Page 39 of The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties

Julia Child’s gaze flattens. “I wouldn’t put it that way.”

“I don’t care what way you put it,” Fourth Aunt snaps. “You had a hand in this, you’d better step up, lady.”

Julia Child’s chin lifts ever so slightly. “Oh?”

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room drops, turning icy. If Fourth Aunt is a scrappy warrior, Julia Child is a ruthless empress. Big Aunt must have felt the shift, too, because sheplaces a hand on Fourth Aunt’s shoulder, as if to say:Back off and let me handle this.She nods at Julia Child. “What your suggestion?” Her voice comes out very measured. Calm, but with just a touch of accusatory note that makes it clear that she hasn’t let Julia Child off the hook. “We appreciate your help to get our sister out.”

Julia Child sighs and turns away, crossing her arms and tapping her chin with an immaculately manicured fingernail. “I really don’t want to get involved in this. It’s your mess, Abraham.” At the rushed intake of breath from all of us, she holds up a palm. “But let me think.” She gazes out of the window for what seems like an entire year before finally speaking again. “Ah, I think I have an idea. Kristofer always throws a lavish feast for every holiday. Chinese New Year, the Full Moon Festival, even Christmas.”

“Isn’t Chinese New Year over?” I say. “We had our big celebration two nights ago.”

“You would think. But not for Kristofer,” she says dryly. “He holds a celebration for his family on the night of Chinese New Year, and then another two days later for everyone else—his business partners, his friends, everyone. It’s a huge feast with hundreds of guests, and it’s happening tonight. The perfect chance for you all to get in, get your aunt back, and get out without Kristofer knowing.”

“What? How are we going to do that?” I blurt out.

Julia Child levels a serious gaze at me. It feels as though she’s looking directly through my skin and flesh and straight into my soul. Then she nods toward Big Aunt. “I’m sure you’ll all figure something out.”

“We’ll get it done,” Fourth Aunt says flippantly, as though she’s talking about a trip to Target.

“How we going to steal into someone’s house?” Ma gnaws at a fingernail. Big Aunt frowns at Ma, and Ma quickly puts her hand back down on her lap.

With a sniff, Big Aunt turns to Julia Child. “We handle it.”

The question of how is almost out of my mouth before I manage to swallow it down. If I asked Big Aunt that right now, she’d probably see it as me talking back, and worse, doing so in front of outsiders, which would bring extra shame. But really, what in the world can we possibly come up with that could get us into some mafia lord’s house? And, don’t forget, out of said mafia lord’s house, preferably in one piece? Still, my mouth refuses to open and betray Big Aunt’s confident facade.

Julia Child nods at Big Aunt. “Once you get her out, go to the private airstrip. I’ll have my jet fly all of you out of here so you can leave all this mess behind. That’s my best offer of help.”

My heart is racing. With fear? With anticipation? With excitement at the chance to get Second Aunt back? Who knows. I feel like vomiting. Nathan looks just as conflicted as I feel, but Ma and the aunties’ eyes are glittering. There’s even a small smile playing on Fourth Aunt’s lips. Of course they would be excited by the prospect of breaking into a triad leader’s house.

“And you—” Julia Child turns to Abi. “You’d better wait at your house. You can’t show your face there, otherwise the whole operation would be discovered.”

Abi’s hands clench and unclench as he grits his teeth. It’s obvious he’s dying to come with us, but Julia Child is right. He would be recognized immediately.

“I—I don’t know...” I mumble. I keep my hands together to stop them from trembling.

“Okay,” Big Aunt says. “We do this. And you will fly us away right after?”

“Tch.” Abi waves a hand flippantly. “I’ll fly you all in my private jet. That’s not a problem.”

Julia Child shrugs. “If you wish. But my jet is also at your service. As my thanks for helping to get the title deed back.”

I look at Nathan, then at Ma and my aunties, and I see the answer written plainly on their faces. There’s never been any question about it, because of course we would go to the deepest reaches of hell to save one of us. We’re going into Kristofer Kolumbes’s estate, and we’re going to get Second Aunt back, even if it killsus.

11

The plan is very straightforward. Well, as straightforward as rescue missions can go, which is to say not at all straightforward. First of all, we need to come up with a way of getting inside Kristofer’s house. Julia Child allows us to use her office as a strategy room, and after Googling Kristofer and reading a few articles on him, Nathan and I spend some time scouting Kristofer’s estate using Google Earth, a technology that mystifies Ma and Big Aunt.

“You mean, every house is on this Earth thing?” Big Aunt says, as we zoom closer in on Kristofer’s house.

“Yes,” Nathan says. He double clicks, and the satellite image goes to ground level, giving us a sharp view of the front facade of Kristofer’s mansion.

“Aiya, definitely not in America,” Ma says confidently. “America won’t let such peeping Tom thing to happen.”

Nathan and I exchange a glance. Which one of us is going to break her pure heart?

“You do realize Google is an American company?” Julia Child says.

Ma’s mouth snaps shut into a thin line. A deep crease appears between her eyebrows as the weight of Julia Child’s words sinks in. “But—” she says after a while. “Our house—it’s not on this thing, ya kan?”

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