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not entirely sure it is one.”
    â€œWhat do we do with Jimmy?” Lee asked, diverting Bai’s attention.
    â€œYou can’t trust him,” Ling insisted. “He’s like my mom—mean and stupid.”
    Hate glinting off his eyes, Jimmy stared up at Bai. His expression reinforced his sister’s opinion of him. He was a rat.
    â€œI wanna go to China.” Jimmy made the statement with a hint of authority. “I know where my mother is. The guy told me to go.”
    Apparently, Jimmy was recovered enough to start backing his way out of the mess he found himself in. But Bai couldn’t trust him to leave town, and she couldn’t have him interfering with her search for his sister. Jimmy would have to go on ice for a few days. She just had to figure out where to stash him until she could find Jia.
    Bai grabbed a handful of Jimmy’s hair to pull his head up. She wanted to see his face. “‘Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes.’” She spoke to him as if he were a child. “I think it’s time I introduced you to Uncle Tommy.”
    Jimmy looked disappointed. He should have been terrified.
    Lee got up from his stool. He nodded to Bai and Ling before turning to walk out the door.
    As Shan Chu , Tommy couldn’t be seen with Lee because Lee was tongzhi. The brotherhood had strict prohibitions against its members’ associating with homosexuals.
    After the door had closed behind Lee, Ling turned to Bai. “Where’s he going?”
    â€œHe can’t accompany me on my next stop.” Her words were a sad commentary. She turned around to see the look of confusion on Ling’s face. “It’s a long story.” She dismissed Ling’s unasked questions with a wave of her hand. “Do you happen to have a picture of Jia?”
    â€œSure. I have a school picture upstairs. I’ll get it for you.”
    While Ling ran to get the photo, Bai tugged the cell phone out of her pocket. As she dialed, Jimmy decided he’d been sitting on the floor long enough and started to get up. Bai swiveled around on her stool and slapped him on the top of his head. “Stay down until I tell you to get up.”
    The slap did the trick. He complied while the phone rang. The woman who answered had a pleasant voice. When Bai identified herself, the receptionist put her through to Tommy.
    â€œBai. It’s good to hear from you!” Tommy sounded jovial. “I’ve been meaning to call. We have some business to discuss. When can we get together?”
    â€œActually, Tommy, I’m thinking now would be a good time. Could you send a car and driver? I’m at the Far East Café on Grant near Washington. I have an unmanageable package that needs transport.”
    The line went silent. Her words were code. Tommy would send soldiers to escort her back to Sun Yee On’s offices.
    â€œI’ll send someone right over. I look forward to hearing about this.” His voice was full of amusement.
    â€œThanks, Tommy. See you soon.”
    She looked down at Jimmy. “You’re about to find out karma’s a bitch. Tai lo.” Be careful.
    Jimmy glared at her but said nothing, too stupid to be scared.

A black limousine double-parked in front of the café. The driver, a burly Chinese man in a black suit, took Jimmy by the arm and roughly escorted him to the waiting car. Bai followed a few steps behind, shadowed by another triad enforcer who bowed her into the limo with deference.
    Although not a member of the triad, she was the granddaughter of Ho Chan Jiang, the man who’d ushered Sun Yee On into the twenty-first century by legitimizing many of their operations. He’d funneled money from illicit gambling, prostitution, smuggling, and drugs into fast-food chains, luxury resorts, pharmaceutical companies, and oil. The triad had prospered, and nothing, it seemed, engendered loyalty like money.
    The trip to the