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“Sergeant Trawley does cleanup for the Jing San. The triad has dirty cops in a lot of places, even the FBI. I remember this woman, Maggie, a few years ago, was in witness protection, and they found her before she had a chance to testify. You’ve got to trust me, Bridget. You’re not safe. Your best bet is to just disappear and hope that they never find you. If you go to the cops and tell them what you know, I’m dead, too. I don’t think it would take Darren much to figure out that I’m the one you could’ve learned all this from.”
The blood drains from me. “Darren wouldn’t…”
I feel like retching.
“I wish I could tell you that he wouldn’t do anything. I think he has feelings for you. More than I’ve ever seen in him before. But he grew up in the Jing San. He’s following in his father’s footsteps. JD, the triad, it’s all family to him.”
“Does his mom know?”
He nods. “I don’t think she’s that keen on him getting more involved, but she knew everything her husband did.”
Oh my God.
I sit in stunned silence until Felipe touches my shoulder.
“Go somewhere they won’t find you,” he says.
“Like where?” I wonder aloud.
“The Jing San operates mostly in California and New York and a little bit in Washington and Texas. Avoid those areas.”
“My mom’s in Europe,” I think aloud.
“They exist in Europe, too, though I can’t remember which countries. England for sure. Probably Belgium and Germany. But the sooner you get going, the better. And don’t say anything to anyone or you put them in danger, too.”
I stare at Felipe. Though part of me is angry to find out that he’s complicit in this triad business, I’m also grateful that he’s risked himself to tell me all this.
“But what about Amy?” I cry. “She deserves—her family deserves to know what happened! How am I supposed to let people get away with murder?”
“You think the family would be better off knowing that their daughter was the victim of homicide, rather than think that their daughter died because of equipment malfunction? And what good would it do to have both you and Amy dead? If you stick around here, it’s only a matter of time. Bridget, please. Like I said, I’m risking a lot to be here right now. I am a dead man if anyone finds out.”
“But won’t it look suspicious if I just disappear?”
“You just suffered a tragedy. Maybe you need time to yourself?”
“What about Darren? What am I going to tell him?”
We both pace in thought.
“Maybe I can say you were distraught seeing pics of him with another woman?” Felipe suggests. “You’re convinced he cheated on you.”
I mull it over. Since I can’t think of anything better at the moment, that may have to do.
“If I were you, I’d ditch your cellphone,” Felipe says.
“Why? You think they can track me using my phone?”
“Maybe, maybe not. The Jing San has access to technology you don’t even know exists. For example, all their mobile calls go through an app that encrypts the calls so they can’t be wiretapped or recorded. And I’m sure they have hackers working for them.”
“Okay, okay.”
It’s hard to think straight when I have a hundred and one thoughts buzzing in my head, and it feels like my life is crumbling into pieces with every passing second.
As if seeing my distress, Felipe says, “I’m sorry.”
He takes out his wallet and hands me all the cash in it. “I’d avoid using credit cards.”
This is insane. I’m a fugitive. Not from the law. Not for doing anything wrong. But from a criminal organization. I guess my crime is having fallen in love with a gangster.
After Felipe leaves, I contemplate going to the police. But there are too many unknowns. I’ve never had to face such a difficult quandary in my life. I decide that I can always inform the authorities later, after I’ve gotten myself to safety.
I need help. This is too much to figure out on my own. I need Aunt Coretta. A last-minute plane ticket to Denver will be too expensive, so I look up Amtrak and manage to get a ticket for less than two hundred dollars. Most of my clothes are still in the suitcase, and I’m not going to bother with what belongings are still over in my apartment. I send off a few emails, jot a hasty note for Kat and leave it on the table.
With trembling hands, I exit the apartment. Suitcase in hand, I leave my life as I know it behind.
