Golden Lies - Barbara Freethy [77]
An-Mei didn't blink, her gaze unwavering.
"I wonder if whoever took Mr. Hathaway's dragon has the other one."
"If you know of such a set, you know there is a curse. Your dreams come from the curse reaching out to touch you. You must not let it touch you. And you must not touch the dragon."
"I held it in my hands," Jasmine said with a shiver of uneasiness as she remembered the coolness of the bronze beneath her fingers.
"Where is Alyssa?"
"Alyssa? I don't know."
"You must find her. You must make sure she is safe."
"Why wouldn't she be safe?"
"The curse is on first daughters."
The words stabbed deep into her heart. So it was true, the story she and David had found. And something else was suddenly clear. "I'm a first daughter."
"Yes," An-Mei said, meeting her gaze. "And your dreams have cursed you, too."
"My dreams?" Jasmine echoed. "Or the dragon?"
"No more!" An-Mei shouted, her eyes blazing.
Jasmine took a step back, feeling suddenly afraid. But why did she fear her own mother? This small woman had cut her many times with unkind words, but she had never actually struck her. At least, she didn't think that had happened. Sometimes her childhood seemed like a vague, dull memory that never came into focus.
"The gods are watching," An-Mei said, her voice quieter now but still sharp.
Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest, fighting the impulse to look around and see if someone was watching. "Why can't you just tell me the truth? Did I see the dragon somewhere?"
An-Mei stared at her for a long moment. "Yes. You see the dragon at the museum in Taiwan when we went there on a trip. I tell you don't touch, but you do. Bells go off. Guards come running. Lee almost go to jail. You touched it, and you were cursed."
Jasmine stared at her mother in confusion. The story sounded convincing, but it was so innocent, so bland. Why hadn't they told her before where she'd seen the dragon? Why pretend it didn't exist, that it was only in her dreams? Was her mother lying?
It seemed an impossible thought. An-Mei had punished each of her children for every small lie she had caught them in. She believed that lies told eventually came back and stabbed you in the heart. In fact, she thought heart attacks were caused by too many lies. When her husband had had his attack, An-Mei had prayed for forgiveness every minute of every hour until his heart was beating strongly again. Which made Jasmine wonder something else. What were the lies her father had told?
"Please," An-Mei said. "No more, Jasmine. No more talk of dragons. Stop now, before it is too late."
Jasmine had the terrible feeling it was already too late for her. But maybe not for Alyssa. She had to find her daughter. She had to make sure Alyssa stayed away from the dragon before she, too, was forever cursed.
Chapter Fifteen
"Alyssa, come in," Ben said, as he opened the door to his apartment. "You're right on time. Can I take your coat?"
Alyssa was tempted to hang on to her coat so she wouldn't get too comfortable, wouldn't let down her guard, but it was warm in the apartment, so she took off her suede jacket and handed it to Ben. Underneath she wore a red knit sweater and a pair of black pants.
"Nice sweater," he said approvingly. "At least you haven't shunned red."
"Why would I? The Chinese don't have a monopoly on the color."
He smiled at her. "It's still considered lucky, you know."
"I look good in red. Don't read anything more into it than that."
"You do look good." He hung up her coat in the closet. "Joey is out for the evening, so make yourself comfortable."
"You still live with your brothers?"
"Henry lives in Seattle, but Joey lives here. He has a night class. So it's just you and me."
"Great," she murmured warily. A few minutes with Ben had reminded her of why she had avoided him all these years. He was too attractive, too likeable. And he had a way of seeing into her head that made her feel uncomfortable. Besides that, he reminded her of