Chapter Twenty-One.

Shadow After climbing what felt like two hundred agonizing steps-my body still in shambles from the beating Cairo delivered to me-we stood at the base of Tian Tan Buddha, the bronze monolithic statue which cast its five o'clock shadow over us. The once-golden afternoon sun began to fade into a pale orange, marking the beginning of dusk.

The Buddha itself was over one-hundred feet tall and he sat on a bed of lotus blossoms with his right hand raised, palm extending outwards. He had a serene look on his face.

For some reason, Nathan wanted to meet in Lantau Island, at Hong Kong's epicenter of Buddhism. I would have preferred meeting somewhere more enclosed and less of a major tourist attraction, seeing as how I wished to keep a low profile.

I didn't want Calisto to know I was here in Hong Kong.

However, it was proving hard to be conspicuous with Cairo hovering around me. The two of us together stuck out like dinosaurs at a petting zoo. I had suggested that he stay home with Reiko, but he was as stubborn as an ox and insisted on coming with me, providing me with some "hard chocolate muscle"-his words, not mine.

Nathan fired up a cigarette and took a deep drag from it. Tsung stood behind him; hand in his jacket pocket, gripping a weapon from what I figured. They were already antic.i.p.ating negotiations going sour.

"It's quiet up here," Nathan said.

He was right.

Nathan's men formed a blockade at the base of the structure's steps, sealing off the only entrance to reach the top of the Buddha's temple, where we stood. Up here, there were no wandering ears to listen to our conversation.

It was only us, the birds, and the Big Buddha. After pointing out the glaring silence, Nathan's choice of meeting up here made a lot of sense.

"So, I heard you lost your first fight, Cairo," Nathan said, amus.e.m.e.nt in his voice. "I have to admit, I was surprised."

Cairo didn't look happy at the mention of the loss. "Freakin' guy sucker punched me," he said.

I sighed. "How much more are you going to whine about this? I had you beat anyways. You were on your knees."

"No way. I was getting my second wind. Five more seconds and you would have been flat on your back. You were a sneaky b.i.t.c.h, that's all."

I raised my hand and made the motion of a puppet talking. "Blah blah blah."

"f.u.c.k, let's have a rematch then, right here and now," Cairo fumed, cracking his knuckles.

I never understood why the cracking of knuckles was meant to be intimidating. It only led to arthritis.

"If you think you can survive rolling down two-hundred steps," I replied, pointing to the steep staircase leading up here, "I'm not carrying your unconscious body all the way down."

"Aren't you supposed to be protecting him?" Tsung asked Cairo, a perplexed look on his face.

"Maybe I would if he stopped acting like a little b.i.t.c.h."

"Awww, m.u.f.fin...," I replied sarcastically.

Nathan cleared his throat, getting both our attentions. "Enough," he snapped. "I'm sorry I mentioned the fight."

Cairo was about to open his mouth, but stopped himself, blowing air from his nostrils instead like steam from a piston.

"Back to business?" I suggested.

Nathan nodded.

"Everything's ready," I said. "The economic infrastructure for your organization has been completed. All it needs is my activation."

"Good," Nathan replied. "I guess my next question is when does this activation take place?"

"The second I get to see Elena behind closed doors. You hand her over to me, I hand you the Triad's future."

"It seems simple enough," Nathan said.

"When and where?" I asked.

Nathan thought about for a moment. "Tonight, eleven p.m. I shall arrange a meeting to discuss handing you over to her."

"Excuse me?"

"It's exactly what I just said," Nathan replied. "Elena won't want to meet me unless it's something important. I will tell her that you have arrived in Hong Kong, and that you're the guest of the Triad. I'll suggest making a deal when I hand you over to her."

"This sounds like some sneaky s.h.i.t," Cairo replied. "How can we trust you? With the game you're playing, it can go either way."

Nathan shrugged. "You can't trust me, really. The only thing you can do is figure out if I gain more siding with you, or Elena? If you're confident that the offer you presented me is better for the Triad than anything Elena can give me, then you can rest easy."

"I'm offering you a kingdom," I replied.

Nathan laughed. "Yes you are Shadow, yes you are. Tonight, eleven o'clock, the Bamboo Lily restaurant in Kwonloon. I own the place, so it will be in safe territory."

"Safe for you," I pointed out.

"Well yes, of course," Nathan said. "That's a given." He looked at us and smiled. "Don't worry about any of Elena's men. I'll have them taken care of."

"She's just going to take your word that you have me in your clutches?"

Nathan shrugged. "A photo will help," he said, pulling out his phone. "Your bruised face is a nice addition to the 'prisoner' look that we're going for. Now, look like you're in pain."

Just as he finished his sentence, I felt a sharp, electrifying pain shoot up through the side of my face that was bruised.

"Son-of-a-b.i.t.c.h!" I cursed, wondering what the f.u.c.k just hit me. I heard a snapping sound come from Nathan's phone.

I turned to Cairo and saw his hand outstretched, thumb and index finger fully extended. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d had flicked me in the cheek with his crowbar fingers.

"Did you get a good shot?" Cairo asked. "I can do it again."

Nathan nodded. "It'll do," he said, turning his phone to us so we could see the screen.

He had caught me right at the moment where I was cursing, the look on my face contorted from the sharpness of the pain.

I scowled at Cairo.

"You happy now?" I asked. "We're even."

"Not even close. You smashed me with your whole fist. I hit you with a finger. The way I see it, I still owe you four more digits."

I shook my head and growled.

"I'll send this picture over to Elena," Nathan said. "That should be all for now."

"Till tonight then," I replied, the pain in my cheek slowly subsiding.

I watched as Nathan made his long descent down the steps, Tsung hot on his heels.

When he was finally out of earshot, Cairo turned to me.

"That guy is possibly the most cunning son-of-a-b.i.t.c.h alive," he said. "Do you honestly think you can trust him?"

"Probably not, but at this point, I have no choice. This is what happens when the devil you know is the most dangerous and psychotic b.i.t.c.h that ever lived. All the other devils look like Mother Theresa."

"I sure hope you know what you're doing man," Cairo said.

I did know what I was doing. I just didn't know if it was going to land me-and everyone else involved-six feet under.

Chapter Twenty-Two.

Aria He tasted like sugar and whiskey. His tongue brushed against mine, our mouths forming a perfect union.

Lincoln's throaty moans while he kissed me lifted my spirits and I felt my legs naturally spread apart, a gravitational pull formed by the hot l.u.s.t I felt for him-a gorgeous tattooed enigma, whom I had fallen for over the past couple of weeks.

I thought of Shadow, and suddenly out of guilt I pulled away but Lincoln's strong arms pulled me back towards him.

I lost myself all over again.

He lifted me up and pushed me against the piano. Before I could protest, I found myself sitting on top of the ivory, the sound of mashed keys echoing throughout the room. He growled as he spread my legs apart while his mouth found the base of my neck and began kissing it, his gentle lips sending flutters throughout my body.

"Lincoln," I whispered, my body giving into his touches.

"Take off your panties," he ordered.

"I..."

Before I could respond, he lifted my dress up to my waist with one hand, and with the other he pulled down my panties, revealing my wet, anxious p.u.s.s.y.

The heat from Lincoln, pressed up against my body, melted me as I grabbed the base of his tank top and lifted it up and over his head, stripping him.

My hands ran down his firm body, brushing against his pecs, my fingers dancing over his nipples and then finding their way to his hard abs.

I took in the sight of his inked body, a magnificent canvas of artwork painted onto his hard flesh that made me gasp.

I realized I hadn't gotten over my high school dangerous bad boy phase yet.

I recalled Juno's screams in the tattoo parlor and how Lincoln had pinned her to the table while he f.u.c.ked her, his dirty words filling both her-and me-with want. I needed him to do the same to me.

My hands immediately went for his belt but just as I was about to undo the clasp, Lincoln grabbed my wrists and then pushed them back against the piano frame.

"No," he ordered.

"I want you to f.u.c.k me," I breathed.

"No," he said again.

I was about to ask why, but suddenly I felt two of his long slender fingers slip inside of me, moving in and out while the pad of his thumb brushed up against my c.l.i.t.

I gasped and was about to unleash a moan, but Lincoln's mouth found mine and once more, our lips were intertwined with one another.

The warmth of his fingers sliding in and out of me felt euphoric while the sounds of his wet palm smacking against my bare skin fueled my desires even further. His thumb continued to play with my c.l.i.t, soothing the ache for satisfaction.

I wanted to tear my dress off and have his hands run all over my body, to have his mouth sucking the tip of my heavy b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

Lincoln pulled his mouth away from mine and in a commanding voice, growled "Come for me."

I was certainly reaching that point. I felt a warmth build up from deep inside me.

"Come now," he ordered again.

This time, I obeyed and suddenly I felt a climax swell through my entire body. I was shaking uncontrollably, as all my pleasure surged out of me from his commanding touch.

"Oh Lincoln, f.u.c.k," I moaned. The euphoric sensation lingered as I continued gasping and screaming.

He continued touching me, moving his fingers in and out with gentle but firm strokes, his thumb never straying from my sensitive c.l.i.t. I felt another o.r.g.a.s.m building.

Waves of intense pleasure ripped through my entire body as I was. .h.i.t with another climax.

When I was finished, I looked at Lincoln, my mouth wide open, my breaths hard and heavy.

"What the f.u.c.k was that?" I asked amazed.