Yes, he needed to get back to Rhode Island.
Instead of going to bed as he so often did just a few hours before sunrise, he found himself staring at the ocean, even though it was still too dark to see it.
The manager of the building had bragged about its proximity being one of the apartment's best features. But with the hours Han kept sleeping from dawn to late afternoon, he rarely took the time to enjoy the view.
How's your girlfriend?
The question floated back into his mind as he listened to the ocean, unsettling him in more ways than one. He didn't like that Kuang Jr. had asked him that question every single time they'd run into each other since Han's ill-advised rescue of his little surfer girl. And he really didn't like that he didn't like it.
Or that he'd started referring to her privately as his little surfer girl.
Or that he couldn't stop thinking about her, even though it had been over two weeks since he'd met her for the first and last time. He'd forgotten much more beautiful and charming women in less than two minutes.
Alright, that was a lie. Two actually. And he also hated that.
He hated that he couldn't come up with even one woman's face he could honestly say he liked more than hers. He hated that even though he kept telling himself that first time was the last time, he'd texted, "you belong to me for two years," when he should have let her go.
And he really hated that he'd been tempted to call her in for a surf lesson more than once, especially in quiet moments like these when he somehow wanted to be alone but also didn't want to be alone.
That was most likely the problem, he decided as he turned away from the crashing ocean. He'd been spending too much time alone. Time to put in an appearance at Aloha Ballers, remind K Diamond and whoever else might happen to be there who the bigger boss was.
Another idea occurred to him then, a way to stop obsessing over the surfer girl who'd managed to worm her way into too many of his waking thoughts—and a few of his dreams.
He was going to seduce and fuck her out of his system. And the idea, if executed properly, would also crush K Diamond's ego a little further while ensuring she would never fall prey to any of the predators at Aloha Ballers again.
With a devious smile, Han pulled out his phone and sent his little surfer girl a text.
7
HAN
If Yaron was surprised to be called back to his building just a few minutes after he left, he didn’t show it. Another reason Han preferred him as a driver.
It didn’t take long to get to the gentlemen’s club where Han had set up his temporary office. Hawaii could be a surprisingly quiet place after midnight, so the roads were mostly empty.
But as calm as it was outside, Aloha Ballers was in full party mode when Han arrived with Yaron trailing behind him. The club was packed with tourists, locals, and even a few celebrities.
When he made his way toward the club's back, Han also found a few of his men hanging out in the bar area. No surprise there. He’d brought eight of them down with him, but they were primarily for face and show since Han was handling the majority of the mission himself. When they weren’t flanking him, they had very little to do, so wiling away their time at Aloha Ballers had become their new M.O.
They all stood and greeted him with loud cheer in Cantonese when he came into the bar area. And without Han even having to ask, a stemmed shot glass of clear liquor found its way into his hand.
Han knew it was a baijiu by the design of the glass, and he was pleasantly surprised to find a familiar taste after toasting his arrival with his men and throwing it back. It wasn’t just any old baijiu, but specifically V.I.P. Bai 3, the high-end baijiu company The Silent Triad had purchased a few years back.
“Did you bring a bottle with you?” he asked Chen, The Silent Triad member who had handed it to him.
“Wish I had thought of that,” Chen answered. “The bartender charged us triple the retail. Said that’s policy. Kuang Jr. doesn’t even give his own guys a discount.”
Han glanced at Kuang Jr., who was snorting lines of coke with a couple of dancers over at the bar. Apparently, the 24K Dragon son didn’t believe in showing his father’s most valued business partner hospitality or in not doing drugs out in public where any undercover cop could walk in and see.
Yet the snakehead continued to wonder why his Dragon father had sent someone else in to take care of business.
