Red Phoenix

formally request of you. Will you assist Leo in the guarding of my beloved daughter?’
    ‘This is brilliant, my Lord,’ Leo said. ‘We can rotate the time. Some spent guarding, some spent teaching. A good balance.’
    ‘I want a pay rise,’ I grumbled. ‘I cannot believe you are doing this to me.’
    ‘Wait.’ John pulled a folded chequebook out of his hip pocket. He flattened it on the table, opened it, scribbled on a cheque, tore it out with a flourish and handed it to me.
    ‘How much?’ Leo said.
    ‘Ten million.’ I tore the cheque into tiny pieces. ‘But you forgot to sign it.’
    ‘You can sign it yourself, you know that.’
    ‘You both hate me. This was a setup from the start.’ I sighed with feeling. ‘I’ll be fiercely busy until she starts school, John. The rebuilding, the management of Hennessy Road and Turtle’s Folly—’
    Leo broke in. ‘ What ?’
    ‘She calls it Turtle’s Folly,’ John said.
    I ignored them. ‘The management of the school and the residence is a huge job. I can’t possibly teach until Simone returns to school and frees up some time for me.’
    ‘We can hire someone to help look after Simone,’ John said.
    ‘No way !’ Leo and I said in unison.
    ‘She’s far too special to give to anybody else,’ I said. ‘She stays with either Leo or me.’
    ‘How about I bring Charlie over from London to help you out until school starts?’ John said. ‘She canmind Simone while you’re in meetings, and care for her at the Peak so you can finish your thesis. I promised she’d be able to come over and brush up her cooking skills here in Hong Kong anyway. James can mind the house in London by himself for a while.’
    ‘That’s a great idea,’ I said, and Leo nodded agreement. ‘Simone loves Charlie dearly and would really enjoy seeing her. Perfect.’
    My footsteps echoed eerily through the tunnel leading out of the MTR station. There wasn’t anybody else in the tunnel with me. Most unusual for Hong Kong.
    A scraping sound came from the tiled area behind me. Loud enough to echo through the tunnel. It sounded like scales dragging along the ground.
    I glanced back and saw it. It was enormous; at least six metres long, black and shining. It flicked its forked tongue at me.
    I spun and ran. I raced through the tunnel, but my feet slipped on the tiles. It closed on me, the sound of its scales on the tiles a wet, shining slither. Louder and louder…
    It crashed onto me, pinning me under its enormous, slick body. I couldn’t move.
    It wrapped its body around me, but didn’t squeeze. It just held me.
    Then it was gone.
    I pulled myself up and walked out through the tunnel. Well, it was about time. What a wonderful feeling of satisfaction. I was complete. I was whole. And it felt so good, because I was so very, very dangerous. Now. Who would I kill first?
    I woke and stumbled out of bed, then collapsed on the floor, panting and drenched in sweat.
    John must have felt my distress because he came in. He wore his plain black pyjama pants and his long hairhad come almost completely out of its braid. He knew better than to approach.
    I knelt on the floor, gasping.
    ‘If I could hold you right now, I would. Do you want me to call someone?’
    I raised my hand. I took a deep gulping breath and pulled myself to my feet, then sat on the bed. ‘I’m okay.’
    He sat on the other side of the bed. ‘That must have been a hell of a nightmare.’
    I glanced into his eyes. ‘I dreamed I turned into a snake. No, that’s not right. I dreamed that a snake turned into me .’
    He was taken aback. ‘Really?’
    I dropped my head. ‘A really big black snake.’
    ‘I would love to see that,’ he said, his voice intense.
    ‘What?’
    ‘I’m sure you would be spectacularly beautiful. Black?’ He smiled slightly. ‘Wonderful.’
    I looked away. ‘Go back to bed, reptile man.’
    ‘Are you sure you’re all right?’
    ‘It was just a freaky dream. That’s all.’
    ‘If you’re sure…’
    ‘You need your rest. Go back to bed.’ ‘As you wish, Emma. Good night.’ ‘Night, John.’
    It took me a long time to go back to sleep after he’d gone.

CHAPTER FIVE
    I met my friends April and Louise for lunch in the Thai restaurant in Wan Chai. It had been a long time. April was a lovely Australian Chinese who I’d met working at Kitty Kwok’s kindergarten before I went to work full-time for John. Her pregnancy was already well along and she had a cute bulge in front,