Chapter 13 #2
“You’ll need to if I’m going to have an intelligent discussion—”
“Tsui’s at a conference in Osaka.”
“Oh.” Ethan was getting it now. “I’ll say I have an appointment—”
“And they’ll be flustered because Tsui isn’t there. Whoever’s at the desk will call somebody up the chain to deal with you.”
“Any idea who?”
“Mei Lin,” Michael asked, “any guesses?”
“If he’s still there, then Dr. Wang, or whoever the deputy director is.”
“It won’t matter who they call,” Ethan said. “None of them will be Tsui, and I’ll be very offended.”
“Of course you will. You came all the way from the United States. You had an appointment. You want an explanation. You’ll say all these things, loudly.
You’ll have a translator—same guy who’s getting the uniform.
He’ll slow everything down and make the whole thing more entertaining for the people watching.
If Wang or whoever they send to mollify you tries to get you to go with him to an office, refuse.
Stay in the lobby, where you can cause maximum distraction.
The longer it takes, the better. The more eyes on you, the fewer on Mei Lin.
Hopefully, that’ll include anybody watching the cameras. ”
“Okay.” Ethan drew the word out, turning to Mei Lin. “How much time do you think you’ll need?”
“That depends. How do I get through the doors? There is badge access in every department.”
“I’m working on—”
“Oh, I know. The break room.” She straightened, her eyes bright. “The staff break room is in the basement. People often leave their badges rather than take them home. I will steal one.”
“I love that.” Michael sounded like he meant it. “That’s perfect, and it doesn’t require us to try to clone one, which doesn’t always work. Great idea.”
She was going to break into one room, steal a badge, then break into another room? This was getting ridiculous.
The fear and frustration that had been simmering rose to a boil. This wasn’t going to work, and neither of them seemed to care.
Easy for Michael. Wasn’t his wife he was sending into danger.
And Mei Lin… How easily she would put their future on the line, again.
Ethan pushed to his feet. “You’re both very excited for Mei Lin to risk her life.”
Her smile faded. “To get the evidence and be done with this.”
“It’s too high a price.” He hadn’t meant to yell. Or maybe he had.
“Ethan.” Michael’s tone held warning, as if he had a right to tell Ethan what he could or couldn’t say.
“We’re not doing this. You need to hire someone to do her part.”
“We’ve been over this,” Michael said. “Nobody else would know what to look for. Nobody else knows that storage area like Mei Lin does. Unless you want to hang around for days or weeks—”
“No. We’re leaving. We’ll get a flight tonight. Once we’re safe, you’ll have all the time in the world to hire someone.”
“If anybody’s willing to do it,” Michael said. “In that town, with Lu Feng and the influence he has…”
“It would be too risky,” Mei Lin said.
“That’s too risky?” He was yelling, and he didn’t care. “But your walking back into that place isn’t?” Ethan needed to calm himself down. “You could run into someone you know. Your friend, the one who worked in pathology…” He struggled to remember her name.
“Ying.”
“What are you going to do if you see her?”
“Look away so she doesn’t recognize me.”
“What about that nurse…whatever?”
“I will avoid her.”
“What if you can’t?”
“Then I’ll talk my way out. I’ll be ashamed that I used to be a nurse and now I deliver packages, and she’ll believe it because she never liked me.”
“And if she’s in on Lu Feng’s operation? If she knows where you’ve been and why?”
Mei Lin didn’t have an answer to that.
Ethan was pressing his luck, but he didn’t care. “What if Dr. Lu is there, huh? What if he sees you? He’s not going to believe your story.”
“Ethan,” Michael said, “try to take it down a notch.”
“She’s not your wife.”
“I get it.” Michael’s voice was measured. “Lu Feng is still in Changsha. He has no idea where you two are. This is going to work.”
“It’s not going to work because she’s not doing it.”
“I am.” Mei Lin’s words, calm and measured, kicked Ethan’s blood pressure higher.
He paced to the wall, leaned against it, and crossed his arms. “I’m saying no.”
“And I’m going anyway.” She crossed her arms too. “You can help or not. Either way—”
“Mei Lin.” He banged his head against the wall, which was about as productive as trying to talk sense into her. “I can’t… I won’t even… How will I know you’re safe?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“You don’t know—”
“We’ll get her a phone.” Michael’s tone was reasonable and made Ethan want to punch him. “She can text you the second she’s clear. You’ll know.”
“And if she doesn’t text? If she doesn’t get clear?” He’d already had this argument—and lost. But maybe, this morning, he’d be able to talk sense into one of them.
“Then you keep being inconvenient until I tell you to leave,” Michael said.
“What if she gets caught?”
“She is standing right here.” Mei Lin moved toward him, fury flashing in her eyes. “If they catch me, they will call the police.”
“And right back to prison you’ll go. That’s what you want?”
“You’re being absurd.”
“I’m being absurd? You’re risking your life—”
“Is this the teamwork you two promised me?” Michael’s sardonic tone wasn’t helping.
Ethan had the overwhelming desire to throw the burner phone out the window.
He took a breath and tried to think logically. The plan would work great, unless it didn’t.
“We’ll be watching the feed through the cameras.” Michael’s voice was as calm as ever. “I’ll know what’s going on.”
Mei Lin laid her fingers on Ethan’s arm. “We will have to trust God to protect us.”
Right. He’d made that mistake before.
“You have a suit with you?” Michael asked the question as if the decision had been made, which apparently it had, despite how he felt.
“Didn’t realize I’d need one.”
“There’s a shop with a tailor not too far from where you are. I’ll send the address. You need to get there tonight.”
Ethan checked the time. It was four thirty. Plenty of daylight left. And plenty of reasons not to be in this room. “Fine.”
“I’ll call back in the morning. Get some sleep, both of you.”
The call ended, leaving the room silent, if not peaceful.
Mei Lin’s fingers were still on his arm. She looked up at him, then drew her hand back. “You are angry.”
“I’ll get food on my way back.” He snatched his jacket off the chair. “Anything you don’t want?”
“Whatever you choose is fine.”
He was halfway out the door when he turned.
Mei Lin stood in the center of the room, watching him. The anger she’d worn earlier had faded. Now she just looked confused and wary, bracing herself.
It gutted him.
He should say something kind. We’ll figure it out. I’ll be back soon. I’m sorry I’m acting like this.
But he couldn’t force any of those words out of his mouth. “Lock the door behind me.”
He pulled it shut before she could reply and headed for the stairs. Only once he was in the stairwell did he pause to breathe.
He was furious. Mei Lin was willing to walk into a building where men who wanted her dead would probably be looking for her. He should’ve…he should’ve drugged her and dragged her to Hong Kong. This plan was all kinds of stupid.
And he was angrier with himself because he’d been trying to find another way to get the evidence, and he hadn’t.
Lord, get her through this. Get us both through.
He waited, hoping God would drop some amazing alternative into his head. After a minute, he gave up waiting and continued his quest for the perfect distraction suit.