Page 32 of Shadowing You

The man seemed confused, so Mei Lin answered. “About three hours.”

“And then to Fuyin?”

She shrugged, her eye contact slipping. “Another seven.”

Right. Because Fuyin wasn’t far from the village where her parents had lived, which had been a bazillion miles from the closest airport.

Funny that she hadn’t asked him once about her parents. He hadn’t told them about Mei Lin’s call, nor Mei Lin about her parents’ new home. And he wouldn’t, either, until she was safe.

First, they had to make a pit stop a ten-hour drive from here.

“Fine,” he said. As if anything about this was fine. “Take us to Zhangjiajie. I’ll get us a place to stay.”

The driver practically scowled.

Mei Lin rattled off a string of Mandarin, and the man’s scowl deepened.

“Or we can find someone else to drive us,” Ethan said. “Decide now.”

He muttered something under his breath, loud enough that Mei Lin straightened. By the look on her face, she was about to unleash on the guy.

“Let it go,” Ethan said, adding a whispered, “It’s not like I have plan B.”

She exhaled, then took his hand and squeezed. “Thank you.”

Ethan nodded but didn’t look at her. He was risking his residency already, having left without giving them more notice. Now he’d be gone even longer than he’d planned.

On the other hand, the wife he’d fallen in love with seemed to be coming back. This determined woman wasn’t afraid of her shadow like the one he’d found the day before. Something about their escape from Changsha had snapped her out of the fear that had followed her like a shadow.

He still had no idea what she’d hidden and no idea where she’d been. He had no idea what this Lu Feng character would do or whether they were about to drive into something Ethan couldn’t get them out of.

All he knew was that his wife had called him, and she was trusting him enough to be honest and tell him at least a little of what was going on.

He would have to trust her too.

Lord help them both.

CHAPTER TEN

The farmland was thinning.

Mei Lin leaned her head against the cool glass and watched the flat brown fields give way to hills, the hills to sharper ridges. Pine forests darkened the slopes. Terraced rice paddies stair-stepped down toward the road, empty and waiting for spring.

She knew this country.

Not this road, not exactly, but the feel of it. The slant of the mountains, the red tile roofs pressed tight against the hillside, the small brick kilns with their chimneys smoking against a sky gone lavender. Her village had looked like this. Smaller, but similar.

Every mile they traveled took her closer to home, to Mama and Bàba.

Like Ethan, they’d never come to see her. She’d gone six years without a word from them.

Were they still alive, or had the virus taken them like it’d taken so many others? She hated to think that they might be gone, but what other explanation could there be? If they’d heard she’d been released from prison, what would they do?

Her mother would already be packing a bag. Her father would be telling Mama to sit down and wait for confirmation, but he’d be checking the train schedule behind her back.

They must have passed into the arms of Jesus. Or, if not, then they must have had a good reason not to come see her. Maybe they realized doing so could put them in danger. That was the last thing she wanted.

As much as she longed to, she couldn’t go to them. She wouldn’t. Not with Lu Feng out there. She would not be the reason he came for her parents.