Fortune Cookie

Part 2

“What the hell? Who are you?”

“A friend, Roxie. If you want to live, listen to the directions I’m about to give you. There are still more people inside that are after you.” I could hear voices coming from inside the building speaking Chinese.

“Okay, I’m listening.”

“Good,” said the man. “Now walk out to the busy street and take a left heading away from the restaurant.” I did has he said, throwing the knife I still held into the garbage as I walked by. I fell into step with the other pedestrians on the sidewalk. “Now stay vigilant for anyone following you or who might attack you.”

“Easier said than done,” I said as I casually looked around.

The man laughed. “Yes it is. Now, I’m going to give you directions to a man who can help you escape from the city.”

“I thought I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone.”

“To be more accurate, no one you know. You only have so much room to leave an urgent message on a fortune cookie.”

“Because leaving an urgent message on a fortune cookie is believable,” I said sarcastically. “So, are you going to tell me why I have people after me?”

“Maybe another time. Now, head towards the subway and listen to the directions I’m about to give you to the guy’s apartment.” He gave me detail directions as I headed down into the subway tunnel.

“So, does this man have a name I can call him by? And what if he isn’t home?”

“Cody and don’t worry, he’ll be home. I already checked. Now, as soon as I hang up the phone, toss your phone into the garbage so they can’t tract you. I also hope you have plenty of cash on you. You won’t be able to use any of your credit cards anymore since they can trace that too. Goodbye, Roxie. If you live through tonight than we might talk again one day soon.”

“Wait! How are you going to get ahold of me again?” The man hung before I even finished the sentence. Cursing, I trashed the phone and jumped onto the train.

It wasn’t crowded and I was able to find an empty seat where I could keep an eye on all the doors in my section. I watched each person as they got on and off at each stop. Those who looked like they were going to approach me, I kept a closer eye on. It was the most nerve wrecking and longest subway ride I’ve ever been on. After some time, my stop finally came and I got off.

Immediately, I could tell I was in a part of town that I tried hard to avoid. The station was dirty and there was graffiti on the walls. Of course this Cody lived in the part of town I didn’t want to be in when I was running for my life. Knowing my luck thus far, he would be a gangbanger who’ll take me to that mysterious man on the phone who happen to be the gang leader that will laugh at me saying that I fell for his elaborate trap, that my long lost cousin, who so happen to be dead, left a huge debt that I was going have to pay back.

Okay, my imagination was overreacting at the moment, but after everything that had happened so far, it was possible. Taking a deep breath, I went up the stairs that took me back to the surface.

I followed the directions the man gave me and after fifteen minutes of walking, I was in front of one of the many rundown apartment buildings. So far my chances were getting high in meeting that gangster. Whoever this Cody was, I hoped maybe he would be able to answer my questions. Gathering my courage, I enter the apartment complex.

According to the directions I was given, Cody lived in apartment 412. I headed for the elevator only to see an ‘out of service’ sign taped to it. “Great,” I said aloud. I looked around a little more and found the stairs leading up.

I took the questionable stairs to the shabby fourth floor. A few doors down on the right was apartment 412. I lifted my fist to the door and pounded on it. While I was waiting, I kept looking down both ends of the hallway, waiting for some knife wielding Chinese woman to come running down to attack me. A shiver ran down my spine at the image.

The door to the apartment opened and when I saw who was answering the door, I jumped. “Great, it’s a Chinese gangster,” I mumbled.

The man rolled his eyes. “Chinese, Korean, all us Asians look the same.”

Looking closer, I could now see he was a Korean man, an attractive one. His eyes weren’t very squinting either. He was also tall, over six feet. “Korean gangster?”

The man snorted. “Now that’s a first, someone assuming I’m a gangster.” I just stared at him. He was wearing an oversized sweatshirt and pants. He fit a gangster description. “No, I’m not. Now I can help you or are you going to insult me some more?”

So that theory was out the window. “I’m looking for a man name Cody.”

The man rolled his eyes again. “Who else would be answering the door? What business do you have with me?”