Chapter 37: The Man Who Stayed

The police had surrounded Wang Traditional Martial Arts without entering it. Mo counted eight officers by breath and weight. Two at the front. Three in the alley. One on the bakery roof. Hollis and Ruiz waited behind an unmarked car across the street. The eighth officer stood beside the tax preparer's doorway with a rifle held low. Lili poured coffee into a paper cup and fitted the lid. "They asked if you had weapons," she said. "I told them you were one, and also a guest in my house, so they could wipe their feet." "It is an inaccurate answer." "Which half? Drink your coffee before they take it away from you." The school had canceled its morning classes. Dehai stood beneath the old photographs with his arms folded. Xiaotian had been sent upstairs, though his breathing remained audible through the ceiling. Mo took the coffee. No flavoring. Enough bitterness.…