Page 99 of Roberto

“…I know him,” she said grimly.

“It’s his boss – a man named Lau.”

Mei-ling got a sick look on her face. “And you think Lau is working with an enemy of yours?”

“Yes.”

“Who? Somebody else in finance?”

I smiled grimly. “Not exactly.”

“Why would you need agun?”

“Because I’m afraid my enemy might try to kill me.”

Her eyes went wide. “Who?!”

“My uncle.”

She looked astounded. “YourUNCLEwants toKILLyou?!”

“I’ll explain, I promise – but first I need to know if you have contacts on the black market.”

Her face became a neutral mask. “You mean the kind of place where you could buy a gun?”

“Exactly.”

“Why would you think I know anybody like that?”

I tried to be as diplomatic as possible.

“I figure that De Sade operates in a grey area of what’s legal in Hong Kong… and as a result, you might knowotherpeople who do business in the same grey areas.”

“Buying a gun on the black market isn’t a grey area – it’s illegal.”

“Yes, I realize that – ”

“You could get 14 years in prison if the police found it on you.”

“I understand that, too. I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t think I was in serious danger.”

“I want to know why your uncleis trying to kill you.”

I sighed. “I never told you exactly what business my family is in.”

She stared at me in silence, waiting for me to continue.

“Have you heard of theCosa Nostra?”I asked.

“The Italian mafia?”

“Yes. My family is part of theCosa Nostra.We control the city of Florence and part of the area around it.”

I had expected Mei-ling might be afraid or that she might physically recoil from me.

However, I wasnotprepared for what happened next.

She leaped up from the sofa and stumbled backwards, her face full of horror. “GET OUT!”

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