Chapter 5

I turned around with my arms crossed to look at Bayman. He was sitting there, still. Not bothering to answer my question or even turn around to look at me. When I took a few steps towards him, he quickly got off of the bed & stared at me with cross eyes.

Is he going to do something to me now? Go ahead, I'm not afraid of you.

We stared at each other for a few seconds until Bayman turned away & looked at the floor, "Several months ago, I was one of Donovan's."

He . . . was?

"He wanted me to assassinate Fame Douglas so he could take over DOATEC," he kept talking & I sat down on the bed, not taking my eyes off of him, "When I did, he decided that I knew too much & couldn't be trusted so he sent a sniper to get rid of me. But that wasn't enough."

"I think I've heard of you," I replied, deep in thought, "Although I'm somewhat close to Donovan, he doesn't tell me everything. All I know is that he just may have hired someone to assassinate Douglas. But who, was what I didn't know. When I found out Douglas was dead, I knew Donovan played a part in it . . ."

Bayman moved around as if he was suddenly uncomfortable.

"So," I started, "was it you? It should have been."

He shot his head at me. But then after a few seconds, he said it was him. I was right all along.

"Why were you trying to stop me?" I questioned him, getting off of the bed & walking up behind him.

I was so close, I could almost feel the fabric of his T-shirt. But he didn't answer me. Instead, he went over to the closet, opened it up, & pulled out a pair of woven sandals.

He threw them at me & I barely caught them, "Put those on. We're going for a walk."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I leaned forward, looked up so I could see the sun from under the umbrella, & shaded my eyes from the sun with my hand. The sun was really bright. I leaned back onto the chair with my legs crossed & watched the people pass me. There were people skating, walking, & sitting down at tables in front of the shops just like I was. I was waiting for Bayman to get back with my drink. Why I was still here & not leaving this place, was what I asked myself over & over again.

I should stay to know more of what he wants so I can tell Donovan all about him . . . Should I tell Donovan?

I shook my head to get rid of the misplaced thoughts.

Of coarse, I should tell Donovan! He has to know about his adversaries! And it's my job to tell him when I find out . . .

I placed my hands on the armrests & uncrossed my legs, ready to get up. I looked around for a payphone. I spotted one a few yards away. I got up & walked over to it. I picked it up & placed it on my ear. When I reached out to dial, I suddenly remembered that I had no change with me & I couldn't even read the Chinese.

I put the phone back.

Cell phone!

I looked around to see if I could find a few people with cell phones. I saw a man sitting down at a snack bar with his back towards me & a cell phone clinging to his waist. I ran up to him, avoiding a couple on skates. When I tapped him on the shoulder, he turned around slowly, probably surprised someone was tapping him. I asked him as politely as I could, because he seemed sort of annoyed if I could use his cell phone. I watched as he took the cell phone off of his waist, handed it to me, & then went back to his drink as if I wasn't there. I dialed DOATEC's number & waited for the secretary to answer.

"DOATEC. How may I help you?" I heard her voice say.

"Give me Mr. Victor Donovan," I said.

"And who, may I ask, is calling?"

"Just tell him it's his angel of death."

". . . Okay, just a minute."

As I waited for her to connect me with him, I saw the man who lend me his cell phone turn around & look at me with a curious look.

What? What're you looking at?

I walked off to the fence that separated the beach from the shops so I could have some privacy. I waited for the secretary to connect me again.

What am I going to tell him? I'll just make it straightforward.

"Hello? Christie?" I heard Donovan's voice, "Where are you?"

"I . . ." I started to talk.

What should I tell him?

"I'm in Dalian," I told him.

"What're you doing in Dalian?" he questioned me, aggravation in his voice, "Kin is in Hong Kong."

"I-I know. I-"

"Failed to assassinate Michael Kin?"

He found out.

"How'd you find out?" I asked.

I heard him sigh, "Kin sent me a letter saying 'Your angel just experienced the true meaning of death'. I thought he had killed you. How dare he threaten me like that . . ."

Was he feeling repentant over me?

"I'm fine, but I don't know how I got in Dalian," I lied, "I was knocked unconscious."

"Is that so?" was all Donovan said back.

"I'm surprised you're not telling me to never come back after all this."

". . . I like you, Christie. So I'll give you more time. As long as you're still breathing."

Gee, he likes me . . . How nice . . .

I knew Donovan meant that remark in a perverse type of way.

So I lied to him . . . I'll wait till later at the right moment before I tell him anything of this.

As soon as he hung up, I did as well. I walked back to the man & gave him his cell phone back. Our eyes met & that was when I realized I saw this man somewhere. I knew Fame Douglas held fighting tournaments & invited only the best fighters on the planet & I also knew that this man was one of them. But I only knew a few of the fighters.

"Jann Lee?" I couldn't believe I still remembered his name.

"What?" he said, obviously, surprised that I knew his name.

I told him nothing & then I walked off back to the table I was at before. Bayman was there with his elbows on the table & arms crossed. There were two glasses on the table, one in front of him & one by my chair. Bayman looked up at me as I sat down.

"Who'd you call?" he asked me.

I looked at him as if he should have the authority to ask me that question.

"Why does it matter to you?" I asked him, scowling at his question, "It's not like you're holding me captive & have to know my every move."

He smirked as if that was exactly what he was going to do or was already doing.

I picked up the tall glass of orange liquid. I didn't care what it was. I was thirsty from not drinking in almost twenty-four hours & sitting out in the heat. I drank it until it was half gone. Bayman was looking towards the beach. I looked as well. I spotted some small islands in the water in the horizon.

So this is a taste of what Dalian looks like . . . Wherever it's at . . .

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The sun had set & it was dark out now. I sat on the balcony rail in the room I was in before, looking off towards the beach. No one was there now. There were lights on, but it wasn't enough to light up the beach again. The wind was blowing in the opposite direction it blew before. I closed my eyes & let the wind blow my clothes & hair. It wasn't mangled anymore like it was before. I took the time earlier to brush it out. It was the least I could do.

When the door opened, I quickly turned to see Bayman walk in. He had changed clothes & was now wearing a large, white T-shirt & dark green sweats. He threw the clothes he carried in his arms into the closet & then closed it. As soon as he made his way towards me, I looked back at the sea. He sat in a chair across from me.

"Where are you going tomorrow?" he finally questioned me after a few minutes of silence.

He was going to pay for me to go wherever I wanted to go.

"England," I answered him, "To go home."

He just nodded his head, understanding why I would want to go home. He said he was going to bed as he got up & went back into the room. I watched him turn off the lamp that was on then crawl into the bed. He folded his arms behind his head & then turned to see me looking at him. I turned back around, but when I saw the dark again, I decided that it was a bit late. I got off of the rail & started back into the room. Bayman was still watching me. He sat up, scooted over so that I would have some room on the bed, & then laid back down.

I'm actually sleeping beside this man . . .

I ignored that fact & got under the thin sheets on my stomach alongside him. Even though it was a queen bed, we were still close. I turned my head towards him & my eyes met his side.

I wonder if the scar's still there . . .

I pushed myself up & threw myself onto his firm chest. His eyes shot open to look down at me on his chest. I pulled down the collar of his T-shirt so I could see the spot where I stabbed him that one night. The scar was there. It was in the middle of his chest. I slid a finger over the red mark & felt it depress a bit.

His skin's so damp . . .

I finally realized Bayman was staring at me, probably wondering what I was doing. My eyes lifted to look at him.

Why is he looking at me like that?

Bayman just stared at me with a grim look on his face. I let go of his collar & went back to my side of the bed, not facing him. It was bad enough I was sleeping in the same bed with one of Donovan's adversaries, but to have him stare me down like that. It was best not to aggravate him when you won't know what he's doing for a couple of hours. I supposeed he suddenly remembered he had that scar & who gave it to him.

I was awake for several more minutes, but my eyes were closed. I couldn't help, but think of the man beside me.

Is he asleep yet?

I turned over onto my other side & saw that he was sleeping. His eyes were closed & his mouth was slightly ajar. I scooted towards him to get a closer look & could feel the heat of his skin. I studied his chest & could see his muscles through his shirt as they stretched then relaxed with his breathing. And I . . .

Don't touch!

I quickly brought my hand back after I realized I was just about to touch him. Bayman turned his head off to the side. I scooted back to my side of the bed & back to my previous position.

Why am I acting like this? Why am I so eager to . . . to touch?

But then again, I haven't even been with a man before except Donovan, but that was different. It wasn't intentional. I just couldn't find the time to meet anyone, because of Donovan's persistent orders.

I suppose I lost interest . . . Stop mourning over yourself!

I closed my eyes shut, hoping I would fall asleep soon.