Chapter 3

Yuta

What. A. Dumb. Motherfucker.

My brother is a fucking idiot and should know a lot better. One of these days, he's going to have what's coming to him – a fucking good beating.

Kang's always been the rebellious brother, and because he's the youngest, he thinks he can get away with things. Up until now my father's turned a blind eye to what he gets up to, but he's finally had enough of Kang's behaviour. And he's not the only one.

I look at my brother in distaste, 'Nǐ zhīdào guīzé, Kāng. What the fuck is wrong with you?'

He smirks and fucking shrugs at me.

'Do you realise how stupid you're making us and yourself look?'

He ignores me and stares ahead.

'You're not listening to me, are you?'

Again, he ignores me.

I give up.

I shake my head, 'Díkè.'

Chen speaks up from my right, 'Did you think you weren't going to get caught?'

I look over to my left to see Kang lounging in his chair, drumming his fingers against the mahogany dining room table, 'Kang!'

Kang's icy blue eyes meet mine, 'What?'

'Chen is talking to you. Don't be so fucking childish and answer him.'

He rolls his eyes, looks over at Chen and snaps, 'No, I didn't think I was going to get caught. I obviously didn't give her enough money to keep her fucking mouth shut.'

He never learns.

I chuckle, 'You could have any woman in the world to fuck for free, but instead you choose to pay for sex with whores that are carrying god knows what. You're so pathetic.'

'Fuck yo...'

I wait for him to finish his jibe so I can grill into him more, but sadly my attention is drawn down the hall when I hear a door closing.

'Here we go,' I mutter under my breath.

Very shortly, my father's guard enters the room and bows, 'You have been summoned.'

Showtime.

As soon as we enter our father's office, we bow our heads as a way to greet him. He waits for his guard to close the door behind us and takes one long look at the three of us. He shakes his head, grabs the bottle of bourbon and pours it into his glass.

Beside me, Kang clears his throat, 'Father...'

I close my eyes in embarrassment.

Shut the fuck up.

Father puts up his hand to stop him from speaking further, 'Hold your tongue.'

Immediately, Kang shuts up and bows.

I open my eyes to see father open his cigar box and pulls one out. He then sits down behind his huge desk in his red leather chair.

My father grows more wrinkled each day. He looks as though he has too much skin to cover his wilting frame. The great Li Wei's face has lost all of its healthy golden colour and has now faded to an ashy grey. He looks as though dust has begun to gather on his rotting body. I remember when my father looked like an incredibly powerful man, when he had black hair that was kept slicked back and wore specially made suits just for him. But now the Dragon Head has lost all of his youthful and handsome looks. He was very clean shaven and was admired by countless women. I wish I could've seen the mountainous, strong willed and merciful leader he used to be, but when I look at him now, all I see is a withered old man. These days, I wonder if my father is more scared of living or of dying. Seeing him growing older each day fucking depresses me.

When he dies, I'll be the one to take his place.

And I can't fucking wait.

'I've just about had enough of repeating myself.'

He has led an incredibly hard life running this family and half of the world. He belongs at the very top and everyone knows it. So yes, if you haven't guessed already, our family's a part of a secret society involved in organized crime. My family and myself get involved in shit-tons of crimes like money laundering, prostitution, extortion and trafficking. We also smuggle counterfeiting goods like music, software, clothes, watches and shitloads of other stuff.

My father's the leader of The Black Dragons and is based in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Macau, but now my father wants to go bigger.

It's the reason why we're here.

He wants America.

My father gulps down all of the glass' contents and refills it, 'Chen?'

'Yes, sir?'

'Remind me why we have rules.'

Chen clears his throat, 'To avoid chaos. Us humans have a dark side. Rules and regulations are necessary to appropriately stop human activity. Also, following the rules helps us protect our personal properties.'

Ass kisser.

He pinches the bridge of his nose, 'Is that so hard for you to do, Kang?'

'Sir?'

Unexpectedly, our father slams his palm down hard on the desk, 'How hard is it to follow the fucking rules!?'

Kang bows as he apologises sincerely, 'Duìbùqǐ.'

The Dragon Head that is my father growls at his youngest son, 'Not yet, but you will be.'

He stands from his chair and looks at Kang straight in the eyes, 'The rules are there for a reason. I allow you and your brothers free rein to do whatever you wish but only if you do not get caught. Getting drunk while doing drugs and fucking whores from the outside of this organization, puts me and my business at risk. Everything I've worked for will all vanish because of your careless actions. Now thanks to you, I'm already a wanted man.'

What the fuck? Already?

'How, father?' I ask.

'Him,' he points at Kang.

I swivel my head over and shake my head, while at the same time biting my tongue to stop me from saying something I'll regret later.

Our father sighs, 'Your youngest brother was caught doing cocaine with a hooker who turned out being a cop working undercover. It was all caught on camera and it's only a matter of time before the fucking cops come knocking on my door.'

'Wouldn't be the first time,' I mutter under my breath.

'She was a cop?' Kang stutters.

Father glares at his youngest son, 'Yes, you silly boy.'

'If they come here, are you going to pay them off, father?' Chen asks.

He nods.

'And if they refuse the money?'

Li Wei shrugs, 'Then I'll send a few of my men and kill the families of every police officer in this state, and make them watch as their loved ones get shot in the head.'

How...poetic?

If you think my father's joking, then you've got no idea what kind of man he is. If he says he's going to do something, then he's going to fucking do it. Just because he's old, it doesn't mean he's forgotten how savage he can be.

'After taking care of unwanted business here, we'll have to move to our other location as soon as possible.'

What kind of business is there to take care of?

'Now, Kang?'

'Yes, sir?'

'When was the last time you saw her?'

Kang tenses his jaw and hesitates.

Big mistake.

My father sees him hesitating and he roars in a terrifyingly loud voice, 'Kang!'

'Last night, sir.'

He looks at Kang in disgust then looks over to the doors leading into the office and shouts, 'Bring the fucking whore in here!'

Oh shit.

The gargantuan double doors immediately open and held by the arms by two guards, is the woman Kang's been fucking for five months. She comes in dressed in her undercover outfit – a red corset and black thigh high boots. Black mascara falls down her face – making her look even more pathetic.

She whimpers as she comes to a stop right in front of Kang.

'I'm s...so sorry,' she whines, 'Please don't kill me.'

Kang doesn't say anything to her.

And so he shouldn't.

No matter how much money you pay them to keep their mouths shut, offer them a larger sum of money and they're more than happy to share what they know about the new people in town. Kang's at fault because he shared our secret to the wrong person. That's why we don't fuck whores on the outside. They're a liability.

Li Wei goes to his desk, opens a drawer and asks, 'Is this her, Kang?'

He doesn't hesitate, 'Yes, sir.'

Bang!

One shot is all it takes.

Her limp body drops to the side. Her sad, empty eyes stare back at me as blood pours out of the side of her head, and pools around her raven coloured hair.

I turn my head over and look at my brother. Kang's face shows no remorse nor regret. In fact, there's no emotion there at all.

Li Wei throws the revolver back into the drawer, slams it shut and drops back into his chair. He takes a sip from his glass and indicates to Chen and Kang, 'Leave.'

Chen and Kang bow at the same time and leave quietly out of the office.

'Get that whore out of my office and clean this shit up right now,' he orders the two guards who instantly do as they command.

It takes them less than ten minutes to remove the body out of the room, and clean up all of the blood out of the carpet.

'Yuta?'

'Yes, sir?'

He indicates for me to come forward.

'Is everything well, father?'

His old, vacant eyes watched my every move. As soon as I stop in front of his immaculate desk, he sighs, 'Yuta, it is your duty to keep your brothers in line, especially Kang. He's getting out of control.'

'What would you have me do, father?'

'Wúlùn nǐ xūyào zuò shénme. Do whatever means necessary to keep him in line.'

I nod my head, 'Understood.'

Our eyes locked, and I knew in that moment what my father was telling me. If Kang oversteps again, I'll have to step in and teach him a lesson or two and trust me nobody wants that. You don't want to know the shit I've done because it'll no doubt make you sick.

'Is that all, father?'

He shakes his head, 'No. On top of all this shit with your brother, I have to figure out who's stealing my fucking cargo. This is the second time it's happened.'

Wait. What?

'We've only been here six months. Do you know who's stealing it from you?'

He sneers, 'No. If I knew who it was I wouldn't be on my old pìgu doing nothing now, would I?'

I bow, 'No, sir. My apologize.'

For seventy seven years, nobody has ever dared tried to steal any of my father's goods.

Until now.

'Do you have an idea of who it could be?'

He nods, 'I have my suspicions. If it happens again, I will retaliate.'

Nobody wants that.

He waves me off, 'You're excused.'

I bow and turn to leave but my father's voice stops me.

'Wait.'

I turn my head to look at my father, 'Father?'

He reaches for the bottle of bourbon and a cigar, 'The whore's body will be put in the trunk of your car. Get rid of it. Drop the body in the shore, and take your brothers with you.'

I bow, 'Yes, sir. Consider it done.'