Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 124836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 624(@200wpm)___ 499(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 624(@200wpm)___ 499(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
I tried to wrap my mind around what she was saying but it was hard to hear her talk like this—so detached, so analytical. “And you think Leo is like that?”
She nodded. “Yeah. He smiles all the time but it never reaches his eyes.”
“True.”
“His eyes are cold. He doesn’t get angry the way other people do, like when something goes wrong, he doesn’t yell or scream. He just. . .acts. He’s calm about it, but not in a normal way. It’s like he already knew things were going to go wrong and doesn’t care because he has a plan for everything.”
TT’s words were terrifying in their accuracy.
All I could mutter was, “you’re right.”
I had never thought about it like that but now that she said it, I realized she wasn’t wrong. Leo’s charm had always unnerved me but I hadn’t put it together like TT had. That calm, calculating demeanor. . .the way he could switch from being friendly to deadly without warning.
It all lined up.
“They don’t feel guilt either,” TT added, her tone matter of fact. “That’s why psychopaths can do terrible things and not feel bad about it. They don’t have that voice in their head telling them it’s wrong like the rest of us. They only care about what benefits them. It’s like. . .”
“What?”
“They’re playing a game and everyone else are just pieces on the board.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“But. . .Moni, I think that you can trust him.”
“Why?”
“Because when he talks about you. . .and when he looks at you. . .it is the only time his smile is very close to real. He likes you. . .I think and he really loves his son. I can tell. You both are probably. . .his favorite pieces on the board.”
“You got all of that with the small amount of time you spent with him.”
“Yeah.” She bobbed her head. “And I’m one of his favorite pieces on the board too because of this map.”
“I bet you’re right about that.”
“So. . .we can kind of trust him.”
I wanted to argue, to tell her that Leo couldn’t be trusted no matter what, but her words hung in the air between us, undeniable. She had seen something in him that I hadn’t, something dark and calculating, but also something that, in his twisted way, might actually be true.
“Okay. I believe you.” Tension gathered in my shoulders. “I’ll remember that while I’m with him.”
“Are Chloe, Jo, and me still staying in the East tonight?”
“Yes, but in the palace, not here.”
She widened her eyes. “Then, I want to take pictures of the map so that I can study it there.”
“Of course.” I nodded. “Tell, Lei. He’ll have people do it for you. Plus, Banks will be here tonight to make sure all your needs are met and that you feel comfortable.”
She smiled at me, that same innocent smile that always broke my heart. “Okay. We’ll be fine, Moni.”
“Will you?” My voice cracked.
She chuckled. “Yes.”
“Don’t be laughing at me.” I pulled her in for a hug. “You know I worry about you all.”
I held her tight.
TT was too young to have to understand these things, too young to have this kind of knowledge. But she had already seen so much and there was no going back.
“I love you, TT.”
“I love you too, Moni.”
“Sisters forever?”
“Forever and ever and ever.” TT giggled. “And ever.”
I let her go. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Trust me on that. I will see you.”
“Don’t worry, Moni. Leo said you’re going to be stronger after being with him and I believe that.”
My smile faltered. “What?”
“I know you’re scared.” she whispered. “But you don’t have to be, Leo told me that after you leave with him, you will return and that. . .you’re going to be stronger than ever in the East. That you won’t need him anymore when this is all done. You won’t even need Lei.”
“Why. . .did he say that?”
“Because. . .he said he’s going to teach you some things tomorrow.” Her gaze was steady and serious in a way that didn’t match her young age. “I know when Leo’s lying.”
“You do?”
“I’ve been watching him all night. He has this twitch in his eye when he lies. He smiles too much, like he’s trying to convince you of something he doesn’t even believe. Like when he told Uncle Song that Chef Foo’s chicken was the best he ever had, so he should win. I knew he didn’t mean it. He preferred Banks’s food better.”
A nervous chuckle left me. “O-kay. He was trying to rep for the East.”
"Yeah. . .but. . .when he talked about you, he didn’t lie. He meant it when he said he was going to make sure you were stronger than ever before and. . .I believe him.”
My nerves frazzled.
"He also said that he won’t hurt you and I can tell that he wasn’t lying about that either because later he was telling me that I would be his grandchildren’s aunt and that I would have to watch over them. Teach them how to be smart.”