“Mom said we might have to go somewhere terrible.”
Leander’s stomach clenched.Where had Tecca thought she was taking her son?What had she told the police?Had she had an escape plan when she betrayed Druwolf?She wasn’t around to answer any of those questions.
“It won’t be terrible,” he promised even though he’d never been to Orange Flower Hills and Nie Heng might have died a decade ago without ever telling his family about the scrawny American who wanted to find an escape from the political shithole that was his country.Maybe they’d be arrested.He could imagine an infinite number of terrible outcomes, but he lied and offered his best smile until Shanlin relaxed.
“Okay,” he said.
Leander wondered if all parents lied to their children...and if they felt as guilty about it.If so, Leander didn’t know why people wanted children.So far, all Leander was getting out of this was guilt and fear he was fucking up and a lingering regret he didn’t have the right words to make any of this easier.
Parenting sucked, especially when he was an emotionally shriveled husk impersonating a human being.
Chapter Five
The train to Yaan droppedthem off mid-morning, so Leander got them crispy pancakes cooked with scallions and spicy sauce wrapped around a chicken sausage.“We’ll be walking for quite a while today,” he said before buying two more pancakes without the meat for later in the day.
“How long?”
“I’m not sure,” Leander said.
Shanlin turned to him, dark eyes studying him.“You don’t know a lot of things.”
“A wise man never offers answers when he’s not sure.That goes along with not questioning your elders,” Leander said.
“Shi, ba,” Shanlin said.Neither word sounded like what they were supposed to be, but Leander accepted the spirit of the words.
“Good boy,” he said.
“I’m not a dog.”
“No, because I would not have a dog.”
“Dogs are wonderful.Mom said I could get a dog once I was old enough to take care of it all the time instead of forgetting to feed it.”
“Dogs are smelly creatures.”
“People are smelly creatures,” Shanlin shot back, and Leander smiled despite himself.
