The Rules Series

a black designer two-piece skirt set and four-inch heels. I was suited up for the office not going into what looked like a throwback from a medieval times dungeon. Oh well. I learned a long time ago to expect the unexpected. I’ve just got to take my opportunities when they present themselves.
I voiced my thoughts out loud. “How ironic we’re meeting here. Mr. Wong must have built his house in the 1700s. I guess this is the perfect place for it.” Good thing I wasn’t claustrophobic, because I could literally extend my arms out and touch each side of these grimy walls with my hands. This space was much too narrow to do anything other than get to the bottom without falling. Wouldn’t that be something, I thought, to fall and break my damn neck just when I’m at the point where I have almost everything I’ve ever wanted at my fingertips. The visual of me rolling down the stairs in slow motion was enough to make me laugh. Laughter came a lot easier these days.
I wasn’t in any real danger of actually taking a tumble, since two members of my security team were behind me, and two were in front. However, in my fit of laughter, they turned focused eyes on me, most likely to see if I was losing my mind. A lot had been going on lately, so I certainly understood the concern. “Hey, no need to look at me like that. I’m good . . . just thought of something that made me laugh.” Honestly, losing it or someone pushing me headlong down these stairs would solve a lot of people’s problems. It was hard to see, so it could be a perfect opportunity for any of them to simply let me fall, then claim it was an accident. For now, I thought they were loyal and I was safe. Loyalty comes at a high price. I can only hope I’ve paid it with the people I’ve surrounded myself with, because I would need them.
Devious minds were not paranoid; we were just always on alert. Typically, we’ve done so much dirt, anything could happen at any time; we’ve always got to be ready.
It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. Small lamps were placed intermittently along the sides of the walls going down the stairs. They didn’t illuminate much. That was why we all walked in a steady straight line. The only noises that could be heard was the sound of our breathing, the shuffling of their feet and the clicking of my heels.
I was beyond ready to get this over with. I hated having to deal with these types of tasks, but they were necessary. I stopped in mid-step and as did everyone else. My senses were being ambushed. What the hell was that smell? I covered my nose and mouth against the putrid odor coming up from below. It was a horrible damp/rotten smell, along with something else I couldn’t identify. Most likely it was because this part of the house hadn’t been used in years. Between the darkness and the smell, I was getting a headache.
We arrived at the bottom, and I took a good, long look around me. There were cobwebs and dust everywhere. The dust seemed to be at least two inches thick. Old furniture was scattered about, and boxes were piled up high probably filled with precious family heirlooms. They’ll need to go through that stuff soon.
The gravelly voice of my head security, Max, directed me to where the main show was being held. “This way Ms. Lee-Xiou.”
I followed him over to an area that opened up into a spacious room. Apparently, they never finished this part of the basement, the walls and floors were made of concrete. Good. There weren’t any windows or much of anything else in here except for a chair sitting in the center of the room, a dim light hanging from the ceiling shining directly over it, thick industrial plastic covering the floor, and three of my men surrounding it waiting to take their cues from me.
They were all naked from the waist up and in excellent physical condition. Muscles ripped and tight with washboard abs so perfect they looked spray painted on. I couldn’t help but notice. I was a woman who hadn’t relieved any sexual tension in months. Bad sex didn’t count. Maybe later, one of them might be able to help me out with that. In the meantime, I needed to handle this situation.
Mr. Wong sat tied to the chair. It was hard to recognize him, because his face and body had been beaten so severely. It was as if he’d been put into a meat-grinder. I hated to see him like this, but technically, it was his fault for forcing my hand. All he had to do was sign the damn papers naming me the successor to my father in The Family, and this ugliness could have been avoided. Lord knows, he couldn’t say that I didn’t give him ample opportunity to welcome me. Instead, he wanted to challenge me. He figured that, since the death of Chang, it would be easy to push me aside. I had news for him. I earned that chair with blood, sweat, and—I would say tears, but that part would be a lie.
I took my time as I sauntered over to stand in front of him. I wondered if he could see me. Both of his eyes were almost swollen shut.
My voice was conciliatory. This was business. It wasn’t too personal, at least not on my part. I