The Jade Garden (The Barrington Patch Book 2) by Emmy Ellis (reading diary txt) 📗

had Jason darting out to stand at the top of the stairs. Cassie moved to the fireplace so she could watch him, and Helen jumped, letting out a belated shriek and clutching her chicken-skin neck.

“Where is she?” a man shouted. “Where the fuck is the woman?”

Cassie’s nerves almost broke, the last one hanging by a frayed piece of cotton. She stomped onto the landing, elbowing Jason aside, and stared at Zhang Wei storming upstairs, a worried-looking Li Jun haring after him.

“Stop,” Li Jun said. “This is for Cassie to fix, not you.”

“No, it is my job.” Zhang Wei barrelled into Cassie and flew into the living room.

She darted after him, shocked at the sight of Zhang Wei holding a machete-like knife above Helen. “She doesn’t know owt. And she doesn’t need to know owt either.” She hoped her warning for him to keep Jiang’s murder to himself penetrated the fuzz of anger surrounding him.

He glanced across at Cassie. “She is his family. Of course she knows.”

“Not everyone tells their relations what they’re up to like you do.” Cassie took a step closer. “Put that knife down.”

“You do not own me. You do not run me. I live elsewhere. Only the Barrington is yours.” Zhang Wei shook all over, his cheeks flaring red.

“But you’re on my turf, and unless you want to be dealt with, you’d better step the fuck away.” She held her hand out behind her. “Jason. Gun.”

It landed in her hand, and she pointed it at Zhang Wei’s chest. “I don’t want to do this, but I will, believe me. Helen is innocent.”

Helen curled up into a ball, whimpering. “What the fuck’s going on? Just get him out of here.”

“If you hurt her,” Cassie said, “I’ll pull the trigger whether your brother is here as a witness or not. He works for me, Helen works for me, and you used to work for my father. Where’s your loyalty?”

He clenched his teeth and spoke through them. “It belongs to my son.”

“I’ve fixed the issue, do you get that?” She relaxed a tad at the slight slump of his shoulders. “You’re angry your son left for China, I understand that, but Brett has also moved on.”

“Then Geoff must know something,” Zhang Wei said. “I will go to see him.”

Cassie cocked the gun. “I’m fucking warning you…”

“Please.” Li Jun stood between the gun and his brother, facing Cassie. “He is upset. I will take him to the Jade and explain things again.” He turned to grasp Zhang Wei’s elbow. “Come on now, my brother. We will leave. It is over.”

Zhang Wei lowered the blade to his side. “It will never be over.”

Was that his way of telling her he wouldn’t let this rest?

Stupid man.

“Leave,” Cassie said. “And do not come back here. You know the consequences if you do. This is your first and last warning, Zhang Wei, do I make myself clear?”

Li Jun guided him past Cassie, giving her a look that said: I’ll fix this, I promise. She knew he’d try, but whether his brother would listen to reason was another matter. While she liked Zhang Wei and had grown up seeing him in the Jade before he’d opened The Golden Dragon, she had no qualms about shooting the fucker.

Even if it meant Li Jun lost another family member.

“I make the rules here,” she said as they departed. “And never forget that.” She waited until the downstairs door clacked shut, cursing herself for leaving it ajar whether she had good reason to or not, then handed the gun back to Jason, who’d perked up somewhat at the threat of a gunshot and blood being shed.

Helen unfolded herself and stared up at Cassie. “What the fuck was that all about?”

Cassie bounced between maintaining the lie or telling her the truth. Which one would bring the desired result of Helen keeping her mouth shut? The lie. She gets too drunk in The Donny and might blab. “Brett also owes Zhang Wei money, okay? He took a loan out with him. I’ll repay him for now, and you’ll be in my debt. If I need you for owt, you’d better be on hand to carry it out, to pay it off, else I’ll let Zhang Wei come back and use that knife on you.”

Helen shook her head, frantic. “I’ll do whatever you want.”

“I thought so. Word of this shit gets out, I’ll be back, and I’ll use the gun next time.”

Cassie swept past Jason and down the stairs. In the yard, she sucked in a cold lungful of air and ground her teeth so hard it hurt. Li Jun must have told Zhang Wei about Brett. Why complicate matters? She couldn’t work out whether that was a violation or a natural thing to have said. He probably hadn’t expected Zhang Wei to come here.

She’d have a word with Nuwa at some point. That woman knew which side her bread was buttered, and she’d spell it out to her husband, who’d then pass it on to his brother.

One more instance like this, and Zhang Wei was on the road to seeing Marlene.

Jason came outside and closed the door. He stood beside her in the darkness.

“I suppose you gave Helen a little talking to an’ all,” she griped.

“I did as it happens, but not to do with tonight’s crap.”

Irritation prodded at her, her back going stiff. “So what did you talk to her about?”

He sighed, the noise loud. “I said if she ever went against you, ever did owt that gave you grief or hurt you, I’d fucking kill her myself. Bare hands round her neck in the squat.”

She allowed some of her anger to dissipate at that. Maybe he was the right man to have her back while she ran the Barrington. He was prepared to