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Chapter Nineteen
Dazed, sitting in the back of a van between two guards, Amber felt as if she’d been existing in purgatory for weeks now. They’d made all kinds of decisions on her behalf. It seems that her input was the last thing anyone wanted or was interested in.
Fearful of her circumstances, like being kept in detention and threatened with a year in a state prison even before they held a trial, had woken her up to her situation fast. Who would have thought that having some innocent fun with a few of her peers would lead to this kind of punishment?
She’d gotten her degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language so she could get away from the stilted rules and boring atmosphere in her parents’ house. Feeling like a fish confined in a very comfortable bowl, she’d wanted to break out and live a little. Have fun. Be part of a group of like-minded peers.
And she’d found it all with the other teachers she’d met in Shanghai. From the very beginning, they’d had parties and talked long into the night about the state of the world and its politics, discussing subjects near and dear to idealistic students living in different parts of the globe.
Then she’d met Chen and fell for the tall, good-looking, yet studious man. Expecting that her striking long blonde hair, as well as her blue eyes and slim build, had been the major attraction at first, eventually, they found they were equally gifted, compatible, and had a lot of the same world views. For the first time in her life, she’d been madly in love.
Now she found herself pregnant, in cuffs, and on her way to being deported from the very country she’d fantasized about making home. Even worse, she’d embarrassed her father, and he wasn’t a particularly forgiving man. Her mother was less strict and the reason they’d granted permission for her to obtain her EFL degree in the first place. But her father had fought against letting her have so much freedom. Knowing she’d have to face him eventually and grovel turned her stomach.
So be it.
Right now, all she prayed for was to get out of the country that had suddenly become so foreign to her and back home where she belonged. Where a young woman would be treated like a person who mattered and not an irrelevant statistic no one cared about.
Her lawyer, David Yu, had promised her freedom if she did exactly as he said, and though she’d lost trust in her fellow man, she had no choice but to do his bidding. Her heart had taken quite a beating from Chen’s abandonment. She really believed in him, that he cared about her. Their fling had lasted for months and when they became lovers, they had made all these plans.
Then her roommate had insisted they have the party that created the ultimate havoc in their lives. That night, she hadn’t even had a drink or taken any drugs, and yet, here she was in so much trouble.
“Amber, listen to me. We’re approaching the area where we’re going to make the switch. You’re going to go into the other car with the FBI agent sent here to collect you. They have your deportation papers and will be taking you out of the country.”
“Can you at least take off the cuffs, David? My ankles are bruised, and my wrists feel like they’ll be scarred for the rest of my life.” Tears of self-pity gathered again, and she sniffed them away. Having cried for months, she’d finally accepted that no one gave a shit about her tears. She didn’t matter here. Even her lawyer, David, only paid her any attention because of Chen’s family, and the money he’d be earning.
“Okay, we’re here. Get ready. I’ll give him the keys to set you free and he’ll have some clothes for you to change into before you get to the airport.”
When Amber saw the Chinese man driving the other car, she shrank back in fear. If it hadn’t been for Kurt stepping forward and pretty much lifting her over his shoulder to move her to their car, things might not have turned out.
Once she saw he was an American, she didn’t fight. Once in the back seat, she saw him talking in Chinese to her lawyer and couldn’t make any sense of what he said.
Her lawyer shook his head as if the words were ones he didn’t like. Keys changed hands and a bulging envelope was passed to David. He quickly stepped back into the original vehicle before it drove off.
The American came over to her window and spoke, “Amber, I’m Special Agent Kurt Storm. This is Officer Chang, an old buddy of mine I met in Afghanistan. I’m here to transport you back to your family in Texas. So, just sit back and relax. You’re on your way home.”
He opened the door and leaned in to remove the cuffs from her hands and then her ankles. For the first time since the nightmare began, a feeling of safety began to form.
Until another car drove in front of theirs and blocked them from leaving. Three men got out and stood waiting. They all wore black suits and appeared serious… perfect movie-gangster types.
***
Kurt looked at Chang. “You recognize these men?”
“They don’t look like government officials if that’s what you mean.”
“Fuckin’ lawyer. He’s the only other person who knew where we were meeting. Guess he plans to get more money for his trouble.”
“Yeah, well that ain’t going to happen. You ready?” Chang slowly undid his seatbelt and opened the driver’s door.
Kurt turned to look at Amber who had shrunk down onto the floor in the back seat. “Good girl. Stay down. This won’t take long.”
He left the car and stood next to Chang.
In Shanghainese, Chang asked the big question, “What’s up, guys?”
“We want the girl.”
Kurt answered, his accent slightly off but the words well understood. “Uh-huh. She’s not going anywhere but back to Texas to her parents.”
