‘Have you ever killed anyone without honour?’
‘Nearly everybody I killed was without honour.’
‘No,’ I said, ‘I meant, have you killed anybody in a dishonourable way? Have you ever stabbed anybody in the back?’
He pulled his knees into his chest with his ankles crossed and wrapped his arms around them. ‘Of course not. But I can’t really see how that makes a difference. Dead is dead.’
‘You know I love you anyway, and I always will,’ I said. ‘I know you. I know you have only killed when there was no other alternative. And I know that times have changed. What was acceptable even a hundred years ago is completely unthinkable now.’
He dropped his arms from his knees and moved away. ‘You are much wiser than your years, little Emma Donahoe.’
I sighed and finished healing my liver. I rounded up the energy and put it back. I sat up and the room spun around me. ‘I need to sleep now.’
Leo opened the door and entered. He didn’t say anything, he just came to me and put one massive hand under my arm to help me up. He lifted me as if I didn’t weigh anything.
I leaned on him as he led me back to my room. He scooped me up and put me on the bed, pulled off my slippers, and tucked me in like a parent. He kissed me on the cheek and brushed his hand over my forehead.
‘He hasn’t played that guitar since Michelle died. He’d only play it when she wasn’t around, before.’
‘He’s very good,’ I said.
‘One of the best. You brought it back for him.’
‘I don’t deserve him,’ I said softly.
‘I know,’ he said, his voice a low rumble. ‘You don’t deserve any of us.’
‘I know,’ I whispered as I drifted away.
The next day was Sunday and both John and Leo forced me to rest so I could heal. Simone demanded sushi for lunch, and John and I trailed along. She loved raw fish so much it was like she was a sea creature herself. We could find something vegetarian later.
It was only a half hour wait before we were given three stools at the bar in front of the conveyor belt that held the small plates of covered sushi.
‘Can you come to the end of term concert, Daddy?’ Simone said as she munched on her third plate of raw tuna.
‘When is it, sweetheart?’
Simone quickly swallowed. ‘I don’t know. Emma knows.’
‘I’ll talk to your daddy about it,’ I said. ‘We’ll look at his diary.’
‘Then you don’t need to talk to him,’ Simone said cheekily. ‘He doesn’t do his own diary. You and Two Five One do it.’
‘That’s right,’ John said. ‘I can’t do anything without my Emma. Are you in the concert?’
Simone nodded, her eyes wide.
‘Then I’ll come.’
Simone squealed and hugged him, dropping her chopsticks. ‘Whoops.’
I gave her a new set of chopsticks from the box on the bench. ‘There’s hardly any vegetarian sushi going past,’ I said, watching the plates meander on the conveyer belt in front of us. ‘It’s all raw salmon and seaweed, and I’ve already had seaweed.’
The conveyer belt had a mirror behind it, reflecting the dishes. I saw something in the glass and froze. I spun on my stool to look out through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind us. The busy street was packed with people, but I was right.
‘April Ho just went past, John,’ I said urgently. ‘By herself.’
John concentrated and Gold appeared, crouched under the bench.
‘Mind Simone,’ John said.
Gold nodded and pulled himself out to sit on a stool. Nobody noticed. John and I hurried out of the sushi bar and followed April along the busy Causeway Bay street.
‘April!’ I called, and she hesitated, then continued.
‘April! April Ho!’
April stopped and turned. She looked around, saw me, but didn’t appear to recognise me. She turned to continue walking.
‘April Li!’ I called again, using her maiden name and running to her. She stopped and turned. I grinned as I approached her. ‘It’s so good to see you! I was worried about you.’
Her face was stiff. ‘Do I know you?’
‘It’s me, Emma,’ I said with a huge grin. ‘I haven’t changed that much, have I? Look.’ I gestured towards John behind me. ‘You can finally meet him. John Chen Wu.’
‘Pleased to meet you, April,’ John said politely. ‘I hear you had a baby not long ago. Congratulations.’
April’s face went even more rigid. ‘I think you are talking to the wrong person.’
I studied her closely. ‘April, it’s me, Emma.’
I think she’s had her memory wiped.
I inhaled sharply. ‘April, you went to China and had your baby.’
‘I have no idea what you are talking about.’ She spun and walked quickly away.
I raced to follow and walked alongside her. ‘April, it’s me, Emma. Don’t you remember me? We looked at your wedding photos.’
‘I am not married,’ April said grimly.
‘You were pregnant, April!’ I said desperately. ‘You were living in Discovery Bay. You went to China and had the baby, by caesarean. The ultrasound scans showed it was a boy.’
‘I do not think this is funny,’ April said, walking faster.
‘What about Andy?’ I said.
April stopped. ‘How do you know about Andy?’
‘He’s your husband,’ I said.
‘Not yet,’ April said through the frown. ‘I am marrying him in Australia later this year, and then we are going to Australia to live there together.’
Memory’s definitely been wiped. You’re wasting your time, Emma. She doesn’t know you at all. I wonder what happened to the baby. The grandparents had to know about it…
‘Oh, dear God,’ I said softly. ‘You’re getting married? What did your family say?’
April pushed her face right into mine, her features screwed up in a fierce grimace. ‘My family were killed in a car accident in Australia earlier this year.’ She put her hand to her forehead and saddened. ‘I don’t know why I’m telling you this, I don’t even know you.’
‘We were friends at the kindergarten.’
‘What kindergarten?’
‘Kitty Kwok’s kindergarten,’ I said. ‘Saint LaSalle Kindergarten, in Kowloon Tong.’
April’s face lit up. ‘Aunty Kitty looks after me.’ She took my hand and shook it. ‘If you know Aunty Kitty then you are a friend. She has been wonderful, caring for me after my family were all killed.’ She saddened again. ‘I shouldn’t be out like this; she says I’m not ready to be shopping by myself. But I wanted to go out for a while. I haven’t been out in a long time.’
‘Come with me, April. I’ll look after you,’ I said, squeezing her hand.
April’s mobile phone rang and she pulled it out of her bag. It still had the glittering aerial that flashed with coloured lights when it rang, but she had changed the pink furry Hello Kitty case for a blue Doraemon one.
‘Wei?’ she squawked into the phone. She smiled, pulled the phone away from her ear and pointed at it. ‘Aunty Kitty,’ she whispered. She put the phone back to her ear. ‘Yes, Aunty Kitty. I’m on Canal Street in Causeway Bay, I just went for a walk around.’ Her shoulders sagged as Kitty’s shouts were audible at the other end of the line. ‘Sorry,’ she mumbled. ‘I’ll be right back.’
She closed the phone and brightened. ‘Do you want to come with me and see Kitty? Our apartment is close by.’
‘Where is it?’ I said.
‘It’s…’ April hesitated, then turned, pointing. She stopped and her face went blank. ‘I don’t remember.’
They’re coming to collect her. Very big demons. Let’s get out of here.
‘What’s your phone number?’ I said.
April’s face was completely blank. ‘I don’t know. What’s yours?’
Don’t give it to her. They’ll know it’s you and probably try to use it to get to you. She’ll be safe
r if they aren’t aware that you’ve talked to her. John stiffened. We have to get out of here right now.
‘Bye, April,’ he said, and gestured for me to follow him.
‘Bye,’ April said, her face still blank.
I glanced back as we raced away. She stood on the pavement with people flowing around her. She seemed completely lost. Some burly men appeared behind her and spoke to her. She turned, one of them took her elbow, and they led her away. She glanced back, looking for me. She didn’t see me.
Back at the sushi bar I threw myself onto my stool and put my head in my hands. ‘I will get that bitch one day,’ I whispered, so softly that Simone couldn’t hear me. ‘April trusted Kitty. Look where it got her.’
They are taking a huge risk by not killing her immediately, John said. Why didn’t they kill her the minute they had the baby? They had no problem with killing her entire family. Why have they kept her and wiped her memory?
‘Even worse, what have they done with the baby?’ I whispered.
‘Hurry up and finish your sushi, Simone,’ John said. ‘We’re going home and having another energy session.’
‘Oh, come on, Daddy,’ Simone whined. ‘We spent the whole morning on sword. I want to rest.’
John dropped his head. ‘Okay, sweetheart. Tell me if I tire you out too much.’
‘Lately it seems to be all we do,’ Simone grumbled. ‘Just wushu. Nothing fun.’
‘It’s not fun any more, sweetheart?’ I said, my heart breaking. ‘It’s never been not fun before. You’ve always enjoyed it a lot.’
‘Too much,’ Simone said, still grumbling. ‘I want to spend a whole day having fun instead.’
‘Right,’ John said, putting his hands on either side of the stack of plates in front of him. ‘Tomorrow, we will have fun. No wushu at all. What would you like to do?’
‘Tomorrow’s a school day, John,’ I said softly.
‘We’re skipping school for a day and having some fun, Emma,’ John said. ‘Simone can go anywhere she likes.’
Simone squeaked with delight. ‘Anywhere?’
‘Anywhere.’
Simone jiggled. ‘I don’t know where I want to go. What I want to do. Can I think about it?’
‘You sure can,’ John said. ‘You can tell me later. Okay. Are we finished?’
Simone and I both nodded.
‘Both of you ate more than me,’ John said, waving his hand at the stacks of plates on the counter in front of us.
‘Simone ate the most,’ I said. ‘So she has to pay.’
John levered himself off the stool and took Simone’s hand to help her down. ‘That’s right. I’m not paying for you to eat all this food when I can’t have anything.’
Simone glanced at me, her face cheeky. ‘Next time we come without Daddy.’
I was about to open my mouth to say something cheeky back when I saw John’s face. It was completely rigid.
Next time we would be coming without Daddy, and Daddy knew it.
When we arrived home, Simone went straight into the television room and sat in front of the TV, zoning out. We left her and went into John’s office together.
‘Andy didn’t want to stay married to April. He wanted her to have an abortion,’ I said.
‘He asked her for a divorce?’
I suddenly remembered. ‘No, he didn’t. He wanted her to stay married to him, just out of the way. But he did want her to have an abortion.’
‘Why wouldn’t they want the baby? The baby was probably the whole point of the exercise.’
I ran my hands through my hair. ‘It was a boy, John. The ultrasounds showed it was a boy. April told me so herself.’
He was obviously confused. ‘But if you’re traditional, a boy is better. Why would he want her to abort a boy?’
‘Because they wanted a girl.’
He suddenly understood. ‘Simone.’
‘Or me.’
‘The copy of you in the dumpster.’
‘But I’m thirty years old, John. They couldn’t make a baby into a copy of me. It’s just not possible.’
‘You know that demons are hatched fully grown, Emma.’
‘But this one is at least half human! How could it be hatched?’
He rubbed his hands over his face and tied back his hair. ‘I don’t know. I have never encountered anything like this before. I have no idea how they are making these copies. I suspect that April’s baby boy was used in the experimentation and they let her keep the baby when they realised it could be useful. But that is just an educated guess.’
‘We have to go in and get her out,’ I said fiercely. ‘She’s my friend.’
‘We have no idea where she is.’
‘She’s in Causeway Bay. Somewhere. With a lot of big demons.’
‘You will go in and face that many powerful demons?’
‘Yes,’ I said firmly. ‘To help my friend, I will.’
‘Simone needs you, Emma,’ John said. ‘Simone needs both of us. They have not harmed April. She does not appear to be in any danger; in fact, she said that Kitty is caring for her.’
I couldn’t believe it. ‘You don’t think we should go in?’
‘I would love to go in and clean out that nest. But right now we are unable. We must protect Simone.’ His voice softened. ‘We have no choice, Emma. Our first duty is to Simone. She is the one who is in real, immediate danger here.’
‘Send in some Disciples.’
‘No.’
I glared at him.
‘I will not send my Dark Disciples against a powerful demon on its own turf. That would be a useless waste of life.’
‘Send in some Celestials.’
‘The Celestials are protecting the human Disciples, Emma.’ He sighed and leaned his elbows on the table. ‘Face it. Right now, there’s nothing we can do.’
I crossed my arms on the table and dropped my head onto them. He was right.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The next day, while John and Simone were at the theme park in China, I saw Louise for lunch. We met at the atrium that connected Sha Tin station with the shopping mall. Having the baby had made her softer and rounder. She held the baby in a sling strapped in front of her, and was accompanied by a demon, who appeared as a middle-aged Filipina domestic helper, carrying an enormous baby accessories bag. A hefty young bodyguard—one of the Tiger’s sons—stood behind her watching the crowd carefully.
Louise raced to me and hugged me around the baby, who squirmed at the pressure. Then she stepped back to see me. She studied me carefully, looking me right in the eyes, then smiled broadly.
I cooed at the baby and took her hand. She grasped my finger, her little rosebud mouth nearly forming a sweet smile, and my heart melted.
‘What’s her name?’ I said.
‘Four—’ Louise said, then stopped. ‘Oh, her name. Kimberley. Kimmy.’
‘She’s gorgeous,’ I said, brushing my hand over the baby’s downy white hair.
Louise grinned with pride, her bright blue eyes sparkling under her spiky blonde hair. ‘Come on, let’s get some lunch. Let’s go to the Japanese place the Tiger owns. We won’t have to wait, and we can have a private room.’
She turned and we headed past the fountain, the bodyguard hovering and alert, the demon servant trailing after us lugging the huge bag.
‘Lady Emma,’ the bodyguard said, nodding.
‘Hi,’ I said. ‘What’s your name?’
‘Two Eight Five.’
‘Matt,’ Louise said, and the bodyguard nodded again.
‘You haven’t changed a bit, Louise,’ I said as Matt cleared our way through the Monday lunchtime crowd in the centre of the mall.
‘Yeah, right,’ Louise said with a grin. ‘Put a lot of weight on, but the Tiger’s dietician and personal trainer are working with me. I’ll be back in shape in no time.’ She looked me up and down. ‘You need to see them too, Emma.’
I sighed. ‘Yeah, I know. Need to do more physical stuff. I do to
o much energy work.’
Louise laughed softly. ‘I heard about that. You have to show me.’
‘Not in public, but you can come over to the Academy and see,’ I said.
‘But you look amazingly healthy,’ Louise said, glancing sideways at me. ‘You actually look younger than you did last year.’
That completely floored me. ‘What?’
‘You only look about twenty-five.’
I was bewildered. ‘I’ll be thirty-one in October, in four months,’ I said. ‘I can’t look that young, don’t be ridiculous.’
‘You do.’
We arrived at the Japanese restaurant. There were about twenty people waiting outside, and five more at the reception desk collecting numbers to wait. When we reached the desk, the receptionist scowled at the baby. Louise wasn’t fazed. She reached around the baby into her shirt, pulled out a platinum tiger that she wore on a chain around her neck, and dangled it in front of the receptionist.
The receptionist’s face immediately went blank, then she smiled warmly and gestured for us to follow her, bobbing her head.
‘Oh my God; that bastard,’ I said softly.
‘What?’ Louise said as we were led into the private room.
‘He tried to trick me into taking one of them.’
‘One of what?’
‘One of those little platinum tigers,’ I said.
Louise grinned, then burst out laughing. She pulled her shoes off and went into the room. The demon servant followed her and sat quietly in the corner on the tatami mats.
‘I’ll wait outside, ma’am,’ the bodyguard said. ‘I’ll be right outside the door.’
‘Okay, Matt,’ Louise said. She undid the straps holding the baby and gently lowered her as we sat. ‘You want to hold her?’
I nodded and carefully took the baby. She squeaked and waved her little hands. I held her close and tried to control my reaction.
‘What?’ Louise said. ‘What’s the matter?’
I couldn’t say anything. I just held the baby close and watched her.
‘What’s the problem, Emma?’ Louise said.
‘I’ll never have one of my own,’ I said, my voice thick. ‘Never.’
‘Why not?’ Louise said softly. ‘He’s promised to come back for you, hasn’t he?’