Gina Takes Bangkok (The Femme Vendettas) by S. M. Stelmack Read Free Book Online Page B

an industrialized port, pooling beneath a noodle bowl of highway on-and-off ramps. Unlike the glittering towers of commerce at the city’s heart, the shanty town had no electricity, the only illumination filtering down from the towering expressways that rose on stark concrete pillars.
    Trying not to gag on the stench of raw sewage from the nearby canal, Gina followed Jarun through the narrow alleys, her flashlight beam trained on his back so as not to lose him in the eerie twilight.
    “How far is this place?” she asked.
    “Only a couple more minutes,” he muttered, and he proved to be a man of his word.
    The street opened into a kind of courtyard, its borders defined by crumbling walls that likely dated back to the ancient city of Thonburi, the forgotten capital upon whose bones Bangkok was built. Gina might’ve imparted this little piece of history to her companions had Jarun not drawn their attention to a structure almost as old—a Buddhist temple long since defiled by graffiti and abuse.
    Jarun had promised to take them to where Wakai’s sister indulged her sick fantasies, and while Gina hadn’t known what to expect, this old ruin wasn’t it. “Looks abandoned.”
    Their guide’s lips curled back in disgust. “It should be but it’s not. Things get started after dark, so this is the time to see if she’s here.”
    “You ever go inside?” asked Kannon.
    Jarun recoiled as if insulted. “No. Never. Not even the slum gangs come here. I only know about it because John and I drink together, and he talked about it once when he was drunk. I came here the next day out of curiosity. To see if his story was true. After what the people around here told me, I never wanted to come back.”
    Gina felt a shiver run down her spine. Considering Jarun was a Bangkok gangster who tortured people for a living, she couldn’t even begin to guess at what lay within the temple.
    “Well, you’re going in tonight,” Kannon said.
    Ryota tipped his head to Gina. “What about her?”
    She rolled her eyes. “Again, I’m right here. I’ll come with.”
    Kannon balked. “We have no idea what’s in there. Ryota will stay with you while I check it out.”
    “If there’s going to be trouble it would be better if we stay together,” Gina insisted. “Besides, you don’t speak Thai. You trust our friend here to do all the translating, or are you hoping they’ll all know Japanese?”
    “Bringing him was your idea,” he ground out, “and I never wanted you translating in the first place. Besides, you promised your father you’d be careful.”
    Gina looked to Ryota. “Who would I be safer with? You or Kannon?”
    “Him.”
    “Thank you. After we’re through with this, I’ll fix you up with one of the girls. My treat. Now, enough of this silliness. Let’s go see if we can do a meet-up with Vicky.”
    The candlelit interior of the temple had been converted into a lounge of sorts, with a red lacquered bar running along one wall and sets of tables and chairs around the rest of the floor space, each with its own hookah. On the black walls was scrawled a crimson script—the same mysterious script Gina had seen carved into the forehead of the freaky cannibal. The temple’s golden Buddha was still in its place—with nails driven into its eyes, and barbed wire wound into cuffs around its wrists.
    Creepiest of all, however, were the people.
    Seated around the tables, surrounded by pale clouds of sweet-scented smoke, were a half dozen sharply dressed patrons. Four were Asians, two were whites, and all had sly, predatory looks. Watching over them was a group of four squat men, their hatchet-like features hardening at the sight of unexpected guests.
    Jarun slid aside to reveal Gina, flanked by Kannon and Ryota.
    Time to mingle.
    She gave the customary bow and addressed them in Thai. “Hello.”
    One of the hatchet-faced men stepped up, smiling like a lion at a lamb, and returned the gesture of greeting. His Thai tinted with a