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Businessmen’s Association Building, which served as triad headquarters, took only a few minutes. As the car pulled into the underground garage, Bai asked that Jimmy be kept in seclusion while she spoke with Tommy. The last she saw of him, he was being led away by a couple of triad enforcers.
    She rode the elevator up to the penthouse offices on the top floor and stepped out of the lift into a bright and airy atrium. Cow lilies, their fragrance filling the room, grew in a massive planter that rested against the wall next to the lift. Across the room was a receptionist’s kiosk, a round, elevated desk, where a very pretty Chinese woman in a tailored black blazer answered the phone via a wireless headset while gesturing for Bai to have a seat in one of the overstuffed leather chairs.
    As Bai settled into an armchair to wait, another receptionist appeared to offer tea. Bai declined. The stale coffee from the café had already torched her stomach.
    Tommy stepped out to personally usher her into his office. He offered her a seat in a guest chair before walking around to the other side of his desk. He sat facing her and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desktop. “It’s good to see you. You look beautiful as always. How is Dan?”
    â€œDan’s fine. You’re looking well.”
    He smiled. “Thank you. Now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, what can I do for you?”
    A slight, fit man in his late fifties, Tommy personified the direct and forceful executive. He continued to smile affably as he waited for her reply.
    â€œYour men are holding someone for me downstairs. It’s a long story. But to sum it up, I have a contract to retrieve a fifteen-year-old girl who’s been sold to the Wah Ching . I understand she’s being held in Oakland. The young man downstairs is her brother, also a Wah Ching . I need him held until I can find his sister.”
    He sat back in his chair to reflect a moment. The smile disappeared. “It would be easier to kill him—less messy. If we turn him loose, he could cause trouble.”
    â€œI don’t see any justification for killing him. Besides, being an accessory to murder would wreak havoc on my karma. When it’s all over, I’ll put him on a plane headed for China and we’ll never hear from him again.”
    Tommy’s fingers pressed together before his face to form a steeple. He closed his eyes and spoke in a measured voice. “We’ll keep him here for you . . . but not without a price.”
    He opened his eyes to smile at her. She was familiar with his Cheshire grin. It didn’t bode well.
    â€œWhat is it you want, Tommy?”
    â€œHo Chan’s estate has lingered now for two years. I want you to come to a decision regarding his remaining holdings. I want resolution on the Hong Kong property.”
    She wasn’t too surprised that he pushed for closure on her grandfather’s estate. She’d been stalling on instructions from her lawyers. The Hong Kong real estate market was still booming, while the market in California was in the toilet. Her overseas properties served as a hedge against her domestic holdings. But from Tommy’s perspective, the Hong Kong estate, a five-acre oceanfront compound, held significance beyond money. It had served as the palatial home of her grandfather, the seat of power.
    She assumed the serious demeanor of a businesswoman. “I won’t sell you the Hong Kong estate.” She made the statement flatly. The reaction on his face wasn’t angry, but he appeared to be disappointed. “But I will do a swap. I just can’t afford to recapture the depreciation since the property is held in a stateside corporation.”
    He nodded solemnly as he mulled over her suggestion. A small smile played across his lips. “Do you have any properties in mind?”
    She was familiar with the triad’s holdings. Her grandfather had managed them for