Sapphire Angel / Lucas Wong (Wong Yukhei)

Part 14 - Domino

Chinese will be labeled *C* 

*** Wang Lei is not in reference to any specific person, just a Chinese name I researched and liked *** 

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We all sat around for a minute, catching our breath. Lei was the first to clean himself up and get clothed. He grabbed us a few more towels from a closet and set them next to us. Maybe now he was gonna be really nice to us. Lucas helped clean me up and then put me back in the bathtub.

*C* "You haven't even let her bathe yet?" Lei asked.

*C* "I thought it would be better afterwards." Lucas told him.

Lei just shook his head. He picked up the pistol from the counter and slipped it back into his belt, seeming to completely forget about the set of keys under the counter.

*C* "I'm going to uh ... change and stuff. I'll be back in a bit." He scratched the back of his neck with his eyes still glued to me, and then walked to the door, but paused.

*C* "And you better wear that dress." He said, and then left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Well..." Lucas said awkwardly, walking back over to my side. "That was uh...." 

"Interesting." I finished his sentence for him.

He chuckled and helped me to wash my body. "Never thought I'd do anything like that." He laughed. "Especially my second time."

"I just didn't want you to get hurt." I said.

"Yeah ... it wasn't that bad." He said as he helped me back out and to dry off and get dressed.

"What did he say to you, before he left?" I asked.

"He Uh, ... wants you to wear the dress."

I cringed, looking at the thin fabric and lace framing the top and bottom.

"I can't wait to beat the shit out of him ... and put a bullet in his face." He said, surprising me with how violent it sounded coming from a sweetheart like him.

"What if ... we get in trouble?" I asked him.

"These are criminals. There are hundreds of bounties on each of their crew from many different countries. If anything, we will be rewarded if we succeed."

"I'm scared, Lucas. What if we do die?" I clutched the towel in my hands against my chest and thousands of scenarios ran through my head of what might happen to us.

Lucas stepped in front of me and cupped my cheeks as he placed his lips onto my forehead.

"Miss Zeda, I promise you, I will get you out of this. I will do whatever it takes. Even if it means I don't make it. I do not mean to speak for them, but I guarantee you Winwin and Johnny will do the same. We will fight for you. We are just sailors. We will barely be missed."

I felt tears coming to my eyes. "But I'm just a nobody from a tiny little town in America and I guarantee my entire family already thinks I'm dead right now. I don't want you guys to get hurt."

He hugged me tightly. "I believe we can all make it out of this." He said softly.

I sniffled, fearing this would be the last time he held me. After this, we were going to try to get up on deck to find Johnny.

"Don't worry. Let's mess with this guy, okay? Turn him against his men." He said.

"But how?"

He hesitated, thinking for a few moments.

Then I remembered something that might help us. I reached down under the counter and grabbed the keys Lei dropped.

Lucas's eyes lit up.

"What do you think they go to?"

"Probably everything! Look at all those keys!" He was ecstatic and hugged me tightly.

"You did it, Zeda ... Goddamn. You are going to be the one to get us out of this, aren't you? I can't believe I forgot something that important." He smiled.

I let Lucas hold onto them and he slid them into his pocket.

But then the doorknob turned, and Lei came back in. 

Thankfully I was fully dressed now, but my heart still sank. 

It was too late. We had to do something now. 

Lei laid his eyes on me and was immediately irate at the tears flowing down my cheeks. 

*C* "What did you do?!" He yelled at Lucas.

*C* "Nothing." Lucas spoke truthfully, with his arms still around me.

*C* "Then why is she sad?"

I obviously could not speak their language, but I could tell what was going on. I tried to improvise. I put on a very sad act, exaggerating and clutching Lucas, as I told him,

"Some guys came into my cell last night." I cried.

"What?" Lucas took my act seriously for a moment, but then caught on.

"Oh." He realized, and then told Lei.

*C* "She says there were men in her cell last night. After everyone was asleep."

Lei seemed to be fuming and his fists clenched. *C* "Who?!" He raised his voice.

"Uhm ... who should we say it was?" Lucas asked me.

I shrugged.

"I don't know their names." I continued my act, sniffling and laying my head on Lucas's chest.

Lei saw my shrug and just grew angrier; I was starting to get a little scared.

*C* "If I line them up, can she point them out to me?" 

*C* "I think so." 

Lucas told me what he said, and I tried to make him really believe me, looking into his eyes as mine welled with tears and I nodded.

"I can try." I said, even though I knew he couldn't understand me.

He nodded, and led us up to the deck, right where we needed to be, and seemingly around the right time, too. If we could just get him to take out a few of his own, we'd have less to fight when Johnny came.

Winwin was mopping the floors and looked over at us worried while Lei was shouting, and made all of his men line up, just as he said. They all looked confused and looked at us angrily. He began pacing in front of them.

*C* "It has come to my attention that some of you have been sneaking into the cellar. Touching what is mine." 

They all looked at each other, bewildered. 

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