Whispers of Refuge Box Set

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 25

Jae’s limbs ached from exhaustion, but he couldn’t sleep yet. Sun was somewhere in this city, at least if his sources were reliable. There might be dozens of brothels, but he hadn’t traveled this far to give up. If he ran out of money, he’d beg or cheat or steal. It didn’t matter how long it took. He was here for his sister, which was all that mattered.

He stretched his back, ready to set out, when the streetlight was blocked by a looming shadow. He reached for his stick, but the massive stranger gripped one end and jerked it out of his hands. He leaned down and growled in Jae’s ear. “Walk with me. Now.”

Jae sized up his attacker. What did he want? Money? Jae would kill with his bare hands before he gave that up. His sister was only kilometers away. He darted his eyes back and forth, looking for a route of escape. The brute clenched down on Jae’s wrist almost hard enough to crush the bones. It looked like he could outrun Jae, even if he outweighed him two kilos to one. His best defense was the rope in his back pocket. He needed to be ready to grab it as soon as he got the chance. He didn’t know what the stranger planned to do to him, but by the way things were going, one of them was about to die.

Still, Jae refused to show his fear. He was quick, and he was experienced. He had worked for the Chongsong police for three years, and before that had held his own in numerous village scrapes. What he lacked in body mass, he could make up for in dexterity. And he still carried the rope that had come in so handy at the captain’s house.

Jae was completely lost after countless twists and turns down unexpected side streets. Instead of leading him to some remote alley, the brute dragged him through the heart and into the outskirts of the city, into the neighborhoods where the houses grew increasingly larger and more impressive. When they reached a row of mansions with wrought-iron fences and massive gates, the man stopped. “I won’t hurt you.” He kept his voice low, its bass coming out in a surprisingly melodic tone. Jae tensed and let his free hand crawl closer to the rope in his pocket. The man grabbed Jae’s arm in an instant and twisted his wrist backward. “You deaf?” Jae stared up into the hard-set face. He could smell the liquor on the man’s breath. “I work there.” The man gestured with his head to the largest of the houses on the block. “They help refugees.”

Jae twisted in an attempt to run. Refugee? How could he have known?

The giant hardened his grip. “I said they help.”

Jae wasn’t going anywhere, at least not until the stranger released him. “I don’t need charity,” he finally muttered.

“Suit yourself.” He shrugged. “But you need new clothes. Police’ll have you by morning.”

Jae eyed the mansion and wondered what was inside. His stomach growled.

“I’m not sticking around,” the man stated. “Do what you like.” With that, he turned away. Jae stood staring long after the figure disappeared into the shadows. The entire scenario reeked of a setup. Jae wasn’t gullible enough to believe the man would have led him here if there wasn’t something insidious going on. What it could be, he could only guess.

He thought of all the questions he should have asked. He was stupid for letting the man get away. Jae hadn’t known of anybody back in Chongsong who would risk their safety to help someone else like that, not without expecting something pretty substantial in return. What game was this man playing? And what would happen now Jae found himself a pawn in it?

He studied the estate. What was the worst that could happen? He could get deported. But not if he was able to wield his rope and escape first. He glanced down at his rags, the only clothes he brought with him across the border. Maybe the stranger was right. Maybe it was time for a wardrobe change. And if the people there were wealthy, maybe he’d find a solution to his financial problems, too.

He inched up the walkway, never taking his hand off the rope in his back pocket.