Taking advantage of the opportunity, the driver slowed down and plowed into several other gangsters, knocking them over or sending them scattering. The car was finally home free.
The people who were hit by the car rolled on the ground a few times. Because of how slow the driver was going, they were in no danger. But they did suffer minor cuts and bruises.
The driver reacted quickly and threw the car into a higher gear.
Before the three people in the car could celebrate, they saw two cars bringing up the rear. They were reinforcements for the thugs, and it was obvious the thugs were coming for them.
The driver was forced to speed up again.
Seeing one of the cars gaining on them, the driver shouted, "Sit tight!"
The driver veered left, then right. Unable to shake his pursuers, he braked—hard. Erica clenched the handle of the car door quickly, just as the car was hit. Bang!
The driver of the other car had no time to slow down and slammed into Erica's car. Unprepared for the impact, he careened off the road, steering wildly, trying to regain control.
Both sides of the road were surrounded by the sea, and there was no guardrail. The car rushed off the road and ran aground on the rocks. The wheels were stuck in the rock cracks. That was one pursuer down, one to go!
There was only a single car chasing them. Erica's driver headed for the city again. When they got downtown, they ran a red light. A big red truck was bearing down on them.
Fortunately, their car flew past, narrowly missing the truck. The other car was not so lucky. They heard the screech of brakes, the sound of shattering glass, and a loud bang! The truck couldn't stop in time, and tore the smaller vehicle to shreds. The two people inside were killed on the spot.
Having escaped her pursuers, Erica breathed a sigh of relief. She patted her chest to calm her hammering heart.
Just then, the phone in her pocket vibrated. It was Matthew calling. "Where are you?" he asked as soon as the call was connected.
Erica rolled down the window and looked out. "Out and about. I'm on my way home now. See you soon!"
"Out and about?" he asked.
"Yeah." Erica asked, "Are you home now?"
"Hmm."
She smiled sweetly and said, "Wait for me at home. I'll be right there!"
"I'll be waiting."
After hanging up the phone, Erica turned to Edward. "Get rid of this car. Those thugs will figure out who owns this vehicle. I'll wire the money to you tomorrow and you can get another one."
"Yes, ma'am."
The driver found an intersection without a surveillance camera and asked Erica and Edward to get out of the car. Then he left the figures alone as he drove a short way to an empty alley.
He popped the hood, and pulled the transmission lines till they broke free of their moorings and leaked fluid all over the engine block. The he took a lighter from his pocket, lit it and threw it into the car. In an instant, flames roared to life.
About five minutes after Erica and Edward got in the taxi they hailed, they could hear the car explode. And felt it, too. It was not quiet, nor was it subtle.
Arriving at the Pearl Villa District, Edward got out of the taxi and whispered in Erica's ear for a while, then got back in the taxi and left.
In the villa
Matthew had already taken a shower and was waiting for his wife in the bedroom. Erica went to check on her sons, who were all sound asleep.
Erica walked into the bedroom. Clad in pajamas, Matthew sat on the bed talking on the phone. He said a hasty goodbye to the person on the other end when he saw his wife.
Erica walked over and wrapped her arms around his neck, acting like a spoiled child. "Honey."
The man looked at the woman in black sportswear and asked in a cold voice, "Where were you? I've been waiting a long time."
"Well, I..." Erica hesitated. She didn't know if she should tell him the truth, but since he asked, she guessed he already knew the answer. "You look guilty. Something I should know?"
Matthew suddenly tightened his grip around her and said angrily, "Erica, if you do this kind of thing again, I'll skin you alive!"
The woman was frightened by the anger in his eyes. She immediately sat on his lap and held him in her arms, trying to comfort him. "I didn't do anything. Just a little recon. I didn't do anything to attract their attention, either. I thought I was at a safe distance from them. But they still found me and took off after me." When she thought about it, she figured out it might be the red dot that blinked on the night vision binoculars. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. They gave away their own position.
Matthew's sullen face didn't soften any because of her words. He put his hand on top of her head, fingers at her temples, and turned her head to face him. He wanted her to look him in the eye. "Aren't you trying to find Kirk's boss? From now on, I'll take care of it. Don't get involved! You could have been killed!"
Erica was shocked. "You know everything?" How did he know? She didn't remember telling him about this.
"If I want to know something, I will find out," Matthew said curtly.
'He's bragging!' The woman blinked, a mischievous expression on her face. "You didn't know where I was, did you? So, all-knowing one, why didn't you know that? Or maybe you didn't want to know where I was."
Embarrassment flashed across Matthew's face. "You're the only one who's able to hide from me!"
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but admire Erica. After all, the Huo family and the Li family couldn't find her even though they pooled their resources.
"All right, all right. But you know I'm going out again, right? You can't stop me." The woman became instantly serious, looking the man in the eye.
"No way!" He refused directly without hesitation.
If he hadn't figured out where she was tonight and sent a big truck along to handle the situation, he couldn't guarantee Erica would sit on his lap so easily. She might even be in the hospital if he hadn't intervened.
Leaning her head on his shoulder, Erica asked, "Honey, did I ever tell you what happened to Orange?"
The man didn't say anything, which meant no.
"He was one of the first people we came across after we got out of the slum. He was so kind to me. Tessie and I lived near their film studio then. When he came out to relax during his break, he saw me and my belly was so huge. He hadn't seen me in a long time. I'd changed a lot. He didn't recognize me at all, so he didn't come over and say hi..."
Thinking of the past, the woman's tears fell silently along the corner of her eyes, and her voice trembled slightly. "A lot of things happened then... He often went to visit Tessie and me after filming or on breaks. He infiltrated the FC group so we could all hang out together. The four people in that group also took good care of me. They knew I was pregnant, so they wanted to protect me. Tessie and I were invited to Orange's birthday party.
Then something bad happened at that night. I'll never forget what he did back there. It's one of the nicest things anyone's ever done. Kirk and his men were mad at me, and started making threats. They had guns and weren't afraid to use them. Orange stopped me from going out there, and took the blame himself."
Matthew knew what happened after that. Orange went to prison, and before anyone could bail him out, his old disease came back with a vengeance. He died in that cold cell.
"I swore on his grave that I would find Kirk's boss and bring the man to justice to comfort Orange's soul. Since then, I've been trying to find out where they are. I'll track them to the ends of the earth if I have to. After three years, we finally caught the members of his gang. With your help, of course. And the big bad is still running around free. In order to find him, Chantel and I have spent a lot of time and effort trying to grow our numbers, making new contacts, establishing new supply chains.
If you won't let me do this, then that doesn't make me feel any better. I vowed to avenge him."
The man wiped the woman's tears and glanced at her coldly. "Crying for another man? You have some nerve! Maybe I should teach you a lesson!"