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

“We must run our own shop,” he told Hua. “Take our children with us.”

Except it hadn’t worked out that way. Jiang and Yenay had chosen to stay working for their uncle, and Hua, she continued packaging the drugs with Mei, weighing them, putting them into small bags in the office at the Jade, placing them in the fridge afterwards. They were too afraid of Lenny to chance leaving, looking on him as a god who’d saved them.

Their loyalty to him knew no bounds.

Zhang Wei had no such loyalty. Yes, he was grateful, but in the end he’d moved on, securing The Golden Dragon on a different estate, distancing himself from the hub, from the big boss who had always scared him. He slept easier, his conscience clear now he wasn’t doing anything wrong, but the occasional sleepless night occurred if he thought about his wife and children remaining under Lenny’s control.

He couldn’t shake the feeling something bad would happen eventually. Although the goods had been sold for many years without any police interference, one day, their luck would run out. He wished Hua, Jiang, and Yenay would reconsider, but they didn’t.

All he could do was put his trust in Lenny and pray the man kept his family safe.

If Lenny Grafton were alive today, Zhang Wei would kill him.

Li Jun had told him, when they’d been in the car on the way to Helen’s, that Jiang’s death wouldn’t have been Lenny’s fault had he still been here, and it wasn’t Cassie’s. As a family, they’d known what they were walking into, they’d been aware of the risks. Short of having a guard in the Jade, someone sitting in the office all the time, what else were the Graftons supposed to do?

Exactly that. Someone they trusted with the knowledge the drugs were in the fridge should have been appointed the job of looking after them. It shouldn’t have been left to the family. Li Jun had argued that the money he received every week was, in part, for them to ensure no one stole the goods. He’d agreed this with Lenny.

But someone had to pay. The fact Brett already had didn’t matter.

Once Li Jun had confessed who Jiang’s killer was, an immense rage had consumed Zhang Wei, and only one course of action was available to him. Visit Helen, take her life as retribution, then go for Geoff. All the way to the laundrette, Li Jun had pleaded with him, asking him to reconsider, but Zhang Wei had driven on regardless, needing to assuage the incessant prodding of his conscience—the guilt at him dragging his children and wife into this mess, his decision to chase riches bringing them to this…this terrible time.

Greed. He was ashamed of it now. He had his own takeaway without extra goods being passed over in the bags, he had a nice home, he had money.

But he no longer had a son. One of the best riches of all was gone.

At Helen’s, he’d battled with ignoring Cassie, cleaving Helen’s face in two with his long blade whether the estate leader liked it or not. But she’d pointed a gun at him, and he’d reevaluated. Hua and Yenay didn’t deserve to be told he was dead, shot by a young woman who’d continue to expect them to work for her, despite her murdering him. It was enough they mourned Jiang, and he couldn’t allow them to mourn him, too.

Eventually, on the drive back to The Dragon, he’d conceded—but only on the surface to shut his brother up. He’d agreed Li Jun was right, it wasn’t Helen’s or Geoff’s fault Brett had done this despicable thing. Li Jun had visibly relaxed, and all the while, Zhang Wei had thought otherwise. It was Cassie’s fault for not putting safety measures in place. As well as Helen and Geoff, she would pay in place of Lenny, who should have covered all bases back in the day.

While Hua was at the Jade packaging the drugs, business continuing as usual, as if their son hadn’t been killed, Yenay also there preparing food for the lunchtime crowd, Zhang Wei left his employees to open up The Dragon so he could plot in his little office in the spare bedroom.

He’d give Cassie Grafton the chance to right this wrong, asking her to execute Helen and Geoff, two people who needed to surrender their lives because of what their family member had done. It was the right way, the only way. If she refused…

Zhang Wei wasn’t taking this lying down. His son was dead, and he wouldn’t rest until he had Helen’s and Geoff’s blood on his hands.

Chapter Seventeen

Jason was dogged off and paced his bedroom. Cassie had told him she didn’t need him today, she’d be dealing with Cheryl and owt else regarding the Jade on her own. What was that all about? He was supposed to be with her in the guise of watching her back, not discarded to one side like stinking rubbish.

Not knowing what was being said or done screwed with his mind. If he didn’t know the ins and outs, how could he plot his next move? He had to know what was going on in her head, what her next move was, but short of following her and listening in, which she’d clock immediately, what else could he do but obey her command?

Has the lad opened his gob?

Jason had contemplated going to see Cheryl, but she was the sort to grass him up to Cassie, plus he couldn’t be seen going behind her back. Cassie must never know what he was up to until she was so far gone she couldn’t do owt about it. Gone, as in, married to him and so under his influence she didn’t have the energy to fight him taking over.

The long game was