A Forgiving Heart - 4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The Rosot Bank was a three-story manor on the outskirts of the city. The Mercedes rolled up to the front of the elegant house. Hyun sat clutching the briefcase on his lap. His gaze focused on the four men who came out of the car behind them. They stood at the bank’s front door.

Lucian was a paranoid man.

“Change your shoes,” Lucian said, bringing Hyun’s attention back to the car.

The beast of a man who met him at the airport held out a pair of shiny black loafers from the front seat.

Hyun stared at the shoes, wanting to rebel. One glance at Lucian disabused him of that notion. He removed his shoes without protest.

“Do not draw attention to yourself,” Lucian said when Hyun finished changing. Lucian handed him a small green card with numbers on it. “Find this account and change the access data. Do you understand?”

“You don’t want to transfer—”

“Not a dime moves,” Lucian said, holding his gaze. “Your job is to change information, Lee Hyun. You do want to see your sister alive, don’t you?”

Hyun bit his inner lip.

“Yes, I want to see her.”

“Follow instructions,” Lucian advised. “You have five minutes from the moment I engage the bank manager. I don’t have to tell you what happens if you fail.”

Lucian opened the door on his side and got out. Hyun let a nervous sigh escape and exited the car, too. He clutched the briefcase tight. Lucian walked confidently, buttoning his coat as though entering a bank at eight in the evening was the norm. The bank manager met them in the lobby, greeting Lucian with familiarity.

Mr. Beast touched Hyun’s elbow and led him in the opposite direction when Lucian went with the bank manager into his office. Hyun walked to a comfortable bench in the banking hall. He opened his briefcase, removed his charger, and turned on his laptop fast. In minutes, he accessed the bank’s secure network and found the account he was to change details.

Hyun stared at the name on the account.

Petrov, N. It was the same name as the account in the Caymans.

Hyun frowned.

He wondered who N. Petrov was and if he knew his money was in danger. Hyun deleted N. Petrov's name and typed Mina’s name into the account. He changed the access options fast, changing codes and saving them, efficiently turning N. Petrov's account into Mina's account. He exited the network just as Lucian emerged from the bank manager’s office. Hyun slipped his laptop into the briefcase, snapping it closed.

Mr. Beast urged him up, and Hyun obeyed without hesitation, eager to leave. Perhaps Lucian would allow him a small glimpse of Mina today.

“Ready?” Lucian asked when he reached him.

“Yes.” Hyun gave him a reassuring nod.

“Let’s go,” Lucian said with a satisfied nod and turned to the exit.

A guard came running behind them when they were five steps away from the doors.

“Wait.”

Hyun froze his grip on the briefcase tight. Mr. Beast slipped his hand into his jacket, and Hyun caught sight of a gun. One glance around the other three men with Lucian, he noted they had their hands in their jackets.

Lucian turned to the guard with a disarming smile.

“Yes?” Lucian asked.

“You forgot this.” The guard held out Hyun’s charger.

Lucian gave Mr. Beast a short glance and stepped toward the guard. He took the cable and nodded his thanks. The guard hurried away, and they continued their exit. Hyun’s heart hammered when he entered the car and sat beside Lucian.

“Look—”

Hyun gasped when Lucian wrapped the charger cord around his neck with murderous force.

Hyun reached up, his fingers digging into his neck, hoping to stop Lucian from choking him to death. The cord tightened around his neck, cutting off his air. Hyun grabbed Lucian’s arms, scratching, digging into the expensive fabric, and choking.

“I told you not to draw attention.” Lucian hissed into his ear. “One misstep, and this would have ended today. Do you even understand what is at stake?”

Lucian’s voice sounded far away, and Hyun could barely breathe. His head felt light, and the pain around his neck was excruciating. The pressure was so much, and then it disappeared abruptly. Hyun coughed as he gulped in the air with violent gasps, rubbing his throat, glad to breathe again.

“I—I’m sorry,” Hyun coughed out. “I—I didn’t realize—”

“I can hurt you all I want, but your life is not at risk,” Lucian warned. “Remember, your sister’s life is mine.”

Hyun closed his eyes, trembling, tears stinging the back of his eyes.

“Boss,” Mr. Beast spoke up from the front. “His flight back to New York is arranged.”

“Good,” Lucian said, sitting back in his corner of the backseat, once again calm and collected. “You’ll go back home and pretend nothing happened today. We have four more jobs before we can finish this. I hope you do better next time.”

Four?

Hyun closed his eyes. He was not sure he could do this four more times.

“Don’t forget the rules,” Lucian warned an hour later when the Mercedes pulled up at the airport. “No police, Lee Hyun. I have people watching your every move. Do you understand?”

Mr. Beast had come out of the car to open Hyun’s door. Hyun rubbed his throat again and reached for his laptop.

“Leave it,” Lucian said. “You’ll get a new one for the next job.”

Hyun clutched the briefcase tightly, loathe to lose his favorite laptop.

Lucian sighed impatiently, and Hyun let go of the briefcase. He exited the car fast. Mr. Beast closed the back passenger door, and Hyun watched Lucian's driver drive off.

“Here,” Mr. Beast handed him a passport with a ticket once again lodged in the middle. “Same procedure as New York. Have a safe flight.”

Hyun took the dark blue American passport, staring at his new fake name. David Jang. He scoffed. He had never thought of himself as a David.

The ticket lodged inside was to Jakarta. He entered the departures hall, this time with no luggage to worry about. Lucian and his goon had managed to strip him of all his belongings.

Hyun sighed, removing his suit jacket to go through security. Once again, at the end of his security check, he received a new ticket going to New York from a young woman. He wondered what Lucian had done to her to get her to do this.

Hyun started to walk to his departure gate, his shoulders slumped. After all that, he still didn’t know where to find Mina or if she was all right.

“Why so sad, little rabbit?” Raphael Yun’s voice filled his head.

Hyun stopped in his tracks, looking around him in surprise before he remembered the earplug in his ear. Touching it, Hyun wished he could reply. Somehow, hearing Raphael’s voice brought him relief.

“Keep walking. You have a serious tail,” Raphael said. “We’ll have to meet in New York. Smile a little.”

Hyun scoffed.

Who could smile in this situation?

He kept walking, looking around, hoping to pick out his tail, but there were too many people. His brain was too tired.

Hyun focused on getting on the plane and going to New York. Perhaps Raphael had good news for him.

Oh, how he hoped.

***

“Lucian Pajari has Hyun’s sister.”

Raphael studied the photo on his tablet.

They had captured Lucian exiting the car at the Rosot Bank, Singapore.

“This rabbit hole is gaining interesting twists.”

“Hyun is going through customs,” Himura said beside him. “Allow me to call your father. You can get out of this at any time.”

“You hand me a picture of a Pajari brother, pique my curiosity, and now you want to spoil the fun. Himura, I carry a gun, you know.”

“Sir,” Himura sighed.

“I hate it when you call me Sir.”

Raphael got up and stretched his arms above his head. He was in a private lounge at JFK Airport.

“Get Hyun, I’m going to find his sister.”

“What can I say to change your mind?” Himura demanded.

“Nothing,” Raphael adjusted his leather jacket. “I’m invested in this, Himura. Get with the program. Bring Hyun to me. We have a long journey ahead.”

“Where are you going?”

“Thanks to my dear Talin’s dark times, I know every piece of property the Pajari brothers own. I may know where to find Lee Mina, but I need time to extract her. I need you to stay here and keep up appearances for my father.”

“Raphael,” Himura started.

“Don’t bother trying to stop me. My father is hiding something, and I mean to find out what it is. The only way to do that is through Lee Hyun, and as long as he’s distracted by his sister, he’s no help. So, this is the way to go, embrace it, Himura. I’ll call if I get in trouble.”

“You should take someone with you,” Himura said, following Raphael out of the lounge.

“I will,” Raphael gave Himura a mysterious smile before they had to split directions.

***

Hyun was not surprised when a strong hand grabbed his upper arm after he cleared customs at JFK. It was becoming a habit, it seemed. People grabbed his arms as though he had no say in the matter. This grip, however, wasn’t as punishing as the one with Lucian’s beast.

Hyun glanced up to see Himura.

“Come with me,” Himura said. “Mr. Yun is looking for you.”

“Have you found my sister?” Hyun asked. “I know who is doing this. His name is—”

“Best to keep your mouth shut,” Himura said, squeezing his arm this time. “Too many eyes and ears. Keep up with me, Mr. Lee.”

Hyun sighed and followed Himura as he led him back to the departure side of the airport. Hyun worried. His passport wasn’t in his name, but before he could voice that out, Himura flashed a pass at the security officials who got them through without documentation.

Hyun wanted to ask how that was possible, but Himura seemed in a race. Hyun practically had to run after him. Hyun almost groaned when he saw the entrance to another plane. He had just escaped fourteen hours from Singapore.

Where to now?

“Safe flight,” Himura said, pointing to the older lady waiting at the entrance to the plane.

“Aren’t you coming?” Hyun asked.

“No.” Himura urged him on, and Hyun sighed, walking toward the older lady.

She had a pretty smile, her dark hair graying at the temples.

“Good evening, Sir,” she said. “We were waiting on you. Please go on in and make yourself comfortable. We’ll be taking off in a few minutes.”

“To where?” Hyun asked.

She smiled and pointed to the corridor.

“Your answers are inside,” she said.

Hyun frowned and entered the short corridor. He entered a spacious cabin, eons away from the flight he had left an hour ago. Comfortable seats along one wall and three sets of armchairs with tables in between them on the other side. A door opened at the back, and Raphael emerged from a private room holding a black tube.

Raphael closed the door and glanced at him.

“You’re here. Come on in. The pilot is about to take off.”

Raphael walked to one of the armchairs and sat down. He opened the tube he held and started to lay out maps on the table.

Hyun stood watching him, unable to move.

Raphael studied the maps with a little frown: a small crease smack between dark eyebrow arches. It marked the elegant line of Raphael's nose, down to pursed lips. A dark shadow dusted Raphael’s jaw, darker still on his chin.

“Hyun?”

He blinked and met inquiring green eyes, and once again, a question filled his mind. Why did Raphael have green eyes?

“Do you wanna sit before we pick you up off the floor?” Raphael snapped.

Hyun scowled and moved to sit across from Raphael. He snapped his belt on with a huff.

“What?” Raphael asked, not looking up from his maps. “The huffs are annoying. You have a terrible habit of communicating with sighs.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Raphael asked, looking up from the maps.

“For living like a crazy man these past weeks, for worrying about my sister, for not knowing what the hell I’m doing for some scary Russian dude. For being scared out of my mind—do you want me to continue?”

“Please do, what else is on your mind?”

“I need a shower. I need to be in clothes that don’t chafe, and I’m starving. Why am I here with you instead of heading to my measly motel room to wallow in yet another failure? Where the fuck are we going?”

Raphael sat back in his seat as the plane started moving.

Hyun held green eyes as the plane taxied, increased speed, and lifted off the tarmac. The ride-up was smoother than the one on the commercial flight. He only gritted his teeth once at the disorientation as the plane climbed higher.

“We’re going to a farm in Pennsylvania,” Raphael said, pointing to a spot on the maps on the table. “The man who has your sister, his name is Lucian Pajari. He and his brother have a company named Pajari Industries. One of their subsidiaries runs an organic farm on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. It is a quiet place, useful for extracurricular activities that require secrecy.”

“What’s at the farm?” Hyun asked, afraid to be hopeful.

“Your sister,” Raphael gave him a small smile.

“How do you know?” Hyun asked his chest tight at the possibility. Mina—

“It’s my job to know,” Raphael said. “That’s the ‘where we’re going.' As for food, Christina will help with that.”

Raphael pointed to the closed door he had emerged from earlier.

“That is a full suite, bedroom, and bathroom. You can shower. I’m sorry I refused Himura to bring any of your clothes. Lucian runs a thorough ship. He might have bugged them. You’ll find comfortable jeans and T-shirts in a bag on the bed. Take what fits you. You can choose to eat first and shower later, or shower first—”

“I will take the shower,” Hyun said, reaching for his seat belt.

“Give the pilot a minute,” Raphael said, stopping him with a chuckle. “This might be a private flight, but the same rules apply. He’ll let you know when you can walk around.”

Hyun blushed, and his hand dropped away from the belt. Looking away from Raphael, he wiped his right hand down his face, weary.

Hyun stared out the window, watching the lights below disappear into darkness.

He got bored, and his gaze shifted to Raphael.

“How rich are you?”

Raphael didn’t answer, but he glanced up from studying the maps.

“Oh, you’re serious?”

Hyun shrugged.

“Yeah.”

Raphael narrowed his gaze.

“Looks like you’re trying to find a balance in this new world. All right, I’ll play along. What do you want to know?”

Hyun thought about Lucian Pajari.

Compared to that man, Raphael looked like an angel, which scared him.

Raphael was not exactly one to associate with a halo and bright wings. He was more comfortable wearing a pair of horns, adding coals to great big fires. If Raphael had at least half of what Lucian had, perhaps there would be a fighting chance to save his sister and release Hyun from this twisted plot.

Could Raphael manage it? Hyun wondered, remembering the feel of a charger cord around his neck. Lucian’s anger had shocked him.

Was Raphael strong enough to face Lucian Pajari?

“Is the plane yours, free and clear? You’re not leasing it, are you?” Hyun asked.

“I own it. There are two more. One belongs to my father, and we use the third plane for emergency flights. We use it to handle our very legitimate businesses. We let the executives use that one.”

“Your last name is Yun. You are Korean. Why do you have green eyes?”

Raphael blinked.

“Hm…questions about my lineage. That’s a new one, little rabbit. Do I have to answer?”

Hyun smiled.

“It’s bugging me.”

“Of course, we must save your brain from imploding,” Raphael mused. “My father is Korean. My mother is not. She is British. She moved to South Korea to teach English and fell in love with the culture and my father. They married, and as you can see, the rest is history.”

“And the long hair?” Hyun asked. “Is that a requirement for your line of work?”

Raphael’s gaze darkened.

“Stupid question, pass. What about you? Why did you choose to move to New York? You could have gotten a job elsewhere, even in Seoul. Why New York?”

Hyun stared at the table and the plastic maps.

“I wanted a fresh start and a new place for me and my sister. Plus, Arocom Industries offered a great package for a newbie.”

“Is your sister happy?” Raphael asked. “Moving could not have been easy for her. Her school records in Seoul show she’s weak in English.”

Hyun met Raphael’s gaze.

“Do you know everything about us?”

“Down to your private matters,” Raphael smiled. “You prefer dark greens and navy blues for your underwear.”

“That’s perverted.”

“It’s called being thorough. Why are you not staying in your apartment? Your sister does a good job keeping it clean for you. That mice-ridden motel room you rented is not fit for humans.”

“We can’t all afford to live in cathedral-like homes, rent lofts on a whim, have jets, and gallivant across the globe on notice.”

“My money annoys you,” Raphael stated.

“At least we have that figured out.”

“Go take a shower,” Raphael said, nodding to the seat belt light on the console mounted on the wall. It was off.

Hyun snapped his belt open and got up.

He started to the door Raphael had indicated and then stopped.

“It’s not the money that annoys me,” Hyun said, looking at Raphael.

Raphael lifted an elegant brow in question.

“It’s how I suspect you got it. The thought that someone might have felt what I am right now when I think about Mina. That bugs me.”

Hyun held Raphael’s gaze and then hurried to the private suite. He closed the door, leaned on it, and cursed.

What the hell had he said that for?

Argh, Hyun shrugged out of his suit jacket and dropped it on the floor. Stripping off the shirt and slacks, he decided he was too tired to worry.

The bathroom could fit his little mice-ridden motel room. When he turned on the shower and stepped under a welcoming hot shower, he could not help but moan in appreciation. He appreciated the perks of Raphael's money even as he hated Raphael's unknown business model.

***

“The Helena cleared customs,” Himura said. “The crew is unloading cargo. Getti is handling the process.”

“Ask him to screen that cargo again.”

Raphael closed his eyes and leaned his head back on his seat.

“But you have a comprehensive list already?” Himura asked.

“Tell him to check cargo anyway, Himura,” Raphael insisted.

“As you wish,” Himura said.

“Have Getti call me directly when he gets time.”

“You’re obsessed with The Helena.”

Raphael sighed and opened his eyes, his gaze on the closed door to his bedroom suite.

“Yes. I’ve told you before, Himura. I'm not too fond of mysteries. Your nagging is turning into a mystery, too.”

“I’m worried about you.”

“Worrying is not part of your job description.”

Raphael ended the call, dumping his phone on the table on top of the maps, his gaze never leaving the closed door. Hyun had been in there for thirty minutes.

How long did a shower take?

Christina came in from the kitchen area, a white apron over her neat navy blue uniform.

“Should I serve dinner?” she asked.

“Yes.” Raphael took the maps from the table, returning them to their tube. “Christina, do we have a medical kit on board?”

“Calling it a kit is an understatement,” she smiled at him. “You could run a hospital in here. What’s wrong?”

Raphael stood up.

“Before you serve the food, can you find an ointment to put on bruises?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Raphael left the tube of maps on the closest chair and went into his bedroom. The lights were all on. He stopped when he saw Hyun asleep on top of his bed. Dressed in a green t-shirt and black jeans, Hyun was sprawled on his stomach, sound asleep.

Raphael came to stand at the foot of the bed, his gaze on the younger man. Christina’s knock on the door was quiet. Raphael hurried to the door, opening it slightly. He took the cream she held out.

“Hold dinner,” Raphael said.

He closed the door before she could ask more.

Raphael walked back to the bed. With gentle hands, he shifted Hyun to his back, getting a soft sigh from Hyun for his efforts. He tilted Hyun’s head back, exposing his neck. Raphael scowled at the red line around Hyun’s neck. He had caught a glimpse earlier when Hyun had walked in. It looked like Lucian or one of his men had lost their temper.

“Idiot,” Raphael whispered as he settled on the bed beside Hyun. “Why put yourself in a position to get choked?"

Opening the tube, he applied the ointment on the bruises. When he finished, he sat on the bed, watching Hyun sleep.