CHAPTER NINETEEN

May, Tanner, and Hiro landed in Beijing, exhausted from the long commercial airline flight. They'd usually take one of the corporate jets or Ospreys but didn't want any attention on them at all. Just getting through customs was an ordeal.

"Why are you here?" asked the man in Mandarin.

"We are visiting my family," smiled May.

"Where?" asked the man.

"Just outside of Yushu," she said, smiling again. "It's not very large, but my family has always lived there."

"And those men. Are they with you?"

"Yes," she nodded. "They are my cousins."

The agent stared at them, then back at her as if trying to see a resemblance. Tanner and Hiro both wore loose, baggy clothes, not wanting to show their physiques or give any indication that the men were physically superior. It was always best to appear meek.

"How long will you be here?"

"I'm afraid only a week, maybe less," said May with a sad face. "I hope to say goodbye to my grandmother and then leave."

The man nodded an apology and handed her the passports.

"Enjoy your stay. Welcome to China."

The three nodded their thanks, leaving with only their small carry-on bags. Yushu was a ten-hour drive without delays, and they were going to need to trade off driving so that they could each get some sleep. May was the most familiar with the route, but the others had been in-country as well.

"There are several prefecture cities along the way."

"What does that mean?" asked Tanner.

"It means that more than fifty percent of their population is ethnic. In this case, this far north, most are Han Chinese," said May.

"Do we expect any challenges?" asked Hiro.

"No. I wouldn't think so. We need to make sure we're not in anything Western-looking. No designer labels, sneaker labels, denim, that sort of thing. Change into the clothes I gave you on the plane." Both men nodded at her.

"What would have made them risk everything to come into China?" asked Tanner, staring out the car window.

"They had to have been terrified of Park, but if he's dead, why not go back?" said Hiro.

"Maybe it wasn't Park they were afraid of," said May. "Maybe there's someone else that they fear. One of the assassins, or perhaps the person pulling the strings of the assassins."

"Who would that be, though? Why would anyone want to kill Erica or Jennifer? They don't want to go back to North Korea."

"They might not have a choice," said May. "I mean, if they're found to be the rightful heirs of the title, then perhaps someone will force them to go back."

"We can't let that happen. We've got to find a way to prevent them from knowing where they are and who they are," said Tanner.

"Well, we did the DNA transfer for Chelsea. Maybe we could try that again."

They car was silent for a long time, May falling asleep in the backseat. Tanner and Hiro were used to staying awake for hours on end without difficulty. They'd both slept well on the flight to Beijing, so felt fine to drive.

The stretch of road had long distances between civilized points and completely blank landscape. By the time they arrived at Yushan, it was nearly midnight. They were fortunate to find a small hotel that had two available rooms.

"Why didn't you wake me?" asked May.

"Because you needed to sleep," smiled Tanner. "We're here and safe. We've got two rooms that are connecting. Get a shower and some sleep. We'll look for our couple in the morning."

May didn't have the energy to argue. She took a lukewarm shower, the hot water seemingly asleep, and went straight to bed. When they knew she was asleep, Hiro climbed out onto the balcony, looking out over the city.

"It's not very big," he said. "We should be able to find two Koreans."

"Let's hope so," said Tanner. "We can't stay here forever without creating suspicion."

"I would imagine neither could they," said Hiro, stepping back inside the room. He opened his tablet, connected to the wi-fi, and laughed softly. Turning it to face Tanner, they both chuckled, shaking their heads.

Apparently, China didn't like for anyone to use the internet without them knowing about it. The tracking and alert system on their devices was picking up everything. The wi-fi was already attempting to trace their search history, the room automatically turned on listening devices, and they were fairly certain that cameras were in the room.

Instead of deactivating them, they scrambled their signals, causing the devices to be unable to pick up anything, no matter how hard they tried. It might prevent anyone from checking them, assuming that they were simply malfunctioning.

While the hotel's wi-fi was disrupted, they used a small personal wi-fi device that allowed them to connect to the city records and any recent renters or buyers in the area. It wasn't a long list.

"I think I have them," said Hiro. "There were only four renters in the last two months. One was a single woman, two were elderly couples, and the last one was a young couple listed as non-Chinese."

"They made it easy for us, didn't they?" said Tanner.

"Let's hope they're still there in the morning."

After a leisurely breakfast the next morning, the trio felt revived and well-rested. The hotel manager was nice enough to give them directions to their ‘cousins' home and offered a few homemade snacks to take along the way. He advised that walking or bicycling would be best, as most of the streets didn't accommodate cars well.

It was very warm in China during the summer, often with unhealthy humidity levels. Today was no different. Dressed in the appropriate attire, the three looked as if they were local, just wandering around.

Turning down the narrow street, they smiled at the cobbled street stones, small village homes, and nodding at the residents as they passed.

"This street probably hasn't changed much in the last four hundred years," smiled May. "This is why I love what I do."

Approaching the house, they stopped as they watched a man place a sign on the gate. For Rent.

"Excuse me, sir," said May in Mandarin. "I'm looking for my cousins Sun-Jeo and Jae-Hua."

"I'm sorry. They're no longer here," he said.

"Do you know where they went? I want to see them and be sure that they are safe," she smiled. The man eyed them suspiciously and then nodded.

"He has traveled east to the Shechen Monastery in the Sichuan province."

"A monastery? Why would they go there?" asked May. The man looked at her with a sad expression.

"Did you know she was with child?"

"Was?" whispered May. "No. I didn't know."

"She could not carry the child, losing it just two weeks ago. So distraught, she took her own life while her husband was out buying food for them. The doctor was to come by and see her while he was gone, but he was running late. He found her hanging in the garden," said the man with a sad expression. "She was very kind. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Th-thank you," stuttered May. She felt an incredible sense of loss and sadness for the woman she didn't know.

"What about him?" asked Tanner. "What happened to Jae-Hua?"

"He went to the monastery to give himself over to the monks. I worried he might harm himself, but he asked if I would give him a ride. He told me to sell all of their possessions and use it to help someone else."

"And did you?" asked Hiro. The man stared at him as if to dare him to question his motives.

"I did. I gave the baby items to a mother in need, a farmer's wife on the outskirts of town. The furniture I kept here, so that others would have no need to worry when they rent from me. Her clothing was donated to another young woman who is very poor."

"Thank you for doing that," said May. "Will they allow us to see him at the monastery?"

"Yes. He is free to have visitors, but he is a very sad man and one I suspect who is conflicted."

"Conflicted?" frowned Tanner.

"I think he is trying to decide whether to remain at the monastery and accept a life of peace or to return to where he came from and exact a life of revenge and pain."

"Damn."