
the man
s
ink
to the floor
,
then turned to Elena
.
The gunshot
terrified hi
m. H
e was still shaking.
Even
the sight of
her rushing toward him did nothing to stop the waves of fear
coursing
through his body.
He had never felt fear like this.
Only when he held her tight in his arms did
his
fear begin to turn to fury.

She pushed him away and stepped back
. Her face was flushed with anger and exertion
but her voice was shaking and her body was
trembling
.

“I could have gotten him, Bai.
I had it under control.
”

“Ah, yes,
cherie
. You most certainly did have it
under
control.
But why be so greedy
?
Isn’t three enough?
Did you need to get all four?
”

Elena tossed her head and then collapsed against him
,
pointing to the governor writ
h
ing on the floor.

“Bai, it’s him.
It’s
G
overnor
Sampson
.
He killed Martin.
I don’t know about Greg…something isn’t right, but it was the governor…”

Wyatt picked up the guns from the floor as Nianzu
tied
Chris and Hank back to back with a drapery cord.
He pulled the knots
tight
and said with a harsh groan, “
T
hat’ll hold you fuckers until the
s
heriff gets here.
”

Meanwhile
,
Bai reached the governor
. He
picked him up and bodily threw him to his back on the floor.
Bai
knelt on his chest straddling
him
. He
grabbed his shirt front
in
one hand twisting it tight. With the other hand he held his blade up against the governor’s throat.

“
You
have thirty seconds.
Tell me the truth.
If I find out you are
lying
,
I’ll
cut
you in
pieces
,
starting with your dick. Now. Tell me!
”

The governor’s face was grey, his body shaking
. Only
Bai’s weight held him in place. He was blubbering like a baby
,
gasping for air.

“Oh, God, Bai!
Oh my God! I promise you…I’m telling you... it wasn’t me.
As God is my witness…I didn’t do this.
Please… Please, Bai!
You have to believe me.
It was Greg…He killed Martin…Shot him in the face. He pulled my gun out of my drawer, walked over and…oh my God…he shot him in the face.
”