Grace’s eyes were still swollen but finally dry when her phone rang again. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but at least the crying jag had seemed to overshadow her morning sickness for the time being.
She grabbed her phone, not sure if she was ready to talk to Devin again but knowing, too, that speaking with him was the only thing that was going to make her feel better.
“Hi, Grace. It’s your grandpa.”
“Hi, Grandpa. How are you?” she said, relieved and disappointed at the same time.
“Can’t complain. How’s my little girl?”
“Pregnant.”
“What? Did you just say you’re pregnant?”
Grace couldn’t believe she had blurted out the truth. Maybe it was the emotional exhaustion, or maybe she needed to share the news with someone who didn’t have the word doctor before their name. “That’s right. You’re going to be a great-grandpa.”
“Well, honey, congratulations. How are you feeling?”
“Tired, nauseated.”
“Your grandma was the same way with your daddy. It’ll pass.”
“That’s what I hear.” Grace settled onto her couch, and a little ripple of excitement surfaced as she prepared to share the rest of the news. “There is something else I should tell you.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m having twins.”
“Twins? I don’t know whether to congratulate you or offer my sympathy.”
Grace chuckled. “Let’s stick with congratulations for now. You can save the sympathy for when I’m dealing with sleepless nights.”
“At least Devin will be back when that happens.”
“I hope so.” Her mood darkened at the mention of his name.
“Is something wrong?”
“It’s just hard being away from Devin for so long. With our days and nights opposite, communicating isn’t as easy as it used to be.”
“Hang in there, kiddo. This too shall pass.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.” He paused, then said, “Before I let you go, I hoped to ask a favor.”
“What’s that?”
“The financial planner who has been handling my investments is retiring. I hoped you might be willing to take over for him.” He pressed on quickly. “If you think it would be too much for you, I’ll understand, especially now that you have two babies on the way.”
“I’d love to handle it for you. Managing investments is what I enjoy the most.”
“Before you agree, there’s something else I should tell you.”
“What’s that?”
“I sold the ranch.”
“What? You’ve lived there for as long as I can remember.”
“That’s true, but I found a place I want to live more. The workable land is about the same size, but there’s also a dozen bungalows on the edge of the property that overlook the river and can be rented out.”
“Where is it?”
“Vail, a few miles from the ski resort.”
“So you work the land during the summer months and rent to skiers during the winter. Smart.”
“That’s what my investment adviser said too right before he announced his retirement.”
Grace thought over her schedule. “The Fourth of July is coming up. Maybe I can fly home for a few days, and we can look over everything then.”
“As much as I would love to see you, you don’t have to come all this way to look at spreadsheets. I can have everything sent to you.”
“I know, but I was planning to take the time off anyway, and I’m ready to get out of the city for a while. Besides, I would love to see the new property.”
“You just let me know when to pick you up from the airport, and I’ll be there.”
* * *
Devin’s stomach roiled, and his heart hammered in his chest. Groggy and disoriented, he pushed his hands onto the mattress and managed to sit up. His eyes opened a slit, and impossibly, his heartbeat quickened further. This wasn’t his bed but rather a futon mat.
The apartment was only half the size of his own. A man with brown hair sat at the table across the room, a laptop open in front of him.
“Where am I?” Devin asked in English.
“You’re still in Hong Kong.”
“Who are you?”
“You can call me Ghost.” He shifted in his seat so he was facing Devin. “What’s the last thing you remember?”
“I remember having drinks with some people from work. I got up to leave . . .” Devin’s voice trailed off. “I don’t know what happened after that.” He tried to bring forward the memories of the night, but nothing came. “What did happen after that?”
A knock sounded at the door before Ghost could respond.
Ghost rose and crossed the few feet to answer the door. Chee entered quickly, relief appearing on his face the moment he saw Devin.
“You’re okay,” Chee said more to himself than to Devin.
“Can one of you tell me what’s going on?”
“You were drugged,” Ghost told him.
“What?” Devin looked around the apartment again. “How did I end up here?”
Chee sat at the table while Ghost leaned against the wall. “When I found the bug in your apartment, I requested some extra help for you. Ghost has been trailing you for the past several days.”
Ghost spoke now. “I was outside the bar when your friends walked out with you. It was obvious you weren’t yourself. Two of the men were helping you call a taxi.”
“And I ended up here how?”
“Ghost convinced them that you were old friends. Seeing that you were ill, he insisted on taking you home.”
“Who drugged me, then?” Devin asked. “If it had been the people I was with, they never would have let you take me.”
“I didn’t give them a choice,” Ghost said. “Let’s just say that you weren’t the only person drugged.”
“You drugged my coworkers?”
“Only the two who were putting you into the car.” Ghost held up his cell phone to show Devin their pictures. Both men were lying in a narrow alley.
“That’s Bolin and Tain.”
“Who else were you with?” Chee asked.
“Fai, Meilin, and Huan.”
“One of them must have your cell phone.”
“My cell phone?” Devin patted his pockets to find it gone. “If they have my phone, they can find Grace.”
“We’ll make sure she stays safe.”
“Grace?” Ghost asked.
“His wife,” Chee said.
Ghost sat in his seat and leaned forward. “It sounds like you need to start from the beginning.”
* * *
Grace watched the seconds tick slowly by. Why was it that whenever she wanted time to pass by quickly, it seemed to do the opposite?
The night custodial staff had already come through to empty the garbage cans and vacuum. Her presence didn’t seem to deter them from their jobs, nor did they seem to worry why she was still here. A handful of other employees were also still at their desks despite the late hour. Of course, most of them were involved with international funds and had reason to keep odd hours.
Trying to distract herself from her fatigue, she looked over the paperwork she had received from human resources. Transfer possibilities, maternity leave request forms, insurance information.
Another glance at the clock. Five more minutes. Butterflies fluttered inside her. What would she discover when she made this call? She was afraid to know and equally afraid not to.
Unable to concentrate, she cleaned the papers off her desk and tucked them into a file in her drawer. After shutting off her computer, she picked up the phone and dialed, keying in the calling card number she had purchased at lunch to cover the overseas charges.
The female voice that answered spoke in a foreign tongue, presumably Cantonese.
“Devin Shanahan, please.”
“Devin Shanahan?” the woman repeated. Grace couldn’t tell if she was questioning her or confirming what she had said. In accented English, she finally said, “One moment.”
The phone clicked once, and then began ringing once more. Three rings later, Devin’s recorded voice came over the line when he announced his name. The next words were automated and incomprehensible to her. A beep followed.
Grace debated briefly whether to leave a message but decided against it. Devin had said he would be traveling the next few days, and she had the answer to at least one of her questions—he hadn’t lied about where he worked. So why had he told her he could transfer to cities that weren’t available to him?
A new possibility surfaced, and she felt suddenly foolish for doubting him. Perhaps it hadn’t been transfer possibilities he had been looking at but rather a switch in companies in order to allow her to follow her career opportunities.
Exhausted but feeling a little more secure in her marriage, Grace stood and gathered her purse. It was time to go get some sleep. By the week’s end, she would be able to talk to Devin, and they would plan their future without letting any misunderstandings come between them again.