Page 5 of Last Violent Call
Juliette squeezed his hand. They proceeded into the main part of town, little pebbles scattering underfoot on the roughly paved ground.
“We’ll be able to see her soon,” she promised. “Celia thinks the government isn’t paying attention to former White Flowers anymore. It’sgetting too chaotic internally. The danger will lessen. It has to.”
“Logically, I know you’re right.” Roma exhaled, tilting his head up to watch a bird take flight from one of the curved roof tiles. “Yet I hate the thought of endangering her. She’s happy working for the Communists. I don’t want to make her choose us or them.”
It would have been easier if Alisa were less stubborn, if she had just gone with Marshall and Benedikt to Moscow, because Roma had contacted his two best friends within days of them settling there, out of the Nationalists’ reach, and Benedikt had yelled at him so thoroughly for faking his death—REALLY, ROMA?! THIS IS THE LAST AND FINAL TIME ANYONE DOES THIS, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?! GET YOUR WIFE ON THE LINE, I HAVE SOME WORDS FOR HER, TOO—that he thought the international telephone audio might short out.
Juliette went to pay for vegetable buns. Roma waited while she bantered with the old man behind the shop counter, staring off into the distance. When Juliette brushed up against him again, handing over a small bag, he asked, “What if, by the time we contact her, she hates me for having kept away?”
“My love,” Juliette chided immediately. “This is Alisa we are talking about.” She bit into her bun. “She will only be happy to see you again. She’s not as dramatic as I am.”
At that, Roma’s mouth twitched, recalling each time in the past he had kept away from Juliette and withheld information. He’d never do it now—not when their new lives depended on communicating as one functional unit—but at the time, hehadbelieved he was making the best choice. He had only wanted to keep her safe.
“Besides,” Juliette continued, “you pay her bills. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has long figured it out.”
That was also true. Roma was hardly subtle. He took a bite of the bun. Maybe the trick was to keep dropping larger and larger hints until Alisa figured out the truth, but not making contact so she didn’t findthem until it was safe to do so. Then again, he wouldn’t put it past Alisa to somehow track them down anyway.
“Mr. Mai! Phone call!”
Roma whirled around, searching for whoever was shouting at him. On the other side of the main canal, one of the ladies who ran a tailoring business waved him over, gesturing to the communal phone line that was set up right outside her shop.
“Are we expecting anyone?” Juliette asked, sounding perplexed.
“Not until Ah Cao in the afternoon.”
They made their way over to the telephone, crossing the stone bridge in a hurry. Juliette sidled right up to the wall as Roma picked up the receiver that had been left beside the hook for him, pressing it to his ear.
“Wéi?”
He heard a sharp, struggling intake of breath. Then: “It’s… it’s…”
Confused, Roma cast a look to Juliette, trying to signal that he couldn’t hear anything. “I’m sorry, I can’t—”
“It’s Yulun,” the voice finally managed in a quick breath. Over the line, Yulun continued heaving and sniffling, as if he were crying.
Roma switched from confused to concerned. “Is everything all right? Are you safe?”
Juliette leaned in close, putting her ear on the other side of the receiver in an attempt to listen in. They heard a few seconds more of sniffles, before:
“Please,” Yulun sobbed. “She’s going to be next. They’re all dead.”
3
Juliette closed her car door, surveying their surroundings. They had driven one township up, rumbling along the rural gravel to get to Yulun’s location. Unlike Zhouzhuang, which was situated beside the tendrils of a colossal lake, this township lay deeper inland. There were no water passages, but it was still built in the older traditional style, albeit with thin cobblestoned paths weaving through the buildings in place of canals. Wide roads were reserved for proper towns and cities; here, Roma was forced to park by the township gate, blocked from proceeding any farther on a motor vehicle.
A cold breeze blew into their faces. Overhead, a clump of gray storm clouds had gathered densely, sending down a faint rumble of thunder.
“We need to talk about your driving,” Juliette remarked. She circled around the front of the vehicle, her heels stepping awkwardly on the rough stone ground. “I thought we were about to crash multiple times.”
“I’m sorry,” Roma replied dryly. He lifted his arm, and Juliette ducked under, pressing close while they walked. “Personally, I think I drive quite well for someone who had chauffeurs all his life.”
“Oooh, he hadchauffeurs.”
“Dorogaya, I knowyouare not making fun of me right now.”
Juliette bit back her snort as the two of them entered the township. They had set off immediately after Yulun’s alarming phone call. Hehad barely been coherent in his attempt to explain what he meant, so Juliette had taken over the receiver to tell him to take a deep breath, give them his address, and put the phone down…. They were on their way to see what on earth was going on.
It was fortunately not too suspicious for Roma and Juliette to be visiting these neighboring townships. They had plenty of business here and plenty of contacts who would play along if a local resident asked who they were here to see. When Juliette peered around, however, the narrow streets were near empty. Not even an elderly shop owner out on the perch, hands behind their back and taking in the fresh air. There wasalwaysan elderly shop owner taking in the fresh air.
