White Tiger (25 page)

‘I should have known,’ she said. ‘I had to tell Michelle as well. They were too embarrassed to tell her.’

‘Wait,’ I said. ‘He had a child with Michelle. He could touch her. Why could he touch her and not me?’

‘He returned to the Mountain regularly while he was married to Michelle,’ she said. ‘He was able to rebuild his energy on the Mountain. Even so, he still had to be very careful.’

‘They are so
useless
!’

She smiled slightly. ‘Then Simone was born, and he carried both of them to the Mountain. A child may travel to the Celestial Plane under the protection of its mother. Movement to the plane is very stressful for mortals, but the mother protects the child, lends her energy, ensures the child’s safety. Now that Michelle is gone, he cannot return to his Mountain. He cannot leave Simone here without his protection.’

‘If that demon had never killed Michelle, none of this would have happened. Simone would still have her mother, and her father would be able to stay with her forever.’

‘That is true.’

‘I am going to get that demon one day.’

‘You are quite remarkable sometimes, Emma.’

‘He touches me when we’re training together, Ms Kwan.’ I sighed. ‘I should tell him to stop, shouldn’t I?’

‘He knows how far he can take it. While he is teaching you he must concentrate on his beloved Arts and will not hurt you. He has very good control. You
can trust him. He knew you would respect his wishes and would not push it.’ She poured more tea. ‘He has spoken of nothing but you since you arrived, Emma. Your courage, your talent, your total devotion to Simone…’

I could feel my face reddening.

‘He is a man in love. And men in love do foolish things.’

‘He loves me.’ My heart leapt at the words. ‘He does love me.’ My throat thickened. I lowered my head and shook it. ‘He does.’

‘I think we would all understand if you were to decide to leave now, Emma. There is no future in this. I think it would be best if you were to leave and find another.’

‘No. Simone needs me. And I want to be with him for the short time we have left.’

‘It can never be, Emma. You can never share your feelings. You must be especially careful when you are alone together. Do not show your affection for him too much, dear, you could push him over the edge.’

‘I think I must be the happiest woman in the whole world.’

Her eyes turned inward. ‘Simone has woken. You must care for her, and I must care for him.’

‘Let’s go,’ I said, and rose. I couldn’t stop my smile.

‘I think,’ she said, smiling sadly, ‘you are as great a fool as he is.’

‘Oh, I sincerely hope so.’

She bundled me into her arms and held me for a while. Then we went out together.

I returned to the kitchen with the teapot and cups. Leo sat at the table, still watching his coffee. I placed the pot and cups into the sink for Monica.

I stopped as I passed him on the way out of the kitchen and smartly slapped the back of his bald head.
‘Keep anything important a secret from me
ever
again and I will tear your arms off.’

He didn’t move or look up. ‘You are extremely scary sometimes, you know that?’

‘You have no idea,’ I growled, and went out.

A
week later we all sat quietly at the dinner table. Mr Chen brooded. Simone fiddled with her vegetables. Leo was monosyllabic.

‘You need to swim in the sea, Ah Wu,’ Ms Kwan said. Mr Chen didn’t look up. ‘The water is unclean. It would undo everything you have done for me.’

‘We are going to Australia the day after tomorrow,’ Ms Kwan said. ‘All of us. Ah Wu, arrange it.’ He glared at her. ‘I can’t go anywhere.’ ‘You will swim in the sea. It is summer there. You will take Simone to the playgrounds.’

‘The Northern Heavens must be administered, Mercy. I can’t leave.’

‘Your Generals are quite capable, Ah Wu. You are going.’

He glowered.

‘That’s a great idea, Ms Kwan,’ I said. ‘I’ll arrange the plane.’

‘You’ll arrange the plane?’ Leo said, incredulous.

‘I’ve been through his office. I know what to do.’

‘Good,’ Ms Kwan said. ‘I have a place for us to stay, but you will need to bring Monica. I do not have staff there.’

Mr Chen glared at his vegetables. ‘I will brook no argument, Ah Wu. You need to swim in the sea.’

He opened his mouth to say something. ‘You’re going,’ I said. ‘You need it.’ He closed his mouth. And that was that.

As we walked out of Coolangatta airport to the van the fresh warm breeze hit me and ruffled my hair. I breathed deeply; it was good to be out of the pollution of Hong Kong.

Leo took the keys, opened the van and put the bags in. ‘Road rules?’ he asked me.

‘Pretty much the same as Hong Kong, but you can be more polite about waiting at intersections,’ I said. ‘It’s not as busy as back home, so you won’t need to push in. But apart from that, almost identical. You want me to drive?’

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ he said, and opened the door for me and Ms Kwan. ‘Get in.’

As I buckled Simone up I had a sudden realisation: I’d called Hong Kong home.

Ms Kwan provided directions. The apartment building we were staying in was massive; it must have been more than twenty storeys. It was south of the main tourist area in a part of the Gold Coast that had fewer highrises, and it overlooked the beach. The penthouse took up the entire top floor of the apartment building, and had a small roof garden with a spa.

As soon as we entered the apartment Mr Chen went straight out onto the balcony and leaned on the railing, watching the surf below. The fresh breeze lifted his hair.

The sky was a deep blue, without a single cloud, and the air was clear enough to see the container ships on the horizon. The sea was a deeper blue, and the surf
pounded below us. The wide beach stretched to the horizon in both directions.

I stood in the open-plan kitchen in the centre of the apartment and watched him.

After Leo had put the bags into the rooms, he came to check out the view. ‘Amazing place. Don’t you miss it?’

‘I’ve never lived in anything as exalted as this. We used to come down and stay in pokey hotels. But I miss the fresh air and sunshine.’

‘His element is water,’ Leo said. ‘He can’t go into the water at all in Hong Kong. The sea is too polluted. Swimming pools are chlorinated, and poisonous to him. Ms Kwan is a genius to get him here. He probably can’t wait to go in.’

‘Well, let’s take him down and put him in the water,’ I said, turning to smile at him.

‘We’d better take him shopping first.’ Leo grinned. ‘Unless you want to see him arrested.’

‘I need to do some shopping too,’ I said. ‘None of my swimsuits fit me.’

‘Yeah, you have lost weight. I didn’t really notice.’

‘Too busy looking at the guys. Don’t worry, there’ll be plenty to look at here.’

Monica came in and checked the refrigerator. ‘I hope I can find the right Chinese ingredients here.’ She bustled through the cupboards. ‘All Western.’

‘I know my way around,’ I said. ‘Leo can take us to the shops. I know where you can buy everything you need.’

‘I need to buy some swimmers!’ Simone yelled. She ran out of her bedroom and threw herself at Leo. ‘Pick me up, Leo, I want to see outside!’

Leo hoisted her on to his hip. She clapped her hands in delight. Mr Chen turned to look at us from the balcony and smiled. It was the first time he’d smiled
since the attack on the Mountain. It was wonderful to see.

‘We’re going shopping,’ Leo said to him. ‘You have to come along.’

Mr Chen came into the living room and closed the sliding door behind him. ‘Let’s go.’

‘You coming, Ms Kwan?’ I shouted.

‘Yes! Wait for me!’ She hurried out with a white straw hat in her hand, still wearing the silk pantsuit. ‘The sun is very strong here. I want to find a hat.’

‘Oh, come on, Kwan Yin,’ I said. ‘You need a hat?’

‘The sun is very strong.’ She linked her arm in Mr Chen’s. ‘Come, Ah Wu, this hat is very old and I need to buy a new one.’

I directed Leo to the enormous shopping centre across the road. Leo and I took Simone to buy swimwear; Mr Chen and Kwan Yin wandered off together; and Monica disappeared into the supermarket.

Leo stood inside the door of the shop, on guard duty, while Simone and I tried on swimsuits.

I showed Simone the solar swimwear and she giggled. ‘This is strange.’

‘The sun is strong here, and if you don’t cover up you’ll burn,’ I said.

One of the staff came over and crouched to speak to Simone. ‘Hello, darling, my name’s Jo. You want to try them on?’

Simone nodded with enthusiasm. ‘Can you help me while Emma tries on some swimsuits too?’

‘Sure.’ Jo smiled up at me. ‘We’ll be just fine. Go and try on some suits, Emma.’

‘You sure, Simone?’ I said.

Simone pushed me. ‘We’ll be fine. Leo can see us.’

I glanced at Leo. He nodded.

I shrugged and went to the racks.

As I tried on the suits I heard the staff asking Simone questions about Hong Kong, and her answering in her sweet, piping voice. I went out to find a smaller size and discovered that she had three assistants helping her. This happened wherever we went, whatever country we were in. She charmed everybody just by being her usual sweet self.

I grabbed a few more suits off the rack and held them up, one at a time, to show Leo. He shook his head at all of them. I took them into the change room anyway and he snorted with disdain.

One of the staff checked on me. ‘You okay there? I saw you going in and out a few times.’ She looked me up and down. ‘You an aerobics instructor or something?’

I looked at myself in the mirror. I was quite muscular from the martial arts work. Nothing tremendously obvious, but it was apparent that I was in good shape. ‘No, I’m just the little girl’s nanny.’

‘Nanny and bodyguard,’ she quipped.

‘Nah,’ I said playfully, ‘that’s her bodyguard next to the door. The big black guy. See him? Six foot six and massive?’

She laughed and turned to look, then stopped dead. ‘Bodyguard? Is her father a movie star or something?’ ‘Nope, just a rich guy from Hong Kong.’ ‘So he pays you well then?’ I didn’t say anything.

She patted me on the arm. ‘Good on you. Good to see people making their way.’ She gestured towards the swimsuit. ‘How about I show you some of our nicer stuff?’

‘That would be great, thanks.’

‘You’re lucky—the little girl is a delight.’

‘Her father’s a sweetheart too.’

She laughed. ‘Oh. Very lucky.’

I turned back to the mirror. ‘I think I must be the luckiest woman in the whole wide world.’

‘Wait there, I’ll be right back. Oh. Here she is.’

Simone came in wearing bright orange solar swimmers with a lurid green and purple frill around her little behind. She wriggled for me. ‘These are so cool!’

‘I need sunglasses to look at you,’ I said. ‘Go and ask Leo to pay for them.’

‘Okay. Hurry up, Emma, I want to go to the beach.’

I finally settled on a pale blue and white striped bikini with a matching wrap that even Leo approved of.

Jo and a couple of the other women hugged and kissed Simone. ‘Enjoy Australia, Simone,’ Jo said. ‘Have fun.’

‘Thanks, Jo,’ Simone said.

‘Are all Australians like that?’ Leo asked as we walked back to the car park.

‘Yep. Pretty much. It took me a long time to become accustomed to Hong Kong; we’re much more friendly and relaxed here.’

Leo grinned. ‘I think I’m gonna like this place.’

Monica was waiting for us with a mountain of groceries. Leo loaded them into the van for her and just as he’d finished, Mr Chen and Ms Kwan arrived. Both were smiling broadly.

‘Find something in black?’ I teased.

Leo scowled as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

‘Yes,’ Mr Chen said. ‘The people here are quite remarkable. Very friendly.’

‘Now you know where I get it from.’

We all rushed to change when we returned to the apartment. Monica chose to stay behind. ‘I don’t like the beach,’ she said. ‘I don’t like sand, and I can’t swim. Let me sort out my kitchen.’

Simone and I waited in the living room for the others. Leo came out first. He wore shorts with the second-loudest Hawaiian print I had ever seen. His fluorescent pink shirt was absolutely the loudest. A pair of expensive sunglasses perched on his American team baseball cap.

‘You Hawaiian, Leo?’

‘Nope, Chicago.’

I was about to give Leo a hard time about the shirt when Ms Kwan came in. She wore a white one-piece swimsuit with a large white shirt over it, a huge white straw hat and sunglasses. She looked like a movie star. She twirled for us. ‘What do you think?’

Mr Chen came out behind her. ‘I think you look gorgeous.’ He wore his new black swim shorts with a towel thrown over his shoulder.

He was magnificent. Smooth golden skin over toned muscle, graceful and sleek. Tall and chiselled and not an ounce of fat on him. He had an angry red mark on his abdomen where he’d been injured, but apart from that he was glowing with good health.

He stopped in the living room and stared at Leo and me. Then he grinned, shook his head and walked past us.

Ms Kwan stopped in front of us. ‘Put your tongues back in, you two,’ she whispered.

It was near the end of the day and people were packing up to go. A woman power-walked along the wet sand past us. Further along the beach a man flew a large acrobatic kite, its fabric fluttering loudly. A helicopter roared overhead, following the line of the surf. The breeze was still warm and the sun was crisp against my back as we faced the waves.

‘We have to swim between the flags,’ I announced. Everybody looked at me as if I was completely crazy.

‘The current here can be really strong,’ I explained. ‘The lifeguards are professionals, and they mark the parts of the beach that are safe, and patrolled by them, with flags. You swim between the flags, you’re safe. You go outside the flags, you’re quite likely to get swept out and drown.’

‘That can’t happen to me,’ Mr Chen said quietly. He looked up and down the beach. ‘I don’t see any flags, Emma.’

‘They must have finished for the day,’ I said. ‘You just go out and swim, if you’re sure you’ll be okay.’

Mr Chen nodded. ‘Simone can stay out of the water today, and swim tomorrow. Stay with Emma and Leo, Simone.’

‘Okay, Daddy,’ Simone said. ‘Look at all the sand! I want to play.’

‘Keep an eye on her,’ Mr Chen said. ‘Don’t let her into the water if it’s dangerous.’

‘It’s not that dangerous,’ I said. ‘You just need to be careful.’

He studied the waves. ‘Let me go out and see what it’s like.’

‘Well then, go!’ Ms Kwan said, waving him away with one hand. She pulled a beach mat out of her bag and spread it on the sand. ‘Come and sit with me, Emma, Leo.’

Mr Chen dropped his towel onto the mat and went towards the water. ‘Be careful, Daddy,’ Simone called. He didn’t hear her. He went straight out into the surf, dived into one of the far breakers and disappeared.

‘He’s not coming back up,’ I said urgently.

‘He doesn’t need to, dear,’ Ms Kwan said.

The sun set behind us. The highrises along the beach made elongated shadows on the sand. The sky turned a delicate shade of lilac and the breeze became
cooler. The beach was almost deserted. I pulled on my wrap.

Simone chatted in front of us as she played in the sand.

‘He’s been in the water for nearly an hour, Ms Kwan,’ I said. ‘Are you sure he’s all right?’ ‘He is in his element, Emma.’

Mr Chen emerged from the waves and fell into the shallows. He lay in the water, his sides heaving, then flopped onto his back. The waves covered his face.

Both Leo and I rose to help him.

‘Hold,’ Ms Kwan said. ‘No need.’

He pulled himself up to sit in the shallows. He untied his hair, shook it out and tied it back again. Then he sat with his hands around his knees.

Simone ran to him. She slammed into him from behind and wrapped her little arms around his neck. He smiled over his shoulder, pulled her into his lap and rocked her.

‘He is a lucky man to have so many who love him,’ Ms Kwan said.

Neither Leo nor I said anything.

‘But you know it can never be as you wish, for either of you.’

‘I am content to serve as Retainer,’ Leo said. ‘If he were able to return my feelings, he would not be the same man. He would not be
him
.’

I glanced up at Leo. I’d probably known from the start. He saw me watching him and smiled slightly.

‘You know there is nothing I can do for you once he is gone,’ Ms Kwan said.

‘I know. Once he’s gone, it’s not important anyway.’

‘What, Leo?’ I said.

He rubbed the back of his head. ‘Do you have to know absolutely everything?’

‘Only if someone’s safety is at stake.’

‘Well, then, in this case you don’t need to know.’

I shrugged and turned back to watch Mr Chen and Simone. ‘I respect that, Leo. If it’s your private business then you don’t need to tell me anything.’

He watched them as well. ‘I thought you were being curious, wanting to know everything that’s happening. But you’re just looking out for them, aren’t you?’

‘Of course.’

‘And you, Emma,’ Ms Kwan said. ‘Living to serve. Content, as Leo is, to love without expectation.’

‘I wish it could be different for you, Emma,’ Leo said. ‘For both of you. I should have told you sooner—given you the chance to leave. Both of us should. And now you’re stuck here, just like I am. You should go.’