It was only six-thirty in the evening but The Lotus Garden was already full with eager diners. A line of people waiting to be seated had started to build along down the pavement as well. Blaine sat in the cab across the street, hoping that he could scope the place out before someone came along and gave them a ticket. They were parked illegally, the driver only agreeing to do so after Blaine had handsomely tipped him.

The restaurant hadn't changed from the last time he had seen it. It still looked extravagant and luxurious from the outside, the building designed in traditional Chinese architecture and decorated with Chinese characters, lanterns, and dragons.

"What you doing casing out this place?" The driver asked, counting out his notes and nodding his head in satisfaction at the amount of bills he had just received. He pocketed them in his trousers and twisted in his seat so he could look at Blaine and the restaurant at the same time. "You're a fool if you think you can go against these guys."

Blaine didn't answer, but his eyes flickered to the driver and their eyes met. He had to admit that the driver had a point, especially when he really had no idea what he was up against. He had always avoided this crowd when he had been working on the streets, Tina being the closest he had ever come to getting involved with the Asian underground scene in LA.

The same nervous knot that had formed in his stomach earlier in the day returned. Was the person who had made the disturbing phone call inside those very walls? Was Sam somewhere inside the restaurant, prisoner in a secret dark room? The caller had said that if he behaved, he might get to see Sam again. So if they did indeed have Sam, would they think he was not behaving by carrying out his next actions? Blaine questioned his plan of going to speak to Tina. Maybe he should just sit around and wait for them to call.

"Hey, man," the driver began again. He reached up and gently touched Blaine's hand that was resting on the back of the driver's seat. "It ain't worth it. Whatever's gone down, it really ain't worth it."

Blaine still didn't answer but his eyes fell back on the restaurant. He shook his head. The driver was wrong; Sam was worth it.

And then, Blaine saw the same suited Asian man come round from the back of the building that he had spied ten minutes earlier. He recognized his actions. He was doing the rounds, his eyes wandering over the streets and the buildings adjacent to the restaurant. It was obvious the man was not there to monitor the eager customers; he was there to ensure there wasn't other untoward danger or enemies lurking in their midst.

Blaine hunched down in the car as the man's eyes fell on the taxi. There was no turning back now; he had been spotted.

The cab driver had seen the man's actions too.

"We've outstayed our welcome." He tapped Blaine's hand forcefully this time. "I appreciate the money, but I don't want to hang around here any longer."

Blaine nodded and he climbed out of the cab.

There was no point in hiding anymore or trying to be discreet. He had been seen and there was nothing else for Blaine to do but to walk straight in through the front doors. And that's just what he did. He walked straight past the disgruntled faces and calls of protest from those who were waiting to be seated. He didn't even stop for the pretty young Chinese hostess who was just returning from showing a couple to their table. She did an about face and hustled after him as fast as her legs would allow her in her tight qipao.

"Sir, please wait. You need to wait in line with everyone else."

Blaine ignored her, pausing only slightly in the middle of the restaurant as his eyes sought for what he needed. Sure enough, his instincts had been right and across the last few tables to the back of the room were two thick men standing guard across a set of shiny decorated doors. From the decorations bestowed on the outside and the protective stance of the men, it was clear that it did not lead to the kitchen.

The young Chinese hostess managed to stand before Blaine, trying to block his way towards the two security guards. "Can I help you sir?" She asked again politely. "We are already fully booked for the night, but I will gladly assist you if you want to make a booking for another evening."

Blaine stepped around her.

"If you wish to use the karaoke, you need to use the other entrance," she called after him, and as he had suspected, her dainty polite voice disappeared and she aggressively shouted something out in Chinese to the two men.

"I'm here to speak with a Miss Tina Cohen-Chang," Blaine began, his voice steady and controlled, "I'm an old friend."

The men ignored him, and for just a brief moment, Blaine wondered whether he was going to have to lay a hand on one of them to get their attention. Admittedly, that would not be a wise thing to do. He bet that the two large men could easily put him on the floor, even for just saying the wrong thing, let alone for touching them.

He saw one of the men's eyes flicker briefly and Blaine realized that he was listening to an earpiece in his right ear. The man eyed Blaine up, his face cold and threatening.

"You may go through," he announced. "Miss Cohen-Chang is waiting for you."

Blaine jolted. He hadn't expected to get through that quickly and easily. He glanced about over his shoulder and noticed the camera in the corner, pointing directly at him. Wow! He thought to himself, trying to hide his surprise from the two men. Just what had Tina gotten herself into? Only a year ago, she had been a petty lowlife pimp who threw shady parties to exploit the few prostitutes under her roost. She hadn't even had a proper place to call her own where she could conduct business, and now she was hiding behind a camera in one of the fanciest restaurants in the neighborhood?

Blaine squared his shoulders, nodded and stepped through the small gap that the bouncer had made for him. He wasn't looking forward to this encounter. If Tina did indeed have Sam or knew where he was, Blaine believed that she was going to bargain for something from him. She wouldn't just give information and expect nothing in return. Blaine shuddered involuntarily. Only a year ago, Tina had made it very obvious on more than one occasion that she had been interested in him.

The same man that had spoken to Blaine accompanied him through the door. They immediately set off down the hallway in silence, Blaine's shoes tapping lightly on the shiny tiled floor. This wasn't your normal, light-hearted karaoke bar where everyone stood around an open room, singing for fun to the audience. Instead, this section of the building held dark private rooms where the occupants took their singing with the utmost seriousness. The glass doors were constantly opening and closing as serving men and women scuttled delivering alcohol and snacks, the music from each room clashing in Blaine's ears as they continued on their way. Blaine quickly turned his head as they walked past one open door and caught a glimpse of the men and women already enjoying their evening and, from what he saw, it appeared that prostitution was still a large part of Tina's everyday business.

Blaine paused momentarily as they came to a closed covered door at the end of the corridor. The man opened it but Blaine paused. He didn't need to be told that whatever was going to go down here was going to happen on the other side of this door. You can do this! He told himself. For Sam, you can do this!

The man that had accompanied him coughed impatiently, knocking him out of his daze. This was it. Blaine looked through the entrance and stepped inside, and to his dismay, the door was closed and locked behind him.

The room was flush with lavish wealth. The carpet dark and thick, the walls bedecked with a variety of expensive-looking paintings and the furniture elegant and old. It was obvious from what his eyes saw that the restaurant out the front was just a smokescreen for whatever was going on back here. It was personalized and private, not intended for the everyday citizen. Blaine felt the knot in his stomach twist even harder, the reality hitting him. Whatever Tina was involved in, she was up to her eyeballs in it, and whether he liked it not, he had already stepped right into the middle of it.

Blaine swallowed nervously. He had changed in the past year, the clothes that he wore, the way that he now walked, tall and poised; it had all helped to improve his confidence. But not only that, Kurt had also educated him on how to speak to different people, on how to get what you needed from a conversation. Not so you are manipulating them as such, but to make the other person feel at ease and believe that you have gotten their best interest at heart, all the while, while you're really seeking the information you need to learn about them. Blaine sensed he would need to remember everything that Kurt had taught him this evening.

"Well, well, well," a sultry voice sang from the small table across the room. "Look who's returned?" He knew that voice, it was Tina, but it was different from how she had sounded in the past and, try as he might, Blaine just couldn't put his finger on it. She was sitting at a small table where two men and another blonde woman were sitting. The sound of clacking tiles reached his ears and he caught sight of the Mahjong pieces being reshuffled over the green velvety surface of the table.

"I thought you were Korean?" Blaine asked, genuinely confused. The four heads turned to look at him quickly and Blaine wondered whether he had put his foot in it already. Would they find his question insulting? One of the men, a well-muscled Asian man with not an inch of fat on him, leaned back in his chair and looked Blaine over, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Play this round without me," Tina informed him and Blaine caught the gentle, calming stroke on his arm. "You're right," she said to Blaine, her voice smooth and sultry, "but for reasons that I will share on another day, I am associated with the Chinese at the moment." She rose from the table and turned to face him.

Blaine was surprised, it was definitely Tina before him, but the past year had been good to her. She no longer looked run down, and doused with drugs. Instead, her hair had been expertly styled, her clothes expensive and labeled, her make-up exquisite. She sounded more confident and determined, but there was an edge to it and it wasn't until she turned to face him that Blaine realized what it was. A year ago, she had been hard and crass, but now, here before him, was a woman who had matured to understand the sensuality of her own being.

Tina smiled appreciatively at his openly surprised look. "Yes," she said stepping closer, "you're not the only one who has done well for themselves in the past year."

"How?" he stammered.

"Well, let's just say some of us meet the love of their life, while others just sell their soul to the devil," she laughed, sweeping her long, styled curls over and off her shoulder. She stepped up closer, but even with all her beauty and refined appearance, Blaine sensed the danger there. She had warned him straight up, she didn't need to say anything else; she represented danger.

"I'm happy for you," Blaine responded politely, but she only scoffed.

"So, why am I honored with this visit?" she asked, her eyes flicking up and down his body, and Blaine couldn't help but feel uncomfortable as he felt her eyes drinking him in. The memories of her unreserved advances in the past became prominent in his mind. And why, why now, of all times, couldn't he remember a single thing that Kurt had taught him.

"I need to find Sam," he informed her, and he cursed himself that his voice had shook slightly when he had said that. He tried to keep his posture relaxed; he didn't want her to know that she had the upper hand here, but he was under the impression that Tina was fully aware that she was in charge. She started to walk around him, unperturbed in the least when his body tensed up. Her eyes took in every inch of his frame, drinking in his muscles. "I'm under the impression that you might know where he is," he added, hoping he could distract her back to what he was there for.

"Maybe," she responded simply from behind him. Blaine looked over his shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of what she was doing, but before he could catch her in his gaze, she continued to walk. "Maybe not."

He suddenly felt soft fingers gently stroking over his buttocks as she continued round until she was facing him. "Still perfect," she muttered to herself. Blaine sighed inwardly and took a step forward, moving himself out of reach of her wandering, wayward hands. He should have known that she would have wanted to play games and he was indeed struggling. He needed to find his sharp edge, and find it quick. One year in the safe and mainstream life in New York had softened his streetwise sense.

"And why would you be concerned about Sam after all this time?" Tina asked, unperturbed that he had moved away. She crossed her arms across her chest, but her face still held her unfaltering smile. "You've been gone for a year and you've never worried about him before, so why now, after all this time?"

Blaine paused. "He'll always be my friend. I'll always be concerned for him. I heard that he has been working for you."

"Hmm, tis true," Tina agreed, still not willing to reveal anything of any value.

"Look, if you're not going to be of any help, I'll just go elsewhere," he tried to speak firmly but not with too much aggression. Blaine was all too aware that the Asian man at the table was keenly watching him and he just wished that Tina would cooperate and tell him everything that she knew.

The creases in the corner of Tina's smile changed and this time when she spoke, it had a hard condescending tone. "Good luck with that."

Blaine frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when you've tried asking people out on the street," she began, her voice soft and silky again, "and you have gotten nowhere, you can come back here and we can have a little chat, just you and me."

Blaine balked at her words. Was she really suggesting what he thought she was suggesting? He might have been out of the scene for a year, but he wasn't stupid. Tina laughed blithely at his reaction. "Oh Blaine, you've always had a face of pure gold and innocence which is why I'm happy that you've returned!"

Blaine shivered, his stomach going queasy. "You can't be serious?!" he tried to laugh her invitation off. "You must know that I have a whole new life in New York; I'm with someone who I truly love."

Something flashed across Tina's face then. It was only for an instant, but Blaine caught it and he cocked his head in confusion. What had been that look she had just given? Her hard resolve returned instantly, however, before Blaine could determine what her expression had meant.

"Well, hopefully you will reconsider, you'd be surprised just how many of my guests would go for such a sweet young man like yourself." Disgust filled Blaine and he shuddered. Tina really was offering to be his pimp. And he knew what that meant, it meant she could send him off to whoever she pleased, while she got to have her own way with him whenever she wanted.

She had somehow gotten closer again and her fingers started to walk up his arm, her face telling him that she was all so amused by his reactions. "No one would suspect that you'd been in the industry for so long. You could be so well off if you worked for me now. You wouldn't need your rich sugar daddy in New York anymore."

Blaine shrugged off her arm, the mere mention of Kurt shaking him out of his surprised daze. Her offer was something that he could never take on. "I'm not in that line of work anymore, Tina. I'm in love, I've met someone. We've been making a life for ourselves in New York and we're very happy."

"Well, if you're so happy, why are you here then? Why risk everything just for an old friend?" Blaine caught the challenging twinkle in her eye and he knew she didn't really care either way whether he really wanted to work for her or not. Obviously, Tina had reached a certain position of power where she controlled many different people. She had success, she had money, so why did she want him? Because she had always wanted him, he acknowledged glumly to himself.

"Please, Tina, I need your help." He stepped closer, earnestly. It was one last desperate plea for her help before he turned around and left altogether. "Please, if you know anything about Sam, tell me so I can go and help him."

Again, the unreadable expression came across her eyes, but as quickly as it appeared, Tina shrugged it off. "As I said, go and ask out on the street and then come back and we can have a chat."

"You don't know anything do you?!" Blaine suddenly spat with such conviction he had to stop himself from saying more, and rightly so, because he caught the Asian man at the table tense in the corner of his eye. Tina was quite capable though of fighting her own battles. She took an aggressive step towards him.

"I know exactly where he is," she retorted venomously.

Blaine's jaw set in a hard line. "I think I'll just leave. I'll be in town for a couple of days while I try to find Sam." His hand reached into his pocket. "It was nice to see you again Tina but I can't do what you want me to do." He pulled out a card and held it out in her direction. "Here's my number, if you change your mind about wanting to tell me, call me."

"Oh, Blaine," Tina sang softly. "I already have your number."

Blaine's face trembled as another fresh wave of fear washed over him. She was enjoying herself too much with this game. He turned and headed towards the exit, not trusting himself to answer her. How on Earth did she have his number? Had it in fact been them on the other end of the phone? He didn't doubt it for one moment now.

"Are you sure it's wise to let him go?" the Asian man finally spoke up.

"Sshh, Mike," she spoke back, her voice soft. "Everything's fine." Tina turned her attention back to Blaine.

"Mike?" Blaine questioned, allowing his eyes to fall on the man.

Tina looked over her shoulder at the man, a smile forming on her face. "Yes, Mike. You can call us partners in crime if you'd like." Blaine eyed him suspiciously. He was just another person who he shouldn't trust or become involved with.

"Good luck finding someone who will speak," she told him slyly. "We've managed to get everyone silent for us, so don't think for one moment your old friends or clients are going to share anything with a traitor who left them high and dry for a better life in New York." Blaine ignored her, reached for the handle, and remembered it was locked. He turned and found that she was right behind him, her soft breath hitting the side of his neck. She leaned over, the key in her hand and flashed him a smile as she turned it in its lock.

"I'll be waiting for you right here when you return and I know," her voice hot and heavy, "you'll have a fantastic time." Blaine felt his insides shudder at her words and he just hoped and prayed that he wouldn't be forced to come back.

"Karofsky!" Tina called to the man who had originally brought him to her room. She spoke quickly in Korean and then turned her attention back to Blaine. "Just one last thing, Blaine," Tina began from the doorway, her hands on her hips. "Don't go to the police again." Blaine startled at her words. They had been watching him? They knew he had been in Sam's apartment. He couldn't believe the level of deception. If they really had Sam, why wouldn't they just cough up and tell him, but before he could put in any further argument or questions, Tina closed the door to the room and it was just the two of them in the hallway.

Karofsky took a firm hold on his arm and began to guide him away. But instead of following the original corridor, Blaine was led in another direction. Panic swept over him again.

"Where are you taking me?" He asked quickly.

"To the back," Karofsky simply answered. He kicked at two double doors and the evening night sky greeted them, sweeping them into darkness. Blaine's heart started to race out of control and the worst case scenario pumped through his veins. Just what had Tina told the man to do? Was he going to kill him? And then his whole body ached as the first person that came to his mind was Kurt, the love of his life. He was going to die, murdered in the gutter at the back of a Chinese establishment, and Kurt would find out by two policemen, knocking on his door on the other side of the country.

He closed his eyes and prayed that whatever the man was about to do, he would do it quickly. It was then though that he heard the sound of a car pulling up beside them.

"Take this cab and when you come back, use this entrance," Karofsky informed him.

"What? Why?" Blaine stood flabbergasted, but then the questions continued to flood out of his mouth. "What's going on? Why isn't it safe? Who says I'm going to come back?"

"It's not safe for you to use the front entrance anymore." Karofsky paused and, with a sinister smile, he added, "and don't worry, you will be back."