"We're leaving," he answered. "Your mother has gotten through surgery. She will be fine."

"Maybe. But I'm not leaving here without at least saying—"

I cut off when Victor abruptly stopped us walking and yanked us to the left and into a hallway. It was one of those short corridors that led to a closed accounting office.

"What the hell, Victor?" I asked. "Why are you acting so crazy?"

The answer to that question came not from Victor but in the form of a man storming past the corridor where he'd hidden us. A man I recognized.

It was my father.

He looked angry, which I pretty much knew, meant that he was afraid. It was the same expression he wore when he pulled me out of Victor's Roppongi apartment.

I stopped arguing with Victor and instead went to peek around the corner. I watched my father's back for a few moments before he broke left toward the elevator bank and disappeared.

After he was safely out of sight, Victor and I walked out of the building's front entrance without saying a word.

There was a car idling right outside of the hospital. A large black Suburban, not an Audi. But the driver got out and opened the back door as soon as he saw us. Less than two hours later, we were on a plane headed to Providence.

It was a long, tense plane ride to Texas. Going back was even more awkward. I still couldn't believe we just narrowly missed my dad.

Or that Victor had helped me dip in and out without Dad ever being the wiser.

"I don't know how to thank you for everything you've done for me this weekend," I admitted about halfway through the plane ride.

He was quiet for so long. I wasn't sure if he would acknowledge what I said.

But then he raised his hands to sign back with a stone-cold look, "Don't thank me."

And in that was pretty much all he said to me for the rest of the plane ride.

The night guard was waiting beside the open gate when we pulled up to the house.

He was another old guy like the day guard, and he had never said one word to me. However, he greeted Victor in cheery Cantonese. And I was pretty sure the sudden uptick in his friendliness levels had nothing to do with the quality of his English.

"Well, thanks again," I said to Victor, figuring this was where we parted. "See you on May 25th, I guess."

He didn't answer. Just stared down at me, his expression icy and impassive.

So I guess our dynamic was back to that again. I headed into the house with my backpack, more than ready to be done with this crazy day.