Page 49 of Shadow Lies

Who knew her stubborn reluctance to do as told when she was younger would have been a lifesaver for a Chinese mining executive now?

Thoughts of Alexis brought to mind one other recent change in his life. Kane was now in possession of his very own signature Charley-provided cell phone. Even equipped with the phoenix logo.

Apparently, Charley had been so confident she was making him an offer he couldn’t refuse, she’d sent the cell for him along with Alexis’s.

That phone was currently stashed in a bag in this green room inside the Great Hall where they all waited while in the main room Xi made his opening speech to the guests.

Kane was sure Charley and Alexis both would prefer he have the cell phone on him, but his Wushu pants and tunic didn’t come equipped with a cell phone pocket.

With all the fast spins and flips he was about to perform, it was more likely the cell would become a projectile. The cell flying into the audience here at the Great Hall of the People, where someone—anyone—could grab it was not something Charley would approve of.

Alexis or Charley should be letting him know that Wei had been successfully detained so that his absence at this lunch could be noticed by his comrades. He'd checked it a bit ago and there had been no update. He’d check again after their performance.

In the meantime, the cell remained stashed and that was just too bad. He had other things to worry about, such as executing his solo demonstration with his weapon of choice, the staff. And not botching his showstopper move—Monkey Going up a Tree.

He ran a hand over his closely cropped hair and lamented his stupid choice. He could have chosen an easier weapon to specialize in.

One that didn’t require him to literally counterbalance with both feet on a stick standing on end. Although when he’d selected his specialty, he hadn’t known he’d be performing in front of the world’s dignitaries.

Hindsight, and all that.

He sighed just as the liaison entered the room. “You’re on!”

Showtime.

Nerves he hadn’t expected hit him hard. He knew this routine. He’d performed it perfectly during practice last night and again early this morning.

Channeling his meditation and his SEAL training he fell into his place in the line of brothers stacked up along the doorway and then ran out into the spotlight as the familiar music filled the air.

The sound of forty-eight feet stomping in unison, twenty-four men shouting in time during each coordinated move, spurred a round of applause.

That was something Kane wasn’t used to from practice. The sound reinforced his real reason for being here and he dared to do a visual sweep of those in the hall.

Names flew through his brain as he identified each face. Xi Jinping and his wife. Vladimir Putin. The president of the International Olympic Committee Bach. The United Nations Secretary General Guterres. Senior Chinese leaders Huning and Zheng. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Khan. Prince Albert of Monaco.

Who he didn’t see—and whose photo he’d memorized until he could see it in his sleep—was Wei. Had Charley successfully detained the man on his way here?

He realized they were halfway through the performance and he’d barely been paying attention to the moves.

All that practice did pay off. So far so good.

He swept the audience again, watching for any disturbances.

So far everyone was acting normally. Enjoying the show. Which reinforced his main reservation with Alexis’s plan. What if the puppet master wasn’t on the invite list?

He knew what would happen then. Charley would enact plan B. Torturing the truth of who was in really control out of Wei.

A sharp look from one of the brothers aimed in his direction caught Kane’s attention.

Shit. He must have fucked something up.

Time to concentrate on the act before he caused a scene. He could sneak back out and observe the guests after they were done. If he got caught, he’d feign being a simple monk enamored by the ostentatious event.

He managed to finish the group opening of the performance without messing anything else up and gratefully jogged back to the green room to grab his staff and wait for his solo weapon demonstration—the next big hurdle to get over.

As he saw the brother who performed right before him finishing his routine he stood ready in the wings. He’d done the preparation. There was nothing more to do now. This would either go well or badly.

Drawing in a breath, Kane trotted out onto the floor, staff in hand.

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