Page 9 of Shadowing You

Slow down.

Breathe.

She had to blend in. She waited as a cluster of businessmen stepped onto the platform, then followed them, staying close and using their bodies as a shield.

More people followed her. She was just one tiny woman in a throng of passengers.

She shot a glance toward Lu Feng.

He stood about forty meters away, watching, his phone still pressed to his ear.

She faced forward. Don’t run. Don’t draw attention to yourself.

A man up ahead was scanning the passengers. He stood a foot taller than even the tallest man in front of Mei Lin. The stranger had broad shoulders and thick arms. He must be from Shandong or another one of the northern provinces, based on his height and breadth. He, too, held a phone to his ear.

Was he looking for her? Did he work for Lu Feng?

Peering through a gap in front of her, she saw people spreading out, moving in different directions. She must be nearing the station’s exit.

Almost…

“Chen Mei Lin!”

She almost turned at the sound of her name, but she didn’t. She just kept moving forward. Don’t run. Don’t run.

Maybe the man who’d yelled wasn’t sure. Maybe he thought he could get her to reveal herself.

Finally, she was through the gate.

She bolted.

CHAPTER FOUR

The train Mei Lin was supposed to be on had arrived forty-three minutes ago.

Ethan had landed in Hong Kong and hopped the transit to Kowloon Station. He’d been here nearly an hour early.

He still stood in the spot he’d chosen, near the center of the gate, back to the wall, where he could see every passenger coming through. A grandmother in a puffy coat. A college kid with a rolling suitcase that was nearly as tall as she was. A businessman on his phone.

But no Mei Lin.

He’d expected her to be here. She knew how to navigate in China. This was her country, after all.

He’d been so certain that he’d allowed himself to rehearse what he’d say—if he said anything at all. Maybe he’d just pull her close and let that be the whole conversation. He’d allowed himself to imagine the moment, having her in his arms again, inhaling her scent, feeling her warmth.

But she hadn’t come.

She’d gotten on the train. When she’d seen his message that he was going to be here, had she changed her mind?

Wasn’t that what Gavin had been suggesting, that she’d been hiding from Ethan?

But he loved her. She loved him.

Didn’t she?

Yes.

Of course.