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The honking grew louder.
Almost there.
“Are you sure Mom will like it?” I rubbed my nose with the sleeve of my shirt. “It looks like the one Celeste Ayi got her years ago.”
Prettysure my aunt bought it at an airport souvenir shop on her way out of Shanghai.
“She’ll love it.” Dad’s finger hovered over the pendant, moving along the edges without actually touching it. “It’s a shame I had to fly to Xi’an in January. By the time I heard they added the other pendant to the D.C. auction, someone had already bought it.”
“There’s another?” I drew an octopus on the glass this time, only half paying attention as a stormy Potomac crawled by. Another few miles and we’d turn onto Dark Prince Road. “Doesn’t that lower the value?”
“Sometimes. But in this case, the pendants were crafted as a his-and-hers set. They belonged to star-crossed lovers during the Song Dynasty.”
I perked up.
Finally, we got to the good part.
“What happened to them? Were they beheaded?”
“Zach.”
“Oh, that’s right.” I snapped, then sliced my finger across my throat. “They did death by a thousand cuts back then. Their arms must have beenripped.”
Dad massaged his temples, staring at me with a slight smile. “Are you done?”
“No. When they cut people’s noses off without anesthetics, do you think they died instantly or bled out?”
The traffic jam loosened, and the car gained speed.
Finally.
“Zachary Sun, it’s a wonder that you’re my chil?—”
A blaring horn sounded, drowning his voice. The rain. The entire world.
Dad cut off, eyes wide.
The car swerved violently to the side, as if trying to escape a collision. Dad tossed the box away and launched himself at me, wrapping his arms around my torso, clutching me painfully.
He pinned me flat against my seat. A blinding flash of headlights blazed across his face.
The Bentley tipped over on its side, flipping onto its roof. We landed upside down.
He was still on top of me.
Still shielding me.
It happened fast.
Loud, piercing ringing.
Then, pain.
Complete, utter pain.
Everywhere and nowhere all at once.
I was both numb and in agony.
