Page 13 of Shadow Lies

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

She lifted one shoulder. “Eh, you know. I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d stop by.”

He shook his head, still confused and very aware that time was passing. He needed to get to the kitchen to help serve the evening meal. It was one of his duties and, guest or not, he couldn’t dump his chores on his brothers when they already had their own tasks.

But more questions nagged at him. More than he had time to ask now. He chose one. “How did you know I was here?”

“Easy.” She let out a short laugh. “It was in the Lee family Christmas letter.”

He huffed out a short, breathy laugh of his own. “Great.”

Letting out a sigh, he glanced at the doorway. His teacher hadn’t come inside but he had a feeling he wasn’t far.

He focused back on Alexis. “Wait here one second?”

“Sure.” She nodded.

Out in the hall, he found he was correct. The man hovered nearby.

“Shifu—” Kane cut himself off, wondering what exactly he wanted to ask.

What he needed to know was what he was going to do with Alexis now that she was here. He was at a loss.

As a SEAL, he used to be able to roll with changes. Pivot. Adapt. Think on his feet. But having his old life collide with his new one had thrown him. Trying to navigate the monks’ protocols as an outsider made things even harder.

What was the standard operating procedure for a female visitor at the monastery? In the Navy, SOP was clear cut. Here, there was a lot he was realizing he didn’t know.

“Brother, you should fill a bowl and bring your guest dinner. She can eat in the abbot’s office alone. You will serve your brothers, eat, and clean as usual. Then come back to join your friend until evening kung fu practice begins.” His teacher was calm and logical.

Kane was grateful for that. “Thank you, shifu. I will.”

He rushed back through the door to Alexis. “I’ll bring you dinner and then be back in forty minutes so we can talk.”

“Can’t you eat with me?” she asked.

He didn’t have to ask his teacher to be able to respond to that question. The answer was clear in the rules. “No.”

“Why not?”

“Because meals here are silent and you, as I remember, are not.” He smiled, remembering the chatterbox she’d been back when he’d known her when she was a young teen.

He saw her react to that statement but she didn’t argue. She always had amused him. Even back then. The memory just made him smile wider.

“Be back in a minute with your dinner. Then, after, we can visit and catch up,” he said as he headed for the door.

He found he was actually looking forward to the visit—to talking with Alexis. That seemed odd. He’d come here to get away from his past. And so he wouldn’t have to talk about it with anyone ever again.

ChapterSix

“Have you located Kane?” Charley’s voice purred over the phone pressed to Alexis’s ear.

“Yes.”

“And?” Charley prompted

“And he’ll be able to talk to me after he eats dinner.” Alexis swirled her spoon through the remainder of the vegetable soup in the plain, primitive, but practical bowl in front of her.

The food wasn’t bad. It wasn’t all that good either. She was more a burger and fries kind of girl. Watery soup that she suspected didn’t have even a hint of meat in it wasn’t going to satisfy her for very long.

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