Page 37 of Shadow Lies

Why not give the tourists a thrill? Let them think they’d seen an authentic monk away from the temple. They could put it on their Instagram—

Ugh. Social media. That was one thing he didn’t miss being here. But as he approached the car and saw Alexis in the backseat with her cell in her hand, he couldn’t help but wonder what her Instagram looked like. What her life looked like.

Was there a boyfriend in it?

That was one thought he shouldn’t be thinking. A lot of years and a lot of living separated them.

Although, they’d both been burned. Both had and lost a job they’d thought they’d dedicate their lives to. Maybe the number of years didn’t matter all that much after all.

“Hi.” She beamed a smile at him. “Ready?”

He nodded and slid into the backseat beside her.

“Did you get your hall pass from your teacher?” She smiled.

He frowned, dispensing with her smile immediately.

“Sorry,” she apologized, then leaned forward to address the driver. “Back to the hotel, please.”

Then off they went.

It had been a long time since he’d been off the monastery grounds. He spent all his time in and around the living quarters, avoiding the areas of the temple open to the public at all costs.

His days were a hamster wheel of kung fu practice, Buddhist study, chanting, chores, eating and sleeping. It all seemed to pass in a sepia haze.

But as they drove farther away and into the city center of Dengfeng, he was struck with the technicolor contrast of the real world. A world where linens and clothing weren’t restricted to the color of the natural dyes that grew nearby.

In stark contrast to Mount Song in the distance, the modern hotel they pulled in front of seemed as elaborate as the ornate historic Shaolin Temple that tourists swarmed daily.

“There’s a decent restaurant here inside the hotel if you’re hungry,” Alexis said as the driver opened the door and she slid out. “And a fitness center in case, you know, you miss your six hours of working out today.” She grinned.

“I won’t be staying that long,” he said.

That earned him a glance as she waited for him to follow her out of the car. “Most important, there’s high speed WiFi. And thank goodness, plenty of outlets to plug in all the computer equipment.”

A hackers dream hotel—good WiFi and lots of plugs.

They stepped through the ornate entrance and into the sweeping lobby. After a year at the monastery, the change was jarring enough to make him feel like Dorothy entering Oz after living in black and white in Kansas.

“This way,” Alexis prompted as he stood taking in his surroundings, everything right up to and including the ceiling.

Her room was on the top floor, but when she opened the door, he saw it wasn’t a room at all, but a suite. He glanced at her. “Charley spared no expense, I see.”

Alexis blew out a lip flapping breath. “I don’t know if it’s the conversion in currencies or what but even this room was cheap in US dollars. And trust me, I don’t think Charley’s organization has money problems.”

“No.” But what they did have was an accurate information issue and that’s why he was here. Not for a field trip to the city. “Can we get to work?”

She looked startled by his request. “Oh. Sure. I’ve got the computers set up on the table in the dining area. Come sit.”

“Not yet.” Instead he moved around the room, running his fingers along works of art. Leaning down to closer inspect lighting fixtures. Feeling beneath tables and the desk.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Looking for bugs.”

“I assume you don’t mean the creepy crawly kind.”

“Correct.” Somewhere between the monastery and the hotel he’d changed.

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