Page 163 of Shadowing You

Good. Stay ignorant.

He’d meet his Maker soon enough—God willing, before the day was over.

Ethan glanced at his watch.

The crystal was cracked. The watch his father had given him was useless.

Didn’t matter. The watch didn’t matter. The time didn’t matter.

Color was draining from the world, the growing darkness turning everything from green and brown to various shades of gray. Soon enough, the gray would fade to black, and Lu would accept that Mei Lin wasn’t coming back.

Every minute closer to dark was a minute Mei Lin remained free. She’d escaped. Whatever help Asher had sent, she’d reached it. She was safe—she had to be by now.

The thought eased the pain pulsing in his chest. If she was safe, then Ethan had done the one thing that mattered. He’d slid off the back of the snowmobile to protect her, and it’d worked.

Whatever came next, he could handle it.

But Lu took out his phone, then rose, a smile crossing his face.

Ethan’s stomach dropped.

Lu called out in Mandarin, his voice carrying through the trees. Brush cracked, and Bo and another man came to the edge of the clearing. They spoke low and fast, Lu doing most of the talking, the other men nodding. Bo turned and jogged into the forest. The other man walked away more slowly.

A moment later, Kyle and two other Americans stepped into the small clearing.

“She is still here.” Lu’s mouth tipped up in a smile. “We will draw her into the meadow. Take up positions around the clearing.” Still speaking to the men, Lu looked at Ethan. “The first one who has a clean shot, take it. You will be rewarded for your work.”

She couldn’t still be here. She’d had time. She’d promised him.

She’d promised!

Think, Ethan. Maybe Lu was wrong. Maybe he believed it because he needed to.

But if he wasn’t wrong, if Mei Lin was still somewhere in these woods, then what did that mean?

Had she not found help? Had nobody come to help them? Was she on her own, just like he was?

No.

Asher had given her a target to aim for. He wouldn’t have done that without a plan.

And Gavin had proved himself. He’d flown to the other side of the planet to make sure Ethan and Mei Lin got back to the States safely.

Gavin wouldn’t leave her to die.

He wouldn’t leave Ethan to die either.

Mei Lin must have run until she’d found…whoever Gavin had sent. Then, she would have refused to take one more step toward safety without Ethan, because that was who she was. A hero.

Surrounded by other heroes, sent by Ethan’s father, who would not rest until Ethan was rescued.

Which meant…

Ethan didn’t know, but there was a plan. There had to be a plan, and when it was set into motion, he needed to be ready.

Where was that knife? He hadn’t had a chance to grab it before Bo started kicking him. Had the men remembered it?

While Lu and his minions talked above him, Ethan’s gaze traveled the clearing.