Chapter 29: After the Syndicate Meeting!

Chapter 29: After the Syndicate Meeting!

By the time the police were done with us, it was already ten o'clock in the morning.

Why did the cops let us off so easily? Because the four syndicates have government approval, unlike a rogue group like the Southern Cross. Those guys get thrown in jail the second law enforcement spots them. This whole mess showed the Crouching Tigers and the Black Snakes that their previous street war was entirely set up by the Southern Cross and a few dirty members. So, in the end, the peace talks were a total success.

Ashley Hue kept looking over at me every now and then like I was a rival or someone who had done her wrong in the past. She didn't look hostile, but she was definitely not trying to be my friend.

Jerry Bing walked up to me. Just when I was expecting some standard noble garbage from him since he was joining the Tang group, his face went from serious to friendly. He gave me a firm fist bump and said, "Hey, thanks for catching that spy at the Tang place! I know you and silk-pants Scott don't get along at all, but just realize that not everyone in the Tang family is an idiot like him. It's great to meet you, man. I look forward to seeing what you do in the future. Peace out!"

I knew Bing wasn't a Tang by blood, but he was joining them as an in-law. Hearing him say that made me feel a bit complicated about the Tang clan.

Maybe my views on the upper class were a bit biased. I probably just needed more life experience to fully understand the whole picture.

Brenda Sho, the white-eyed representative of the Black Snakes, walked up to me with a mature smile and said, "If you ever end your contract with Tina Feng, I will hire you on the spot and pay you double. Consider that a promise. Your skills are worth every cent."

Tina completely overheard her trying to recruit me. As a member of a rival house, she immediately flew into the conversation like a territorial bird protecting its spot. "Beat it, hussy! We aren't ending our contract, at least not for the next year. And Rick, don't listen to a single word she says. She chews boys up and spits them out."

I smartly stayed completely out of their argument. Sure, Brenda was incredibly attractive, but she was scheduled to marry into the Lang clan anyway, so it wasn't my business.

The bickering highlighted the reality of the four great noble houses. Even if they work together on the surface to keep the peace, the rivalry between opposing families is intensely real. It isn't a constant life-or-death blood feud, but they will gladly ruin each other in business deals and territory grabs.

Because of those political lines, the Long and the Tang have always been natural rivals, while the Feng and the Lang share the exact same hostile dynamic. That friction was the exact reason you never saw Linda Lang and Tina Feng say more than a few polite words to each other during high school, even though both of them could talk to Scott Tang without an issue. This was all learned behavior, drummed into them from birth.

Watching the two women argue over my contract made me realize something else. The strange look Ashley Hue kept throwing at me was the exact same expression—she was looking at me like we were destined to be rivals in life!

Soon enough, I packed Tina and Jenifer into the back of the armored Hummer and drove them straight back to the Feng estate.

The moment we arrived, the older butler approached the driver's side door, handing me the keys to my old BMW before bringing me straight to the massive library office to see my employer, Mr. Feng. He stopped what he was doing and pointed to the seat right in front of his desk, smiling as the butler placed a fresh cup of coffee in my hand.

"First of all, great work bringing my youngest daughter home in one piece," Mr. Feng said, leaning back in his chair. "I'm sorry that what should have been an easy assignment turned into a total mess. Second of all, excellent job taking out those assassins on the roof. I have already deposited exactly twenty thousand dollars straight into your bank account. That breaks down to four thousand for the regular daily rate, plus sixteen thousand for the summary body count. Excellent job."

I drank half of the great-tasting coffee before addressing my boss. "Thank you for the bonus money, sir. I learned a lot during this job, and I can use the experience to improve my combat skills going forward."

Mr. Feng’s smile widened. He was clearly pleased with my manners, since my acting training automatically gave me a refined, respectful air. He leaned forward, his eyes lighting up like a kid wanting to hear a good story. "So, tell me about the actual fights. Give me the details on the elevator drop and the rooftop fight. Skip the boring parts and stick strictly to the action, ha-ha!"

While I finished off the rest of my coffee, I gave him a quick recap of the highlights he was paying for, finishing the brief with a shrug. "...and that's exactly how I accidentally hit the pilot and brought down the helicopter that was trying to turn me into shredded cheese, phew!"

"Good, good!" he boomed, nodding. "You managed to make my Feng family gain an immense amount of face by being the main force that solved the crisis for all four groups. Normally, the Long clan tends to hog the entire limelight, but your performance helped the Feng come out on top, so you have my personal thanks. Unfortunately, I have a meeting scheduled, so we have to wrap it up here, but keep up this level of performance."

As I stood up to leave, Mr. Feng suddenly held up a hand to stop me. "Rick, I almost forgot a major detail. I personally confronted Steve Woo today. At first, the idiot tried to lie, but he quickly cracked and admitted to his obsession with your wife. I told him that Mary Lee is under the direct personal protection of the Feng family, and that he will cease to breathe if he makes a single hostile move—or even sneezes in her direction. Do not thank me for this. This situation was entirely my own failure for choosing a snake to represent my interest in the game. Now, go with peace of mind."

I didn't offer a verbal thank-you, but I gave him a firm, respectful bow of my head because that news genuinely granted me peace of mind. Still, I had absolutely no intentions of dropping my electronic surveillance on Woo. Like Mr. Feng just noted, the guy was a snake, and snakes always strike when you look away.

I didn't see Mrs. Feng or Tina on my way out of the mansion, exiting the estate grounds behind the wheel of the red Hummer. It was officially time to head back to the apartment and face the music. What music, you ask?

Mary would be getting off work very soon. Her text lines had gone completely dark, outside of a single message containing nothing but a devil-horn emoji, which told me everything I needed to know—I was officially in the doghouse.

Even though the shootout hadn't occurred inside Mary's specific police precinct, an active helicopter crash at the Hilton was citywide news. Being a high-tier detective with active contacts throughout the department, Mary finding out I was positioned dead center at the scene of the crime was a complete no-brainer, sigh. When she strips off my shirt and sees the massive purple bruise left behind by the bullet impact, her reaction is going to be ten times worse.

I pulled into the apartment parking lot and noted her police cruiser wasn't in the space yet, which scored me at least one point in my favor. I parked the massive red truck right next to my old white BMW. As I stepped out and walked toward the back of the vehicle, a sudden detail caught my eye, and my jaw dropped. The custom license plate on the frame read exactly: [ T Feng ]

Why did looking at those letters make me feel like everything went wrong?

It felt like I was walking around with a permanent tattoo stamped onto my arm that read: Tina's Property!

As the door to my apartment opened, my instincts flared. I could immediately sense someone else moving around inside the rooms. I quickly drew my handguns, clicking the manual safety off as I stepped past the threshold. The second I recognized the physical profile of the person standing in the living area, I instantly clicked the safety back on.

"Hana, you scared the hell out of me," I breathed, sliding the weapons away. "What's wrong? Why are you here, dear?"

Hana was still dressed in the casual track suit she usually throws on after getting off work at the hospital. She stood up from the furniture, walking straight over to wrap her arms around me in a gentle hug.

Her voice carried a deeply serious tone. "After I tracked down Mary and got the spare apartment keys from her, I came straight over here. I found out you were actively targeted in a shootout last night! Let me look at you right now."

"Hana, honey, it's nothing serious," I said, trying to calm her down. "I just picked up a couple of small scrapes and a bruised stomach. It feels exactly like absorbing a heavy punch, so please just relax, alright?"

She completely ignored my explanation, her fingers immediately working to strip me out of my black jacket and white shirt. Standing there in the center of the room, I felt like a scolded child under the sheer weight of her professional glare. Her eyes locked onto the large, purple bruise spreading across my core where I was already holding an ice pack against the skin. She poked her finger directly into the center of the mark, verifying the tissue damage was entirely superficial, just as I had stated.

"You need to wash up anyway, so take off the rest of your gear so I can inspect your scrapes properly," she commanded.

She systematically ran her eyes over my skin, noting the superficial cuts were limited entirely to my hands and cheek baseline. She gave a firm nod of approval. "Go take your shower. I'll place a call to Mary while you're under the water."

I leaned down and planted a warm kiss on her lips to thank her for worrying. Unlike Mary's typical explosive temper, Hana's mature medical background meant she was far more relieved than angry. She returned my kiss with genuine love and affection.

I stepped into the bathroom and took a rapid shower to wash off the dried sweat, gunpowder residue, and tension from the night's engagement. Once I was clean, I walked back out into the living room to face my inevitable interrogation.

With a towel draped around my neck, I stepped onto the hardwood floor and noted that Mary had already gotten off work and entered the apartment.

Instead of launching into the massive screaming match I had been anticipating, she executed a dead sprint across the room, burying her face into my chest as she started to cry. I wrapped my arms around her, gently rubbing her back to soothe her while Hana watched us from the couch with a soft smile.

"Mary, don't stress yourself out like this," I whispered into her hair. "The extreme emotional spike isn't good for your pregnancy attempts. Go take a hot shower to calm your heart down, and then I promise I will lay out the entire sequence for you, okay?"

Thud!

Mary launched a hard punch straight into my bicep, turning on her heel to stomp off toward the bathroom. Her body language made it clear as day that she considered the entire situation my fault—which, realistically, it was.

I walked over and sat down on the cushions next to Hana. She had neatly organized my discarded tactical gear while I was washing up. She slid closer, locking her arm through mine as she rested her blonde hair against my shoulder. "Even if the two of us seem angry, you need to understand it's only because we care about your survival."

"I get it," I replied, squeezing her hand. "And I hate the fact that I caused either of you this much worry. I'll make it up to both of you, so don't stress."

Hana offered a warm smile, clearly pleased that I understood her perspective. "When we engage in downhill racing on the weekends, it carries the exact same risk as what you navigated last night. And Mary's daily shifts on the police force aren't any less dangerous. Because of that, we aren't actually upset with your line of work. We just hate seeing your body damaged. But the one thing the two of us were truly anxious about was the psychological impact of you taking human lives. We wanted to be right here to ensure you have our absolute support."

The bathroom door opened, and Mary emerged. In a rare display of speed, she had finished her shower in under ten minutes. She marched over to the couch, claiming the spot on my left flank while Hana anchored my right side.

"Let me detail exactly what occurred, limiting the breakdown to things that don't violate my contract confidentiality clause," I began. I walked them through the core details of the official police file, deliberately omitting the high-angle acrobatics roll off the vertical face of the elevator bank.

Revealing that specific detail would definitely cause a worse reaction than admitting I took a round to the vest. "...and then my defense attorney arrived at the precinct to ensure the bosses couldn't execute a formal detention log. Ultimately, my active bodyguard documentation was the primary reason the legal issues finished so smoothly. That's the entire operation in a nutshell."

Mary, who had been forced to use lethal force against a criminal asset once in her past, reached up and grabbed my chin. She turned my head sideways so she could lock eyes with me. "Are you absolutely certain your mind isn't slipping into delayed shock after killing those men? I survived a really rough couple of weeks tracking my mental stability after I had to do it."

I decided to remain completely honest with them. "I think whatever amount of emotional guilt I possessed regarding killing died along with mom and dad during the bank heist. The solitary thought dominating my brain during that entire shootout was that I had to secure the situation so I could come home to the two of you. Because of that focus, I don't feel any internal guilt or phantom 'what-if' scenarios. I didn't derive a single ounce of joy from pulling the trigger, and I will always try to avoid lethal engagements going forward, but I won't hesitate for a fraction of a second if killing is required to keep the three of us breathing. I just hope neither of you is disappointed in me for carrying this type of mindset."

Both women tightened their grip on my arms, their faces relaxing as a massive wave of relief swept through the room. Mary had simply been terrified that the trauma would cause my old childhood psychological wounds to fracture again. Hana leaned in, a playful glint returning to her eyes. "Tonight, the two of us are going to flank your body in bed to ensure no nightmares disrupt your sleep. So, tell me, who's a lucky boy?"

"I am!" I grinned. "But the mattress in this apartment is a bit too narrow to support three bodies comfortably, isn't it?"

"Dummy," Hana laughed, tapping my nose. "I have a massive king-sized bed over at my place. We are transferring there for the night."

Right on cue, Mary's stomach let out a loud, rumbling growl, voting on the immediate schedule. "And because you subjected our nerves to so much stress, you are legally obligated to cook a massive batch of pasta tonight. Pack your overnight bags immediately. Oh, and I am officially driving that massive, gas-guzzling truck to the estate, fufu!"

We prepped our travel bags, locked down the apartment, and set off. I took the wheel of Hana’s red Mercedes coupe to handle the grocery shopping, while the two women took point in the armored Humvee, heading straight to the hills to unwind. Fortunately, I navigated the supermarket aisles without executing any accidental shopping cart collisions this time, purchasing all the necessary ingredients to build a rich, red meat sauce pasta.

By the time I arrived at Hana's place, both women were completely glued to the couch, watching a series of dramatic television soap operas. I spent the next couple of hours slow-cooking the baked pasta dishes in the kitchen. Soon enough, the three of us were gathered around the dining table, enjoying a quiet dinner inside our own private world, listening to them trade gossip about their respective hospital and precinct shifts. Once the meal wrapped up,

I took charge of cleaning the kitchen and doing the dishes.

Hana leaned against the counter, sipping a glass of red wine as she watched me work. Mary walked in, completely shedding any sense of personal shame as she delivered a flat order to both of us. "I am claiming his time for tomorrow. So, Hana, you need to take him upstairs right now before your period starts, since the timing is going to hit right during your designated day with him. Oh, Rick, don't look so completely shocked. What exactly did you think was going to happen? Did your brain imagine all three of us were going to hop into one mattress and engage in a massive group session or something? No way. She and I have absolutely no interest in watching the other person get slammed, ufufu."

I stood there by the sink, my jaw dropping slightly. I had honestly assumed that was exactly how a multi-wife household operated, primarily because that was the exact layout Nadia and Nichole had forced on me during our encounter.

Damn it, all those adult light novels had completely lied to me regarding harem rules! Hana laughed at the visible sight of my shattered fantasies, reaching out to take my hand. "Thanks, Mary. I was actually hoping I could drag Rick into the shower with me before bed. And Rick, she's entirely right. I love you to death, but my jealousy would flare up if I had to sit there and watch you two have sex right in front of me. I don't have a single issue with all three of us sharing the mattress for actual sleep, but our household keeps to strict rules, alright?"

I felt a sudden wave of embarrassment wash over my face. After my intense encounter with the Ning twins, combined with reading one too many harem stories, my brain had simply projected those expectations onto my wives. Oops. But looking at it logically, if the roles were reversed and I had to watch two separate dudes handle one woman, I would absolutely refuse to participate. I could completely understand their perspective. Still, a tiny, buried fraction of my brain definitely missed the twins' lack of boundaries.

Ten minutes later, the bathroom enclosure was thick with steam. Hana and I were already moving in a fast, demanding rhythm inside the spacious custom shower. I had her backed against the blue-tiled bench, her long, toned legs wrapped tightly around my waist as our lips locked in a passionate, breathless kiss.

With the three-direction water cascading down over our bare skin like heavy rain, the wet sloshing sounds of our bodies joined together echoed off the glass walls. I drove into her with deep, heavy thrusts, feeling the tight friction of her walls clamping down hard around my length. I could see in her blue eyes signaling she was right on the verge of hitting her climax, and my muscles automatically accelerated the pace to match her internal contractions.

Hana leaned forward, burying her face into my neck and sucking hard on my skin as I held her weight securely in my arms. I completely failed to register the victorious smile touching her lips until she whispered directly into my ear over the sound of the spray. "Ah... Rick... listen to me. On birthdays... and special occasions... she and I... will both let you handle us at the exact same time. But only during those specific windows, ahhh!"

The sudden revelation, combined with the heavy, pulsing grip of her internal muscles closing down like a vice around my shaft, completely shattered my control. I drove myself deep to her base, releasing a massive, high-pressure torrent of seed that had been building up over the past two days of abstinence. My mind instantly projected a vivid image of Hana carrying my child, her internal walls drawing in the ejaculation as the insemination lasted for what felt like an absolute eternity.

Slowly, our breathing stabilized under the running water, and I pulled her into another deep, affectionate kiss. She looked thoroughly satisfied, resting her forehead against mine.

"Rick, I haven't actually started taking the contraceptive pill yet," she murmured.

"Then don't bother," I replied instantly, my voice serious. "I have absolutely no intentions of ever letting you go. I love you more than life itself."

"Do you want to marry me, Rick?" she asked, her eyes searching mine.

"Hana, I thought you were supposed to be a certified medical genius," I laughed, tightening my grip around her bare waist. "Of course the only answer on the board is yes. If you're truly willing to accept a guy like me."

"It can only be you, Rick. No one else," she whispered, a soft smile spreading across her lips before she glanced toward the glass door. "Oh? It seems like Mary is going to be forced to wait exactly ten more minutes for us."

With my proposal formally accepted, my little soldier immediately stood back at attention, demanding one final round with my racing addict. She was entirely correct in her calculations; we ended up being exactly ten minutes late to join the sleepy Mary for our movie session in the living room. Mary didn't display a single ounce of surprise when the two of us walked out and I told her that I was going to legally marry Hana as well.

She just looked up from the cushions as if the entire layout had been a done deal from the very beginning. Well, looking at the direction of our lives, I guess it really was.

Later that night, the three of us climbed into the massive king-sized bed. Both women claimed an arm, wrapping themselves tight against my flanks to ensure my dreams wouldn't fracture into nightmares.

But my dreams were of living a happy life with Mary, Hana, and some kids running around the living room causing trouble. Frankly, it was the best sleep I have had in years. And waking up with two angels only made it better. I love my life!