He pulled his head back into the stairwell and shut the door. He had nothing to prove by going out there. If the Green Bones showed up, they would smash the legs of the fools they caught. Enough close calls had made Bero value his limbs. At one time, he’d possessed jade of his own and enough shine to keep him flush with money, but that wasn’t the case anymore. He hated the clans, but he needed this job.
The door banged open and the three men staggered into the stairwell, their eyes wild and bright, hair sweaty and chests heaving for breath. Bero hurried with them back down to the parking level. He went out first, ducking behind a corner as the nearby elevator opened and disgorged half a dozen escaping floor and kitchen staff members. When they were gone, Bero hit the emergency stop button in the elevator to prevent it from going back up, then he let the men out of the stairwell. They tore off their masks and threw their gear into the suitcases. “Lie low for two weeks and meet back at the Little Persimmon,” Guriho reminded them as they got back into the van. The vehicle peeled out of the parking lot, leaving Bero alone.
Bero wheeled the suitcases and their damning contents to the garbage chute and dumped them. He made sure his employee uniform was straight and unstained, then he walked out of the parking lot and went on his regular lunch break. When he returned thirty minutes later, there were two police cars and a fire truck parked outside of the Double Double, as well as three No Peak Green Bones walking around, angrily surveying the damage. Stranded hotel guests shivered on the sidewalk, waiting to be let back into their rooms. Bero stuffed his hands into his pockets and waited with them, hiding his smile at the red message spray-painted across the interior width of the casino’s front glass doors: THE FUTURE IS CLANLESS.
CHAPTER
2
Betrayal
the sixth year, first month
Kaul Hiloshudon studied the six businessmen dining with him and hoped he would not have to kill any of them. They were gathered in the largest private room in the Twice Lucky restaurant and there was still plenty of food on the table, but he had little appetite. Taking the lives of enemies was something Hilo could do without hesitation, but these were men of his own clan, who he knew and had been friendly with to some extent in the past. No Peak needed every loyal member.
“How’s your wife’s health, Kaul-jen?” asked the Lantern Man Fuyin Kan, bringing the rest of the casual conversation around the table to an awkward pause.
Hilo didn’t lose his smile, but the warmth left his eyes as he met the man’s gaze across the table. “Recovery takes time, but she’s doing better. Thank you for asking.”
Fuyin said, “That’s good to hear. There’s nothing more important than the health and safety of our families, after all. May the gods shine favor on No Peak.” He raised a glass of hoji in Hilo’s direction and the other businessmen echoed him and followed suit.
Fuyin was not a typical jadeless Lantern Man. He wore two jade rings, jade studs in his ears, and an elaborate jade buckle on his belt. A former Fist, he’d left the military side of No Peak fifteen years ago to run his family’s retail business. Despite the man’s words of polite concern, Hilo could Perceive Fuyin’s jade aura as a thick roiling cloud, bristling with unmistakable resentment and suspicion.
Hilo pushed aside his plate and sat back as waiters removed empty dishes and refilled cups of tea. He didn’t look at Shae sitting next to him, but he could sense the tautness in her aura. She didn’t appear to have eaten much either. There was no more putting off the conversation.
“I’ve invited you all here because my Weather Man tells me you have concerns that need to be brought up and answered directly by me as Pillar,” Hilo said. “You’re all respected and valued Lantern Men in the clan, so of course, I want to talk things through and solve problems before they become serious misunderstandings.”
It was not Fuyin, but the bald man next to him, Mr. Tino, who spoke up first. He was an old-timer in the clan, a friend of Hilo’s late grandfather. “Kaul-jen,” Tino said, “given the economy today and the competition we face not only from rivals in the Mountain clan but also foreign companies, we’ve repeatedly asked the Weather Man’s office for lower tribute rates. As I’m sure you remember, No Peak raised tribute to fight the clan war, but hasn’t substantially lowered it for six years.”
“We’re still fighting the clan war, even if it’s not out in the open,” Hilo reminded him. “The Mountain intends to conquer us sooner or later. We’ve kept tribute at a reasonable level for everyone and used the money to strengthen the clan as the Weather Man sees fit.”