hearing. “For the railroad?”
“Yes.”
Now the cloth she’d left behind on the bush made sense. She’d wanted people to assume her father had been there.
Handling explosives for the railroad was one of the most dangerous of jobs. And not only because of the materials used, but because the railroad regarded Chinese workers as disposable so didn’t waste much time and money on safety. “How did you pull it off?”
“To the whites, we all look alike,” Lin snapped.
“You don’t look like a man,” he retorted. No matter what, he couldn’t imagine thinking Fei a man.
“If I stoop my shoulders, dirty my face and wear the large hat my father favored, I do. No one gets too close to the explosives.”
That he could believe.
“And Uncle was…” Lin made a motion with her hands, searching for the word.
“Eccentric,” Fei finished for her. “Always, he made his wishes known through me.”
“His English was bad,” Lin explained.
Fei continued as if her cousin hadn’t interrupted. “When he insisted no one be within a hundred yards on blasting day, no one questioned him.”
“You had it all figured out.”
Fei stared at the rubble, silent tears running down her face. The shiver that went through her snaked its way up his own spine. “No. I did not know how to restore Jian Tseng’s mind. I did not know how long I could fool the railroad. I did not know how to control him when he went from the father I knew to the man I didn’t.”
Shadow touched the fading bruise on her cheek. “He’s the one who hit you?”
“Yes.”
“So you started locking him in the barn.”
She shook her head. “He was in the storm cellar below.”
Lin took a step forward. “Maybe he survived.”
Shadow felt like a heel, killing off their hope. “If the heat didn’t get him, the smoke did.”
Fei moaned and wept. He didn’t know what to do to ease her pain. She pulled away. She stood beside him, her arms wrapped around her waist, so isolated that she might as well be halfway across the world. He’d kept the rage out of her life, but how did he protect her from the guilt?
“At least he’s at peace.” It was a poor offering. Shadow was surprised when Fei nodded.
Lin brushed off her hands. “He must be buried properly.”
Fei nodded again.
Shadow had to be the bad guy once more. “It’s going to take days for that rubble to cool down.”
“We will wait.”
“If Culbart doesn’t have someone watching this place, he’s a fool.” He looked at Lin. “Did the man strike you as a fool?”
She shook her head. “He is mean and cunning, like a snake.”
The cousins had a thing about reptiles. First he was a dragon and now Culbart was a snake. From the little Shadow had heard when he came into town, Culbart had a reputation as a hard-ass and for being ruthless when it came to protecting his property lines, but he had never heard anything particularly bad rumored about him. But a woman might see him differently.
“Then we can’t hang around for a funeral.”
“My father’s soul will not rest without a proper burial,” Fei argued.
“Then say a few words to settle him down.”
Both women gave him a dirty look. He didn’t care. The old man was dead. The women were alive and it was his job to keep them that way. Gentling his tone, he pointed out, “There’s nothing you can do here.”
“I can grieve,” Fei told him.
“You can do that a hundred miles away just as easily.”
“A hundred miles?”
It was actually more like two hundred miles to Hell’s Eight. “There’s nothing left for you here.”
Fei waved her hand wide. “What is there for me out there?”
Safety. “Maybe a future.”
She shook her head. “I will not do this.”
“I’m not giving you a choice. All or nothing, remember? Now, mount up.”
N EITHER WOMAN SAID A WORD during the rest of the ride. Not that Shadow was much of a talker, but there was silence, and then there was silence. This silence rubbed like a burr stuck in a boot. After about six hours
“Yes.”
Now the cloth she’d left behind on the bush made sense. She’d wanted people to assume her father had been there.
Handling explosives for the railroad was one of the most dangerous of jobs. And not only because of the materials used, but because the railroad regarded Chinese workers as disposable so didn’t waste much time and money on safety. “How did you pull it off?”
“To the whites, we all look alike,” Lin snapped.
“You don’t look like a man,” he retorted. No matter what, he couldn’t imagine thinking Fei a man.
“If I stoop my shoulders, dirty my face and wear the large hat my father favored, I do. No one gets too close to the explosives.”
That he could believe.
“And Uncle was…” Lin made a motion with her hands, searching for the word.
“Eccentric,” Fei finished for her. “Always, he made his wishes known through me.”
“His English was bad,” Lin explained.
Fei continued as if her cousin hadn’t interrupted. “When he insisted no one be within a hundred yards on blasting day, no one questioned him.”
“You had it all figured out.”
Fei stared at the rubble, silent tears running down her face. The shiver that went through her snaked its way up his own spine. “No. I did not know how to restore Jian Tseng’s mind. I did not know how long I could fool the railroad. I did not know how to control him when he went from the father I knew to the man I didn’t.”
Shadow touched the fading bruise on her cheek. “He’s the one who hit you?”
“Yes.”
“So you started locking him in the barn.”
She shook her head. “He was in the storm cellar below.”
Lin took a step forward. “Maybe he survived.”
Shadow felt like a heel, killing off their hope. “If the heat didn’t get him, the smoke did.”
Fei moaned and wept. He didn’t know what to do to ease her pain. She pulled away. She stood beside him, her arms wrapped around her waist, so isolated that she might as well be halfway across the world. He’d kept the rage out of her life, but how did he protect her from the guilt?
“At least he’s at peace.” It was a poor offering. Shadow was surprised when Fei nodded.
Lin brushed off her hands. “He must be buried properly.”
Fei nodded again.
Shadow had to be the bad guy once more. “It’s going to take days for that rubble to cool down.”
“We will wait.”
“If Culbart doesn’t have someone watching this place, he’s a fool.” He looked at Lin. “Did the man strike you as a fool?”
She shook her head. “He is mean and cunning, like a snake.”
The cousins had a thing about reptiles. First he was a dragon and now Culbart was a snake. From the little Shadow had heard when he came into town, Culbart had a reputation as a hard-ass and for being ruthless when it came to protecting his property lines, but he had never heard anything particularly bad rumored about him. But a woman might see him differently.
“Then we can’t hang around for a funeral.”
“My father’s soul will not rest without a proper burial,” Fei argued.
“Then say a few words to settle him down.”
Both women gave him a dirty look. He didn’t care. The old man was dead. The women were alive and it was his job to keep them that way. Gentling his tone, he pointed out, “There’s nothing you can do here.”
“I can grieve,” Fei told him.
“You can do that a hundred miles away just as easily.”
“A hundred miles?”
It was actually more like two hundred miles to Hell’s Eight. “There’s nothing left for you here.”
Fei waved her hand wide. “What is there for me out there?”
Safety. “Maybe a future.”
She shook her head. “I will not do this.”
“I’m not giving you a choice. All or nothing, remember? Now, mount up.”
N EITHER WOMAN SAID A WORD during the rest of the ride. Not that Shadow was much of a talker, but there was silence, and then there was silence. This silence rubbed like a burr stuck in a boot. After about six hours
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