Living Secrets by S.F. Baumgartner

Author:S.F. Baumgartner [Baumgartner, S.F.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: F.B. Publishing

59

LILY

Thursday, 4:55 p.m.

Unknown cabin, Florida, USA

Ever since the photo had been taken, the two goons hadn’t come in again. Lily had at first resisted the urge to eat and drink, but finally gave in. If she had to fight or run, she wanted to have the strength and not be dehydrated.

But the room was still the same no matter how many times she walked around it, searching for useful items.

Since she’d woken up, she had been thinking about the last couple of days. Everything was incredibly surreal. All her life, she’d wanted to get out of Hong Kong. She loved the city, but she hated what the future might hold there. When her uncle had still been alive, he’d say, “Don’t worry, Lily. We have American passports. We can leave anytime. One day, we will.” But that day had never arrived.

Indeed, the opportunity to leave had initially filled her with a sense of exhilaration. This trip had been dangerous, yes, and the abrupt departure unsettling, but it had held the promise of an encounter with her father, maybe even her mother. Now, though, a part of Lily—fleeting but not insignificant—yearned for the familiar comfort of her old hotel job amid this chaos. The safety and predictability of it now seemed extremely inviting.

Yet, the events of the past few hours had given her pause. Her primary objective had transformed into survival, into finding a way to deliver critical intel to her father within the rapidly closing window of opportunity. Thinking of her father, she imagined having grown up with his name, Lily Roth. Having grown up with her mother’s name always carried that stigma of being born out of wedlock.

The thought of her old job flashed across her mind again, an instance of longing amid the danger. But it was promptly tucked away; she had a mission to complete.

Oh, how she wished for the comforting presence of her godmother, though. She could almost hear Auntie Marie’s soothing voice saying, “Have faith. The Holy Spirit will guide and protect you.” As if heeding those words, she found herself silently praying for wisdom and protection. Concurrently, she steeled herself for the impending confrontation, preparing to wield her kung fu skills against her armed captors. They might have guns, but as her instructor had always stressed, a gun was merely a faster knife. All she needed to do was evade them and their weapons, and make a run for it.

While she remained alone and no one was monitoring her, she practiced the few moves she knew well. A lot of them were simply muscle memory. However, she wanted to get her body ready for the fight.

The doorknob jiggled again. She dashed back to bed. But this time, the door didn’t open. Instead, she heard voices outside. She tiptoed to the door and listened.

“…changed,” a new voice said.

“That wasn’t the order,” the nicer one said.

“Screw the order. I’m in charge now. Tell him to bring the money for the exchange. Only him. No cops.”

“I thought you said…”

“Just do it!” the voice ordered.

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