CHAPTER SEVEN *SOPHIA*

CHAPTER SEVEN

*SOPHIA*

Wei was already at the restaurant when I arrived, looking exactly as I remembered. Expensive suit, easy smile, dead eyes.

"Sophia." He stood to greet me, kissing both cheeks. "You look wonderful. Success suits you."

"Uncle Wei." I sat across from him, keeping my left hand visible on the table. The FBI agents were somewhere in this crowd, watching. "It's been a long time."

"Too long. Your mother tells me you've been making quite a name for yourself in the art world." He poured tea. "And now you're involved with Alexander Sterling. She's very pleased."

"I'm sure she is."

"Though I hear there's been some tension. Problems with the hotel deal?"

I sipped the tea, buying time. "Alexander's being cautious. His father's disappearance has him spooked."

Wei's expression didn't change. "Disappeared? How unfortunate. I hadn't heard."

"Really? It happened just hours after he was supposed to sign your contract."

"My contract?" Wei laughed. "Sophia, I'm simply a consultant for the Zhao Group. I don't make those kinds of decisions."

"You made the decision to use me as collateral."

The smile faded slightly. "I don't know what you mean."

"My mother promised me to Eleanor Sterling in exchange for political support. You promised the Sterling family to your triad contacts in exchange for a cut of their money laundering operation." I set down my teacup. "I'm not stupid, Wei. I know exactly what you are."

"You should be careful making accusations like that."

"Or what? You'll kill me? You already tried that once."

His eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"The car accident. The brake failure. Very professional work." I leaned forward. "Did my mother know? When she arranged my marriage, did she know you were planning to murder me?"

"You're not making sense, Sophia. There was no car accident"

"Not yet. But there will be if Alexander doesn't sign. That's your play, isn't it? Kill me, traumatize him into compliance, then blackmail his father for years." I smiled. "The problem is, I already know how this ends. And I'm not playing along this time."

Wei was silent for a long moment. Then he gestured to the waiter for the check. "I think you've been working too hard. The stress is making you paranoid."

"Where's James Sterling?"

"How would I know?"

"Because you're the one who took him. Or your people did, which amounts to the same thing." I touched my left ear, the signal. "And you're going to tell me where he is, or I'm going to destroy you."

Wei stood. "This conversation is over."

"Sit down." My voice was sharp enough that nearby diners looked over. "We're not finished."

"I don't take orders from my brother's daughter."

"You do when she's wearing an FBI wire and you've just confessed to conspiracy to commit murder."

His face went white. He reached for something in his jacket, but two agents were already moving. They had him in handcuffs before he could pull whatever weapon he'd been reaching for.

"Chen Wei, you're under arrest," Agent Chen said, appearing from a nearby table. "Conspiracy to kidnap, extortion, and making terroristic threats. You have the right to remain silent"

"I want my lawyer."

"Of course you do." She nodded to the other agents. "Take him."

As they hauled Wei away, he looked back at me. "Your mother will never forgive you for this."

"Good," I said. "That makes two of us."

Agent Chen sat down across from me. "That was reckless. If he'd had a gun"

"He wouldn't shoot me in a crowded restaurant. Too messy, too public. Wei's a coward. He only hurts people when he has complete control." I pulled off the wire. "Did we get enough?"

"Enough to hold him. Maybe enough to charge him. But he didn't tell us where James Sterling is."

"No. But his phone will." I slid something across the table. Wei's phone, lifted from his jacket pocket during our kiss hello. "Passcode is probably his daughter's birthday. Try 0-8-1-5."

Agent Chen stared at me, then at the phone. "How did you"

"I saw him unlock it at a family dinner five years ago. He used the same code for everything." I stood. "Check his recent calls and messages. He's not smart enough to use a burner for everything."

She was already scrolling. Her eyes widened. "Got something. Text from twenty minutes ago. 'Package secure. Awaiting instructions.' The number's registered to a warehouse in Newark."

"Same one from the traffic cameras?"

"No. Different address." She was already on her radio, coordinating with her team. "Units are rolling now. Ten minutes out."

"I'm coming with you."

"Absolutely not. You've done enough"

"James Sterling has a heart condition. If he's under stress, if he needs his medication, someone needs to be there who knows his medical history." I met her eyes. "Alexander is too emotionally compromised. I'm not. Let me help."

Agent Chen hesitated, then nodded. "Stay in the vehicle. Do not exit until we've secured the scene."

The warehouse was in an industrial area, surrounded by empty lots. FBI vehicles converged from three directions, blocking all exits. I watched from inside an armored SUV as agents in tactical gear approached the building.

"This is the FBI. The building is surrounded. Release your hostage and come out with your hands up."

Silence.

Then gunfire.

I ducked instinctively, even though I was a hundred yards away behind bulletproof glass. The agents returned fire, and I heard someone shouting commands over the radio.

"Two suspects down. Securing the perimeter."

"Movement in the east corner. Possible hostage location."

"Medical, stand by."

The minutes dragged. More gunfire, then silence. Finally, Agent Chen's voice crackled over the radio.

"Hostage recovered. He's alive. I repeat, James Sterling is alive and conscious."

I exhaled for what felt like the first time in hours.

They brought him out on a stretcher fifteen minutes later. He was pale, shaking, but talking. Paramedics were already checking his vitals, administering medication.

Agent Chen opened the SUV door. "He's asking for his son."

"Alexander's on his way." I climbed out. "Can I speak to him?"

She nodded, and I approached the ambulance. James Sterling looked up at me, confused.

"Who are you?"

"Sophia Chen. I'm" What was I? "I'm helping your son."

His eyes sharpened despite the obvious pain. "You're Catherine's daughter."

"Yes."

"Then you should know your uncle just tried to kill me."

"I know. He's in custody." I took a breath. "Mr. Sterling, I need to tell you something. Your mother-in-law, Eleanor she was part of this. She knew about the Zhao Group's connections. She helped broker the original deal."

James closed his eyes. "Of course she did."

"I have proof. Emails, financial records. Everything needed to prove she knowingly partnered with a criminal organization." I paused. "Alexander doesn't know yet."

"Don't tell him." James gripped my hand, surprising me with his strength. "Not until I can be there. He needs to hear it from me."

Sirens approached. Alexander's car, driving too fast, pulling up beside the ambulance.

He jumped out, saw his father, and something in his expression cracked. "Dad"

"I'm fine. Stop looking at me like I'm dying." But James held out his hand, and Alexander took it.

They didn't speak. Didn't need to.

I stepped back, giving them space, and found Agent Chen beside me.

"Wei's talking," she said quietly. "Naming names, making deals. Your mother's name came up."

"I assumed it would."

"You don't seem surprised."

"I'm not. Catherine Chen has been selling people for her entire political career. I'm just the first one who fought back." I watched the ambulance doors close, James inside, Alexander climbing in beside him. "What happens now?"

"Now we build our case. Arrest everyone involved. Put them away for a very long time." Agent Chen looked at me. "You'll need to testify. Against your family."

"I know."

"Are you prepared for that?"

I thought about my mother's face when she realized I'd destroyed everything she'd built. Thought about Wei in prison, powerless. Thought about Eleanor Sterling's empire crumbling.

"Yes," I said. "I'm ready.”