Page 98 of Emperor of Havoc

I mime a dramatic curtsey, and he chuckles briefly before his look sours again.

“I agree with your plan to speak civilly with Li Fan. It’s a wise move. But we should have the meetinghere, rather than the seaport district. I don’t like how much activity we’ve been seeing with the Triads in that areanotunder his control. I’m also concerned with the rumblings from the Vorobev family.”

I nod slowly, considering. Then I shake my head.

“I appreciate your concern. But I think moving the meeting last minute shows weakness and indecision. We’ll proceed as planned.”

Ryu scowls.

“We’ll bring an extra car full of men, well-armed,” I add.

Rya nods gruffly. “I can…live with that.”

“Good. Now, let’s go be diplomatic.”

“Ms. Ishida.It is an honor to meet you face to face at last.”

Li Fan is a tall, handsome man who clearly takes a lot of care with his appearance. He’s wearing a custom-tailored dark maroon suit—Armani—with a crisp black linen shirt beneath it.His black hair is buzzed on the sides and stylishly slicked back on top, and hints of Triad tattoo ink creep up his neck and out the cuffs beneath the Rolex on his wrist.

He bows low to me in a traditional show of respect before he straightens and offers his hand in a Western greeting.

“The pleasure is all ours, Mr. Fan,” Nina smiles, bowing toward the Triad leader and translating my signed response.

I don’tlovethe idea of her being in clandestine mafia meetings in seaport warehouses with unknown variables out the ass. Not because I don’t think she can handle herself.

Just that—I worry about her.

“Shall we sit?”

Li Fan gestures to a table set up in the middle of the warehouse surrounded by high stacks of shipping containers and wooden crates. I take a seat across from him, with Ryu and Nina on either side of me and a group of guards at my back.

“Do you mind?” Li raises a pack of cigarettes. I incline my head graciously, and he nods, slips one between his lips, and lights it.

Then he leans back in his chair, drumming his fingers on the table as he speaks.

“First of all, I want to say that I have the utmost respect for both you and your father. I understand that there have been some”…he frowns… “incursionsby other Triad families into what is unquestionably Ishida-kai territory. You have my word that the Jade Dragons are not involved in these provocations, nor do we have any inclination to be so.”

He grins as he exhales smoke through his nose.

“Ancient Chinese proverb: don’tfuckwith the biggest kid on the block,” he chuckles. “I don’t plan to.”

Good. We’re off to a great start.

“Thank you,” I sign back as Nina translates. “I appreciate your candor. Given that your organization is not part of the instigations, I’d like to offer you a sort of partnership, if you’re open to the idea.”

He spreads his arms wide. “Of course. My only goal today is to stop any animosity between our organizations before it starts, and express my desire to…” He clears his throat significantly.

“Keep the territory you already have in the seaport?”

He dips his chin. “Indeed.”

I nod. “I see no problem there. If I’ve heard correctly, your father fought hard to establish your territory here. I respect that. So here’s my offer: you have influence with most of the other Triad families in Tokyo. Get them in line. Make it clear to them that the consequences for fucking with my organization will be painfully severe. In exchange, I’m prepared not only to leave the boundaries of your territory alone, but also to outsource ten percent of our seaport logistics operations to the Jade Dragons.”

Li can’t hide his surprise when Nina translates that last part to him. He glances behind him at some of his captains and advisors. But I can see his mind is already made up. This is an easy deal to say yes to.

“Ms. Ishida.” Li smiles widely, stubbing out his cigarette in an ashtray and reaching across the table with an open hand. “I’d say we have a d?—”

His words cut off with a wet, gurgling cough. Blood sprays into the air as Li Fan lurches sideways, wrenched out of his chair in a crimson mist as the sharp snap of a gunshot echoes through the warehouse.

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