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Already her survivor’s brain was searching for an angle, some piece of information she could manipulate him with. But the office was bare as an egg. There was nothing. Some weird-ass painting behind him, but that was it. No family pictures, no friendly signs like in the social worker’s office, which was the most business-like place Angel had ever been in her life. She might have been on an alien spaceship. This man wasn’t human.
“Please,” she said. He might be a psycho, but he was the only one she’d met who spoke English. “I had to get out. Please, don’t hurt me.”
“Hurt you?” He said, his arrogant tone making Angel’s heart sink.
“Please— I don’t have no beef with you. You don’t need to hurt me, I’ll do anything you say.”
The man sneered. “Today I sent my men for you. That is why they were able to get you back so quickly— they had just arrived to bring you away. You forced them to chase you down, go to great inconvenience to follow orders. Now they are angry. I am angry. Your hurt is insignificant to me.”
Angel nodded, swallowing hard. “Um, I’m very sorry.”
“At least you have manners. You will apologize to the men as well.”
He raised his voice with a sharp command, and the two guards entered.
“Apologize,” the man ordered Angel. “On your knees.”
Flashbacks of Poboy. What was one more humiliating move? She climbed off the chair and got down on her knees. Some inward instinct made her drop her head as she said, “I’m very sorry.”
The men laughed— briefly. With another sharp word they were sent back through the door.
For a while Angel and the Boss stared at each other. Then he said, “My name is Mangjeol. I am your uncle.”
She burst out laughing.
A mistake.
Angel shrank from his furious expression. Why did she always laugh at the wrong time? “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it. I just thought— I don’t think that’s possible, Mister.” Gulping, she tried to calm herself down. Her crazy nerves were making her act stupid.
“I will make them beat you,” the man said coldly. “Is that what you want?”
“No! No, I don’t want that. But I’m confused by what you said.”
“Your father was my brother Sook-Jae. He is dead, which means you are now my only surviving relative.” He sneered.
Angel blinked at him. “What? I know my daddy was part Chinese, that’s why I got eyes like that. But he’s in jail, not dead.”
“Chinese?” echoed Mang-whoever like she said her daddy was part Stink Bug. His voice rose with every word until he was shouting. “Chinese? Where did you hear that ugly lie?”
“Um,” said Angel. “That’s just what my Mama used to say.”
“Your drug addict mother, who sold you to a gangster to become his sex toy.”
Angel’s jaw worked.Fuck you. You have no idea what I been through, or Mama for that matter.Her mother was an evil bitch, but hearing this man talk down on her had her heated. But she didn’t say nothing— she had to agree with whatever this man said if she wanted to make it out of here in one piece.
“How do you know all this about me, Mister?”
He ignored her. The man stood up and paced behind his desk. “Your father wasKorean.From one of the oldest most noble families in the country. Chinese…I forget you are just a stupid American. You will never understand…”
“I want to understand,” said Angel quickly. “Help me to understand, Mister. So you brought me here because of my daddy? He’s dead?”
“That’s right.” Her supposed Uncle’s dark evil eyes narrowed. “So listen to me carefully, because your life depends on it. ”
Angel nodded, hugging herself. “Okay.”
“You can’t stay in Japan.”
I’m in Japan. Ain’t that a bitch. How long did they knock me out for before I got to the hotel? How did they even get me here?
