Red Light

Calls

Jin Guanshan was pretty sure his head was going to explode.

He was watching the news. Every media outlet was showing the arrest of Madame Yu. Amateur videos showing her being hauled into an elevator, and her police officer son slamming the door after she was put into the cruiser.

The look on his face was a frightening combination of fury and disgust. There would be no help from that direction.

Her lawyer was calling every ten minutes. Literally.

The messages were piling up in his voice mail. All from the lawyer. All saying the same thing. "Madame Yu wants you to help get her out of jail. Please call me."

It wouldn't be long before messages from other people were piling up. And now his secretary had resigned. She knew about the affair. Goodness knows she had heard them enough times during 'business meetings'.

She was the one woman who had refused all his advances. Not even a single flirting word back. Told him to his face he was her job. Nothing more. She needed the money to help with aging parents and a niece she was raising. Nothing more.

She had seen the news. It didn't take much effort to put the few details she had together. After the first call from the lawyer, she had walked in and put her resignation on his desk. 'Effective immediately' stood out. Second time in a week he had seen those words.

Jin Guanshan had tried to sweet talk her into staying. She had looked hard at him and without a backward glance, left his office with a sigh of relief. The money was good working for the mayor and it had helped immensely but there had to be a better position available somewhere. If the police asked, she would tell them what she knew and be done with that whore of a mayor.

Jin Guanshan was now ignoring all of the calls. All of the messages. Everything was tumbling down around his ears.

He was caught and the situation was of his own making.

If he got Madame Yu out of jail, if that was even possible, then everyone would know. They would assume he was involved with her trafficking. If he didn't get her out, there was a good chance she would tell the police how involved he was with traffickers. The protection he had been giving them the last few years. His sampling of the people bought and sold.

With his head in his hands, he thought about what his options were.

He could say they were only on the Koi Tower Shelters board together. A possibility but there had been rumors for months about their affair. There was a good chance his now ex-secretary would corroborate that they were sleeping together. That wasn't going to work.

Perhaps, just say no comment and ride it out as long as he could.

'That won't last long. If it comes out, I'll be in cell next to her and I'd rather drink acid.' he gripped his hair a little tighter. She was a good fuck but she was a bitch. A convenient bitch, granted but still a bitch.

There was a chance shocked outrage would work.

'How could anyone, but especially a mother, ever sell another person? A precious life?' he practiced in his head. 'Of course, she claims I am involved. She will say anything at this point. I-I believed I loved her. I was wrong and owe apologies to my constituents but mostly to my beloved family.'

'That has possibilities...' he thought. 'Always have been good at using that to cover shit up...'

Suddenly, he yelled out of sheer frustration. Anger. Desperation. A pot plant sitting on the corner of his desk smashed against the wall.

He had no illusions of any loyalty between them. If she needed to, she would give the police his head on a platter.

"I am so fucked." he muttered.