That is not true. What about that dentist who was completely infatuated with you?
“Oh, Baji, Darren was nice, but way too domesticated. Movie night? Poker with his friends? Ugh. I know you want me to meet a civilian, but that sort of life isn’t for me.”
Your mother never recovered from Jordan’s death. I am trying to spare you that pain.
“I felt Daddy’s death as well. It hurt me just as much.”
And I do not wish for you to go through that again.
Roen and the girl sat down in front of Buckingham Fountain and were talking intimately. The tail had swerved to the side and had planted himself near a food stand. Sonya sat down at a bench in between the two and took out her magazine. For the next ten minutes, she learned more about road bikes than she ever wanted to know. The tail was sitting at a small table eating a hot dog. Roen and his date were still talking. Then they kissed.
“I wonder if they were dating before he kissed me.”
If they were, Tao and I will have some serious words.
“Baji, relax. It was just a kiss.”
Tao is a bad influence on humans. Edward was such a gentleman before Tao got his claws in him. He once tried to date your mother before she met Jordan. A scene of a young Edward flirting popped into Sonya’s head. It was followed by laughter and a hand, which Sonya assumed was her mother’s, pinching his cheeks.
“Wasn’t Mother much older than him?”
By about ten years.
“I don’t blame him. Mother was very beautiful.” Another image flashed of Dania looking into the mirror. It was one that Baji often showed her. Sonya smiled; it was one of her favorite memories of her mother. “Hey, I want to hear what they’re saying.” Sonya moved closer and sat down about twenty meters away. Then she pulled out a small listening device and aimed it at the couple.
This is very inappropriate.
“I know, but so much fun.”
Roen was saying, “You’re right. I was going to make it a surprise, but you forced my hand. I’ve already booked a ski trip for your birthday. Thanks for ruining your gift.”
“Really?” Roen’s girlfriend sounded skeptical. “When’s my birthday?”
There was a pause. “December twelfth,” he answered finally.
You know Tao is feeding him all that information.
The girl laughed. Something about her voice irritated Sonya. The girl said, “I thought I had you there for a second. I’m impressed, Roen Tan. I didn’t think you remembered what month it was, let alone the day.”
Sonya smiled. “Seems you’re not the only one who thinks that, Baji.”
He has the memory capacity of a gerbil.
“You kidding?” Roen was saying. “Spent an entire night repeating your birthday over and over again just to make sure I wouldn’t forget.”
“I bet you did,” she teased. “You have the worst memory, I swear. So where are we going?”
There was another pause. “Galena.” Pause. “It’s in Illinois.” Pause. “West of Chicago.”
She leaned back, impressed. “Well, look at you. Aren’t you suddenly the romantic one?”
Their conversation went on and on. Sonya turned off the listener and went back to her magazine. Any more of that conversation and she thought she might get sick. She still kept an eye on the tail, who must be on his third hot dog now. They were in a far too populated area for anyone to act, so the only thing she could do was wait them out.
Are you unhappy, Sonya?
“Not unhappy per se. It’s just nice to have someone sometimes. My life right now is mission after mission. And it’s not that I regret it. This is all I ever wanted to do, but listening to them makes me a little wistful.”
I am sorry you feel this way. I am to blame. Tao said I should provide a more balanced life for you. Perhaps he is right.
“Baji, I appreciate everything you’ve done for my family. You have nothing to say sorry for. Wait, Roen and girlie are moving.”
Sonya kept her face down as Roen and his girl got up and walked back the way they came. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the tail move as well. She saw his lips move as he strolled after them.
“We need to move fast. He could be calling in a kill team.”
Take him out at the first isolated spot you can find.
The stalking continued. The tail was a third of a block behind Roen while Sonya kept half a block behind him. They ventured west to Michigan Avenue and then turned north.
Somewhere along the way though, Roen’s tail must have detected something. Maybe Sonya got too close, maybe she had a miscue in her reaction, but whatever she did, the tail was suddenly aware that something was wrong. This began a new game.
The tail broke off from Roen and walked into a store. Moments later, he came out and changed directions. He then turned west onto Madison Street and then right on Dearborn Street. He was moving in random directions in an attempt to identify his tail. Unfortunately for him, Sonya was very good at this game.
She timed her steps with his and the two crossed paths just as they passed by an alley. In a split second, she rammed her fist in his gut and pushed him into the alley. The tail wasn’t completely unprepared. He took her initial hit well and retreated behind a dumpster.
“Hmm… he seems like he knows what he’s doing. Is he gun worthy?”
Not if you can avoid it. It will cause too much attention in this populated area. Watch for his, though.
The tail tried to pull out his pistol. Sonya dove forward and grabbed his wrist. Then she hit him on the chin with her forehead. Sonya wrestled the gun away and threw it to the side. The tail shoved her away from him, and the two squared off, sizing each other up. Sonya was careful to cut off his exit. He was younger than she thought, but he looked and moved like an experienced agent. The way he held his hands and moved his feet told her the tail had Mossad training.
Watch his left. He is a southpaw.
“Just out of professional curiosity,” Sonya asked, “what gave me away?”
The tail smirked. “You’re good, girl. I give you that. You don’t think you were the only one listening in on Mr Tan, do you? I picked up your interference. Our toys are better than your toys.”
“That is true,” she conceded.
“What about me?” he asked. “What gave me away? It’d be good to fix for next time.”
Sonya shrugged. “You just weren’t that good.”
It was a brief and ugly exchange, and was over in moments.
When it was over, Sonya stepped out alone from the alley, dusting off some grime that got onto her clothes when she threw his body into the dumpster.
“I think it’s time Roen quit his job. Going to work is getting way too dangerous for him. And me.”
I agree. We will arrange to have him laid off. At least then he gets severance.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: T’AI CHI
And for the third and last time, I faltered. My sin against Zhu was great. In order to save what we had built, I destroyed it from within – through him. I betrayed his trust and twisted him into everything he wasn’t. This was done in order to save his people, I told myself. His peaceful reign became one of suspicion and terror. I conceived the birth of the infamous secret police which terrorized his people. I sent his armies forth to suppress all dissension. I destroyed my own dream.
“Relax your breathing. Feel the chi flow through your arms. Push with your entire body, not just your arms.”
Roen let Sifu Lin drone on in the background as he focused on the Chen-style form. It always surprised him how much he sweated practicing t’ai chi. It was even more surprising how hard it was to move at a slow and controlled pace. He originally thought moving at a snail’s pace would be much easier than moving fast, but that wasn’t the case. It forced him to pay attention to his body in a completely different manner.