Lights Out

Lights Out

By W J
Stopforth

First Edition

Copyright 2015 by
W J
Stopforth

All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in any form, in
whole or in part, without written permission from the author.

ISBN-10: 1519190832

ISBN-13:
978-1519190833

In the end, we only regret the things we didn’t do.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Ryan Harper pulled on the roller-blind cord. It was stuck again. With
a resigned deep sigh he gave it a second harder tug whipping up the blind and
pulling the cord promptly from between his fingers. He pressed his forehead
gently on the cool glass and looked out at the heavy overcast sky that seemed
to hug the shapely hills and jutting high rises of Hong Kong, expertly wearing
the smog like a grey fur coat.

Ryan breathed in deeply then slowly released his warm breath onto the
cold window, fogging it up until he could no longer see the view. He breathed
in deeply again only to catch his breath mid-way as the first hacking cough of
the day consumed his chest and burned the back of his throat.

I really must stop smoking
, he chastised himself, knowing as
usual that it was an empty promise.

Rubbing the back of his neck with his hand Ryan made his way to the
shower. The cool slate tiles felt good against his bare feet. The sudden blast
of the hot water spiked and stabbed at his skin waking him up completely. He
let out a groan as he felt the foggy effects of a hangover begin to vice grip
his skull. He leaned back into the full stream of the shower in an attempt to wash
the feeling away. Closing his eyes for just a moment Ryan let the water flow
over his face, taking in little mouthfuls swirling it around his dry,
dehydrated mouth before spitting it out like a cherub in a fountain.

Ryan Harper had worked for the Response Security Group (RSG) in
Central London for several years. He’d been there since graduating from
University, having worked his way up from a trainee Security Supervisor,
learning the ropes, to a fully-fledged Security Consultant. His job entailed
speaking daily to leading retail banks across the Country, advising them on all
aspects of security. He oversaw the installment and operation of in-house
security systems through to the daily delivery of cash, cards and checkbooks.

The Company paid enough to offer Ryan a comfortable lifestyle and a
nice car and his salary was topped up with a generous bonus each year, but Ryan
was finding it a struggle to remain motivated and excited about his career. He
had reached a plateau. He was bored.

His social life was not much better. Most of his friends were now
either married, getting married, or busy having families of their own. His
Friday and Saturday nights were becoming non-existent, as one by one his
friends disappeared, spending more of their time instead with their new wives,
or new families and not in their local pub after work with him. Ryan would get
the occasional token invite to a dinner party, or a weekend BBQ, but recently
he felt less inclined to accept. They invited him because they felt sorry for
him, or were trying to set him up with an array of unsuitable single female
friends, so that he could also become part of the club. Then his friends could
legitimately see him more often.

It had crept up on him slowly, but finally the realization had sunk
in that he was thirty, single and very unhappy with his current life.

Ryan’s transfer to Hong Kong was perfectly timed. RSG had brokered a
groundbreaking deal with The Asia World Bank, which thrust the company into the
Global arena. The Company had made the decision to tackle one of the busiest
banking City’s in the World, and knew that if they did this successfully, that
it would open up all kinds of doors into the retail banking sector across Asia.
RSG needed ‘
one of their own’
, so his
boss had said, and they felt that Harper was perfect for the job and ready to
take on the challenge. He would be given full carte blanche on the team that he
would need to employ and would be responsible for building close relationships
with the existing Managers and Directors of the Bank.

Ryan was reminded several times before leaving London that it was a
high-pressure job, not that he needed the reminder. He was feeling the weight
of responsibility as the time was drawing close to moving. He knew that his
performance would be closely watched by John McIntyre, a fifty-something
British expatriate, John had been with the World Asia Bank as their Security
Director for over ten years. A formidable man who took his job very seriously. John
carried out his duties with great pride. It had taken a lot for the Bank’s
Directors to convince him that it was time to outsource to a new security
company to satisfy its members. Finally after months of continued pressure he
had been persuaded to make the change. With a clean slate with no attempted
robberies or breaches in security for his entire career, John was intent that
it was to remain that way and spent a long time weighing up the pros and cons
of RSG and Ryan Harper. This didn’t worry Ryan. He was confident in RSG. He
also knew that if he worked well with John, and continued to build confidence
and continue the success rate, it would open up all kinds of opportunities with
other Asian Banks.

After all, John McIntyre knew everyone there was to know in the Hong
Kong banking arena.

Ryan pressed his hands against the glass and dropped his head down
letting the steaming water massage his back. The vice grip on his skull
loosened a little leaving behind the gentle throb of a headache. He stood there for a few moments
enjoying the heat as the water gathered and flowed between his shoulder blades
forming a rapid before finally hitting the shower floor and spiraling down the
drain.

His thoughts wandered back to his first week in Hong Kong.

Ryan embraced his new expat life absorbing everything around him like
a sponge. He spent most his spare time exploring on foot, walking the city like
a tourist and taking in all of the Asian influences and what was left of a pre-handover
Hong Kong.

He found the local Chinese culture loud and crass when they spoke. To
him it sounded like a chatter of noisy birds. He discovered that he loved the
wet markets and the haggling process, the hustle bustle of tradesmen bringing
in trays of fresh fish and vegetables. At times the smells in the markets were
so strong that he had to cover his nose and mouth with his sleeve to stop
himself from gagging but still he found it fascinating,
colourful
and vibrant.

In total contrast Ryan found the city modern and cosmopolitan. He
discovered traditional Chinese
di
pai
dongs
nestled in between modern restaurants
offering every type of food imaginable. To Ryan, Hong Kong was a City that
would never go hungry.

Most of all Ryan was drawn to the architecture, the mixture of the
old and the new. At night the high-rise buildings were all lit up like a
Christmas tree sending shafts of light hundreds of feet into the night sky for
everyone to see
,
blotting out the
stars. The buildings were a giant
mass of glass and metal, and had mostly been built and designed using the rules
of
feng
shui
. Ryan
had picked up quickly that a good number of Chinese people were superstitious.
He learned that desks must be placed always facing an open door. He saw that
aquariums and fish tanks were present in almost every reception area with rare
and expensive breeds of fish swimming around opulently decorated tanks. Even
the buildings appeared to have been erected in such a way to encourage and
bring prosperity and good luck to all those who worked behind the glass walls
and metal structures. It was all part of a culture rich in history and beliefs,
which made it a unique melting pot.

Ryan’s only task during his first week was to find himself a suitable
place to live.

RSG had placed him in a fully furnished serviced apartment in a
fashionable area in the heart of the city. It was close enough to the bars and
restaurants favored by other foreigners. Ryan knew that it would be fine
short-term, but he was keen to get settled, and to finally ship his London
belongings across the Ocean to start his new Hong Kong life. He was tired of
living out of a suitcase.

After viewing an assortment of apartments he finally found the
perfect one.

Hugging the side of Hong Kong Island’s tallest mountain, The Peak,
sat Cameron Mansions. It was a spacious modern apartment building with views
towards the city in one direction, and breath-taking views of the outlying
islands and the Ocean in the other direction.

Part of Ryan’s package included his relocation from London, a monthly
housing allowance and a cash lump sum for him to use as he pleased to furnish
his new home. As Ryan wrote his signature on the new lease, there was no doubt
in his mind that he really had landed on his feet. RSG had never sent anyone
this far afield before and they obviously wanted to make a good impression.

Six months into his new job and it was going well. Ryan had managed
to employ a strong local team comprising of on-site security officers, site
security supervisors, and two security managers that reported directly into
him. They all worked well together as a team and so far he had found John
McIntyre to be tough, but also open to suggestions for improvements. Ryan was
happy with their progress, as was RSG in London.

Finally showered and dressed Ryan checked his reflection in the
bathroom mirror. He was broad-shouldered and measured just over 6’ft 2” making
him tall for Hong Kong standards. He often found himself peering across the top
of a sea of heads whenever he stood in an elevator. He was in reasonable shape
and made good use of the banks’ in-house gym during his lunch hour and ran
outdoors whenever he could.

Ryan held onto the bathroom sink and leaned into the mirror to get a
closer look at his face. Dragging his fingers tips across his cheeks and chin,
he pulled at the loose skin under his bright blue eyes. He was handsome, his
skin a little worn from too much sun, reminding him of days spent on the beach.
His blonde hair was still thick and it curled around the nape of his neck. He
had a lazy smile, which his mother used to tease him for and women seemed to
like. Ryan spoke out-loud to his reflection.

“You need to slow down, stop burning the candle at both ends
.”
He said, and then smiled at himself.
He sounded just like his Mother.

Dressed in his usual uniform of dark grey pants and a crisp white
shirt, and black tie, Ryan gave the mirror one final glance. Satisfied with his
overall look, he stepped out into the lift lobby closing the door behind him
and pressed the lift call button. He rummaged into his back pants pocket until
his fingers found the cigarette packet. He pulled it out hastily, eagerly
anticipating his first smoke of the day.

He reached the bottom of the lift and stepped out into the foyer,
cigarette smoke dissolving quickly behind him leaving only the unmistakable
aroma of fresh nicotine.

“Good morning
Mr
Harper’.
Ryan was greeted by the building caretaker,
Mr
Wu
, “You know very well there is no smoking allowed in the lift Sir?” he
said to Ryan as he playfully wagged his finger.

The old caretaker, now well into his sixties had worked in the building
for the best part of forty years, a gentle old man, slightly hunched over now,
his white hair poorly dyed jet black, leaving obvious roots, which were easy
for Ryan to see in his lofty position.
Mr
Wu’s
English was impeccable with hardly a trace of a Chinese accent. He appeared
always smiling and happy and ready to help.

Ryan flashed him his best smile.

“Right you are
Mr
Wu, I’ll try to remember
in future!” Ryan said as he walked
towards the exit of the building.

Mr
Wu gave a resigned smile and shook his head,
slowly turning his old body and walking back to his small office.

As Ryan walked outside he looked up at the heavy overcast sky. He
paused for a moment trying to decide whether to run back for his umbrella, but
looking at his watch decided against it. He continued his usual walk down the
concrete sloped driveway and on to the busy main road.

A sea of bright red taxis greeted Ryan. Hong Kong Taxis were always
in abundance, driving up and down the mountain road, picking up and dropping
off. There was never a shortage. Within seconds Ryan had hailed a taxi and
swiftly slid into the back seat of the red Toyota entering an entirely
different world. The back passenger seats were covered with clear PVC to
protect against spills and stains of customers. Miniature figurines of cartoon
characters with heads that bobbed and moved as the car swerved, adorned the
dashboard almost obscuring the drivers view. There was a small wrapped bunch of
tuber roses dangling from the rear view mirror with a tiny tinkering bell that
rang as Ryan closed the passenger door. Ryan suddenly found the strong floral
aroma mixed with the faint smell of cigarettes over powering. His hangover
didn’t help matters. It made the interior feel dark and dingy and he instantly
began to feel nauseous. He wound down his side window to try and get some air,
whilst he gave his directions to the driver in an attempt to get the car
moving. “Queens Road Central.
The World Asia Bank please”.

The driver looked at Ryan in his rear view mirror and offered a faint
silent nod before sniffing back phlegm, letting it swirl in his mouth, winding
down the drivers side window and expertly spitting the contents on to the road
below. Suppressing the urge to vomit, Ryan quickly scanned the inside of the
taxi to find something to distract himself. He noticed a jar of Chinese tea
precariously perched in the center compartment between the two front seats, and
focusing on the tea leaves he watched as they twisted and turned in the water,
following the movements and sways of the taxi as it swerved and cornered down
towards the City.