She would have liked to stay longer and watch their synchronized movements, but the car and driver had been waiting to take her down the mountain and to the hotel Charley had arranged.

  Maybe tomorrow she’d stay and watch. If he let her.

  There was a good chance he’d tell her and Charley to both take a hike and go back to playing monk.

  Against all odds, Kane Lee, bad boy of CUNY College, appeared to be thriving here.

  Then again, Kane was also a dedicated son to his parents.

  He’d been born in the States, but his parents had been born and raised in China. They’d lived their lives there until they’d married and moved to New York to have their son.

  As much as the Lees had embraced American custom and tradition, their Chinese heritage was still a major part of who they were. Who he was.

  “Take your time.” Charley’s purred instructions interrupted her thoughts and took her by surprise.

  Take her time here at the monastery convincing Kane?

  “Really?” she asked. “I figured you were in a rush.”

  “Mmm. A bit. But for the right person, I’m willing to wait.”

  Funny. That’s how Alexis felt about Kane. She’d had a crush on him ten years ago when she’d been a gawky, insecure teenager and he the college boy dating her older sister.

  Seeing him now that they were both older, she realized she had changed, but her feelings for him had not.

  Chapter Seven

  She was there.

  Alexis had returned to the monastery, as Kane knew she would. She was nothing if not persistent.

  She arrived earlier than he’d specified, but then she always had been an eager one when she’d been younger. Apparently, she hadn’t changed since.

  How old had she been back then? About fifteen when he’d ended things with her sister after dating for two years, he guessed.

  Kane knew she was there, and over an hour early, because he’d seen a long black town car through the trees. It wound its way up the road that led to the mountain monastery where the monks lived and trained above the public temple at the base of the mountain.

  His suspicion was confirmed when one of the brothers rushed out of the kitchen door, wide-eyed, while he was splitting wood in the yard before lunch. When one of the other brothers questioned the flustered brother, the one word that filtered to Kane, spoken excitedly in the local Henan dialect with which he was becoming more familiar, was woman.

  He had no doubt it could only be one woman invading this sacred male domain for the second day in a row.

  Alexis.

  Shaking his head, he smiled to himself as he swung the axe one more time and split the last piece of wood. He carried what he’d split to a wheelbarrow, then moved the load to be stacked for use in the kitchen fire.

  He couldn’t spend time with her, not until after the noon meal, but he was very aware of her presence as he moved through his mid-day routine.

  Washing up first, he then went to the kitchen to retrieve the pot from which he served the soup to his brothers before sitting himself to partake of the silent lunch.

  After a life of chaos, violence and noise, explosions and traumatic brain injuries, the ritual silence of the monks’ three daily meals was nice.

  Usually, he found it peaceful. Today he longed for the watch he’d stopped wearing to check the time.

  Rather than enjoying the meal and the respite, he waited for the hour to end so he could help clean-up, then get to the waiting Alexis.

  Maybe his anticipation was because, in a place where every day was conducted in the same way, doing the same things, at the same time, he was simply excited for a change. Any change.

  Or maybe the intrusion of his old life into his new one had affected him more than he’d realized.

  He hadn’t thought he’d missed his old life but perhaps he did.

  Not his SEAL career—that was over thanks to the CIA—but his life. He missed Western civilization. His family. His big screen television. Ball games. Bars. Booze. Babes...

  Just thinking all of that felt like a sin because of his location. He was in a place where the brothers gave up all they had. They were taught to be grateful for every little thing.

  This was a place where an extra egg in his bowl of soup was something for which to be thankful.

  A tap on his shoulder brought his head up from where he’d been staring mindlessly into his nearly empty bowl.

  Glancing up, he saw it was one of his brothers, signaling him it was time to clean up.

  Time had passed while he’d been lost in his head considering everything he’d denied himself coming here. He felt suitably shamed by those thoughts as he raised the bowl to his lips, swallowed the last of the broth, and then stood.

  He felt more shame when he walked into the abbot’s office and immediately took note of what Alexis was wearing. Every detail of her clothing. And of her body beneath it…

  The outfit shouldn’t be attractive. It was something a female presidential candidate would wear. Stiff. Staid. Serious. Pants and a matching jacket in a basic bland ivory color. But the monochromatic suit seemed to emphasize the warm hue of her skin and the color of her eyes.

  She was tall for a woman, and the length of her legs were emphasized by the slim pants and heeled boots.

  Then there was the tiny top beneath the unbuttoned jacket.

  It clung to her lush curves. Curves she definitely hadn’t had when he’d been dating her older sister a decade ago.

  Alexis had certainly grown up. Gone from awkward teen to amazingly tempting.

  He shook the thought from his head and yanked his gaze up to her face where it belonged. “You came back.”

  “Of course, I did. Did you expect me not to?”

  “Not really.” He leaned against the edge of the desk and folded his arms. “So, go on. What’s today’s pitch?”

  “Pitch?” she asked, playing dumb.

  “I’m sure you and your boss Charley had a briefing last night. What did she instruct you to do?”

  Was it Charley who told Alexis to wear a tight top that showed more of her tits than appropriate for a visit to a frigging monastery? All with the hope of luring him away.

  Damn it all, it was working.

  He hadn’t thought about women, or sex, in what felt like forever. He’d been too exhausted, mentally and physically… until she’d shown up.

  “She told me to get it done. No specific instructions.” Alexis lifted one shoulder.

  Alexis always had been upfront and truthful. No coyness in this one. She’d tell it like it was, even if it had insulted her sister. Or thrown both him and Brittany under the bus for behavior their parents wouldn’t approve of.

  “So, what’s your plan then?” he asked.

  “That depends. How much time do I have?” she answered his question with a question of her own. And it was a good one.

  Smart. She’d figured out there was a tight schedule here. One he—they all—adhered to religiously. No matter what. Even a female visitor wasn’t going to delay practice or lessons.

  “We have about an hour.”

  “And then? After that?” she asked.

  “After that is three hours of kung fu practice until the start of evening Buddhist lessons.”

  Her eyes widened. “Three hours a day of kung fu?”

  “No. Three hours for the afternoon session. We practice closer to six hours a day.”

  “Six hours?” Her eyes opened wider. “Why?”

  “With practice comes wisdom.”

  She shook her head as he quoted Zen Buddhism to her. “I guess I mean, why are you here, Kane?”

  “Where better to learn and perfect my skills?” That was partially the truth, which he figured was good enough.

  She stared at him and he could see her mind working as she considered that. “So the end goal is what? To take the test and become a kung fu master? A shifu?”

  His lips twitched with a restrained smile. “Someone’s been googling.”

  Her gaze dropped. “There wasn’t much on television in the hotel last night.” She shrugged.

  Sobering, he admitted the truth. “I don’t know what the end goal is. All I know is I’m happy here now.”

  “And whatever Charley’s offer is doesn’t intrigue you enough to even hear about it?” she asked.

  “Not really.”

  People like Charley were expert manipulators. Adept at getting exactly what they wanted, no matter the cost for those they used to get it. He wasn’t interested in being used by her or anyone else. Not again.

  No, thank you.

  In fact, that was the perfect response for Alexis to give her boss. “Please tell her thanks, but no thanks.”

  Alexis shook her head. “Okay, Kane, that’s fine if you’re not interested in taking the job but here’s the thing. I’m curious. I want to know why a woman I never met tracked down my cell phone number and called me out of the blue. Why she foot the bill for a new wardrobe and makeover and a first class ticket to China for me, on top of a more than generous fee for my time. All just so I can convince you to talk to her.”

  Ah, so Charley had cleaned up Alexis before she saw him. He let his gaze drop pointedly down her body then dragged it up again.

  She reacted to his full body perusal. He could see her surprise, colored with shades of what could be discomfort.

  He didn’t feel at all bad for looking. If she was going to let Charley use her and her body to get to him, why not look?

  She needed to realize if she was going to throw her new look at him, he was going to take advantage of it.

  Beneath the robe he was still a man, just in case she thought otherwise.

  “You could just be grateful for the makeover and free trip. Buy some souvenirs for the folks. Go sightseeing.” He shrugged. “I hear the temple puts on a pretty good show for the tourists.”

  She ignored his suggestion and said, “It will cost you nothing to listen to what Charley has to say. Not a thing.”

  His arms stayed firmly crossed over his chest. “Cost isn’t the issue.”

  “Then what is?”

  “I don’t trust her. What’s with all the secrecy and mystery? And that code name? Honest people don’t keep secrets.”

  “Sure, they do. The government. The military. Both keep secrets. You were in the Navy. You know. Sometimes keeping a secret is necessary for the greater good, even for honest people.”

  That was laughable. Her bringing up his service was not the way to win him over. “Not everyone in the government or the military is honorable or honest. And not every secret kept is for the greater good. You’d better learn that now, little girl.”

  Her eyes narrowed at how he’d addressed her. He’d touched a nerve. Good.

  “I’m not a little girl.”

  “Your body isn’t. I’ll give you that. You have grown up. But your heart and your mind—you might as well be the thirteen-year-old you were when I first met you.”

  She drew in a breath and he worked to not stare at the rise and fall of her tits as she did.

  “Five minutes. That’s all I’m asking.”

  “Why? Because you won’t get that fee for your time if I don’t?” he accused.

  “No. We agreed up front I’d get paid whether I can convince you to talk to her or not.”

  Smart girl. He hoped she got paid in advance. He didn’t trust Charley to hold up her end of any bargain.

  “Why then?” he asked. “If you’re getting paid either way, why do you care?”

  She hesitated a beat before she said, “Because I need to know.”

  That rang true.

  He smiled, believing her completely. “That’s really it, isn’t it? You can’t stand not knowing something.”

  A decade-old memory careened into his mind. Alexis stamping her foot in childish protest when he refused to tell her what he’d gotten her sister for Christmas.

  Big. Small. It didn’t matter what the mystery was, not knowing something chipped away at her until it drove her completely nuts.

  She screwed up her pretty mouth. “Maybe. So what?”

  “Nothing.” He laughed, shaking his head.

  “There’s nothing wrong with me for being curious. What’s wrong with you, Kane? I’d be curious if someone looked up my ex-girlfriend’s little sister and sent her to a mountaintop monastery in China to find me. You’re the weird one who doesn’t want to know.”

  She finished the rant with a pretty little pout on her cupid’s bow lips.

  That only had him smiling wider. “Okay.”

  “Okay, what? You agree with me that you’re the weirdo here and not me?” She folded her arms to mirror his position, but unlike him, she had on a revealingly low shirt that displayed creamy globes cresting above the fabric.

  “Okay, make the call,” he said, smiling at her reaction as her eyes widened.

  Fuck it. Why not hear what the mystery woman had to say?

  Hell, maybe he could negotiate a donation for the monastery from Charley in exchange for his valuable time.

  “Really?” she asked, looking as if she were afraid he was playing a joke on her.

  “Really,” he repeated. “But make it quick. We’re on the clock here.” He tapped his empty wrist at the cuff of his sleeve.

  She scrambled to get her cell out of her jacket pocket. “Right. Kung fu. Got it.”

  That he didn’t believe. He doubted that she got it—got him and his reason for being there—at all.

  Chapter Eight

  Alexis’s hands were shaking as she tapped on her phone while she mumbled a curse.

  Immediately after the four-letter word had left her mouth her eyes widened and her gaze cut to him.

  She cringed. “Sorry.”

  Kane lifted one shoulder. “You’re fine.”

  They were alone here. There was no one else to hear. And her cussing didn’t bother him. He had been a sailor, after all.

  Besides, he wasn’t in a position to absolve her sin in the eyes of God or Buddha or the abbot anyway. He was a lowly student here by the grace of the abbot.

  Finally, after a few seconds more of frantic tapping on the screen, all of which seemed more complicated than making a simple phone call should have, she pressed the cell to her ear and met his gaze. “It’s ringing.”

  “That’s good,” he said since her announcement felt as if it needed a response and he didn’t know what else to say.

  “Charley…” Alexis began, pausing immediately after for a moment as she appeared to listen to the other woman speak. “Yes. Kane’s right here. He’s agreed to listen.”

  Yes, he had. How long he would listen for though, he purposely hadn’t committed to. If this Charley person’s bullshit got too thick, he reserved the right to hang up on her.

  Alexis’s gaze met his. She held the cell toward him. The implication was clear. Time for his chat.

  He took the cell and glanced at the screen, tapping the icon to put it on speakerphone before he tossed it on the table between them.

  “You wanted to talk. Here I am. Talk,” he said, staring at Alexis rather than looking at the phone.

  “Yes, there you are, at a Shaolin monastery,” Charley said in a tone ripe with attitude and amusement.

  “Surprised?” he asked, wondering when she’d get to the point.

  “A bit, perhaps. At first. But not unhappy. As it turns out, your location is quite fortuitous.”

  “And why is that?”

  “The assignment I’d like to hire you for is, coincidentally, in China.”

  He doubted there were coincidences in Charley’s world.

  “And what is this assignment, exactly?” he asked, anxious to get down to business so Alexis would be happy knowing everything, then he could say no and end this charade.

  “Do you know,” Charley began, “that the number one highest revenue-earning industry in China is the mining of copper ore? Over thirteen point six billion dollars this year.”

  Kane felt his eyebrows creeping up. “I did not know. I’ll remember that for next time the brothers and I have trivia night.”

  Alexis bit her lip, whether to brace herself for Charley’s response to his sarcasm or to stop from smiling he wasn’t sure.

  Undeterred, Charley continued, “Do you know what the Xinjiang region of China is rich in?”

  “Let me guess. Um. Copper?” he said, playing along with her game since he still had time left on his break.

  “Indeed. In addition to oil, natural gas and gold,” Charley said in a continuation of this strange and unrequested lesson in Chinese mining operations.

  “As interesting as all this is, is there a point coming sometime soon? I have practice shortly.”

  “Of course. Have you heard of the China Mining Industry Group?” she asked.

  “No. Should I have?”

  “Perhaps. You did graduate with a degree in Asian Studies, did you not?”

  “I did.” A lifetime ago. Before the Navy. Before here. “But I, uh, must have fallen asleep in class the day the professor did a deep dive into China’s Xinjiang region’s natural resources.”

  Alexis continued to look worried. As if she feared Charley could come through the cell phone and enact some form of retribution on him for being a jackass.

  He wasn’t worried.

  “Zhāng Wei is the chairman of the China Mining Industry.”

  “Okay,” he said, still waiting for her point.

  “He is also one of the leading proponents of what the government likes to call ‘reeducation camps’ for the Uyghur population. In fact, he’s gone so far as funding the camps in Xinjiang. Which happens to be where his mining company has the majority of its operations.”

  Kane sucked in a breath as her implications became clear.

  “Generous of him,” he said, heavy on the sarcasm.

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “I’m not sure what you think I can do about it.” He was no longer in the business of chasing down bad guys since the Navy kicked him out.

  He and the brothers could pray, perhaps? Somehow he didn’t think that’s what Charley had in mind.

  “Zhāng Wei is on track to gain even more power than he has now. Not just as a leader in industry, but also in politics.”