Chapter 7: The Rogue Cop (Part 1)
The tension in the office was suffocating—cold enough to freeze the air.
After a long mental calculus, I finally gathered my courage and said, "I don't want to tell you."
Boss Drake's expression grew even icier. He slowly closed the wooden box and said softly, "If you don't tell me, do you really think you'll walk out of here alive?"
My voice was trembling: "Boss Drake, don't bluff me. You said we'd go our separate ways, but do you think I'm stupid? If I tell you where the gold is and your people recover it, I won't even know if I can make it out that door. And don't threaten my family—the problem is, I can't even guarantee my own life right now."
I knew I couldn't fold. I had to push through the fear. The gold's location was the only card I had. Without it, I was worthless—and a worthless man in this room was a dead man.
Boss Drake was silent for a moment, then said, "So what do you want?"
"You won't let me work for you, so here's my number: three million."
He almost laughed. "You stole my merchandise, and now you want me to pay you?"
I stood my ground. "I only ended up with your gold because your people couldn't keep their hands clean. Your own men ran a shakedown, and that three million is my compensation. Or does Boss Drake think a whole box of gold bars isn't worth that much? You can't manage your own people, and you won't even pay damages? What kind of business is that?"
My voice rose, and the door burst open. His men surged forward, pointing and shouting:
"Watch your mouth!"
"You looking to die?"
I forced back my fear. "I came here to do business, and I already made you a profit. You're the ones who broke the deal. Everything I did was self-defense, and now you're threatening me? Is this how you operate? Fine—we all go down. I give you my life, and you never get the gold!"
Their faces darkened with rage, but Boss Drake raised a hand: "Enough. Stop bickering. When it comes down to it, we're the ones who broke faith. Whoever made this mess can clean it up themselves. Send Tiger in."
Tiger Lin had clearly been waiting outside. He came in immediately, looking nervous. "Boss."
"This mess is on you and your sister. You take him and get the gold back. The kid's scared he won't make it out alive—you listen to what he needs. Business is about harmony. If we can resolve this peacefully, we resolve it peacefully."
Tiger Lin said respectfully, "Yes, Boss. Whatever you say."
I pressed: "What about the three million—"
Boss Drake's voice turned glacial: "I could give it to you. But would you dare take it? In this world, when someone's stronger than you, they're stronger. If you're short, admit it. If you're getting hit, stand steady. You survived by luck. Don't say we don't do business honorably. I'm not arguing principles with you. Today, I'm bullying you plain and simple. I'm slapping you across the face. Can you swallow that or not?"
I hung my head and whispered, "I can swallow it."
"Get out. We know where your family lives. Don't play games, and they stay safe."
My heart was racing. Don't play games? I had to play games—the gold was already in police hands!
Tiger Lin suddenly spoke up: "Boss, my sister..."
"I took her hand. Since you've been with me for years, I'm sparing her life. After we settle accounts with the client, I'll have her taken to a hospital you know. The hand can be reattached, but it won't be as nimble as before."
Tiger Lin's face flushed red. He seemed to want to say something, but the words died in his throat.
Boss Drake's voice was ice: "You know perfectly well that if anyone else had done this, both of you would be in the ground by now. I've overlooked plenty of what you've done in the past. Today, you brought this on yourselves—you couldn't even pull off a shakedown right."
"Yes, Boss. You're right."
Tiger Lin let out a heavy sigh and dragged me out of the office.
Once outside, his eyes reddened, and he pressed the heels of his palms into his eye sockets, choking back a sob. "I really want to kill you. If it weren't for you, my sister wouldn't be suffering like this."
"Your moral compass is completely broken. You're the ones who came after me first, and now you're blaming me? When you rob and kill people, am I supposed to greet you at the door and say 'Welcome, honored thief'? With a mindset like yours, no wonder you ended up here."
"I don't want to argue about stupid things with you. Where's the gold?"
"It's with a friend of mine."
He looked shocked. "You're not trying to fool me, are you? That much gold—you just handed it to a friend?"
"I couldn't exactly carry it around. That wasn't a one-person haul anyway. I didn't even have a working car at the time. Was I supposed to bury it in the dirt and hope nobody dug it up?" I said. "Don't worry, my friend is keeping it safe."
Tiger Lin pulled out his phone impatiently. "Call him! On speaker!"
I took his phone and dialed Detective Sullivan's number.
Tiger Lin watched me dial. "Local number? You're not afraid we'll track down his family?"
When the call connected, Sullivan's voice came through: "Hello, who is this?"
I said immediately: "Brother, it's me—Ziming! They came for the gold!"
"Let me talk..." Tiger Lin grabbed the phone back. "Listen, kid. He gave you that box of stuff, right? If you don't want both of you buried in the mountains, hand it over now, nice and easy."
Sullivan was silent for a beat, then said: "Who is this?"
"Don't worry about who I am. Your buddy's life is in my hands. And by the way—I have your number now. Think I can't find out who you are?"
"I'm so scared. Who do you work for?"
"You little punk, you've got some nerve. Hope you don't cry when I show up at your door."
"Cut the crap. You're with Monkey Drake, aren't you?"
Tiger Lin froze. "How do you know—"
"Who else in this city can move that many American-style gold bars? What have you done with my friend?"
"Sounds like you know the business. As long as the gold is good, your friend is fine. Name a time and place."
"Got it. Tonight at three, at the place where me and my buddy originally made the handoff. And if you bring extra muscle, I drive away. Don't think I can't move the merchandise—I can split it across several buyers in the city and still get top dollar."
"I'm asking for the specific location!"
"Why should I tell you? If my buddy wasn't valuable, would I even let you see him alive? You talk too much. Click."
"Wait, you little—" Tiger Lin started, but the line was already dead.
Sullivan was a pro. In a few sentences, he'd established my value and forced a meet at the original handoff point. That one move might have saved my life!
Tiger Lin said to me: "Your buddy is in the business too?"
"If he were an upstanding citizen, why would I hand him illegal gold?"
"He's got a big mouth. Maybe he doesn't know who he's dealing with. If he knew he was talking to Tiger Lin, his legs would be shaking."
"He's... always been bold. Maybe he's really not afraid of you."
Tiger Lin picked up his phone and copied Sullivan's number, then opened WeChat.
My heart leapt into my throat. If Sullivan's WeChat was linked to his phone number, and his profile picture or nickname had any police connections, I was sunk!
The search result popped up. There was an account, but no police indicators—just a puppy avatar and the handle "This Heart Like Snow."
I never would have guessed Sullivan's WeChat name was so... sentimental. And a little edgy.
Tiger Lin didn't add him as a contact. He asked if the meeting point was in the city or the countryside, and I told him the truth: the countryside.
He nodded, called in two more guys to help, and told me to wait at the shop. Eventually, we all climbed into a delivery truck.
Once inside, they drove to a shopping center, and then Tiger Lin made me hide in the deepest part of the cargo area. I was wondering what was going on when he crouched next to me, and his men started loading garbage bins onto the truck.
Not garbage bins again...
Each bin they brought on made a wet, sloshing sound and reeked to high heaven.