Page 30 of Shadow Lies

He thought he hadn’t paid much attention to her back then. Brittany always dominated any room she was in. But Alexis was always there when he visited, trailing along behind them.

The more he saw Alexis now, the more he remembered about her from the past. She’d always been there in the shadow of her older sister.

It must have been hard living as Brittany’s little sister. But Alexis seemed to do pretty well for herself in spite of that.

Well enough that she’d gotten recruited by the frigging CIA. Good enough at her job there to get herself fired when she’d discovered their error.

And now this—thisthingwith Charley.

He wanted to ask why she was back.

Although maybe he didn’t care. He’d say no again to the offer from Charley—if you could call a job to assassinate someone anoffer—and then they could catch up some more.

He liked that idea. But first, he had duties. “I’ll see you here as soon as I’m done.”

She nodded. “I’ll be waiting.”

He turned to the door, his teacher at his side. The monk shot him a sideways glance.

“It’s not what it looks like, shifu,” Kane said with as much respect as he could manage.

Shifu Yon Yun shot him a sideways glance as they walked. “Perhaps it’s more than it appears.”

Considering those words carefully, Kane couldn’t deny that was the truth.

She was still there, as promised, when he rushed to the office after washing and putting away his bowl.

Alexis turned and smiled at his arrival. He didn’t return her smile. During the silent meal, he’d had plenty of time to think. And what he thought most about was that Charley had a hell of a lot of nerve. First to ask him to become a civilian assassin. Second, to use Alexis to get to him.

Then there were his flip-flopping feelings about Alexis. His initial joy at seeing her had been replaced by suspicion. Why was she so relentlessly pursuing him for Charley’s cause? That consideration had occupied the majority of his lunch time.

He guessed the monks knew what they were doing declaring that all meals be silent. A man needed time to get his thoughts in order. To consider his options. And his enemies.

The Shaolin were warrior monks. Their skills hadn’t changed but perhaps their purpose had. It wasn’t always peace and prayer here. Historically, a small group of warrior monks provided protection for the leader of the country against a warlord. There were also tales of the monks using their skills to rob from the rich and give to the poor during times of famine.

But besides their superior fighting skills, they also had outstanding focus when it came to matters of the mind.

He’d need everything he’d learned now as he faced off with Alexis and considered if she was friend or foe. He’d already placed Charley in the latter category.

“Why are you back?” he asked, his tone sharp.

She drew back at the change in his demeanor from before lunch, but he didn’t scare her off. No. She was too stubborn to give up easily, even in the face of his playing scary SEAL.

“I’ve done a little digging. And I’ve learned some things.”

He folded his arms across his chest. “Good for you. But there’s nothing you can say that will make me change my mind and take on Charley’s dirty little task.”

She set the cell on the table between them.

He felt the need to comment on that. He couldn’t help himself.

“Making sure Charley can hear us?” he asked.

Alexis shook her head. She glanced around the room, her gaze landing on the computer, the monastery’s concession to surviving in the digital age. It was on. The screensaver a picture of the temple.

She moved to the power strip and placed a finger above the off button. “May I?”

Brows raised, he wondered what this was about but nodded. “Go for it.”

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