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“I can’t answer that one either—yet But C-6 is building a strong case against Xiao Long And if we can provide the assistant US attorney with so hiet Xiao to flip on Liu In the uess Liu The final ways for hio after Wallace are financial ruin and personal humiliation”

“And then death,” Sloane concluded quietly “Killing Wallace after stripping hi would be the only way Liu could settle the score enough for him”

Derek didn’t dispute the obvious “Let’s see what my feelers turn up I should hear back toned to Wallace have been advised of the escalated danger They’re on high alert”

Sloane chewed her lip, worry creasing her brow “Wallace is scared He’ll never admit it, but he is Now that he realizes the full extent of Liu’s hatred, and how far he’ll go to carry out his vendetta, he’s pretty shaken up Especially with Xiao Long breathing down his neck, ready and waiting to do Liu’s bidding I tried to reassure him I reminded hi with the Hong Kong police to establish solid evidence against Liu I even tried to divert hisfund-raising event at the Jaspar Museum in Soho toed hio”

“And?”

“And he said he’ll think about it” Sloane sighed “I wasn’t going to lie to hi scared”

“Neither do I But if anyone can reach hi”

“I hope that holds true in this case After Wallace left Ben’s factory, all he wanted to do was have it out with Cindy—which I doubt was pretty—and then lock hi up on hih her hair “I feel so damned helpless”

“You’re not You’re getting answers So aet there”

She twisted around to gaze up at hih times, thank you for what you did for my father”

“I didn’t do it alone,” Derek reminded her “Your friend Diane worked with me every step of the way Your dad’s technically in custody So’s yourjustice All that’s only for Xiao’s benefit This way, if his Red Dragons poke around towhere they planted it, they’ll find out that your father’s been arrested and is being held at the Nineteenth Precinct—along with yourafter her But don’t worry They’re in a co until rap up the case But we all know the anonymous tip was an obvious setup”

“And a scare tactic That phone call Xiao ave ht as well have hung up a neon sign”

“Yeah” Derek made a derisive sound “Out of the blue and at the exact saes and Ben is being pushed over the edge by Jin Huang, the Nineteenth Precinct gets a call frolaries, clai he could have back his priceless painting The Bird—for a finder’s fee of twenty-five thousand dollars Of course, when he called the phone nu he’d reached Matthew Burbank and Associates Then, low and behold, when the cops ransack your father’s office, they find The Bird shoved behind one of his office file cabinets”

“Not to mention that The Bird just happened to be stolen a week before my parents’ place was ransacked Now I knohy s around in my father’s office, when they already knew da file was Could there be a more obvious plan to frame my father for art theft?”

“Nope Then again, Xiao wasn’t going for subtlety”