I flipped over on my back and stretched my leg out to the side. The bed was cool. I put my hand out to feel for Sebastian but he was gone. I slowly opened my eyes to get them used to the sunlight that was filling the bedroom. I looked at Bo's nixie tube clock on the nightstand. It was 10:23 in the morning. The night before we had hung out in Mujeres Chinas for a while watching the girls to see if we could spot Grace. We never saw her and when we started getting funny looks from the girls running the show we took off. Feeling defeated and not wanting to stay the night in the rundown hotel in Mexico we drove back to San Diego. Mexicali was only a few miles from the border and it only took us a little over two hours to get back to Bo's place. On the way back we discussed what our next step was going to be. We decided it was best to call a meeting with Bo and tell him we exhausted our options with the resources he had. We needed more manpower and money to find out where Grace was. Sebastian thought unless we got a contact in Mexico to work with we were at a dead end.
With sleep in my eyes I got out of bed and went to find Sebastian. I wondered if he got any sleep at all last night. He was frustrated thinking about what we should do next. I found him on the deck with his laptop on the table and empty bottles of Corona scattered around.
I slid open the patio door. "You have your own party once I went to bed?" I gave him a kiss on the cheek then leaned over the railing to take in the beautiful views of the ocean. It was amazing to think that yesterday we were in hell and today we were in paradise.
"Leah put some shorts on."
"Why? Hey did you call Bo to tell him we need to meet?"
"Yeah," Sebastian replied. "He wants us to meet him at the compound at noon."
"Good. So what have you been racking your brain about out here?"
Sebastian stood up and stretched his arms to the sky. He turned me around so I was looking back out at the ocean again. He put his arms around me and kissed my neck.
"We're going to meet Bo at noon but we're not telling him we are folding. I came up with a new angle and I think it's our best shot." He smiled widely and winked. "Leah this can work!"
Sebastian never stopped thinking of new ways to solve a problem. I loved this about him but it could be exhausting. He was always coming up with new ideas after we already discussed at length what we were going to do.
"Really?" I asked. "I thought we agreed last night on how we would proceed. We are going to get Bo to hire some more people and we can find someone to work with us down in Mexico."
"Leah it is dangerous to go down to Mexico and keep inquiring. We have to have the leads come to us not the other way around. You remember the nun I spoke to yesterday morning? Remember when we were leaving she yelled out to get my attention?"
"Yeah."
"You want to know what she said?"
"What did she say?"
"She said if we go into one of these brothel's and they do suspect us of being there for anything but the service they would shoot me and put you to work."
"You really should have told me that yesterday."
Sebastian laughed and I glared at him lovingly.
"Get some shorts on. Let's take a walk on the beach and I will tell you what I came up with."
Sebastian's plan was pretty good. We had no leads in Mexico. The boy Bo hired in Mexico handed out flyers for nearly a month with no legit responses. Sebastian knew that money talked. If you have enough money you can get a coyote to bring you across the border. If you have enough money you can have things smuggled into the country. His idea was to create a new flyer advertising a $50,000 reward for the whereabouts of Grace. We would create an 800 number to go with it and field the calls ourselves. When anything legit came up we would require a meeting in the US in a public place. Of course Sebastian was more detailed when he told me his whole spiel but this was the gist. It was all subject to change since Sebastian's mind was always in motion and we had 25 minutes until we met with Bo.
Sebastian punched in the code Bo gave us and the gate to the compound swung open. There was a black four door Mercedes in the driveway. We knocked on the door to the massive compound and a maid answered.
"Hola como esta Señorita?" Sebastian said.
While the maid responded to Sebastian I literally ran into the restroom. I had to go extremely bad on the drive over. The bathroom was elegant but I didn't like it at all. There was an excess of marble and while the statue of the dragon was impressive it looked a bit tacky. The compound had the feel of a modern library. I stopped midstream when I heard yelling. Someone was pissed and it was not Bo's voice I heard. I hurried to finish peeing and rushed out to see what was going on. It was Mr. Ho and he was going off on Sebastian.
"You can't be here! You need to leave Bo alone and stop looking for the girl! Leave this instant!"
Mr. Ho kept on repeating this sentiment in a shrieking forceful tone. Sebastian kept saying 'easy man' but Mr. Ho just kept on yelling. I grabbed Sebastian's arm.
"Dude we are leaving relax," I said. "Come on Sebi let's just go."
"We're friends with Bo we are not looking for the girl," Sebastian said. "We were meeting Bo here."
Mr. Ho yelled something in Chinese and threw up his hands.
"Sebi he's not listening let's leave."
The maid motioned us to the door and said something to Sebastian in Spanish. Sebastian grabbed my hand tightly and led me out the front door. We jumped in the BMW but Sebastian was not in a hurry to leave. His mood had changed and I had no idea why. He called Bo as we were pulling out of the driveway and alerted him to meet us at the coffee shop instead of the compound. Sebastian hung up and broke out in a huge smile. He laughed loudly.
I was confused. "What is it Seb? Why are you laughing?"
"Busted bastard!"
I frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Mr. Ho is giving it to Mrs. Tang."
"What?"
Sebastian kept laughing dramatically and it made me laugh even though I was not in on the joke. "Come on Sebastian tell me what happened."
"I was in the foyer waiting and I noticed a woman walk into a room down the hall. I only saw her back so I couldn't tell who it was. I could tell it wasn't another maid. Then Mr. Ho walks by the foyer and sees me. You should have seen his face when he saw me Leah."
"Were you scared?"
"No just surprised. He started yelling in Chinese and motioning me to get out of the room. I asked the maid in Spanish if he knew English. He finally realized I couldn't understand him so he switched to yelling at me in English."
"Okay so why is he busted?"
Sebastian sighed in frustration. "Let me finish Leah. When the maid was responding to me when he was yelling at us to leave she said in Spanish what basically translates to he is giving it to the boss's wife."
"Wow so Mr. Ho and Mrs. Tang are together?"
"Yep!"
"That explains why he's so pissed we happened to be there. What about Bo does he know they're having an affair?"
"Shit I doubt it Leah."
"But Bo is staying there?"
"For all they know Bo isn't staying there. They don't know Bo is letting us stay at his place. They probably just got here this morning and haven't seen Bo yet."
"We going to tell Bo?"
Sebastian tapped the steering wheel with his thumbs and thought for a moment as I patiently waited. "No we aren't telling him. At least not right now. For our plan to work we need Mr. Ho off our backs so we are allowed to go forward. We can use what we just found out against him. Tell him we won't tell Mr. Tang he is banging his wife if he doesn't tell him we are searching for Grace."
Bo was waiting for us at the coffee shop. We told him about our run in with Mr. Ho at the compound leaving out the fact that Mrs. Tang was with him. Bo was bewildered that Mr. Ho was in town and said he would stay at his friend's house until Ho leaves. Bo was visibly worried about Mr. Ho having seen us. He believed he would report this to his father if not that day as soon as he got back to Vancouver.
r /> "We're coming up with our next steps Bo," Sebastian said. "We have a plan to create a flyer and advertise a cash reward. Money talks and we think this is the best way to make some headway down there. We'll make sure you and your family are in no way associated with it. You cool with us going in this direction?"
"If you think that's the best option I am all for it. You two should lay low though for a couple days," Bo said. "I have to make sure my father doesn't do anything crazy like send some guards to monitor me or you guys."
"He'd do that?" I asked.
"I don't think so I just have to see how he responds when Mr. Ho tells him. I can't see him making a big deal over it. My father is more discouraged that my focus is on Grace and not academics. He's not pissed I want to find her just pissed it is effecting important aspects of my life."
"Okay well hopefully you can smooth it out with him," Sebastian said. "You guys want coffee now?"
"I'll take a sweet iced tea," I said.
"How about you Bo?"
"I'll have an iced coffee. Thanks Sebastian."
Bo and I were left alone at the table. I smiled at him warmly. I had a soft spot for Bo. He seemed like such a sweet guy despite his upbringing. I had a feeling he wanted to break free from the mold but didn't know how.
"How you holding up?" I asked breaking the silence.
"Not bad. I am really busy with my classes so that helps."
I thought of something to ask him but held off. I didn't want to pry. After a few moments Bo opened up.
"Leah do you think it's awful I never told Grace about the arranged marriage?"
I hesitated to think about his question. I didn't want him to feel bad but I also wanted to be honest with him. I always tried to spin everything into a positive. "I don't know Bo. I really see both sides. I think you wanted to protect Grace and the love you two had. There would be no good time to tell someone you just met and fell in love with that oh by the way my parents have my bride picked out for me. I think Grace would have understood though if you told her. I mean obviously you don't agree with it and she would know that it was not your fault."
Bo nodded and looked down.
"I know you feel guilty about never telling her Bo but you have to let it go. You can't change it. When we find her you can tell her. Then the real question is what will you do at that time? Are you really going to marry a girl you don't love?"
Bo shook his head in frustration. "My hands are tied."
"Bo last time I checked this is America home of the free. Why not walk away?"
Bo looked at me with a speck of wonder and awe in his eye. He probably had never let himself believe it was not an option for him. Bo didn't say anything.
"My impression of you is that you are living a life that's not yours. Life is short you have to do what makes you happy not your father."
Bo grimaced. "That's easier said than done. I know what your saying but this lifestyle is ingrained in me. It's the only choice I have."
"What would happen if you told your father you weren't going to marry the girl? He cuts you off financially?" I let that hang in the air for a moment hoping Bo could see that walking away wasn't impossible. "You don't seem the type that is driven by money Bo and you don't seem like you aspire to follow in your father's steps and run the family business."
Bo was silent as he pondered what I was telling him.
"What do you want to do with your life Bo?" I sighed. "Okay if your father wasn't in the picture if it was up to you what would you aspire to do?"
Bo came to life. "I would be a professor at a university."
"Really?"
Bo sat up straight in his chair and smiled slightly. "Yes that would be my dream life. I'd be a professor at a top California university with a wife and kids. They would grow up in a safe, fun, happy home and be free to be normal kids. I had a professor my freshman year that invited our class to his house for dinner. It was amazing. His house was charming and cozy. He had two young kids running around laughing and playing. His wife was loving and warm. It made a big impression on me. I remember thinking I would love to be this guy. It was like I was seeing life lived the way it should be."
I was a little choked up hearing Bo tell me this. It made me sad. "Wow a professor that's cool."
"When I met Grace and we started spending time together I envisioned that kind of life actually happening for me. I zoned out all my family stuff and for the first time I felt like I could be me. Leah I grew up in a house where I couldn't be myself. Do you know what that's like?"
I saw Sebastian walking toward our table out of the corner of my eye. "I couldn't imagine that." Sebastian put our drinks on the table and sat next to me. "Thank you Sebi-bears."
Sebastian squeezed my hand and looked at me with a what-did-I-miss look on his face.
"Thanks for the coffee Sebastian," Bo said. "So are you two getting acquainted well with San Diego?"
Sebastian answered and talked about how amazing this area was. While he talked to Bo I spaced out and thought about what Bo shared with me. I couldn't shake the last thing he said...I grew up in a house where I couldn't be myself. I knew people growing up that didn't have a good home life but there was always a light at the end of the tunnel. At age 18 they were done with their sentence. They may not have much but they could go off into the world and be free to start anew. Bo was locked in for life.