Kiss and Die

Chapter 49

Tammy had been staring at the text from Mann for most of the day. It was 9 p.m. She had four missed calls from him. She was following new orders. Tammy understood but it didn’t feel right. She had no choice. It was just after 9 p.m. She was on the way to meet Lilly. In preparation for her initiation, Lilly was going to introduce her to someone further up the Triad ladder, a Red Pole in the Outcasts. She hoped it would lead her to Victoria Chan. That would be the ultimate prize for Tammy. It’s what Mann had wanted. If she could find evidence against Victoria then she would be doing him a massive favour. Her loyalties lay with him. Tammy hoped he’d understand that in the end. She hoped he’d know she didn’t want to disobey his orders, she had no choice.

Lilly was waiting for her outside the MTR station.

‘Where are we going?’ Tammy stepped in beside her as they walked away from the station.

They walked along the backstreets of Yau Ma Tei for ten minutes, dodging in and out of the stallholders setting up along the way, wheeling their stalls along the street. They moved in and out of the crowds of tourists making their way through the night market: two skinny Chinese girls with attitude.

‘I told you, the boss wants to meet you,’ answered Lilly. Tammy knew something was wrong; Lilly wasn’t able to look her in the eyes. ‘You do want to meet her, right?’ Lilly was texting, looking around. She seemed nervous.

‘Yeah, sure. But…does she live around here?’ Tammy knew the area well. It was not a prestigious address. It was a sprawling low rise of old tenement blocks and a place where jade was sold, where old men bartered their bright canaries in the bird market.

‘No, but we just have to meet the others first.’

Tammy followed Lilly as they slipped past the tourists and onto Saigon Street, a side road that led to the night market. It was ten thirty and the market was in full swing. Bubbling tanks offish and crustaceans blocked the pavement as they stepped into the road and Lilly led Tammy into the side entrance of the Seafood Grill.

They passed the owner who scowled at them, looked like he was about to object but was in too much of a flap, his once-white apron covered in fish entrails, his face bright red from working in the heat of the kitchen.

‘Come on,’ said Lilly as she led Tammy through to a basement stacked high with boxes of defrosting prawns.

Tammy looked around her as they left the road behind. One way out, one way in. If Lilly planned to kill her then this was the ideal place to trap her. She looked at Lilly’s demeanour, the tension in her upper back, the way she walked purposefully as if she only had to get somewhere as fast as possible. Lilly sensed her hesitation, caught her glances over her shoulder at the diminishing exit and she moved quicker down the corridor. Lilly looked at the kitchen porter as he stood back to let them pass, his pale face pocked with volcanic acne. He glanced first at Lilly and then at Tammy. She slowed, levelled with him and looked into his eyes. They flicked towards Lilly’s back as she carried on down the corridor and then he gave a small, almost twitch-like shake of the head as he looked back to Tammy.

Tammy turned and ran. Lilly was a second behind. Tammy pulled the boxes of prawns over behind her as she bolted past. The waiting staff, their arms laden with dishes, yelled at her to stop, but she didn’t. She ran through to the street outside. She knew it would take Lilly just a minute to catch her. She heard the telltale whistles calling for back-up. She knew it wouldn’t take long before they found her. She ducked into an alleyway and phoned Mann.

‘I need you, Boss.’ She hadn’t hesitated. Mann was the one she trusted to help her now.

‘Where are you, Tammy?’ Mann was stood in Mia’s office.

‘I’m in the night market, Boss. They’re coming after me, the Outcasts. I need help. I thought I was meeting Victoria Chan. I’m sorry, Boss.’

‘Stay out of sight. I’m coming.’