White Tiger

before. It was charming.
    ‘Hello, old Wu,’ she said. ‘Keeping well?’
    ‘All the better for seeing you, my Lady.’
    ‘You have left it a long time, my friend.’
    ‘I know.’
    ‘Jade and Gold?’
    ‘Coping.’
    She sighed. ‘Next time I will come to you.’ He shook his head.
    ‘Fine then, be stubborn.’ She saw me. ‘Who is this?’ Her eyes widened. ‘I don’t believe it. Haven’t you learnt your lesson?’
    ‘No, no, this is Simone’s nanny. Miss Emma Donahoe.’ He looked into her eyes. They concentrated on each other, then both snapped out of it.
    ‘I see.’ Ms Kwan glanced down at Simone. ‘And is Miss Donahoe a good nanny?’
    ‘Emma’s great,’ Simone said. ‘She’s fun.’
    ‘Then Emma is a welcome guest. Welcome to Paris, Emma.’
    I had the irrational feeling that I wanted her for my mother. ‘Thank you.’
    Ms Kwan patted Leo’s arm. ‘Make sure he comes sooner next time, Leo.’
    ‘That’s very easy for you to say, Ms Kwan.’
    Ms Kwan raised her arms in welcome. ‘Shall I show you to your rooms?’ She took Simone’s hand, then linked her other arm in mine. ‘Come, let me show youwhere you will stay, Emma. Tomorrow Leo will take you and Simone to see beautiful Paris while I talk to Ah Wu. And then you, Leo and I will have a little chat.’
    I was too awestruck by her graceful presence to say a word.
    Simone adored the Eiffel Tower. There was a long queue for the lifts, but she was happy to wait, hopping from one leg to the other with excitement until she fell over.
    ‘Try to stay on your feet, Simone,’ I said with mock exasperation.
    ‘I know, I keep “doing a Simone”,’ she said. ‘I can’t help it.’
    Leo studied the crowd around us carefully. ‘What?’
    He shook his head.
    I moved closer to him and spoke more softly. ‘We’re a long way from home, Leo. I don’t think anybody around here even knows who she is.’
    ‘You can never be too careful,’ he said.
    When we reached the top of the Tower we had to run to keep up with Simone. She raced from one side to another, showing me all the landmarks: the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe.
    ‘How come you know Paris so well?’
    ‘Because I come here all the time, silly Emma. We used to come here a lot before. Now we don’t come as much.’
    ‘Before what?’
    She ran away.
    ‘Is Ms Kwan Mr Chen’s sister?’ I asked Leo. ‘Nope.’
    ‘But they’re related, then?’
    Leo turned to follow Simone without answering me.
    It was already dusk by the time Simone had finished with the Tower. By then Leo and I were thoroughly sick of it.
    ‘Wait until the Science Museum,’ Leo said. ‘She likes it even more than this.’
    Leo called the driver to collect us from one of the side streets bordering the Tower gardens. As we walked through the darkening city, he put his mouth next to my ear. ‘Don’t stop, keep walking, don’t look back.’
    I did as he said. We walked on a few metres without him, then Simone stopped dead. I pulled her hand, but she refused to move. She shook my hand free and ran back. I hurried to follow her, but she had stopped.
    Leo was facing off against three young Chinese men. All of them appeared strong and muscular and they were concentrating on Leo.
    ‘Move back, Emma,’ Leo said without looking at me. ‘Take Simone back out of the way.’
    I did as he said. I thought about running, but I didn’t know how many more of them might be waiting for us in the shadows.
    In martial arts movies, the villains take on the hero one at a time and he defeats them individually. All three of these guys threw themselves at Leo at once.
    Leo grabbed one and lifted him easily, then pushed him into the other two, knocking them backwards. Then he raised the man he held with one hand and smashed him into the ground.
    The young man hit the pavement with a crack, then exploded into black streamers that dissipated quickly.
    ‘Bad people,’ Simone whispered. I pulled her closer to me.
    Leo straightened. The other two guys held back, watching him. He gestured a come-on.
    They both threw themselves at him. He caught the first one’s hands and crossed them over his chest,pinning them, then turned him to block the other guy. He smashed his fist through the first guy’s face. This one also dissipated into feathery streamers.
    The last guy held back, smiling at Leo. Leo lunged forward, grabbed him, and hoisted him by the scruff of the neck with one hand. The young man struggled, then went