Chang quickly drove them back to her place holding onto her steering wheel so hard her knuckles were white. Only once she was out of public and back in the safety of her home, did she feel her ruffled feathers starting to lay flat."I need to call my grand-père first and let him know what happened. Then have someone pull the surveillance tapes from the front of the building and edit it. After that I need to get ahold of Michéle in the Financial Planning Department at Roche Holdings."
Sighing she rubbed her temple as she walked into her home office, checklisting all that needed to be done.
"If you need me, I"ll be in here, I"ll try to finish this all up quickly." Giving the two an apologetic look she stopped at the doorway.
a.s.suring her that it was all fine and for her to take her time Justin smiled and waved before turning to look at the taller man beside him. His jovial look was quickly replaced with a scowl at the thought of all the texts that had gone unanswered.
"I might be of aid to her with my experience, I"m going to go in and see if I can." His eyes on the door that had just closed softly, Liang Jian Amal started to take a few steps towards the door but was halted by Justin who stood in front of him, his arms spread wide.
"Kitchen. Now."
"Only Chang can command me like that. I don"t follow the orders of just anyone." His heavy brow drawing into a matching look, Liang Jian Amal took his eyes off the door and brought them to Justin"s hardened black ones.
While startled by the intense look he received, Justin refused to waver. Straightening his spine he continued to glare back at Jian"s golden-brown eyes.
"This is for and about her." Walking into the kitchen Justin stood and folded his arms impatiently tapping his foot as he waited.
As he predicted since it was about her Jian followed, closing the door behind himself.
"Tell me everything, what happened earlier with you? Why did you go all Mike Tyson "beetht" mode on her cousin, I know he"s a creep but that was psycho. You made her so stressed with that, why would you do that?" Uncrossing his arms Justin demonstrated with his hands trying to make his point.
His full lips pursing Liang Jian Amal looked up and considered where to start.
"I am her best friend, but how can I truly be the best friend that I can be and be supportive for her if I don"t even know what"s going on. What did she mean by blackmail and a video, what was on it?"
"Last year on her birthday, Robert Dumont, her cousin drugged her and videotaped the process."
"What process?"
"He drugged her and attempted to **** her."
"I knew it! I could tell you that creepy cousin of hers had perverted thoughts about her! Wait you said attempted, what happened?"
"I did."
"I hope you kicked his a.s.s real good then!" Fire burning in his eyes Justin delivered a sharp punch to his other open palm.
"Heh. I could have been more thorough. I was more concerned with her at the time, as she was behaving oddly, and failed her. I am glad that I brought her immediately to a medical facility as she had been given a rather toxic chemical c.o.c.ktail. The hallucinogens would not have killed her but the other drug could have stopped her heart." Leaning a hip against a counter, Jian ran his hands through his hair agitatedly.
"How can you say that you failed her, you took her to the hospital and saved her life! And you saved her from being brutalized, twice now, poor girl got a s.h.i.t track record in that department."
"I should have either made sure the phones used to record what happened were destroyed or taken them but-"
"As you said though you were more concerned with her and thankfully so." Taking a long deep sigh Justin laced his fingers together on top of his head. "f.u.c.k I really need a cigarette after that. I haven"t smoked in years, but after that..
"Heh. When Shar first came to live with me, she pressured me into quitting for my health with her anti-smoking campaign. It took her awhile but she eventually succeeded, haven"t smoked or wanted to since."
Smiling at the memories Liang Jian Amal remembered her doing the same thing after they had married.
"She did the same with me as well, she would probably be upset to know that I picked it up again. Old habits die hard sometimes."
"Tell me about it. I didn"t pick it up again its just now for the first time in a long do I find that I actually crave one."
"If you like to have one I do have some." Reaching into his pocket Liang Jian Amal pulled out a small silver case.
"Quick, put that away, that woman is almost like a blood hound. You"re practically moving contraband in prohibition . Let"s go take a walk because I most certainly want one." Nervously Justin put his hands over the case to hide it, looking around as he said that, in case she did appear.
While Chang was on the phone in her room, Justin popped his head in to motion that they were taking a walk. While listening to whoever was on the other end of the line, she nodded her head and gave an OK signal before responding in French to her phone.
"Non je suis ici. Oui."
Leaving the building the two walked a few blocks away before they stood at a corner and lit up.
His eyes crinkling with happiness Justin blew out a large plume with a long sigh of satisfaction.
"Ahh sweet cancer sticks, how I have missed you."
Beside him Jian walked silently taking an occasional drag from his own lit cigarette. Stealing an occasional look at the man silently nursing his own thoughts, Justin finally voiced what he had been longing to say.
"Alright, so when are we going to go lynch this guy?"
"What?" Confused the man raised his head and looked at the shorter man who wore a fierce expression on his face.
"When does the best friend defense squad and the husband protection system get together and collaborate on taking out Robert Dumont?"
"Ah. We don"t." Realizing what he meant Liang Jian Amal kept his gaze ahead as he replied.
"What do you mean we don"t, this guy is in serious need of a good a.s.s whooping and suddenly I feel like earlier wasn"t good enough."
"You were right earlier. My actions earlier have troubled her, that"s not what I want. If I come after him from now on, it will be legally."
"Ugh. You are seriously no fun." Disgusted with his response Justin petulantly flicked some ash at Jian.
"It is of no consequence to me if I am no fun to you.." Giving him a slight scowl he brushed his pants leg trailing off his sentence.
"Oh but you would like to be considered fun to someone else?" Raising an eyebrow Justin read into his trailing off as having an ambiguous meaning.
"Well that is not what I meant, but yes if you think of it that way."
"Oh I do." Wagging his eyebrows at him suggestively Justin received a dirty look from Jian.
"Stop that."
"I can"t, it"s just me!" Enjoying that he was able to get under his skin so quickly Justin teased the man until he began to walk faster, leaving him behind with his long-legged stride.
"Hey come back, I promise I"ll stop maybe!"