Burning Tigress (45 page)

"But what about returning to the Tao? Are you giving up on that?"

"I did abandon the middle path so many years ago when I tricked my brother, but not because of my foolishness. I wandered off the middle path when I left home."

"I thought they sent you away."

He nodded again. "I left part of my heart with my family while the rest of me traveled to Shanghai."

"That's why you've always wanted to return home."

He nodded. "And so I gave more of myself to my fiancée and her family. And then—"

"More to your brother and his wife and their son."

Ken Jin sighed. "Shi Po often said that a man of divided heart cannot find the Tao." He lifted his gaze to Charlotte. "Since I was eight years old, I have split my efforts, cut off pieces of my heart and my life. Only one thing has ever unified my heart and spirit and body."

Her eyes softened, and she reached for his hand. He gripped her tightly in return, and the numbness in his fingers began to fade.

"You have been my one purpose. When I am with you, I wish with one heart, I act with one body, and—"

"You love completely." She smiled. "I feel the same way, Ken Jin. You quiet the frustration in my heart; you give me a sense of direction and purpose." She grinned. "You give me Heaven."

He shook his head. "We gained it together. Because we worked for it."

"We worked together as one."

She understood. And now, with her, he did as well. "We will get married," he said firmly.

"You will not dedicate yourself to the Emperor?"

"We will find a way to survive." There would be many difficulties. They had nothing. But for the first time ever, he felt powerful. He was a whole man, and the energy that flooded his body gave him what he needed to face the future.

He straightened to his feet, pulling her up with him. "Come. We will begin our new life today." He grinned. "I already have an idea—"

"Yes!" bellowed a voice from the hallway. "Yes, today a new life begins."

They turned as one to face Gao Jin. Then Ken Jin dashed to the side to grab a tunic for Charlotte. It felt like blasphemy to cover her nakedness while the beauty of Heaven clung to her skin, but he would not have his brother defile her with his gaze. She pulled the garment on quickly, but not before his brother entered. Ken Jin felt his fists clench in fury at the sneer that crossed on his brother's fleshy face.

"We are not dressed," he said stiffly. "Please wait outside while we—"

"Don't be ridiculous, brother," Gao Jin said with a cackle. "Do you not recall that we share all things equally? As you enjoyed my wedding night, I shall enjoy that which you are now abandoning."

Ken Jin felt hot fury boil in his blood. And because Charlotte was with him, the power not only churned in his chest, but extended to his hands and feet as well. "Can you not see what has happened here, brother?" he asked. He kept his voice low, the threat implicit.

His brother laughed through his nose, and the sound was bestial. "All can see, Ken Jin. It is—"

"We went to Heaven's antechamber last night. We danced in the Hall of a Thousand Swinging Lanterns."

Gao Jin's eyes narrowed, and he released a girlish giggle. "Of course you did. And I don't blame you. A man's last night should be enjoyed." He reached out to stroke Charlotte, but she jerked away. She needn't have worried; Ken Jin had already pushed between them, using his body to block his brother's movements.

"I will not go to the Forbidden City, Gao Jin." He reached for the easiest explanation, one his brother could understand. "We are close to becoming Immortals. I will not throw that away."

His brother's giggles faded, and his mouth drew into a pout. "You disappoint me. I had thought you stronger than this." He sighed. "But you have never been consistent in anything but trickery."

Ken Jin reared back, pain at his brother's continued hatred searing through him. The pain was sharp enough to bring tears to his eyes, and yet it... it replaced the numbness that had surrounded him for years. It was a
good
pain.

"
I
am the trickster?" he asked, his voice gaining strength as he reclaimed the part of his spirit that he'd given to his brother. "I did not sneak into a cart to steal my brother's treat."

"It was not a treat! I went to the surgeons!"

Ken Jin shrugged. "And you would be whole now if you had not tried to trick me."

Gao Jin reared forward, his fists poised to strike. Ken Jin did not even flinch. He knew he was faster than his brother. So he continued to speak, his voice growing stronger with each word. "I did not pretend my brother sired my wife's bastard. I did not take your money and your love to clothe and feed a boy who has been raised to hate you."

"And I cannot father a son on my own because of you!" Gao Jin screamed.

Ken Jin nodded, acknowledging the truth. "That crime is mine to bear. Yours are the crimes you have committed since." He took a deep breath, and when he released it, he knew he had reclaimed all that was lost to this bitter brother. "I have no more obligations to you, my brother." He straightened. "You are disowned."

Gao Jin reared back, fear mixing with hatred in every quivering inch of his body. But Ken Jin knew he could not weaken in purpose. He would have to do it all. Turning his back on his brother, he grabbed his rolled pack. He and Charlotte would leave without again looking upon Gao Jin's face. Then it would be done, and he would be free. Happiness began to bubble inside his heart.

"No!" Charlotte screamed.

Pain exploded in his head, and he knew no more.

* * *

Charlotte launched herself at Gao Jin. Finally, she could vent her feelings on this despicable man. She'd seen him raise his fist, knew exactly what he intended, but had been too far away to prevent it. The blow had landed with a sickening thud at the base of Ken Jin's skull.

She attacked. Throwing herself forward, Charlotte dragged the eunuch off Ken Jin, who was already crumpling to the floor. Then she hit, she kicked, she even bit and tore with her nails. And Gao Jin went down under her assault. He was strong, but like Ken Jin, he'd been unprepared.

She avoided most of his blows and kept him too off balance to put much strength into those that did connect. Unfortunately, he did not live alone.

Within moments of her attack, Gao Jin began bellowing. She barely noticed until meaty hands grabbed her hair and arms. She was bodily dragged away despite her best efforts. Soon, pain exploded across her left temple and darkness edged her vision. She felt herself slip to her knees, the strength gone from her limbs.

Meanwhile, Gao Jin was giving instructions. "My brother has weak nerves. He wished to be unconscious during the cutting."

"Liar!" she screeched, but no one paid the least attention to her. Not Gao Jin, not the three eunuchs who had dragged her off to one side, and certainly not the scrawny Chinese man with the large knife who entered the room. She blinked to clear her blurry vision. Oh Lord, they were going to do the surgery right here. And Ken Jin was still unconscious on the floor.

She tried to struggle to her feet. Her vision stabilized, but her body was still weak. Worse, one of the eunuchs held her down with a single massive hand on the back of her neck. One squeeze, and he might very well snap her neck.

"Just as well," the scrawny man was saying. "Just as well in one so old."

"Stop!" she bellowed. "Stop! Stop! Stop!" She said it in all the languages she knew. English, Shanghai dialect, Mandarin—none had the least effect except to draw Gao Jin's attention. He stepped over to her, his disdain obvious in the curl of his lip and the cruelty in his voice.

"I intended to kill you, ghost whore, but Heaven smiled upon me. A man came to me this morning, one of your own kind, who wished to buy you."

Charlotte tried to leap to her feet, only to be kept in place by the man holding her neck. "How can you do this to him? After all he's done for you. He's your brother!" She was allowed to lift her head enough to see a sick smile push his fleshy cheeks wide.

"But you heard him. He's not my brother anymore."

"Bastard!"

Gao Jin paused and stared down at her in mock sadness. "Barbarians," he spat. "They understand nothing." Then he turned to watch the surgeon.

Charlotte tried to see, but it was difficult. Ken Jin had been lifted onto the bed, and two of the eunuchs were undressing him. To one side, the surgeon had begun sharpening his knife, and the steady
shir, shir
of blade against strop set Charlotte's teeth on edge.

"Ken Jin!" she cried. "Wake up! Ken Jin!"

"Shut up!" snarled Gao Jin. Then he snapped a finger and both of the eunuchs holding Ken Jin straightened. They had finished their work. Ken Jin lay naked and exposed. And yet...

Charlotte narrowed her eyes. Could it be? His dragon was not a small thing. It was... moving? Could he be awake? Pretending? But it was four against one. He couldn't fight them all. She had to distract them somehow.

She surged forward, she screamed, and she fought like a demon. It accomplished absolutely nothing except a searing pain in her neck as the eunuch pushed her down to the floor.

"You!" Gao Jin pointed to the eunuch by the door. "Go get the barbarian Captain!"

The man hesitated, obviously afraid. Apparently they had no problem fighting a white woman, but facing a white captain alone was a little too intimidating. The superstitions that surrounded white sailors was legendary.

Gao Jin cursed. "Both of you go." He threw a scathing look at Ken Jin. "There won't be any problem here."

The two eunuchs scurried away. The surgeon stopped sharpening his blade. Only one eunuch remained, his hand hard and heavy on the back of Charlotte's neck. It was now or never. She tensed and her captor's hand tightened enough to draw a whimper of pain from her lips. She couldn't move. She couldn't do anything. It was up to Ken Jin. If he was awake, he had to act.
Now.
She silently willed him to move.

Nothing.

And the surgeon leaned forward and positioned his knife.

"Where is she?" a man's voice bellowed in accented Mandarin. "Get out of my way!"

Everyone turned to the doorway. Everyone but Charlotte, who wasn't allowed to move her head. But she trembled at the sound. The voice was hard, the accent rough. She had seen white ship captains and knew some of the traffic they carried. Flesh-peddling was a thriving trade in the Orient.

Ken Jin exploded off the bed. Charlotte hadn't even realized it was happening until the surgeon squealed in terror. She blinked and saw Ken Jin standing on the bed, using his superior position to grab the man's neck. Then he chopped at the surgeon's wrist and caught the knife as it fell.

Gao Jin spun back to the bed, but before he could do more, Ken Jin threw the surgeon against the wall and raised the knife toward the eunuch who held her down. Charlotte heard the thud of a fist meeting flesh, but she couldn't see who had hit whom. Then came another thud, a squeal, and she was abruptly released. Suddenly, Ken Jin was pulling her upright, his voice urgent in her ear.

"Are you hurt? Are you—"

"I'm fine. Are you—"

"Whoreson!" Gao Jin screeched, and then Charlotte was pushed back down, but this time by Ken Jin. He stepped in front of her.

"No!" she cried, but it was too late. Brother fought brother, and it was all she could do to scramble out of the way. She would have helped if she could; she stood and faced the combatants, but within moments she saw that Ken Jin had the upper hand. His brother attacked with fury but no skill, whereas Ken Jin was precise and coldly determined.

So she turned to face the newest threat—an angry bear of a white man who stormed into the room. He'd been delayed by the fleeing surgeon and eunuch, but now he burst into the room with a dark menace. Charlotte crouched to meet him, only marginally surprised to see Little Pearl rush in behind him. Leave it to that woman to take up sides with a flesh peddler.

Charlotte blinked, her mind scrambling to catch up. She knew the Captain. She'd met him before...

Beside her, Ken Jin threw his brother to the floor and dropped one knee onto the man's back. Gao Jin was defeated. Even his curses were choked off, for Ken Jen pressed his other knee into the man's throat. Then Ken Jin looked up—first to Charlotte, then to the man poised in the doorway.

"Captain Jonas?" he said in English, his voice completely steady. "It is an honor to see you again, sir."

Charlotte gasped as a memory finally slid into place.

This was the Captain she'd seen at the Tigress school. The one who ran across the inner garden right after Little Pearl...

The bear straightened and visibly relaxed. "Are you all right, Ken Jin?" He turned to scan Charlotte. "Miss Wicks?"

Ken Jin glanced to her and waited for her nod before speaking. "We're both fine, but..." His voice trailed away as Little Pearl stepped out from behind the Captain. He hadn't been able to see her before. "What brings you here?"

The Captain didn't answer. Instead, he stepped aside as Little Pearl slipped forward. She was obviously uncertain, though she shot an angry glance at the Captain beside her. But then she bowed deeply to Kin Jin first and then to Charlotte. "We came searching for you. Much has been said about your departure." She glanced at Charlotte. "And yours."