“You promised Cameron?” Erin had focused only on that part of the conversation. “He reached you? He’s all right?”

Hu Chang nodded.

Naturally, Erin would zero in on the well-being of her superhero, Catherine thought. She had not had the same response. Somehow, she had felt she would have known if anything had happened to Cameron. Crazy, unreasonable, but perfectly in sync with everything else that had gone on since she had encountered him.

“That’s good,” Luke said. “I thought that he would be. Cameron is a cool guy.”

And maybe Luke had that same sense that he would have known that Catherine did. She hoped it wasn’t true. She didn’t want him to be that close to Cameron in any way.

Dangerous.

Dangerous for Luke. Dangerous for her.

CHAPTER

12

CHINATOWN

Bright lights.

Crowded streets.

The spicy sweet-sour smell of food.

A restaurant painted red with a gold dragon on the door.

“Let us out here. We will walk the rest of the way.” Hu Chang paid the driver and got out of the cab. “Come along. It’s not far. It will give my friend time to prepare for us.”

Catherine watched the driver negotiate his way through the busy traffic. “And the name of your friend?”

“Celia Mekong.” He was making a telephone call. “Ah, Celia. I have guests and perhaps a few problems. May I bring them to you? You have no commitments?” He smiled at her answer. “We will be there within twenty minutes.” He hung up. “She is bored and delighted to have our company.” He started down the street. “However, she must get rid of one of her commitments and prepare for us. So we will stroll slowly and enjoy people watching. The Chinatowns of America are like no others.”

Luke and Erin were already walking ahead and looking into shop windows.

“Commitment?” Catherine asked.

“Celia is a courtesan.”

Catherine’s eyes widened. “She’s a prostitute?”

“No, a courtesan. There is a vast difference. You will understand once you meet her.”

“I don’t have to understand. All I have to know is that Erin is safe with her.”

“As safe as the circumstances permit. Until Cameron takes care of the root of the matter.”

“Kadmus.” She said, “I’m not sure Cameron is going to take care of him. He told me that was on the forbidden list.”

“He may have changed his mind. I received that indication.”

“Well, I can’t rely on him. I have to be ready for Kadmus when he comes.” She gazed directly into his eyes. “Or his men come, as they did tonight. Why did we have to go on the run? Tell me what happened at the airport, Hu Chang.”

“What you’ve probably deduced, but I’ll fill in the details.”

She listened quietly, and when he’d finished, she didn’t speak for a moment. “And we don’t know if Jack Sen is alive or dead.”

“He didn’t have to confront Kadmus’s men. I told him that I believed Cameron was going to address the problem.”

“Would that have been good enough for you? It was his mother who was murdered, for God’s sake. It wouldn’t have been good enough for me.” She paused. “I need to know if there’s anything I can do for Sen.”

“I will contact the airport and local hospitals and try to find out where he was taken. Or I will have Celia call a few people she knows, and they will be able to tell her.” He smiled. “People are always eager to do favors for Celia.”

“Good.” She was silent. “Cameron said he was on his way?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know if I want him to come. I thought we might be done with him. He … disturbs me.”

“I know. Then you must decide if you’re willing to tolerate the disturbance for his help in keeping Erin safe.”

“I don’t need his help. All I need is a little time to work things out for her.”

“Kadmus isn’t going to give us time. And you have both Erin and Luke to protect. Help would not come amiss.”

“You want Cameron to come?”

“I want you to come to terms with him. Take what you need, give what you wish. But do not hide from him.”

“I’m not hiding.” Or perhaps she was. And perhaps Hu Chang was right. Confront Cameron and take what she needed.

What she needed …

Tingling heat.

She pulled her gaze away. “I’ll think about it.”

“I know you will.” He nodded up ahead. “There is Celia’s house on the corner.”

“That store?” She could see a plate-glass window displaying exquisite Chinese statues on ivory pedestals and beside it a finely carved mahogany door. “It’s not what I was expecting.”

“Once you get beyond that door, you will see a house that would rival any mansion in the city. The interior is absolutely stunning. But Celia’s clientele quite often would prefer to be seen going into a store that can be explained rather than a luxury apartment. One of her main attractions is that she always protects the customer.” He corrected himself. “Well, not main attraction, that is the product itself.”

“How did you come to know her?”

“Several years ago, she was being held in a bordello in Calcutta by Li Pradka, a criminal who was scum of the Earth. She was his pride and joy. A prize he only let be sampled by special friends and clients. Celia was superbly talented, and it was considered a rare treat if she came to your bed.” He smiled. “But Li Pradka annoyed me, and I decided he had to be punished. So I arranged to take Celia from him and give her a life of her own.”

“Did she want to go?”

“Oh, yes, she told me later that she was only waiting for the opportunity to kill him and flee the city. It was not a life that she would have chosen for herself. She’d grown up in Greece and been kidnapped by one of the sex-slave traffickers. Li Pradka had bought her from them.”

“Poor woman.”

“She never pitied herself.”

“Yet evidently she felt she had to go back to prostitution.”

“She was not forced to do anything. I set her up here in the city with enough money for schooling and living expenses.”

“Then why—”

“Ask her yourself.” He motioned to Erin and Luke, who were looking at the Chinese artifacts in the window. He moved to the door and frowned as he looked at the digital-numbered lock. “I know the code for this lock, but Celia gives very few people the code. I believe we’ll not use it. We must respect her privacy.” He knocked on the door. “And she will not be shy about answering.”

“Hu Chang!” The door was thrown open, and the woman who stood there took Hu Chang’s hand and drew him into the house. “Why can’t you give me notice? Do you think I wait around for you to come visit me? I’m a busy woman.” She kissed him lightly on the cheek. “Actually, I do wait for you. I have no other friends that I value as much.” She turned to Catherine. “And who are you?”

“Catherine Ling.”

The woman was stunning. Shining red hair, green eyes, and golden skin that seemed to shimmer in the light. Her features were beautifully symmetrical and her body graceful and sexual at the same time. She was dressed in a black jumpsuit and looked sleek and sensual as a cat. Celia Mekong might be somewhere in her thirties, but it was difficult to determine. You were only aware of the dazzling total and just wanted to keep on looking.

“Thank you for allowing us to come here.” Catherine gestured to Erin. “Erin Sullivan. And this is my son, Luke.”

“I’m happy to have you.” Her white teeth flashed as she smiled. “Hu Chang always brings me wonderful surprises.” Her brow knitted as she stared at Erin. “I’ve seen you before. Or perhaps a photo?”

“Perhaps,” Erin said. “I’m a journalist, but in this day and age, the journalist is sometimes part of the story. It shouldn’t be that way, but that’s the way it is.”

Celia turned to Luke. “And you’re such a handsome young man. But you’re also probably much more complex and interesting since Hu Chang brought you. Welcome.”