“Tenzin?”
She pursed her lips.
“Tell me it’s not someone who hates you.”
“This is slightly embarrassing.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know who is in charge here.”
“You don’t?” That was surprising, considering her memory.
“In this area, it’s almost constantly changing. Power struggles are a way of life.”
“Why didn’t you ask Kesan?”
She looked offended. “And let him know that I do not know who runs this area? Hardly.”
“So, rather than look bad in front of someone you mildly trust, you’re going into a city and taking out gold when you have no idea who the VIC is at all?”
She shrugged. “It’s my gold.”
“They may not see it that way, since it’s been in their territory for over two hundred years, Tenzin.”
“No matter. I hardly think we’ll arouse any interest.”
“Really? You’re so full of shit.”
She smiled.
Ben groaned. “You’re itching for a fight, aren’t you?”
“It’s been a while.”
He sat up and grabbed for his backpack, rifling through to find a clean shirt.
“Fine. Whatever. Don’t get me killed and remember the golden rule of pissing VICs off.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He leaned forward and grabbed her chin between his fingers, forcing her to look at him. “You break it, you buy it. So unless you want to be the de facto immortal leader of a small city in Central Asia, don’t kill anyone, Tenzin.”
She pouted. “You really like spoiling a fight, don’t you? And this is faulty reasoning. If they try to hurt us, I’m going to kill them. I don’t care what happens afterward.”
“Why do I even bother?” He went back to his backpack. Yeah, he was definitely going to have to do laundry. “Fine. Try not to kill anyone important.”
“Of course.”
“Happy now?”
“Always.” She leaned over and rolled onto his bed, shoving him toward the edge. “Oh, this is comfortable. I’ll just wait here while you get dressed.”
“Boundary issues, Tenzin.”
“What?”
He shook his head and walked to the tiny bathroom, hoping he wouldn’t give himself a concussion trying to get dressed. “Never mind.”
CHAPTER SIX
It was inevitable that everything went to hell the second he thought they were clear.
Ben and Tenzin had made their way to one of the oldest crumbling neighborhoods of Kashgar around midnight, the moon full enough to give them some light, which was good because street lamps weren’t something the city had invested in for this part of town. Most of the light came from open doors and a few windows. Many of the houses were already deserted. Mud-brick walls lined the narrow streets as they turned and twisted farther into the dark maze of square houses.
Eventually, they came to a crumbling wooden gate. Tenzin paused, putting her finger to her lips. She listened for a few minutes. Then, without turning to Ben, she leapt into the air and over the wall. He heard a few steps. A pause. More steps. He was reaching for the door handles when the gate suddenly swung open with a loud squeak. Ben immediately pulled out the small can of spray lubricant he’d picked up that day to quiet any hinges they might run into.
“Sorry,” Tenzin said. “Needed to make sure we were alone. The family is gone.”
“Gone?” His eyes swept the bare courtyard. Though the gate had been in bad shape, the courtyard was neat and relatively intact. Three houses opened onto it, all two story with carved wooden beams supporting the bricks. Numerous windows showed that, at one time, the houses had been showpieces. A covered cistern was in the center of the courtyard and brick planters lined the walls. But all the plants in them were dead. Old vines had fallen over and not even a bird or a rat lingered.
“I don’t like this,” Ben said.
“I don’t know if they’ve been paid since Nima died. It’s possible they just moved on.”
“You have got to get someone hired to take care of your paperwork, Tiny.”
She shrugged.
Ben shook his head. “You think your cache is still here?”
“We’ll see, won’t we?”
Without another word, she walked over to the cistern and pulled open the grate.
“You stored it in a cistern? I thought you said—”
“There is a false wall. I borrowed an earth vampire to dig it so that the water would run to one side while keeping my things dry on the other. He did an excellent job. This area doesn’t get enough rain to be a danger.” She slipped inside, her narrow body disappearing beneath the earth. Ben tried not to shiver.
“You used an earth vampire to dig it?”
“Yes.” Her voice echoed up from below.
“How did you know he wouldn’t come back and steal from you?”
There was no sound for a few minutes, and then Ben heard a smashing. Then a crumbling, as if rocks were tumbling down. He wondered if Tenzin would answer his question or just let him wonder. Finally, her dusty face peeked through the hole, hovering just under the surface.
“He wasn’t a very nice earth vampire.”
“Oh.”
She smiled. “It looks like everything is still here. The question is, do you want to start sorting or get the crates?”