Jackpot

65

Bingo did not expect Sonny Ma to bring Li Feng up onto the stage. He’d found a seat a few rows back from the stage, and from there he could see Dale Gai in the second row with some of the uniformed security personnel. She was talking to a garish man who looked like one of the Russian gangsters that had been coming to Macau lately looking to stir up interest in their own budding gambling city of Artem. Could Arrow Donaldson be looking to expand his own empire to Russia? Is that what Dale Gai had been involved in?

His curiosity about the mystery Russian man was squashed when he saw Li Feng on stage next to Sonny Ma. The lights shone bright on her, and the same rage and depression he’d experienced looking through the screen on his drone when he killed her decoy came rushing back. This was his chance to make it all right. He would kill Li Feng. He would kill Sonny Ma.

Bingo reached down to the gun clipped to the back of his pants and slipped it out. Two of the security guards on the edge of the auditorium seemed to notice him and one of them moved slightly toward Bingo, but no one tried to stop him as he approached the second row and Dale Gai.

Teddy was surprised when Li Feng joined Sonny Ma on stage, but it didn’t change the plan. In fact, Teddy was quite pleased because he would have easy access to detain Li Feng after the shooting without having to hunt her down. Teddy made sure the gun in his hand was ready, and he stood to fire.

As Bingo reached Dale Gai’s row, he noticed two things. First, he saw the sword Li Feng had been carrying was lying on the seat she’d vacated. The second thing he noticed was that the mystery Russian man sitting next to Dale was about to shoot Sonny Ma.

The Russian fired three times and Sonny Ma’s chest exploded. In the chaos that erupted, Bingo put his gun away and grabbed the sword so he could chop Li Feng’s head off like the demon that she was.

The blood from Sonny Ma’s chest soaked Li Feng, and she was delighted. This was the role she was meant to play, the grieving old friend. She wailed as Sonny’s body fell on top of hers, her dress ripping on the way down. She couldn’t have choreographed the moment any better herself.

To most in the room, she’d appear as much a victim as Sonny Ma. She could not imagine a more perfect ending to her plan. Sonny Ma murdered in front of his fans, and she would be fawned over as a witness and a grieving friend rather than investigated as a suspect. There would be talk-show appearances and interviews and photo shoots.

While Sonny fell to the ground and her Russian hitman looked to escape, Li Feng noticed Bingo charging the stage with her sword. Sonny Ma was already dead. She smiled again at that thought, and only when it was too late did she realize why Bingo was coming toward the stage.

Arrow Donaldson had lied to her. He wasn’t going to keep his end of the deal. He wanted her dead.

After shooting Sonny Ma, Teddy thought his part was over. When he saw Bingo pass him in the aisle of the theater then grab the sword Li Feng left behind, Teddy knew he still had more work to do. With Sonny Ma apparently dead, the only other target Teddy saw on stage was Li Feng. Teddy hoped to get to the stage before Bingo, but he wasn’t going to make it in time.

Teddy was about to scream for Li Feng to move. Then at the last second, Sonny Ma stood up and dived in front of the sword. He collapsed back to the ground, and Teddy had to decide which villain he was going to try and capture.