Then she quickly followed Wei to his conveyance. On the driver’s perch, Mr. Yao winked at her, tipping his cap, and she smiled back. Yet her smile faded as she found herself alone in the carriage with Wei. Removing their wigs and mustaches, they sat facing each other in silence. Seeing the stark set of his features, his twitching jaw, she waited for him to speak first. But after they crossed the Thames, she couldn’t wait any longer.
“What happened back there?” she asked.
“You should not have interfered,” he said curtly.
“I interfered?” She gawked at him. “We were in the middle of a mission, and out of nowhere, you attacked our main suspect. What was going on?”
He clenched his jaw. “I had my reasons.”
“And I would like to know what they are.”
“A student does not question her shifu.”
“This particular one does.” Taking a breath, she went to sit beside him. “What made you go after Scott like that? I have never seen you so…so out of control.”
“I had everything in hand.” Emotion flashed in his eyes. “If you hadn’t risked your bloody neck—”
“That guard was going to shoot you! I couldn’t stand by and let that happen. Not when you mean…” She cut herself off, shaking her head fiercely. “When you’re my teacher and my friend. But you’re avoiding my question. Do you know Scott…have some sort of quarrel with him? If so, why didn’t you say anything—”
“Because I didn’t know until tonight.” Wei’s eyes smoldered, his hands curling.
“Didn’t know what?”
“I don’t wish to talk about it.”
“But you will,” she insisted.
“Why? Because you are a duke’s daughter who is used to getting her way?”
She flinched. He’d never spoken so coldly to her before. Yet the soft snarl in his voice was like that of a wounded animal; she knew he was hurt and trying to push her away.
“Because I am your friend,” she said steadily. “Whatever is going on, I want to help.”
“You cannot help.”
“How do you know unless you let me try?”
“I don’t want you involved.” His expression was harder than granite. “That is final.”
Final? He might as well wave a red flag in front of a bull.
“This has to do with your quest, doesn’t it?” She plowed on, trying to put together the pieces of what she knew. “You said you’re trying to retrieve something irreplaceable. Does Scott have it?”
“Leave it be, Glory,” he ordered.
Anguish smoldered in his gaze, held back by rigid self-control. Like the time at his clinic.
Her intuition flashed. “Does this have to do with Ling Ling?”
The answer carved itself onto his face. Lines of pain bracketed his eyes, his mouth. His chest surged, and her own tightened with horrible empathy. With the knowledge that she’d unintentionally twisted a knife.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to cause you pain—”
“You didn’t. You weren’t the one who murdered my sister,” he said flatly.
Murdered…Ling Ling was murdered?
Stunned, Glory stammered, “But who…who could be so cruel? To a little girl…”
