Despair wrapped itself around Wenjie like a second skin. The tubes and cables decreased his hope. Like a drowning man, he clutched at the only straw he had left.
“His people won't let go, until they find him.” His voice died away as soon as he uttered the words.
Xu Zhengqing grabbed him by the shoulder. Wenjie flinched under his grip. “Don't worry. They won't find us.”
Even if they did. Then the police would be in an extremely difficult position. Captain Luo was a good bargaining chip. Wenjie met Monsieur's stern gaze. “Is there any way to negotiate his release?”
“Maybe?” A smug smile slid across his features.
Wenjie took a deep breath. “You need more resources while he remains here.”
“That's true. But this way, you could convince yourself that he's still alive.” Xu Zhengqing gently touched his back. “Come on. We still have plans.”
They continued on their way. With every step, the weight on his shoulders increased. The ground beneath him resembled a swamp. He sank deeper with every step, if it weren't for Xu Zhengqing, who pushed him on.
Once again they stopped in front of a door. This time, Xu Zhengqing only allowed him to look through the window.
On the other side, Wenjie saw a room that was furnished just like the other room. His father was lying on the bed, also connected to medical equipment and wrapped in bandages.
Wenjie clung to the bars of the window. His breath rattled. “What did you do to him?” First Captain Luo. Now his father.
“I thwarted his attempt to return to you with a small assassination attempt. He'll survive it.”
Of course he would. After all, Monsieur still needed him. He would force him to work for him again. Wenjie closed his eyes briefly. He couldn't lose his nerve.
“You've won.”
Xu Zhengqing's face remained expressionless.
“I've already told your men. You'll get what you want.”
The corners of the man's mouth twitched slightly. The beginnings of a smile emerged. “As if you had any other choice.”
Wenjie remained silent.
Xu Zhengqing pulled him onwards, towards a staircase. Fresh sea air drifted down to them. They were obviously not too deep in the belly of the ship.
Monsieur took him upstairs. There wasn't much going on on deck and hardly anyone took any notice of them. They were on a cargo ship in the middle of the sea. He saw no land in the immediate vicinity, only a yacht.
Wenjie felt the urge to break away and run back inside the ship to his father and Captain Luo. But his legs failed him and Xu Zhengqing's grip tightened around his arm and shoulder.
He did not allow Wenjie to stay on the same ship as Captain Luo. Instead, he took him to the yacht. It had a covered main deck, an observation deck and even a mini helipad.
On the main deck, Wenjie discovered a staircase leading down. Through a glass door, he could see into the dining room. Ding Wei was sitting there on a sofa with his back to them. Opposite him was the leader of the kidnappers. On the left side of the table, facing the window, was a wheelchair. The man in it raised Wenjie's stress level to a new level. Ding Shenghuo.
“Don't worry. He won't try to kill you a second time.” Xu Zhengqing gently patted him on the back.
Wenjie remained rooted to the spot. The sight of father and son shook his confidence in Ding Wei. Doubts crept into his mind. How relaxed his friend looked, as if he were at home. Suddenly he felt alone.
“He's a good actor, like his father. But he still has a lot to learn if he wants to become a master.” Xu Zhengqing's words snapped him out of his paralyse.
Wasn't that exactly what they had wanted? That Monsieur bought their game? Or had he just misinterpreted the older's statement? Wenjie turned away from the glass door and suppressed the misgivings, that had crawled out of their holes.
Xu Zhengqing led him to the master suite. Like the entire main deck, the suite also had darkened windows. It was possible to see out from inside. But not the other way around. There was a table with two armchairs between the bed and the windows. On the table were a pot of tea, two cups, a bowl of fruit and a bowl of snacks.
“Sit down, you're still weak.” Xu Zhengqing pushed him onto one of the armchairs and sat down opposite him on the other. “Just relax. You're in no danger.”
Said the right person. Wenjie watched him, as the older man poured tea into the two cups.
“Why do you think you're here?” Xu Zhengqing put the pot back on the table. Then he took a sip from his cup, as if to show him that the tea had nothing in it.
“It would be too much of a risk for you to put me on the same ship as Captain Luo and my father. If the police find us, you'll still have them as leverage. Conversely, they'll only free Captain Luo and my father.”
Xu Zhengqing smiled. “That's a welcome side effect, but not quite the reason we're on a yacht.”
Wenjie frowned. He still felt uneasy about the whole thing. Every moment he expected another nasty remark, but it never came.
“I want to apologize to you.”
Wenjie stared at him dumbfounded. “What?”
“I was too hard on you half a year ago. There would have been other ways to convince you to turn your back on Captain Luo.”
Wenjie doubted that. He would never work for Xu Zhengqing or Ding Shenghuo, willingly. “I have nothing to do with the thieving trade.”
“Yet you worked out a plan with me to steal the Luoshen painting.” There was an almost gentle undertone in his voice.
Wenjie swallowed. “I wanted to set a trap for Monsieur.”
“You worked like a pro. It's in your blood, you can't deny it.” Xu Zhengqing reached for his cup a second time and took a drink. “When you had to decide whether to give the painting to the police, you hesitated. It was only a brief moment, but it was there.”
Wenjie avoided eye contact and looked out of the window. From his position, all he could see was the sea. “I was unsure if you were right and it would put my father in danger.”
“Not reacting to it and giving you a hint that you can't ignore was my first mistake.”
Wenjie looked at him again. The memory literally choked his throat. Then he shook his head. “No. Your first mistake was killing my mother.”
to be continued ...
