Page 110 of Shadowing You

In the distance, lamps glowed orange halos over wooden docks beside fishing boats that bobbed on the black water.

Pastor Su eased the truck into a gap between a dark shed and a wall of empty crates and killed the engine.

Renshu turned in his seat. “Are you ready?”

Ethan looked determined, though not eager, for what was to come.

Mei Lin zipped the rubberized jumpsuit. “We’re ready.”

She’d changed into the grimy green oilskin getup, Ethan holding his coat up for a curtain. The jumpsuit Pastor Su had brought was so bulky she would disappear. She pulled the knit cap down to her ears and the mask up to just below her eyes. Even if a camera captured her image, nobody would be able to identify her.

At least, that was her hope.

She leaned forward and kissed Pastor Su on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“The Lord be with you.”

“You too. Be safe.”

“I’ll walk them in. Wait here.” Renshu didn’t wait for agreement, just climbed out of the pickup.

She was surprised at how well her jumpsuit protected her from the cold wind.

Behind her, Ethan lifted both backpacks out and slung them over his shoulder before reaching for her.

“Don’t do that,” Renshu snapped. “She is a boy.”

“Right. Habit.” Ethan shoved his hands into his pockets.

They walked toward a streetlight where a man waited, leaning against the post and smoking a cigarette. He dropped it and ground it underfoot as they approached. He was short and stocky. Just outside the glow of the light stood a handcart holding three oversized white coolers.

Renshu spoke Mandarin. “Why are you here?”

“Waiting for you.” Apparently, that answer satisfied her brother because he held out a paper sack, which she’d seen him fill with bills a few minutes before. “I’ll know if you betray us.”

The man smiled, showcasing two missing teeth. “I’m taking on a new hand and a bunch of empty fish bins. Nothing to betray.”

Renshu turned to her. “This is Lao Wu.”

She gave the older man a small bow of respect. “This is my husband.” She said the words in Mandarin, then English.

Ethan nodded.

Lao Wu looked him up and down and grunted. He removed two of the bins from the cart and lifted the lid of the third. “I hope he’s flexible.”

Mei Lin didn’t translate that part. “He wants you to get in.”

“Of course he does.” Ethan had been warned. It was one thing to have Mei Lin seen on the dock, but a six-foot-tall Caucasian would raise eyebrows and invite questions. He handed the backpacks to Renshu, kissed Mei Lin’s cheek, and crouched into the fish bin.

Lao Wu closed it over him.

Mei Lin bent to one of the air holes. “Are you okay?”

He grunted something that she took for a yes.

Renshu dropped the backpacks into one of the two empty coolers, then lifted them both on top of the one hiding her husband.

After putting an unlit cigarette into his mouth, Lao Wu tilted the handcart and pushed it across the gravelly lot.