Page 108 of Our Violent Ends
For whatever absurd reason, Juliette’s mind went to the assassin who had come after the merchant at the Grand Theatre. There was no greater scheme; there never had been. It was merely Dimitri trying to stir trouble with Roma’s tasks. It was merely Dimitri, intent on taking the White Flowers for himself.
“Where did you hear this from?” Benedikt asked in horror. “Why wouldyouhave information about secret Scarlet plans when even Juliette does not?”
Another laugh. Another dry, bitter sound that held no humor.
“Because Juliette is not a spy,” she replied. “I am. Juliette did not lurk in the corners listening to her father. I did.”
Juliette’s pulse was beating so hard that the skin of her wrists trembled with movement. Roma reached over and squeezed her elbow gently.
“How long might we have?” Juliette asked, the question directed at Kathleen. “If the Nationalists decide to purge everyone with Communist alignment out of the Kuomintang?”
Kathleen shook her head. “It’s hard to say. They haven’t come to an agreement with the foreign concessions yet. They might wait until jurisdiction settlements are made. They might not.”
A purge itself was bad enough. But monsters and madness loosed on the gangsters that went in with guns blazing? It would be slaughter on both sides.
“We have to stop Dimitri before the Scarlets do anything,” Juliette said, almost speaking to herself. It was impossible to put a stop to politics. But monsters could be found, and the men who controlled them could be killed.
“Should we?”
Juliette looked at Kathleen sharply. “What?”
“It might help,” Kathleen said quietly. “If the Scarlet Gang is organizing massacre, setting chaos onto our side might help save the workers.”
“Don’t get brainwashed.” That was Marshall—cutting in. “You can’t control an infectious madness. Besides, your Scarlets have practically been overtaken by the Nationalists. You haven’t had true power for months. You cut down a few of your numbers, and the armies only bring more in.”
The room grew quiet again. There was no easy answer to any of this.
“Benedikt,” Roma said after a long moment. “Do we know where Dimitri is?”
Benedikt shook his head. “I haven’t seen him since the takeover. I don’t thinkanyonehas seen him since the takeover. He hasn’t been around the house. All his men are scattered. Lord Montagov even suspected he might have been killed during the battle in Zhabei.”
“But he is alive,” Juliette said, her eyes pinned on Rosalind. “Isn’t he,biaojie?”
“Alive,” Rosalind confirmed. “Only I don’t know where.”
“Then I’ll ask again...”
A click echoed through their tight space. Juliette knew it was disbelief that had every gaze in the room reacting so slowly, that caused the stunned, gaping alarm when Juliette pointed her pistol at her cousin, the safety off.
“I want his location,” Juliette said. “Don’t think I won’t do it, Rosalind.”
Kathleen started forward, panic setting into her eyes. “Juliette—”
“Wait.” Roma stepped in front of Kathleen quickly, keeping her out of Juliette’s way. “Just wait.”
“I am telling the truth,” Rosalind snapped. She pulled against her ropes to little avail. After all these years, she knew that Juliette did not wave around her pistol to make an empty threat. Juliette might not aim for the heart, but a body had many expendable parts. “You wouldn’t even have caught me if I hadn’t heard screaming about a monster attack and followed the sounds in an attempt to stop it. That was out of my owngoodness. I have beentryingto find Dimitri too! The men inside the monsters don’t listen to me anymore!”
Juliette’s grip tightened. The pistol in her hand trembled.
“I don’t know where he is!” Rosalind spat, increasingly agitated. “He used to base his operations from an apartment on Avenue Joffre—the one he took over from Paul’s people—but he moved. He wouldn’t risk it with the French Concession so carefully watched after the takeover. He is out of my reach!”
“Forgive me,” Juliette said, “if I don’t believe you.”
Her hand stilled. In her head, she counted to three, just to afford her cousin one last chance.
But when she reached three, it was not her gun that deafened the safe house with sound. It was the door, shuddering with explosive effort—once, twice, and then before Juliette and Roma could dart for it and hold it closed, it had blown open, halting the two in their tracks.
Juliette’s pistol was still raised when General Shu came in, followed by so many soldiers that half of them were forced to remain outside, lest the apartment overspill.
