She'll Bring Honor To Us All (BWWM) ✓

Chapter 22: Sarah Gardner

Rein's POV
"Mushu." I spoke, straightening myself up in bed to lean against my headboard.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get back to you right away." He replied.

"What I was asking for was a lot."

"Yes. But what I've asked from you has been far greater. You were only in that position with Shan Yu because of me. You were captured because of me... beaten... tortured..." he trailed off, his voice low with sheer pain. I wasn't sure how to react to that. Mushu was a very... dramatic person, but he rarely ever showed this emotional side of him.

I had never blamed Mushu for asking me to take this job. Neither of us had known that the cargo was going to be women. Shortly after I intercepted the shipment and freed the cargo, Shan Yu had me captured.

I was almost to make it onto my flight shortly after the cargo had been released, but before I could make it into the gates, a gun was held right against my back and I was directed to move forward. I hadn't been surprised but I knew that if I did decide to disable the man behind me, Shan Yu most likely had another two men ready to take me out. Like most of my clients I worked with, I knew Shan Yu would take extra precautions.

I was lead out and placed into a car before a sack was put over my head. I recognized none of the men yet they all had the same Falcon tattoo on the inside of their arm. The ride itself was a short one, and I tried to map out how many turns we made before the vehicle stopped once more and I was nudged out.

When the sack was removed again, I found  myself in some sort of warehouse, tied to the ceiling and suspended. Shan Yu was standing directly in front of me with the two other men besides him. There wasn't words exchanged as he approached my hanging body and administered blow after blow on me as if I was a punching bag.

I was able to withstand most of the beating from my intense training and discipline from my father, but then his torture began to escalate. He slit and cut into me, and before he could further that, he received a phone call. It was unexpected from all of us, and I had to try desperately not to laugh from the puzzled faces both of his guards had.

He slipped up and finally made a mistake when he decided to stab the knife into my chest before leaving to take the call. I cried out from the pain, but had to bite my lips to keep from smiling. I hadn't thought my luck would turn so quickly. As soon as he left, I pulled my upper body up with the rope until I could grab and yank the knife out of me.

The pain I felt as the wound began to spill blood, was excruciating... but the injuries I had obtained over the years had far outdone this flesh wound.

In seconds I had cut myself down and made it out to the back entrance of the warehouse where I took out the two guards that stood at the entrance of the warehouse, before fully escaping. My body had been incredibly beaten up at that point, and the only person I could call was Jason.

"I don't blame you. Jason." I replied as reassurance into the phone. Jason had been the one to get me a flight back to Japan. He used one of his private doctors to heal my wounds before smuggling me out of China.

"I know... but the shit between you Shan Yu is my fault. If you need me, you know I'm more than willing to help." Mushu responded. I was incredibly grateful, yet, Mushu needed to understand the full extent of what I was asking.

"You could very well die." I explained. "He managed to capture and torture me. I escaped from sheer luck, Mushu. If you do this, I cannot guarantee that you will make it out alive."

"Who can?" Mushu replied honestly with the humorous tone back in his voice. "I'll reach out and see what I can do."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet." Was all he said before the line went dead.

~

We got a facial recognition?" I asked Aaron as I entered one of his conference rooms. He had called me in a few hours after my phone call with Mushu. McGary hadn't arrived yet.

"Yes. It took some time but we have. It looks like she may have had some work done to her face, but she's Sarah Gardner. Graduated from Cornell University back in 2013 and now worked as a bank teller at Signature Bank here in New York."

"Isn't Cornell a prestige college?" I asked Aaron. He nodded back to me.

"I'm also pretty confused as to why she didn't work at a business branch or a law firm. Who goes from Cornell to Bank Teller?" Aaron replied. We both flipped through the case file and the file on Sarah Gardner.

"If we have a location on her home, I'd like to take a quick visit." I spoke finally.

"I have a crew there now sending some pictures. They should be sent to this server soon if you want to look through it here, otherwise you can head out if you'd like." Aaron explained. I just nodded, and continued to check out the rest of this girl's history.

She seemed incredibly smart, which was why I was confused as to how she thought impersonating the Black Lotus would be even a remotely good idea. As Aaron started pulling up the images, McGary walked through into the conference room.

"How the hell does everyone look this lively?" He grumbled more to himself as he poured more coffee from the pitcher into his cup and took a seat. He was in the closest things to pajamas one could find.

"You do know that's for everyone, right? You can't just bring the pitcher in here." Aaron shot back, most likely annoyed from his unprofessionalism. I'd come to understand that them bickering was just the way their relationship was.

"There's a grand total of 3 people in this building, not including us. It's 5:47am for Christ sake." McGary replied, not having a single care about the major sass he was giving Director Campbell. I hadn't even noticed the time, but I was surprised Aaron was here even earlier.

This case was starting to do him in.

"Alright, enough. Game faces people. The pictures from Sarah Gardners home was just sent in." Aaron announced as he pulled up the messages while McGary and I waited in anticipation.

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