Bovian Image - 19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Ahmon drove to the Metropolitan police building fast. Ahmon looked unhinged, his concerns spilling into his driving.

Cole couldn’t help wincing each time his car braked hard only to set off into a faster speed. On his lap were the documents they had pulled out from the locked box in Savan’s office. He was getting over the fact that his boyfriend was hiding weapons in the floor. Weapons that were now in Ahmon’s car back at the Bovian Image parking lot.

“What did you mean when you said I’m in? Into what exactly?” he asked, hoping that they wouldn’t run into any traffic police.

“What do you know about Savan?”

“He’s an orphan. He and Liang have been friends forever. He owns Bovian Image and is an astonishing hairstylist. Should there be more?”

Ahmon gave him a blank gaze and he frowned.

“What?”

“I suppose Savan needed to keep his secrets to maintain his alias.”

“Alias,” Cole shook his head. “Are you telling me Savan has another name?”

“I’m telling you Savan is not his real name. He isn’t an orphan, and he is more than a hairstylist.”

“Is he a gangster?” Cole asked.

He would accept it, but he needed to know. He loved the man, what were a few gang transactions…he shook his head, rubbing a hand down his face.

Ahmon chuckled.

The car slowed down considerably and Cole glanced up to find that they were driving into the parking lot of the imposing high rise that was the Metropolitan police headquarters.

“Relax, Savan is not a gangster, even though he might have been if he wanted.”

Parking the car, Ahmon shut off the engine and sat staring at the building for a moment. Cole picked up the bag of documents on his lap. Why would Savan lie to him about his family? It was hard to believe Ahmon’s words when he’d seen how much it hurt Savan to talk about his parents. Savan wouldn’t look so lost when he talked about family if he wasn’t an orphan.

“Cole,” Ahmon said in the ensuing silence. “Whatever you hear from now on, I hope you can forgive Savan. He might need you more than you understand. He’s had it rough and you might be the only one that saves him in the end.”

“That’s a bit epic, coming from you.” Cole shrugged. “I love him, Ahmon, that’s all that matters.”

“I hope you can still say that in the morning.”

Ahmon got out of the car and Cole sighed. It was only seven o’clock in the evening, tomorrow morning seemed like a lifetime away.

Following Ahmon into the building, Cole held on to the bag tightly. A Chief Inspector who greeted them both warmly met them in the lobby. Ahmon talked with the man, he caught a few snippets of the conversation, but nothing made sense. Savan was still missing, and they didn’t have a clue where to concentrate the search. Liang was insisting he wouldn’t talk to anyone but a Master Nan.

“Who is Master Nan?” Cole asked, when they found themselves in a waiting room on the fourth floor. “Why won’t Liang help Savan?”

“It’s a very long story.”

Ahmon nodded to two men walking up to them. One of them bald, the other looked suspiciously like the head of the Ashika Consortium. Noting Cole’s surprise, Ahmon patted his arm.

“Ahmon, what do you have? I don’t want to walk into that room without knowing what is going on,” Master Choi Yang Nan said in a quiet authoritative voice.

Cole was awed. It was surreal meeting the most powerful man in Asia at a place like this, but here he was. His brother, Antonio, was going to be so jealous. Wondering what Choi Yang was doing here, Cole bowed in greeting and looked up to find the man studying him.

“Who is this?”

“He’s Cole Lucianne, CEO of Niad Fashions. He and Savan are very good friends.”

The bald headed man glared at him and Cole felt a shiver run down his back at that look. He’d just met the man!

Choi Yang extended a hand to him and Cole took it.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Sir,” Cole said.

“The pleasure is mine. You know my son? You’ve been with him as he lived here?”

Son, Cole frowned, giving Ahmon a startled glance.

Ahmon nodded and Cole frowned.

“Are you talking about Savan?” Cole asked.

“I find it hard to call him by that name,” Choi Yang said. “I’m sure it’s a surprise to find out about me this way when he obviously didn’t talk about me.”

“I’m—”

Cole stopped. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what to think. Savan had been so adamant about his parents being dead. To see his father standing here so obviously alive—

“He said he was an orphan.”

Choi Yang winced at his words.

“The easiest way to clear this situation is for you to see Liang, Master Nan,” Ahmon said.

Ahmon took the bag of documents from Cole and handed it to the older man.

“These are the papers Liang requested I find in their loft. He said they would help him prove his story. We must hurry, Savan is still out there and we don’t know who has him.”

Taking the bag, Choi Yang gave Cole a long look, then turned and walked back the way he’d come. The bald man following behind him like a bodyguard.

Turning to Ahmon, Cole glared.

“You could have warned me. Master Nan is hurting because of what I said. And what is wrong with Savan? How could he do this?”

“You haven’t heard the half of it. Come along, lover boy. Let’s see what you’re really made of.”

They entered an observation office down the hall with a desk loaded with surveillance systems, overhead screens and chairs. Two inspectors manned the systems. Cole’s gaze was drawn to a tall slender woman leaning against the wall. Her gaze staring into the two-way mirror, her expression hard. The bald headed man joined her.

Ahmon led Cole across the room away from the two and nodded to the room visible through the two-way mirror. Cole couldn’t help the gasp.

Liang sat in a hard metal chair, his hands cuffed to the table. There were dark bruises on his knuckles and one on his face. He looked tired, and hadn’t shaved for days. His hair stuck up all over the place.

“Why is he being treated like this? He’s Savan’s best friend. You might as well have me in there looking like that.” Cole glared at Ahmon. “Do something, you know as much as I do.”

“It’s not that easy,” Ahmon said.

Choi Yang entered the holding room and Liang looked up quickly, his hands clenched in tight fists. Cole was surprised to see Liang bow his head low in respect.

“I have brought the papers you requested. Will you tell me about my son now? And why you have kept him from me for five years? You told people he was an orphan, Zun. Was it worth it treating my family this way?”

Liang didn’t speak. He held out his hand for the documents Choi Yang was still holding. He opened the bag and overturned the contents. Picking up the notebook Cole had found, they all watched as Liang proceeded to remove the notebook cover tearing it away to reveal the binding of the book. Liang spent a few minutes on one of the corners on the notebook peeling something off and then he handed Choi Yang a small memory card, and sat back.

“Please watch this before we continue. Don’t give it to anyone. Watch it straight away and in a secure room.”

Puzzled, Choi Yang stared at the little black card and stood up abruptly. Leaving the room, he entered the observation room seconds later and handed the memory card to the two inspectors.

Unable to curb his curiosity, Cole went to stand beside Choi Yang as they plugged the little card into a reader and a video file came up.

Choi Yang folded his arms against his chest when the video started playing.

Cole couldn’t help the gasp at the face that appeared on the screen. It was Savan but he looked different. His hair was very long, down to his shoulders and blond. He was thin.

Too thin, Cole thought.

Savan wore a brown t-shirt but they couldn't see his feet because he was seated on a chair. An IV stand was beside the chair with a needle plugged into Savan’s left arm. He spoke in English, his accent beautiful and fluent.

“Dad, please forgive me. I have been thinking what I should say to you at this time, but nothing profound is coming to me. I think it’s the pain medicine, so I’ll just get down to the facts. If you are watching this, it means I’m dead or something has happened that will make Zun need this to prove himself. Don’t fault Zun. This is not his doing, father. Zun is innocent. He didn’t want me to make this video, but four days ago, I was shot and almost died. I know you will never stop looking for me and if you found my body, you’ll find Zun. So, I had to make sure that the blame was not put on Zun for how I’ve had to live.”

Choi Yang made the inspectors stop the video for a moment and let out a harsh breath.

“Release Zun, bring him in here and make sure a doctor is on the way.”

“But, Sir,” the bald headed man started to protest.

“Do as I say,” Choi Yang commanded, his tone not inviting any more protests.

Cole stood still, his gaze fixed on the image of Savan on the screen. He was younger. He was beautiful, despite the dark shadows under his eyes and the bruises on his arms. The long hair was something he would have liked to play with but he preferred the rowdy look Savan was spotting now. There was sadness in Savan’s dark eyes.

Choi Yang continued the video and Savan pushed hair out of his face, his gaze haunted.

“I left Hong Kong to protect you, Zun and his mother. It all started the night Mei died. I hadn’t planned on leaving you. I wanted to find a safe place to take Zun and his mother. Then I was going to find you and have Jiro Nang arrested, but things didn’t go exactly as planned. I know you trust Jiro, but you shouldn’t, Dad. He is responsible for all this. He murdered Mei Lee. He threatened to kill you, Zun and Xiao Wei. I saw them put poison in your food while you waited to have dinner with Mr. Sanori that night. I had no other choice. I couldn’t lose you. I had already lost Mom. I didn’t want to lose you, too.”

The door opened and Liang entered the room coming to stand beside Cole, his gaze on Savan as he continued talking.

“I made a deal with Jiro Nang that night. I told him that I would keep away from you if he left you alone. It was also the price of keeping Zun and Xiao Wei alive. He left me with no other choice. I don’t know what he wants, but every time your search gets close to us, Jiro has sent his goons to whatever city we’re living. Chasing and terrorizing us, threatening to murder Xiao Wei, last week was so close, I got shot saving Zun.”

Cole closed his eyes in agony. The two scars on Savan’s thigh coming to mind. Would he have believed this story coming from Savan? He couldn’t imagine that a person’s life would be like this.

“It hasn't been easy. There are days I’ve wanted to call you so badly.”

Savan wiped a hand down his face, Cole noted the gesture was similar to the one Choi Yang had done a few minutes before. Savan sighed and tried a smile. It was short, barely curving his lips.

“It’s funny, I used to hate your obsessive protection, and now I miss it.”

Someone beyond the camera called out.

“We have to go they can’t wait anymore.”

Savan nodded and his expression changed. His eyes filled with determination, he looked into the camera with such fierce anger.

“Make Jiro pay for this, for murdering Mei and if you’re watching this, I guess for my death. Zun will tell you whatever you need to know. I trust him with my life. I have to go now.”

Before the video stopped, Savan said a few words in Chinese of which Cole didn’t understand, but judging from the tears that slid down Choi Yang’s face, they must have been important.

All he could think of was Savan talking about his death in a matter of fact way. As though it was something expected, and the best thing they could do was avenge him.

***

Chaos ensued after that, Choi Yang making dozens of calls to arrest the man they were calling Jiro Nang. Ahmon left with the inspectors to continue their investigation on Jiro. Following the tide, Cole stayed with Choi Yang and the bald headed man as they moved rooms, working with the police and answering questions. Cole learned Savan’s real name.

SarEr Nan. He liked it.

There was a certain ring to it. At some point, Choi Yang insisted they head to the house he was staying. The house as he so easily put it was the Ashika Consortium Japan headquarters. Noting the impressive decor was easy, accepting that Savan belonged here was harder.

Pacing the comfortable lounge, Cole tried to understand the facts, as he knew them now. An unknown party had kidnapped Savan from his penthouse while he and Liang slept. Closing his eyes, Cole wondered how he could have slept through that. It didn’t matter that they’d drugged him. He should have known something was wrong in the morning. He should have heard something.

Liang had suspected it, why hadn’t he?

Cursing under his breath, Cole wondered what Savan was thinking right now? Was he hurt? He opened his eyes and stopped at the windows staring out into the dark.

“He’s more than a friend to you, isn’t he?”

Turning around, Cole saw the bald headed man standing at the doorway watching him. Cole had tried not to mention his relationship with Savan to Choi Yang. He distinctly remembered Savan telling him that he hadn’t told his father about being gay. It put Cole in an awkward frustrating position. It was hard not to show his distress every time they talked about Jiro’s people hurting Savan, or killing him.

“What is it to you?”

“My name is Han. I’m SarEr’s bodyguard. It’s my job to know everything about him. You are my business.”

“Any new leads? Have they caught this Jiro?” Cole asked ignoring that comment.

“They will,” Han replied, with a shrug. “Do you care for SarEr?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” Cole said. Resuming his pacing, he took in a deep breath. “Why is it taking so long? Time is not exactly standing still and Savan could be hurt.”

“Ahmon is very good at his job, he’ll find Jiro. Please come with me. Master Nan would like to talk to you.”

“About what? I’ve told you all you need to know. I don’t know very much about Savan’s past.”

“Just come with me,” Han said, waving him out of the room. “Please.”

Cole called for patience and led the way out of the lounge. They found Choi Yang in a conference room. Files and computers took up one corner with two technicians working there. Choi Yang sat on one end of the long rectangular glass table going through pictures. When he glanced up and saw Cole, he stood up and gave him a tired smile.

“Come and sit with me, Cole. I hope you don’t mind if I call you Cole. Han, get him some coffee, I’m sure he hasn’t had anything to eat.”

Han left and Cole sat in a chair on Choi Yang’s right. Once they both settled, Cole glanced at the pictures on the desk and froze in his seat. They were of him and Savan dancing, his hands on Savan’s hips as they kissed. He remembered that night clearly. Savan hadn’t wanted to talk about his family. Savan had been tense, until they got to the club, where he’d thrown himself into dancing.

Glancing at Choi Yang, he started to explain. He didn’t know what to say to make this all right for Savan, but the truth was always best.

“I love him.”

“That’s very good to know,” Choi Yang replied, amusement dancing in his eyes. “I should hope so, considering how close you two are in these pictures.”

“You don’t care?” Cole asked in surprise. “I mean not—”

“I know my son, Cole. There is nothing to be ashamed of here. You should be proud of who you are.”

Cole returned the smile Choi Yang gave him.

“I am. I just didn’t—I mean, Savan told me he didn’t tell you, and I didn’t want to aggravate the situation.”

Choi Yang leaned back in his chair.

“I’ve lived in a constant state of worry these past five years. Wishing and hoping for a glimpse of my son. Now, I have more than hope. I know he’s alive. Having you sitting here with me is a blessing. I feel like I’m a step closer to finding him.”

“Sir,” Cole started.

“Will you tell me about him?” Choi Yang asked, his tone pleading. “Does he still like to eat ramen? He used to make the maid go buy him a package at lunchtime. He’d leave a full course meal at the table for a pack of ramen, so stubborn.”

Cole smiled.

“Stubborn is still part of him. I can attest to that, when we first met, I thought he hated me.”

Cole launched into a story of the first fashion show with Savan, and Choi Yang smiled…

***

Savan fought against the tight hold they had on his wrists, as a third man wrapped a belt around his torso. A black hood covered his head so he couldn’t tell where he was. He struggled again and gasped when they kicked his thigh. His leg buckled and they had to hold him up on his feet.

“Hold him still one mistake and this goes wrong.”

The one at his torso said, his tone muffled.

Savan didn’t like the sound of that. He struggled harder but they pushed him to the floor and held him down. Once they finished with the tight belt on his chest, they cuffed his hands behind his back and led him out of the building to a van. He didn’t know what day it was anymore. He hadn’t heard Dao Ming near him since the time he’d attacked him. They kept him cuffed and hooded. As he sat on the cold, hard floor of the van, Savan closed his eyes, drawing up his knees, and thought of Cole.

Cole smiling, Cole teasing him mercilessly for cutting himself trying to cook, Cole kissing him and holding him as if he were the most cherished person in his life. Tears slid down his cheeks. He wished he could change the past. He wanted to go back to the first time he’d met Cole. Change it, so that they would have had more time together, but this was no time for regrets. He doubted he was going to live longer. His captors were treating him like he was dead already.

Savan centered all his thoughts on the memory of a Sunday morning in Cole’s bed at Cole’s family home. Cole’s passionate kisses, the scent of their lovemaking, he hadn’t wanted to leave that room. He filled his mind with every second of that morning, remembering every moment, every smile and caress.

The van started and he kept his eyes closed refusing to leave that place.

***