God, her life had gotten strange.

  Charley’s momentary silence caught Alexis’s attention. They’d surprised her.

  Had she really discovered information the all-knowing Charley and her organization hadn’t known? A bit of pride swelled in her chest.

  Little old her, shamed ex-CIA, had thrown big bad Charley for a loop. She only hoped Charley didn’t take her displeasure out on her—or Kane—with a sniper’s bullet.

  They still didn’t know to what lengths this woman and her organization would go. She had a feeling in Charley’s world you didn’t get a final paycheck and escorted off the premises by security with all your stuff in a cardboard box when terminated.

  Termination with Charley was probably a whole lot more permanent.

  “Who is the we you keep speaking of?” Charley asked, back to using her cool, confident voice, although now her smoothness seemed to have a sharp edge to it.

  “Alexis is apparently a computer whiz. She did some digging and found evidence of Peng’s possible kidnapping and return right about the time Wei took center stage as the man behind the Xinjiang camps.”

  Again, she was quiet for a moment. Dead silent.

  “Let me get back to you,” she said uncharacteristically quickly.

  “Nope. Don’t you hang up,” Kane warned, his timbre deep and strong.

  Was that a sigh Alexis heard coming out of Charley?

  “Yes?” Charley asked with that edge still present in her voice.

  “Were you responsible for the Shaolin monks being added as performers in Beijing?” Kane asked.

  “Why would you ask that? The addition of the show to entertain the officials in attendance makes perfect sense. Did you know that Putin visited your temple in two-thousand and six? I’m told he and your Abbot Shi got along fabulously.”

  He scowled at her non-answer. “Did you bribe the abbot to send me to Beijing?”

  “We sponsored the performers by covering expenses. And I might have mentioned that in light of the US leaders’ boycott of the event, that having an American military man as part of the show could be advantageous.”

  “Jeez.” He ran his hand over his face. “Why?”

  “Why do you think, Kane? I needed you there inside the Olympic village to do the job and this accomplished that goal nicely.”

  “And what would happen to Chinese and American relations when an American military man gets caught killing one of their most high-profile businessmen?”

  That’s when his being dishonorably discharged would be used. Kane’s shame would be the perfect cover for an American corporation or perhaps even a covert organization within the US government putting a hit out on that Chinese businessman.

  “Don’t get caught,” Charley said simply.

  His features turned rock hard. His jaw clenched. His nostrils flared. “You’re not a stupid woman, Charley—”

  “Thank you,” Charley said with a good bit of attitude, again proving she wasn’t the emotionless droid she pretended to be.

  “You know what kind of security will be on site given who will be in attendance. Even for a bunch of monks. There would be metal detectors. Searches. There is no way I could get a gun anywhere near there.”

  “I have faith in you to figure it out once you are in place.”

  “You have more faith than I do.” Kane snorted. “And stop talking in the present tense. I told you I wasn’t taking the job before, and I’m certainly not taking it now in light of this new information.”

  “The supposed information that I would like to investigate for myself, if you will let me get off this call,” Charley snarked.

  Kane’s chest rose beneath his tunic—or whatever the robe-like top that went over the pants of his kung fu outfit was called.

  “Fine. Go,” he said.

  “Thank you.” Charley disconnected the call and Kane glanced up at Alexis.

  “You surprised her,” she said, still proud of that.

  “We surprised her. You and your information mostly.”

  Alexis accepted the compliment with a small smile that soon faded as she asked, “So what now?”

  “Now, we wait.” He leaned back against the desk, arms folded again. “And while we do, tell me about your sordid life as a hacker.”

  “It’s not a life. More of a hobby.” She shrugged.

  He shook his head, smiling.

  Kane Lee looked really good when he smiled.

  He looked incredible at any time but especially now. Even in the monk workout wear that looked a bit like pajamas, he was still the manliest man she’d ever known. Both back when she was a schoolgirl with a crush and now that she was a woman.

  “I’m more interested in hearing about your life here.” She glanced around the sparse room.

  The monks weren’t much for interior décor in the crude building that served as their living quarters, but the grounds were lovely. And she’d taken his advice and visited the public buildings of the temple.

  It seemed more tourist destination nowadays than solemn holy ground. But the commercialization of Shaolin didn’t diminish her appreciation for the architecture or the rich history of the place and its people.

  The monastery’s abbot Shi Yongxin had adapted to the changing times. Perhaps too much. But the monastery now thrived, thanks to him.

  She was grateful the abbot seemed to spend the bulk of his time elsewhere, which allowed her and Kane to use this small office in the monk’s living quarters building.

  His crooked grin lit his face. “What would you like to know?”

  “Well, for starters, are you like a monk now? Or a monk in training?” She had some personal reasons for asking that.

  She was pretty sure she shouldn’t be having the thoughts she had about Kane if he had taken his vows—or whatever—to become a full-fledged monk.

  “There are monks and then there are practitioners. I’m studying to be a practitioner.”

  “And the difference is?” she prompted, hoping the answer was that practitioners could have sex.

  She resisted the urge to watch for the lightning strike after having that thought here.

  “Generally, monks have devoted their lives to the temple, although some do leave. Practitioners usually move on, most likely to teach their skills elsewhere.”

  “Ah, interesting.” And very good news. “Is that what you want to do? Teach when you leave here?”

  “I don’t think past being here,” he said flatly.

  That dishonorable discharge, and no doubt the knowledge that he’d killed the wrong man, weighed on him still. She could see that.

  “Good plan.” She nodded. It wasn’t her plan, but it was fine for him.

  She did nothing but think about the future. Unfortunately, finally completing her degree and getting a good job—a real job—seemed so far away.

  The cell on the desk between them lit then vibrated on the table.

  “Charley,” she said, unnecessarily since Charley was the only one that she knew of who had the number to the burner phone.

  “Yup. Let’s see what she has to say.” He reached forward and swiped to answer the call.

  “Hello? Who’s this?” he asked, feigning ignorance.

  Alexis bit her lip to stifle a laugh. She could imagine Charley’s annoyance at Kane’s joke. If only she could see her expression. She’d bet it was hilarious.

  Meanwhile, they shouldn’t be joking. A man’s life hung in the balance. But this whole situation was so surreal, and getting more so, maybe they had to laugh.

  “It seems you were correct,” Charley said, sounding pretty unhappy about being wrong and having to admit it.

  “Excuse me? Say again?” Kane said, poking the bear one more time.

  He’d heard Charley’s annoyance just as clearly as Alexis had. He was just rubbing it in now. She almost felt sorry for Charley. Almost…

  “You were right,” Charley said with short, clipped words. “Now if we can move on, I’d like to discuss future steps.”

  “Whoa. You do what you want but there is no future for me with you,” Kane said.

  Alexis briefly pondered if those were close to the words he’d used when dumping her sister after college graduation.

  Back then, she’d mourned the loss of Kane’s presence in their lives but had secretly celebrated the breakup. Now, imagining being on the other end of those cold, harsh words from Kane, she realized she probably should have had more empathy for Brittany.

  “The assignment has changed,” Charley said.

  “How? You have a new name for me to assassinate? The answer is still—”

  “No. I want you to find who is in charge.”

  “And how am I supposed to do that?”

  “You have Alexis the computer expert, as you’ve said. And you will have boots on the ground—so to speak—in Beijing. I have faith in your skills, Kane.”

  He let out a snort. “That makes one of us.”

  “Let me know what you find.”

  The call went dead.

  Kane’s brow rose as he stared at the now blank screen of the cell phone. He lifted his eyes to meet hers, his lips slightly parted. “Is she crazy?”

  “Maybe.” Alexis shrugged. “And maybe I am too because I think we can do it.”

  She felt the bubble of excitement building inside her.

  Kane snorted. “Yeah. You’re right. You are crazy.”

  She remained silent, waiting for him to fill the space. Finally, as her CIA training had promised, he did.

  Kane let out a sigh. “Fine. We can try, through research on your computer, but that’s all.”

  “That’s all I want.” Well, maybe not all she wanted.

  She wanted Kane. And she had every intention of getting him.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Shifu—” Kane hesitated. He never thought he’d ask this but here he was. “I need to leave.”

  His teacher’s brows twitched up but he remained silent, waiting for more.

  Kane drew in a breath. “Just for a few hours. I need to do something that can’t be done here.”

  He could see the man’s mind working. Wondering. Assuming things Kane didn’t want him to.

  He wasn’t going to Alexis’s hotel room with her for sex, although that had probably crossed his teacher’s mind. He was going there because Alexis insisted her computer set-up was so extensive and the high-speed wi-fi so strong—not to mention the privacy they’d need for their snooping—that this had to be done at her hotel.

  The man nodded. “You are and always have been free to leave.”

  “Yes.” Kane nodded. “But I don’t want to leave.”

  “Except for a few hours this afternoon,” his teacher said with a bit of amusement.

  “Yes,” Kane confirmed.

  “Safe travels.”

  “Thank you, shifu.” Relieved this part was done, he turned to go to Alexis who was waiting for him by the car.

  He realized what he was wearing, considered going to his room and changing into the few civilian items of clothing he had with him, then ignored the impulse.

  He’d rather spend every moment getting to the bottom of this mystery rather than worrying about how he was dressed.

  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.

  He was more SEAL than monk. The year that had passed since he’d worn that uniform seemed to fade away. All his training came back.

  Like how the body retained muscle memory, he knew exactly what he had to do. He moved to the bathroom and did a search in there, finding nothing.

  That wasn’t as reassuring as he’d like it to be. Just because he found nothing didn’t mean there was nothing there.

  Charley obviously had backing by an organization with a long reach, money and power.

  But without a device to detect surveillance, just relying on his hands and eyes and training, he felt like he was back in the Stone Age.

  One thing he did miss about the SEALs was that they had the best toys. Almost anything he wanted or needed—technology, weapons—he could request and usually get.

  Here he was on his own.

  He walked back into the living area and saw Alexis already seated in front of a bank of computer monitors. Maybe he was not quite alone after all.

  “You done?” she asked without taking her eyes off the monitor in front of her or her hands off the keyboard.

  “Yes.”

  “Are we bugged?” she asked, not quite getting the lingo right, which he found too adorable for comfort.

  “Not that I can find.”

  “Good.” Her fingers flying over the keyboard, she clicked away.

  He obviously couldn’t help her in her hacking endeavors.

  That was one skill he didn’t possess. Which made him wonder what he was doing here.

  He decided to ask. “Why am I here, Lexi?”

  She glanced up at him. “I can use your help.”

  “In what?” He shook his head, still not understanding.

  “Putting any pieces I find together.”

  She could have brought anything she found to the monastery for him to look over on his break. He didn’t have to be here in the hotel watching her clack away at the keys.

  He moved closer and rested one hand over hers, stopping her rapid typing. “Why am I really here?”

  She raised her eyes to him. Those amazing eyes he’d recognized in the abbot’s office after a not having seen her for a decade.

  Blue. Green. Both hues swirled together to create a kaleidoscope.

  Against her dark halo of tight curls and the deep warm tone of her complexion inherited from her Jamaican mother, the contrast of those eyes took her from simply pretty to head-turning. Heart stopping.

  Her sister had them too, a legacy from their Irish father.

  Brittany’s eyes had been what he’d first noticed about her at CUNY. The sisters were equally attractive, though so different in who they were.

  Thoughts of his ex-girlfriend had him realizing something. It felt like he knew more about Alexis in just a few days than he ever had about her sister. Even after having dated her for two years.

  Alexis opened her mouth and he thought she might finally answer his question. But she didn’t speak. Instead she stood and rested both hands on his chest.

  “I…I just needed you with me. Is that okay?”