Kai parked his car in a car park near the Wan Chai Ferry Pier. He lit a cigarette and lowered his car window just enough to let the smoke out.

He didn't have to wait long. Just a few minutes later, he heard a tap on the window of his back passenger seat. He unlocked the door, and a figure wearing a black hoodie and a purple Los Angeles Lakers snapback promptly stepped inside.

"Boss?" David Yam greeted Kai as he looked around anxiously, making sure nobody was following him. He was a short and skinny young man with an oval face that was easy to recognize due to the prominent crooked nose.

Kai grabbed a paper bag from the front passenger seat and handed it to David, who was sitting in the middle of the back seat. The bag contained two burgers and one large fry that he'd bought from a nearby McDonald's.

David's eyes sparkled when he saw the familiar logo on the paper bag. He took the bag and rummaged through it. "Woah, you're the best, Boss!" he exclaimed, but his expression immediately turned to that of a hangdog. "Wait, no Coke?" he complained.

Kai puffed out a cloud of smoke. "No Coke; it's bad for you. There's bottled water in the back. You can drink that if you're thirsty," he answered.

David snorted as he unwrapped one burger and took a large bite. "Says someone who smokes... Seriously, Boss, quit it. If I could recover from my addiction, you can quit smoking too. You know it could give you lung cancer, right? And now you're smoking inside a car I'm also in. If I get lung cancer, can I sue you for negligence?"

Kai looked at David through the rearview mirror with his deep-set eyes. He stubbed out his almost finished cigarette and said, "Tell me more about Zagan."

"What d'ya want to know, Boss? I told ya before—they're the new force in the gangland. They rarely operate around here, though. East Kowloon is their territory," David answered with his mouth full.

"But Anson Yen was killed here," Kai countered.

"Yeah, I told ya before, right? The word on the street was that Little Fresh Meat stabbed him because of a gai [1] working at one of the girlie bars down on Lockhart Road. A pretty mainland girl, who goes by the name of Rong-Rong. Little Fresh Meat fancied her, but Little Fatty scored her first. That's what they said, but whatever. That's just the story they made up."

David leaned his body forward to get closer to Kai and continued. "I mean, there may be some truth to it. About them fighting over pretty Rong Rong. But I already told ya, Little Fatty was one of Zagan's new peddlers, and they sent him here to sling dope. Ya know, to test the waters? They're trying to expand their reach... And that didn't sit well with Red Sun. Wan Chai is still their turf, ya know...? So, they slashed him to make a statement."

"We couldn't find the girl. Still no information on her?"

David grabbed a bottle of water from behind his seat and took a sip before answering. "No, Boss. Sorry. She just disappeared. No one's seen her since the stabbing."

"What about Cherry Tsai?"

"Boss, what's with all the questions? Little Fresh Meat was acquitted, and he's dead now. Are you trying to reopen the case?" David leaned his body forward again as he peppered Kai with questions.

"The case was never closed. Cherry Tsai changed her statement in court. She refused to identify Leslie Wong as Anson Yen's killer. So, if Leslie Wong didn't do it, we still have to find the one who did it. So, what about Cherry Tsai?" Kai pointed out as he gave David a forehead flick.

David yelped and promptly slouched back in his seat. He let out a deep sigh before answering, "What do you think, Boss? She was Rong-Rong's friend... Rong-Rong's gone. She changed her statement, and now she's gone too. Nobody's seen her either after Little Fresh Meat was clipped. Who knows what happened to her?"

"I told you, Boss. Little Fresh Meat was Little Fatty's butcher, so Zagan dropped him. Ya know, tit for tat..." David added impatiently.

"If what you say is true, then how come no one's ever heard of them? No proper evidence of their existence. I only hear this from you."

David frowned, looking hurt from Kai's remark. "Because everyone who dared even whisper their name to outsiders got popped, Boss. Knowing how those snitches ended up, do you think those who are still alive and know about them would talk? Geez, Boss... I ain't feeding you no hogwash."

Kai snuck a glance at David's sour, childlike expression through the rearview mirror.

"There's been no activity for the past few days though, Boss... I'm still trying to find out why," David added.

"Wild Eddy is dead. His body was found yesterday, washed ashore on Po Toi. A clean gunshot wound to the head," Kai informed him.

"Daaaamn... I know being shot once in the head isn't unique enough to call it their signature, but given the context, that's most likely Zagan's work, Boss!" David sputtered, almost choking on his food. "So, that's why they're trying to lie low for a bit."

Kai's brows drew together as he handed David some napkins that were lying on the front passenger's seat to clean his face. "Keep an eye out for them. Give me anything you can get," Kai instructed, to which David responded by nodding his head.

Kai said nothing more on the subject. He had a hand on the steering wheel and tapped his index finger on it rhythmically. He observed David, who was now munching on his fries, from his rearview mirror. A corner of his mouth lifted upon seeing how well the kid looked.

Kai waited for the right moment before he brought up the subject.

David had just licked his fingers, savoring the lingering salty flavor left from the fries, and was about to take the last burger from the paper bag when he heard Kai say, "The clinic called. They said you skipped your counseling session last week."

He stopped unwrapping the burger and hung his head low. "Sorry... They changed my shrink, and the stupid woman scheduled it during the day," he mumbled in an apologetic tone.

"I'll talk to them. Next time this kind of thing happens, you need to tell me or Ren. Are you at least taking your meds?"

"Yes, I am," David nodded. He continued unwrapping the second large burger and took a bite.

"How's the new place? Have you settled in?" Kai asked.

"Yep. All good," David answered while focusing on his burger. "I love it there. Not many people frequent the alley, so it's really nice and quiet."

"You sure you don't want to live near me? That studio is still available for you, ready to move into."

"That studio is too—no, your whole area is too expensive for me to afford."

"It's already yours."

David finally looked up at Kai and said in an earnest tone, "Boss, I want to try to be self-reliant. I want to live in a place that I'm paying for on my own. I want to practice all the life skills they taught at the institute. If I don't do this, I wouldn't have a fulfilling life."

He then took another bite of his burger and added, "Anyway, don't worry about me, Boss. You can just resell that studio. I'm all right, I can take care of myself."

Kai observed the youngster through the rearview mirror. The corners of his lips curled up into a shadow of a smile.

"Instead of worrying about me, why don't you get me a sister-in-law that's pretty?" David continued, his tone indifferent. "All these years I've known you, I've never seen you with a woman. I mean, it's no secret that women have tried to hit on you. Some even invited you over for a little Netflix-and-chill, but you always blew them off. Or do you swing the other way, Boss? Of course, that's fine too. As long as you're happy." He shrugged.

Kai snickered and said, "Whichever way I swing, it's none of your business."

"Look, I'm just concerned about your well-being. You're already this old, and you only care about work. Look at you, it's a Friday night, and instead of being on a date with a nice girl, or a nice dude, you're here in this car park with me. That's disturbing, Boss," David commented nonchalantly and continued munching his burger.

Kai just gave David a lazy look from the rearview mirror without saying anything.

Then David smacked his forehead as though he had just experienced an epiphany. "You're not into me, are you, Boss? If you were... Damn... Well, I'm quite flattered. I mean, you're handsome and all that, but I don't swing that way. You may have not seen me with a girl yet, but trust me, I'm a chick-loving man, Boss."

Kai let out a faint chuckle, hearing him rambling like a derailed train. "You're getting ahead of yourself, Kid. Besides, is thirty considered old now?"

"From where I'm at, it sure is a lot of years, Boss," David grinned. "So, you like 'em girls, too? Are you voluntarily celibate, then?"

Kai slightly turned around to face David and asked with a serious look on his face. "If I get you a pretty sister-in-law, will you promise to go out more? Meet me in the daylight instead of at night-time like this? Work with me at the office, instead of from home?"

David snorted. "The pretty sister-in-law will be yours. You'll be the one to reap all the benefits. Why do I have to do something in return for it?"

"Aren't you saying you're worried about my well-being? If my well-being is taken care of, then there's only yours left to be concerned about. Besides," Kai added. "Didn't you say you want to practice all the life skills you've learned so far? In order to have a fulfilling life?"

David didn't respond. He was just looking blankly through the tinted car window, munching on his burger.

"You don't have to do it all at once. Step-by-step. Think about it, okay?"

Kai didn't plan to push him any further. He was about to change the topic, but after taking another bite from his burger, David suddenly answered with his mouth full, "Okay, I'll try. Just get me a nice sister-in-law. Pretty is a bonus. She'll just have to be nice to you."

A corner of Kai's lips curved upward. He understood how difficult it was for David to agree to his request, and he also knew David always kept his words. If he said he would try it, Kai knew that he really would. "Okay. Nice and pretty," Kai repeated.

After he finished the second burger, David collected all the empty wrappers. "Boss, if you have nothing else, I'll head back now... There's an online auction for an authentic, signed King James' jersey. Some guy's gonna start it in about half an hour. I don't want to miss it."

Kai nodded. He grabbed his wallet to take out a few five-hundred HKD bills to give to David, but David stopped him. "Nah, Boss. I told you I'm earning my own money now, and it's enough. So, keep it."

Seeing how pleased David was with himself, Kai put the banknotes back inside his wallet. David left after he bid his goodbye.

After watching the youngster's back disappear through the car park gate, Kai subsequently started his car's engine and made his way home.

The black Grand Cherokee cruised down the road, traveling west toward Mid-levels East. The light rain had stopped a while ago, and a moonless and cloudy night sky had replaced it. The stars were almost non-existent, but the sky was bright, glowing with a yellowish hue reflected from the countless city lights.

Kai lowered his car window and drew in a lung full of the faint petrichor scent that was still lingering in the air. It was a comforting smell. His heartbeat steadied, and his body started to relax.

He arrived at his apartment building's underground parking lot ten minutes later. As soon as he stepped out of his car, Ah Hong, the security guard came into view. "Welcome back, Mr. Wu," Ah Hong smiled as he greeted him.

"Thank you, Ah Hong," Kai returned his greeting with a slight smile and a nod.

He proceeded toward the elevator and pressed the button for the 45th floor. He reached his unit and punched in a code. As soon as he was inside, a chubby orange furball greeted him by rubbing his cheek and body on his leg. Kai bent down to pet its head.

"Mian-Mian. Are you hungry?"

Kai removed his coat and shoes and put on his dark gray home slippers. He proceeded to the kitchen to fill Mian-Mian's bowl with the cat's favorite kibble. Mian-Mian rubbed his forehead on Kai's hand, thanking him, before chowing down his food. Kai stroked Mian-Mian's soft orange fur and left him to eat in peace.

He went inside his bedroom and opened its windows to let some air in. The invigorating and comforting night breeze slowly permeated the room. He inhaled it deeply before putting away his Glock-17 and concealed carry holster and sat down on a fine leather recliner facing the windows. He lit up a cigarette and drew a long puff, his gaze cast heavenward.

Violet Lee.

That name and the face accompanying it occupied his mind. Thinking about her felt like having a glass of bourbon to complement the smoke that was wrapping his lungs like a warm blanket.

He took a few more long, slow draws of his cigarette before stubbing it out and heading toward the bathroom to take a shower.

♡──── ❝ Author's Note ❞ ────♡

[1] Literally means Chicken, a Cantonese slang for a female prostitute.

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