The man’s voice had taken on a diffident tone and his demeanor had changed. He was suddenly very much a hired driver. Yeun kept his expression neutral as he stepped out of the vehicle. After a moment, he moved forward and stopped a few meters closer to the waiting group but still in easy reach of the car.
Huge shipping containers rose up in stacks on either side of them. The metal boxes were sized to be moved directly from the ocean barges to 18-wheeler trucks if necessary. Lined up as they were, they were intimidating and he felt closed in despite the wide expanse of asphalt all around them. There were dim utility lamps spread throughout the area, but the light they gave off was barely sufficient to see by.
“Yeun, I told you to come alone.” His former boss stood approximately four meters away, flanked by two thugs. One of them had his sister by the arm.
Diaz had asked them to buy time if they could. Kyle didn’t doubt Lizzy’s assessment that this would be over in less, but he could do his best to play things out. Besides, it would be odd if he didn’t approach this the way he approached his corporate dealings.
Straightening, he spread his hands, palms out. “We live in a very crowded city and I prefer to maintain a certain level of fitness. I neither own a car, nor do I have a driver’s license.”
His old boss snorted. “Goddamned fresh off the boat. Don’t you know anyone can get a driver’s license in this state? You don’t even have to be a fucking citizen of the United States of America to get a license to drive in this state. How do you not have one?”
Kyle raised his eyebrows. “I was not aware.”
His boss could go on for a while, given the opportunity. The man loved to vent.
“How do you get through security at airports, then? We’ve sent you on so many business trips, I’ve fucking lost count.”
Kyle shrugged. “I have a US passport.”
His boss barked out a laugh. “Yeah. You are a citizen at least. Been here long enough to have a green card, become a citizen. Good for you. Look, your family is damned proud.”
His sister and her son were frightened. They were clean, appeared unharmed, but both had dark circles under their eyes from lack of sleep. They were also unable to say anything as duct tape was securely fastened across their mouths.
“Your hospitality is not one of your strong points.” Kyle hoped he could set his former employer off on another rant. But he did not want to push too hard. He’d have to rein in his usual sarcasm and keep it light.
“Hah.” The man wagged a stumpy finger at him. “You know what was never right about you, Yeun? You can tell English isn’t your first language. You’re always so proper about how you speak. So fucking formal. I’m a strong believer in not trusting anyone who doesn’t curse.”
Everyone had their pet peeves. For Kyle, he enjoyed language and conversation. In particular, he tried to be engaging so he could enter into more of both. In this case, he kept his mouth shut.
“Okay. This has been a shit show.” His old boss wiped sweat from his brow. “You’ve caused way the hell more trouble than you’re worth and dragged me into this. I didn’t need to be involved. But of course, you go squealing to the police and I have accountability. I gotta get this cleaned up. Best thing is to make sure you don’t go to trial tomorrow.”
Kyle swallowed hard. This wasn’t unexpected but it definitely could have gone better. “I thought the intent was for me to change my testimony. Wouldn’t that be much safer for everyone?”
His boss laughed. It was an obnoxious sound, the echo of it bouncing off the huge containers around them. “Do you think I’m going to trust you after you got us here in the first place?”
Kyle didn’t have an answer. He could try for reassurance but they both knew he’d say anything at this point.
“And these two. They’ve seen you and heard us both discuss this.” The man waved vaguely at Kyle’s sister and nephew. “It’s much cleaner to deal with this mess now instead of letting you all run lose. Can’t rely on you being grateful for your lives. People forget to be afraid after a while. It just doesn’t work out.”
Well, the man had a point. A good one.
“We’ve got you all here and we can make sure you disappear. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.” His boss let out a gusty sigh. “Even if you run, I won’t even have to try to come after you. There’s no place you can get to where you won’t be shot down like a dog. Trust me.”
No trade then. No chance of getting his sister and nephew away from the man who had them.
Lizzy hadn’t updated them to reveal whether the other sniper was out there. She’d only confirmed she was in position. He wasn’t going to doubt her. No. He was going to have faith. Since the very beginning Lizzy had shown him she followed through with what she said she was going to do and she made things happen.