Page 84 of Damian & Jun: Episodes 1-4
“And the passport thing?”
“What passport thing?”
Bryce chuckled wryly. “Copy that. Is Reevesworth going to stay involved?”
“Richard Reevesworth is understandably angered to see a bright young professional being taken away right in front of him without due process. It may make him reconsider the safety of conducting business in the local area if he can’t trust the local government to perform normal policing activities according to the recognized standards of human rights required among developed nations.”
Bryce snorted. “Sathers, you snake. I’m glad I’m not going up against you. I’ll pass it up the chain. Call me before you do anything like destabilize a capital market.”
Damian offered Bryce a tip, one that would contribute to his career. “If Jun doesn’t come back in one piece and the chief of police is behind it like we think, that is on the table.” Let the ambassador know how far up the issue went.
“Fuck. Okay. I owe you. Ciao.” Bryce hung up.
Richard commandeered two conference rooms at one of his local offices. He emptied it with the expedient order that everyone present take the day off with a small bonus.
Yun called. No news. Jun wasn’t showing up in any of the precincts. He hadn’t been booked or processed. He wasn’t in a holding cell that Yun could find.
Geun posted Yun’s report on the fan site with the question: “Why?”
Eleanor called back that the war council was collected, one on the American side and one on the Korean. She would run the American one and sent Damian a link to the virtual conference room for the Korean council. “I kept it lighter on them. These people don’t want to lose their jobs, and they have national pride or at least loyalty, Damian. Don’t burn your bridges.”
“I won’t.” He signed off with her and put on his headphones, sitting down to address a group of five lawyers and advisers popping up on his screen.
Thirty minutes later, he had more of a plan and had broken out the action steps among the five. He wouldn’t trigger it yet, but within hours, he’d have something he could draw on. They would talk; he was counting on it.
He called Eleanor back. “What do you got?”
“Polite, rude, ugly, and burn it down, which do you want?”
“Start from the top.”
“Well, if you have even one scrap of evidence that the sex trafficking is international, even in clientele, we have a slew of people to call. I’ll throw the UN in there just for headlines. If you don’t yet, I have a nice list of nasty private investigators to get that evidence, courtesy of Collin and Linda.”
Damian laughed darkly. He should have known Collin had managed to slide into a support role. Richard would have given him and Émeric a heads-up. His chest warmed. “If you call them, let Émeric make the call. He has friends. Send me the list now.”
“On it. And there’s more.”
“It’s you. I never doubted it.”
Food was delivered. Damian forced himself to wolf down a roll’s worth of kimbop and drink two bottles of water. They were at the two-hour mark now. And Jun was still out-of-pocket.
Yun called. “Nothing. I have nothing, Sathers. They’re kicking us out. Without a client, they don’t have to let me stay on the premises.”
“Do you think he’s there?”
“I have no proof, but no.”
“Phase two, then. Get some food, stay safe, and stay where I can reach you.” Damian hung up. He drew a deep breath and walked into the other conference room where Mi Hi and the boys were hanging out. Gigi had come back and was chowing down on food. She had a large duffel bag at her feet and looked a little worse for wear. She gave him a thumbs-up and gestured for him to ignore her frizzy hair.
Richard motioned Damian in. “Chartered plane will be ready in four hours. Visas will be sorted. Bryce pulled through.”
“Damn, money is nice,” Gigi whispered.
“A favor, not money.” Richard shrugged. “The ambassador owes me.’
“They’re still legal, right?”
Richard nodded. “Legally expedited.”
