Juliet Must Survive | 𝒂𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒚𝒂𝒉.

Chapter 19

Hunched over on a bench in a little jail cell, Carter rubbed his hands together. "Shoulda went with the motel, man."

"You're seriously thinking about that when we've been backstabbed by your girlfriend?" Lee threw a pebble at him, sitting on the dirt ground.

His friend threw it right back at him. "Ay! That crazy woman is not my girl and will never be anything more than titty meat to me."

"Can't believe this..." Lee sighed, turning his head towards Han, who was the only one standing up, holding the jail bars like he was in a movie. "Hey, you okay? I'm so sorry to have let this happen. I promise we will find Trish O' Day and-"

"It's fine," Han cut him, tightening his grip. "I deserve being here."

Carter rolled his eyes. "Damn, can you say anything cheerful man? Every time you speak it's like death wanna crawl out your mouth."

"I can't run away from my responsibilities anymore," Han grimly said, "it's just making things worse."

"My point exactly," he kissed his teeth.

"Don't listen to him," Lee shook his head in annoyance, "humor's the only way he can cope."

"C'mon Lee," Carter raised his hands defensively, "don't act like that boy don't belong in one of them emo bands with the smudged makeup and all that other stuff."

Lee threw another pebble. "Carter, shush!"

"For real though, whatchu got to be so sad about, man?" Carter asked Han, who was still not facing them. "You can kick some decent ass, got yourself a fine girlfriend and some third thing I can't come up with 'cause I don't really give a shit about the rest."

"I'm a wanted fugitive whose father was one of the most feared Chinese crime bosses," Han answered matter-of-factly.

"That doesn't mean anything," Lee said. "I started out with nothing in mainland China, no parents and no money, but I ended up becoming a cop to help the people nobody wanted to help. The same ones who had nothing like me."

"I used to be in the police too," Han revealed, "back in Hong Kong. I kept letting my father get away with all sorts of things, always risking everything for him. That's how he kept us under his control, by being able to take everything away from you. It didn't matter if he'd brought you into his family like one of his own."

"Damn," Carter commented, "you sure your daddy wasn't a sociopath?"

"Maybe," Han shrugged it off, "but I didn't care. He gave my brother and I another chance at life and I felt like I owed him everything for that. I even went to jail for him..."

Lee knitted his eyebrows, concerned. "But he's dead, now. The power he had over you is gone, Han."

"That's what I thought," Han finally turned towards them, "but with everything happening lately... He didn't go away, I just inherited his bullshit."

"You don't have to deal with that," Lee told him. "Your father and the Triad... You can walk away from it now."

Han slightly winced. "They'll just keep following me. Not just that, the murder, the corruption... I can't let it hurt anyone else."

"Nah man," Carter said, "you need to fight back against all that. It's the only way."

"No, I need to face the consequences," Han answered.

"So... what?" Carter looked over at Lee, then back at Han. "You're just gonna sit and rot in this cell forever? You don't wanna go out there and save your girl?"

Han lowered his head. "She's in enough danger as it is, I don't need to add my own troubles to hers."

"That's the point of a relationship, man! You bring your shit to the table, she bring hers and y'all just deal with it together."

Lee intervened. "Carter, that's... actually good advice?"

His friend squinted his eyes at him. "Why you look surprised? I'm the one out here getting these hoes-"

"-And you ruined the moment."

"You can't handle the truth."

"The point is," Lee turned his attention back to Han, "you can't let that get in the way of what you want. More importantly, to do what's right."

Han lower lip tightened. "Is that why you broke into Consul Han's office to take this case without his permission?"

This stunned Lee. "What? I-I... how do you..."

"Huh?" Carter confusingly looked at them. "Whatchu mean?"

Lee continued, his demeanor gradually shifting to a more commanding presence. "That's what Agent Johnson was telling her aunt, she said that you were messing with things that didn't concern you."

"The hell you talking 'bout? Lee, what's he talking about?"

"You.." Lee started stuttering, his face slowly losing its color. "I... You understood what they said?"

"I can speak about six languages including Spanish," Han told him. "Don't change the subject, Inspector Lee."

Carter got up from the jail bench. "You got some balls to come for my boy, man. You tryna go or what?"

Lee tried to stop his friend. "Carter, please-"

"Nah Lee, it's good, I got you. Now, I don't know what the hell you talking about, but trust I will-"

"He's right, Carter," Lee finally admitted. "I wasn't assigned on this case... I lied."

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