Jackpot

3

Li Feng was so close to being able to relax. The plan had seemed outlandish at first, and updates to it early on only made it seem more ludicrous. But here she was on her way to the airport to complete the last step in a plan that would give her what she wanted most in life and had never thought would be possible: freedom.

The first taste of freedom was being by herself in the car. For as long as she could remember, she’d always had a crowd of security personnel around her. As an adult, she understood why it was necessary, especially as her father grew his role in the Chinese government and left much of the running of QuiTel to her. The number of security personnel always seemed excessive to her, and she was certain that when she was younger the guards had been there more to spy on and control her than to protect her.

Even as she basked in the glorious freedom of the alone time she’d been given, all she could think about was Sonny Ma, the man who had shown her another life free of her parents and their influences and expectations, a life of excitement and fame and money not tied to her family or the Chinese government. They’d grown up together, both students at a school for the children of elite members of Chinese society, and both had dabbled in criminal activity out of boredom. While Li Feng’s family had put an end to her “childish rebellions,” Sonny Ma used his family resources and connections from the school to lay the foundation for a powerful criminal enterprise. Then he had dangled before Li Feng the possibility that she could be part of that exciting world, too.

But soon after showing her that life and letting the need for it infect her soul, he had ripped it away from her at her parents’ command.

For that, Sonny Ma would pay dearly.

“The American producers have received the blackmail letter and their movie set has been attacked,” Li Feng said to her driver. “You will do the rest. Soon everyone will believe Sonny Ma is back to his gangster ways, just as they’re about to celebrate him with this ridiculous movie.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just kill him?”

“I will take his money, his reputation, and his freedom. He will wish he was dead. I will not grant him that mercy.”

The little man driving the car was one more piece of the freedom she was being offered. Zhou “Ziggy” Peng was known around town as the most vicious fixer for Arrow Donaldson, the American billionaire with outsize influence in China due to his ownership of the largest and most profitable casino in Macau. He also owned the ferry that transported tourists between Hong Kong and Macau, as well as several high-profile government officials.

A year ago, Ziggy Peng showed up in her office to tell her that a number of her employees had high gambling debts and were likely in danger of being blackmailed. Little had she suspected at the time that this meeting would turn into the start of a new life for her. Days later, Ziggy returned with Arrow Donaldson, who told her about a plan he had in mind that would require her to lie to the U.S. government.

“What would it take for you to put yourself in that situation?” he had asked her.

“I want to destroy Sonny Ma.”

Arrow gave her the use of Ziggy Peng and his resources, as well as arranging to get her a new identity — including all of the papers she would need to live in the U.S. and become rich and famous and free.

In exchange, all she had to do was tell some people from the U.S. government that her company was spying on U.S. citizens using the cellular equipment they sold to phone carriers, even though it wasn’t true. That was the best part of the plan. Her testimony would ruin her family and taint her government. Her testimony was so prized that the U.S. government would bring in the CIA to protect her, which would also shield her from Sonny Ma once he found out she was the one responsible for ruining his life.

As they approached the business aviation area of the airport, Ziggy Peng’s phone rang. He nodded his head and said a few words acknowledging whatever was being said on the other line and then he hung up.

He turned back toward Li Feng and said, “There’s been a change of plans. I’m taking you to your protected lodging instead of the airport.”