Page 29 of Shadow Lies

As soon as she was armed with the information she hoped to find, she needed to tell Kane what was happening. What she’d just put together as far as Charley and Beijing.

And she had just days to do it. The deadline was the start of the Olympics.

Spinning on her heel, she said, “I’ll leave you now to go about your day.”

He looked surprised at her abrupt decision. After recovering he asked, “Will you be back again?”

“Yes, I will.”

As soon as possible.

But before all that, before she put her plan in motion, she took out the cell again while in the back of the town car. She punched in a text to Charley.

“Not giving up. I’m staying. Will keep trying.”

The reply came immediately. “Good.”

ChapterTen

Alexis was back again. It had been three days since she’d been there last. He’d assumed she’d flown home.

The black town car creeping its way toward the monastery told him that perhaps she hadn’t.

Kane hated that his pulse had started to race at the sight.

Of course, maybe it wasn’t Alexis.

Could it be the mysterious Charley had come herself to try to lure him to do her bidding?

He’d know soon. But not soon enough. Not until after the silent noon meal was served, eaten and cleaned up. He didn’t think he could sit there silently wondering if she was there or if it were Charley.

Either way, he had to know now.

He ran with the wheelbarrow of that day’s firewood toward the building. He parked it by the kitchen door, then ducked away before getting pulled inside for the serving of the impending meal, taking off instead toward the abbot’s office.

Luckily for him, the abbot was gone for the day, as he so often was. Off conducting business somewhere. Alexis’s frequent visits—and the two of them taking over the abbot’s office for his entire break—might have been a problem otherwise.

He skidded to a stop at the door of the office just as his teacher came into view with Alexis at his elbow.

The man was a Zen master and managed to not react at the sight of Kane looking, he was sure, as if he’d just sprinted to see Alexis. Which he had.

“Brother.”

“Shifu.” Kane returned his teacher’s bow.

“You have a visitor.” At the same time he should be helping with the noon meal. Those words remained unspoken but Kane heard them clearly in his head and in the other man’s tone.

“Yes. Thank you.” He turned his attention to Alexis—and damn, she looked great again today. How many clothes had Charley bought for her? “Can you stay until my break?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll bring you food.”

She held up one hand. “Thank you, but no. I ate before I came.”

His lips twitched, knowing it was more likely that the monks’ bland, sparse diet didn’t make Alexis happy.

He recalled her learning to bake just so she could make cookies when she got home from school and both parents were still working. He’d also seen her put away enough beef as any linebacker at one family barbecue he’d been at.

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