Jackal by Jeff Stone Page B

laughed. “Impressive, isn’t it?”
    One of the billboards was a picture of
me
, along with Phoenix, Ryan, and Hú Dié road bike racing in California. It also showed four Chinese guys who were about the same age as us. They were dressed in matching road cycling uniforms and posed as a team. One of the riders was standing in front of the others as if he were the leader. He was really skinny and had messy black hair as well as close-set, beady eyes. He looked like a psychopath. I had no idea what the billboard said because, of course, the text was in Chinese.
    “You and your friends are
big
in China,” Ling said, still laughing. “Literally! What do you think?”
    “It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen!” I said, pulling my cell phone from my pocket. The phone didn’t work in China, but the camera would. I snapped off a couple shots before we passed the billboard.
    “Seriously,” I said. “That’s nuts.”
    “No, that’s the publicity machine in motion. Several of those billboards have gone up on both sides of the river. By race time, half of Shanghai will recognize your face.”
    I put my phone away. “Who is the other team?”
    “Yes, the other team,” Ling said. “I suppose we should discuss that. When you told us that you needed time to consider our offer, Mr. Chang realized that he needed a backup plan. Specifically, he needed a backup
team
. He made some phone calls, and our trainers put together a group of talented young Chinese riders. They wouldn’t settle for playing the role of backup, though, and Mr. Chang decided that there really was no reason for that. They should be allowed to compete alongside you and your friends as well as the entire field of adult participants. May the best team win, ifyou will. If the young Chinese team wins, well … then you and your friends will go home and they will be the official poster team. If
you
win, then you will have the opportunity to stay, if you’d like, and be the poster team.”
    I felt my jaws clench. “That wasn’t the deal.”
    “Your indecision forced this upon us, Jake. Moreover, it is uncertain whether US officials will even allow Phoenix and Ryan to travel here in time to participate in the race. We needed a contingency plan, and now we have one.”
    “So what happens to me if Phoenix and Ryan can’t make it? I’m out?”
    “No. Mr. Chang has decided that you and Hú Dié will still race as a team.”
    “Just the two of us?”
    “Yes.”
    “We’ll get killed!” I said, nearly jumping out of my seat. “Two against four isn’t a fair fight in a road bike race. They’ll have twice as many people to rotate through their lead rider position. The lead rider pulls the
entire team
along in the slipstream.”
    Ling shrugged. “It isn’t our fault that two of your riders may not be able to attend the race. Perhaps you now see the wisdom of Mr. Chang’s decision to assemble a second team of youths.”
    I rolled my eyes, but Ling was right. From their perspective, it
was
a good plan. From mine, however, it meant that my trip here was pointless as far as the race was concerned if Phoenix and Ryan wouldn’t be here in time. Hú Dié might as well not even bother to show up if it was just going to be the two of us. I had to contact her as soon aspossible. Maybe we could figure out a way for me to go to Kaifeng, drop off the dragon bone, and then head straight home. There was no point in just her and me racing. We’d make fools of ourselves in front of twenty-three million people.
    I sat back and turned away from Ling. I doubted this trip could get much worse.

We arrived at the apartment complex, and it was just like Ling said it would be. It was very new and very large, and the neighborhood looked just like America. Even the street and building signs were in English.
    I grabbed my backpack, and Ling grabbed my suitcase. Ling said a few words in Chinese to the driver, and the driver left.
    “Keep an eye out for that same minivan