Chapter 17

The three of us sat down at my dining room table while the thirty-eight guards that came with him spread out around my house. That really did not impress me.

"Call them back or our deal is done," I said, sure that the anger in my tone was enough to warn the men sitting across from me about the seriousness of the matter. Or at least Liu Wei should have caught on.

With a brief wave of his hand, Deep Voice summoned his men back, and this time they stationed themselves around the dining room.

"I thought that you would not want them to overhear, my apologies," said Deep Voice. Now that I was more relaxed, I took the time to study him. He was large, and I mean one of the largest men that I had ever seen. He dwarfed me and I would guess him to be around 6'6 in height, no idea about his weight, but even under the black three-piece suit and the overcoat that hung from his shoulders, you could tell that he was all muscle. His black hair shined in the sun in a way that I would have killed for in Canada. The short cut to it screamed military, but I didn't think he was a soldier. Something about him screamed 'in charge' and I was not going to mess with him... unless he messed with me first.

Apparently, three-piece suits were the dress code for the CEO and his assistant. I looked at Liu Wei and noticed something different. "You took your glasses off," I said with a smile.

"I did. You seemed very uncomfortable when I had them on the last few times I was here. I figured that if you were going to be dealing with all of us, I should at least make you a bit more comfortable."

I chuckled at that idea. Well, I guess he was right about one thing. Without the reflection from his glasses, I was much more relaxed.

"This is Wang Chao, the CEO of Phoenix and my boss," continued Liu Wei as he gestured to Deep Voice. Nice to put a face to the name… and a name to the voice.

Wang Chao just nodded, not speaking again.

"What can you tell us?" Asked Liu Wei, starting the conversation and the negotiation.

"Ah, come on WeiWei, I thought we knew each other better than that," I laughed as I got up from the table and went into the kitchen. One of the guards followed; I guess worried that I was somehow going to kill his boss.

I just wanted a cup of coffee, if the guard really wants a death on his hands, he can try to take it away from me.

"Sorry," said Liu Wei coming in after me. As I said, he knew me well enough to know that I was not going to be hosting them in any way. He made two cups of coffee and followed behind me until we reached the table. He gave one cup to his boss and kept the other for himself.

"You're right, I do know you better than that," he continued, watching as I took a sip from my cup. This was my favorite cup so he was well used to it by now. He could appreciate the fact that it was the size of my head and said 'Coffee is vital for survival. Your survival.'.

"So, what can you give me?" I ask as the fifth coffee of the day hit its mark.

"Guns, ammo, and men," came Wang Chao's reply as he too took a sip of his drink.

"I'll take the guns and ammo, as much as you can spare. But keep the men for yourself. I don't want anyone here but me," I replied, looking Wang Chao in the eyes, wondering what his game was.

"Without my men, you will get nothing. You said that you were using it to kill humans. I will not have my guns killing the citizens of K Country without my approval."

"That's nice. I said it before and I will say it again. Pay attention this time: no one, other than me, will be living on this ranch. There is no discussion, no negotiation, nada. This place is for me and me alone. Understood?" I replied, ready to stand up and show these men out of my house. The last time there were so many people in front of me was when I was tossed out to the horde.

To say that I was uncomfortable was an understatement… Liu Wei's glasses aside.

"Alright, let's have everyone take a step back," said Liu Wei and I turned my attention from the giant to a man that I somewhat, considered to be a friend. On the good days, of course.

"Let's start with the basics. I assume that you would want them by August, correct? That would be nine months since last November," he said, looking at me.

I was the first one to look away. "As long as I had everything I need by October 31st, I would be satisfied."

"What is happening on November 1st then?" Asked Wang Chao, his eyes never leaving me.

"I told you, the end of the world," I said, returning his look.

That's when I heard it, one of the top three sounds that were guaranteed to set me off.

One of the guards in the room snickered when I spoke about the oncoming apocalypse like I was some crazy person that thought the world was ending.

Remember that temper I spoke about? Yeah…

Without warning, I reached into my space, took out one of the daggers that I had specially made for me, and threw it at the man. Too bad the fucker was wearing a bulletproof vest. Oh well, at least the snickering stopped.

Actually, it seemed that everything stopped after I flung the dagger. I snarled, the right side of my lip coming up in an unmistakable look. Taking a sip of my coffee, I composed myself again.

Putting down the oversized cup I looked at Wang Chao. "Are you also planning on laughing?" I asked him, my fingers drumming in agitation. "Or do you want to know what you need to do to save those that you care about?"

Wang Chao looked at another one of his guards, and two went over to the snickering one and started to drag him away. I kept my eyes on Wang Chao as I waved my hand, bringing the dagger back into my space. That thing was too bloody expensive to leave behind.

"I am sorry about that, he will be punished," assured Liu Wei as his gaze followed the three guards out of the room. The remaining men stood still, their gazes in front of them like statues.

"Whether he is or is not has nothing to do with me," I said, looking at Liu Wie. "But I never want him in my house again."

"Of course, LuLu," said Liu Wei smiling. "Now, please tell us what we need to know."