Golden Lies (20 page)

"Is Grandmother here?" Alyssa asked deliberately using the word grandmother. While the other grandchildren affectionately called their grandmother Nai Nai, Alyssa refused to do so. Her grandmother had made it clear that, because of her mixed blood, she wasn't a true member of the family.

"No." Ona bagged the customer's order and wished her a good day. "Can I help you with something? Maybe some ginkgo biloba or some licorice. You look anxious, tense. What have you been eating? Are you drinking too much coffee again? You know you have to keep a balance in your life."

"Yes, yes, I know." Unfortunately balance was the last thing she had right now. She was so weighted down it was hard to stand upright, but she didn't want to tell Ona the reason for her anxiety. As the oldest, Ona was also the nosiest, believing she had some inalienable right to butt into everyone's business.

"You're a big-time banker now," Ona continued. "You should take care of your health."

"I take ginseng every day."

"What about ginger? It disburses the cold, adjusts nutritive and protective qi."

"Fine, I'll take some ginger. But I think you're just trying to show a profit so our grandparents will leave the shop to you and not to cousin Lian."

Ona smiled. "You are a smart girl, little cousin."

"Don't let the family hear you say that or you'll be disowned for good."

"It's the twenty-first century. Our grandparents need to get over the facts of your birth," Ona said firmly.

"They never will. I don't expect it anymore. And I don't really care."

"Don't you?" Ona asked softly, compassion in her dark eyes. "It's not right the way you've been treated. I wish you would come to New Year's. I miss you every year."

"That's sweet of you to say, but I won't come without my mother, and she's not welcome." Alyssa took the bag of herbs off the counter. "By the way, I heard there was a robbery in Salmon Alley two nights ago. Do you know who did it?"

"I have no idea. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. I read about it in the newspaper. You always seem to know what's going on in the neighborhood. I heard the victim was a Hathaway and that he might have had a priceless statue with him."

"I heard the same thing. Assaulting rich white men is very bad for business. If the tourists are afraid to come here, we'll all suffer."

That was Ona, a homeopathic herbalist but also an unemotional pragmatist. Of course, Ona didn't realize that the rich white man was Alyssa's father.

"Our grandparents were very upset about it," Ona added. "I heard them talking in the back room. They don't like it when crime gets too close. It makes them remember the old days when they had to pay for protection from the gangs running through the streets."

"They had to pay for protection?"

"Of course. It was a way of life for many years, but thankfully not now."

"Do you think a gang was responsible for the attack?"

"No one is boasting about it, but who can say? Ancient art pieces can be sold on the black market for a lot of money. I'm surprised Mr. Hathaway didn't have more security with him. Actually, I'm surprised he was here at all. I bet he was going to see Lonnie Yao. He's an expert on Chinese bronzes. He has a reputation for being able to spot a fake from three feet away."

"You'd think a rich man like Mr. Hathaway would have his own expert right in the store."

Ona shrugged. "Is something wrong? You seem awfully interested in this robbery."

"Nothing is wrong. So, where is our grandmother?" Alyssa asked, deciding she better change the subject before Ona became more curious. "Is she upstairs cleaning the apartment for the New Year's celebration?"

Ona groaned. "Every day she cleans—up there, down here, in the garden. And every night she buys fresh oranges and tangerines and tells me to take them home so I can have more babies. She doesn't think my two are enough."

Alyssa laughed. Ona's two energetic boys were more than enough. "Maybe she wants you to have a girl."

"I don't think so. She says three boys would be lucky."

"I think I'll go upstairs and see her."

"She isn't upstairs. She went out, and she didn't say where. She was in a bad mood, so I let her go without asking why."

"Why was she in a bad mood?"

"She's seventy-eight years old. Does she need a reason? Besides, she's always in a bad mood around the New Years'. I guess counting up all her sins for the year depresses her." Ona rested her arms on the counter as she leaned forward. "So, how are you, Alyssa? Any new men in your life?"

"I'm too busy for men."

"Ben was asking about you the other day. He always asks about you when he comes into the shop."

"I'm sure he was just being polite."

"You know, he might get tired of waiting for you."

"He's not waiting for me, and I'm not interested."

"Because he's Chinese."

"Because we're too different."

"You should talk to him, Alyssa, give him a chance. He might surprise you."

"I doubt it. He wants a traditional Chinese wife, and I could never be that."

"Do you want me to tell Nai Nai you came by?"

"No, I'll catch up to her later. Thanks."

Alyssa stepped onto the sidewalk and paused, debating her options. Maybe she should talk to Ben. Not about her love life, but about the dragon and the robbery. Ben was a reporter for the Chinese Daily News. He covered everything that happened in Chinatown.

Still, she hesitated. She hadn't seen Ben in several years. They'd been friends throughout childhood and had started dating in high school, but when she'd moved away to college, she'd ended their romance the same way she'd cut the ties to the old neighborhood. There was no future for her in Chinatown. And that's where Ben wanted to be.

He probably didn't care about her anymore, she told herself. He just asked about her out of politeness and friendship. He probably had a girlfriend. There was no reason not to see him. She needed answers, and he was in the position to give them. They'd have a simple conversation, and that would be it. Thankful she had a plan, she walked briskly down the street.

* * *

"She's leaving," Paige said, watching Alyssa from Riley's car. "Are we going to follow her again? I don't really see how this is accomplishing anything. We've seen her talk to an old man and go into an herb shop. What have we learned? Nothing."

Riley ended the call he'd been making on his cell phone to his assistant. "The herb shop is owned by Alyssa's grandparents, An-Mei and Lee Chen. They've owned it for the past thirty-five years."

"Your assistant got that information in the last five minutes?"

"It's all a matter of public record."

"I have a feeling everything is public where you're concerned."

Riley laughed. "True. I believe the old man she was talking to in the square was her grandfather, Lee Chen."

"So what now?"

"I think you're looking a little stressed, Paige."

"Thanks for pointing that out." She pulled down the sun visor and checked her face in the mirror. "I don't look that bad."

"You look perfect, but maybe the herbalist won't notice, especially if you tell him or her how tired you are all the time, and how you need a pick-me-up."

"And why can't you be the tired and pale person in need of an energizer?" she asked, realizing his intention.

"Me? I'm the picture of health."

Riley was the picture of a gorgeous male in the prime of life and didn't she know it. "Fine. But I draw the line at actually taking anything. You don't know what's in those Chinese herbs. They could be dangerous."

"Or they could save your life. Chinese medicine has accomplished some amazing things. In fact, many of our modern medicines are based on herbs that first appeared almost two million years ago."

Paige raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

He laughed. "Sorry. I have one of those minds for trivia. Things come into my brain, and they don't leave."

"And it doesn't get crowded in there?"

"The human brain is quite a large organ—"

"Please. I do not want to hear about the size of your organs," she said with a mischievous smile. She hadn't seen Riley in this lighthearted mood before. Everything had been so intense, so fast-paced, so filled with drama that they hadn't had much time to laugh, and she was enjoying it—probably more than she should be.

He smiled back at her. "It doesn't have to be just talk."

She shook her head. "Let's stay focused on the task at hand." She opened the car door and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"Okay, all kidding aside," Riley said, as they paused in front of the door. "You distract the clerk. Do whatever you have to do while I look around. My assistant told me the grandparents live upstairs over the shop. If I can get up there or in the back office, I will."

"What are you looking for?"

"I'll know when I find it."

"This doesn't seem very efficient."

"And Hathaways are always efficient?"

"Always," she said with a nod. "If you don't find anything, you're buying me lunch."

"Or you're buying me lunch. I have a craving for a lobster and steak combo at the fanciest restaurant in town."

"What? Do you think I'm made of money?"

"You said it; I didn't." He opened the door to the herb shop. "After you."

Paige had no idea that
do whatever you have to do
would mean participating in an acupuncture demonstration. But when Riley had asked for a restroom, and the clerk had sent him toward the back room, she'd known she had to do something to keep the clerk busy until he returned.

"Have you done this before?" she asked nervously, watching the woman, who had introduced herself as Ona, twirl a long needle between her fingers.

"Lots of times. Now, tell me where the pain is."

Paige had made up a headache on the spur of the moment, which was what had led to the acupuncture demonstration, but now the prophecy was actually coming true. Anxiety had brought a throbbing to her left temple. She pressed the point of pain with the tips of her fingers.

Ona nodded. "That is an easy spot to fix. You'll feel better within a few moments."

"You're not going to stick that thing in my head, are you?"

"No. There are pressure points throughout the body that can relieve pain."

Paige lost track of what Ona was saying as her mother's voice entered her head.
Are you out of your mind, Paige? That needle could be unsanitary. You could be sticking yourself with a fatal disease. You don't let some woman in an herb shop in Chinatown stick a needle into you.

"Um, maybe I don't want to do this," Paige said anxiously.

"The needle is sterile. You saw me take it out of the package. And I've worn latex gloves the entire time, yes?"

"Yes, but—"

"It's perfectly safe. I promise you. Now give me your hand."

Damn that Riley. Where the hell was he? Paige extended her hand, watching as Ona slowly inserted the needle into the back of her hand, the fleshy part between the thumb and first finger. There was a little pinch, but no real pain. Ona turned the needle back and forth, concentrating on her task. Paige was so tense she felt as if every muscle in her body was on red alert, ready to flee at any second.

"Relax," Ona said softly.

"I don't think—"

"Close your eyes. Let your mind drift. Find a picture that pleases you."

She closed her eyes and Riley's image came to her mind, unbidden and unwanted. His image did please her, but it did not make her feel relaxed. On the contrary, she felt her heart speed up and her palms dampen with sweat. Not that she was sweating because of him. Her nerves had more to do with the needle in her hand. Didn't they?

She saw his laughing face in her mind, his sexy smile, the lazy grin, and she wanted to smile back at him, run away into the sunset, find a deserted sandy beach and a big soft blanket, and fall into Riley's arms.

"Paige?"

His voice was so clear. She could hear him calling out to her, see him raising his hand to beckon her forward.

"Paige?"

She started, realizing his voice was much too clear to be part of her dream. Her eyes flew open, and she looked into his astonished face.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I— uh, I had a headache."

"And how is it now?" Ona asked, as she removed the needle from Paige's hand.

"Oh, my goodness, it's gone." She wrinkled her brow, surprised that the tension had eased. Had the acupuncture done the trick, or was it due to the fact that Ona had removed the needle from her hand? Or maybe it was because Riley had returned, and she no longer had to cover for him. Whatever the reason, she felt a lot better.

"I told you," Ona said. "Now what else can I do for you?"

Paige looked at the array of herbs she'd already agreed to buy. "I think we have everything."