Chapter 4
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.
Ethan knew what he’d heard in Mei Lin’s voice during that short call. She’d been afraid, but not of him.
Unless he’d been duped. Maybe someone else had imitated Mei Lin’s voice and used her number to get him to do exactly what he’d done—wire money.
Maybe he was a fool.
He checked his watch. He probably should’ve left the Rolex at home in Virginia. He didn’t usually think about its value. Or how he’d come to own it.
A gift Gavin had sent when Ethan graduated from medical school. The man hadn’t been there—not that Ethan had invited him. The watch had come by courier the day he’d passed his last exam.
Though he’d claimed to want nothing to do with Gavin for years, he’d worn the watch every day since.
He shoved his earbuds in and pressed the contact on his phone.
Gavin answered before the end of the first ring. “You okay?”
“She wasn’t on the train.”
A pause. “How long have you been waiting?”
“Too long. Can you find out if she boarded in Zhengzhou?”
“She did. I already checked.”
“She can’t have, or she would’ve gotten off here.” Seemed obvious enough to him. That was how trains worked.
“Ethan.” Gavin’s voice was careful. “She must’ve gotten off before reaching Hong Kong.”
He stared at the board. “Where?”
“I’ll call you right back.”
The phone beeped in his ear.
Ethan still hadn’t moved, hadn’t stopped scanning faces, just in case she somehow came in on a different one. Which didn’t make any sense, but did any of this?
A family moved past him—two kids with matching backpacks, a mother with an infant in a carrier, and a father who looked like he hadn’t slept in days. One of the kids stared up at Ethan with a child’s unashamed curiosity.
Ethan forced a smile.
His phone rang, and he wanted so much to see Mei Lin’s name on his screen. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d called and texted her and gotten no response. It wasn’t Mei Lin, though. It was Gavin. “Anything?”
“Her face was picked up on the platform in Changsha,” Gavin said.
“Why? Why would she get off?”
Gavin didn’t respond. Ethan figured he had theories, and they were all bad.
“Something spooked her,” Ethan said. “Or someone.”
“Could be.”
Ethan looked around the station, all marble and glass, so clean it sparkled. Thousands of people moving through, and it barely felt crowded.
He could wait here in Hong Kong. Maybe Mei Lin would find a way to reach him or let him know what she needed.
Or he could go back to the States. He had a job he didn’t want to lose. He had a life there. Not that he was ready to deal with that life, or the woman who’d texted him more than once during his long flight.
Still praying. I hope you’re doing okay.
And then a few hours after that…
I’m starting to worry. Anything I can do? Is it your mom?
Holly was kind and generous, and she deserved better.
Also, she deserved a face-to-face conversation. He’d given her texts a thumbs-up, then turned off his read receipts. Better to have her think he wasn’t getting her messages than know he was ignoring her.
In other words, it would be better for Holly not to know the truth. Yet.
If Ethan returned to Virginia now, he could have that face-to-face conversation with Holly.
If Mei Lin was really alive, she would find a way to call him again.
He could send her an airline ticket to…somewhere.
Not the US—she still didn’t have a visa.
But he could meet her wherever she said.
They’d figure it out—assuming she was alive, and assuming she wanted him.
He should go home.
That would be the logical thing to do. That was what he should do.
But it wasn’t what he was going to do. He wasn’t returning to the States until he found his wife, or at least until he knew what had happened to her.
“I’m going to Changsha.”
“You don’t have a visa,” Gavin said.
Ethan was already navigating to a travel website. “I’ll buy a flight that leaves in ten days.” He’d done the research on the plane and knew how to get access to the mainland. “I can apply for a transit visa. Technically, I’m just passing through.”
“Technically.”
“There’s no law against searching for your wife.”
Gavin exhaled a long breath on the other end of the line. It wasn’t agreement, but he probably realized arguing would only waste their time.
Ethan booked a flight for Bangkok, then scanned the signs in the terminal.
“Do you know how big Changsha is?” Gavin asked.
“I’m guessing big.”
“There’re over ten million people there. Ten million. You’ll be going in with zero information.”
“I’ve had zero information for six years!” He hadn’t meant to yell, but this conversation was pointless. He grabbed his suitcase and followed the signs to immigration.
“Ethan.”
He took a breath. “I’m still here.”
“Don’t get arrested. If they take you, there’s only so much I can do.”
“I’m not planning to break any laws. I’m looking for a missing person.”
“If she’s missing.”
“Listen.” He kept his voice level despite his frustration. “If she’s running, it’s not from me.” He wished he were as confident as he sounded.
“I’ll see what else I can find out.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Be safe.”
After Gavin ended the call, Ethan lengthened his stride to get past slower passengers in the crowd. He’d lingered long enough.
It was time to find Mei Lin.