Devin knew it was risky, but he didn’t have a choice. The moment his four o’clock meeting ended, he headed downstairs under the premise of meeting a client, then hailed a taxi.
He had the foresight to get dropped off at an office building a mile away, walk two blocks, and then take public transit to get the rest of the way to his apartment.
With almost no time to spare, he grabbed the phone he used to communicate with Ghost, sent a quick text message, and secured the phone once more.
Now he was on another bus, this time on the way to the meeting he had been commanded to attend. Standing in the aisle, he wiped one sweaty palm on his slacks. He supposed it didn’t bode well for him that his nerves were in overdrive so much that he could hardly maintain his grip on the handle overhead.
The full bus came to a stop, and a dozen passengers fought their way toward the exits. The moment they were clear, several more took their places.
He noticed a man who looked vaguely familiar among the new arrivals, but he couldn’t place where he had seen him before.
Two stops later, Devin exited the bus and stepped onto the crowded sidewalk. He started toward the restaurant where he was supposed to meet his contact, assuming Fai would be waiting for him inside. To his surprise, the man he had noticed on the bus stepped beside him.
He felt something poke him in the ribs. “Keep walking.”
“Who are you, and what do you want?” Devin managed to ask.
“I’m the person who has some questions for you.” He guided him toward the corner of the building.
Devin stopped short of the narrow alleyway, afraid if he moved out of sight of the pedestrian traffic he might not ever be seen again. Another nudge with what felt like a gun barrel convinced him to keep moving forward.
“What do you want?” Devin asked again.
The man didn’t answer until they were well into the alley and out of sight of anyone on the street. “Who did you communicate with when you went to your apartment this afternoon?”
“What?”
The slender man pulled his weapon free of his shirt, where it had been concealed, and pointed it at Devin. “Who did you talk to?”
Devin reminded himself to stick as closely to the truth as he could. “I had plans with a friend tonight. When I got the message to meet someone here, I went home so I could get her number and cancel.”
A familiar voice sounded from somewhere deep in the alley. “I doubt that.” Fai emerged from a hidden niche in the wall. “You don’t go out with women. You are too in love with your wife.”
Devin turned to face Fai and fought to keep his rising apprehension from sounding in his voice. “Maybe you can tell me what’s going on here.”
“We have some questions.” He continued forward, the look of calm on his face creating the opposite feeling in Devin. “I’m starting to believe you may not have been completely honest with me.”
“About what?”
“The information you retrieved from your father has quite a few flaws in it.”
“I don’t know anything about that,” Devin said. “You asked me to copy his hard drive, and I did.”
“And you asked for proof that your wife is okay, and I provided it.” Fai came to a stop three feet from Devin and held out an envelope. “Now it’s up to you to decide if she remains that way.”
Reluctantly Devin accepted the offering. He opened it to find an Australian passport with his photo on it, but the name listed was Dustin Sherwood. “I don’t understand.”
“We’re taking a little trip to Shanghai. Consider it an opportunity to prove your allegiance.”
“And if I don’t go?”
“That would be unwise.” Fai motioned deeper into the alley. “Our flight leaves in two hours.”
“Hong Kong is a province of China,” Devin said. “Why do you need me to go to Shanghai?”
“Because I want to make sure you don’t have any friends tagging along while we have our chat.”
The man who had forced him into the alley moved forward, his weapon now only inches from Devin’s chest. “Let’s go.”
Fear, adrenaline, and Devin’s instinctive sense of survival urged him to react. He let the envelope fall out of his hand. The moment the man’s eyes lowered to follow it, Devin grabbed the man’s wrist with one hand and the gun with the other and twisted it out of his captor’s hand.
Devin barely had time to process that his tactic had worked before Fai’s movement drew his attention. Devin tried to step back so he could face both men at the same time, but before he could face Fai completely, Fai’s hand connected with Devin’s jaw.
Off balance, Devin stumbled back several steps, his grip tightening on the weapon. He swung it toward Fai, a blur of movement causing him to jump back. The kick Fai had aimed at his head missed by inches.
Anticipating another strike, Devin reached out with his free hand, backpedaling away from Fai and shoving the original gunman at the same time. The action caused Fai to strike his ally rather than Devin.
The stunned look on the other man’s face as he fell to the ground would have been comical had it not been for the gravity of the situation—Devin was a CIA operative in Hong Kong with two men trying to force him to go to mainland China against his will.
Fai surged forward, mimicking the move Devin had used on his accomplice just moments before. Devin countered by backing up again, only to find himself pinned against the wall.
“It appears my superiors were right,” Fai said, his voice still eerily calm. “You can’t be trusted.”
“It’s not me who can’t be trusted.” Devin lifted the weapon to take aim. He didn’t know if he could shoot another human being, but before he could decide, Fai kicked out again, this time managing to connect with Devin’s forearm.
The gun fell to the ground as Devin groaned in pain. His arms came up to block the next two blows, a strike from Fai’s right hand followed by a left jab. Devin sensed the man’s accomplice moving forward as well, undoubtedly intent on regaining his pistol.
Devin tried to lean down to recover it, but the movement left him vulnerable, and Fai kicked once more, this time connecting solidly with Devin’s midsection. Another groan escaped him, and he dropped to the ground.
He reached out, his hands grasping for the pistol. His fingers brushed against the rubber grip, a brief moment of hope sparking, but Fai kicked the gun out of reach, and his accomplice rushed forward. Before Devin could fight back, he felt both men grab him. Devin bucked against their grips, but that didn’t stop the prick of a needle in his arm.
A gunshot sounded, but Devin couldn’t process where the noise had originated from. He tried to focus, but the sights and sounds and even the awful smell of the alley dwindled, and the fading evening light darkened in an instant.
* * *
Grace fought against her exhaustion and struggled to stand when the knock sounded on the door. She had barely moved from the couch since arriving home from the airport three hours earlier.
Her grandfather had taken her suitcase upstairs to her room, but she hadn’t been able to find the energy to walk that far. Instead, she had tried to nap downstairs while fighting against the many what-ifs of the morning.
She had spent the past week trying to ignore the truth that she was married to a man who had practically dropped off the face of the earth, a man who had no idea that in a matter of months he would become a father—not once but twice. Now she forced herself to face reality. Sean’s father had given her the opportunity to start her new career, but only Devin could give her what mattered most—a future with her husband and children.
Grace went to the door and found Jun standing on the front porch, a suitcase in hand. “You made it.” Grace stepped aside and motioned her in.
“Yes.” Jun entered and narrowed her eyes. “You look tired.”
“A little.” Grace motioned to the stairs. “Your room is upstairs. Let me show you.”
“I’ll find it.” Jun pointed to the living room. “You stay and rest.”
Before Grace could protest, she heard footsteps behind her.
“You must be Jun,” her grandfather said as he entered the room.
Jun bowed her head.
“Jun, this is my grandfather, Quentin Harrington.”
“It is good to meet you,” Jun said. “I am happy to come to work for you.”
“We’re happy to have you.” Quentin moved forward and picked up her suitcase. “I’ll show you your room, and we’ll get your car unloaded.”
Jun must have known that refusing Quentin’s help wouldn’t have worked because she obediently followed him up the stairs.
Grace moved back to the couch and lowered herself onto the center cushion.
She looked over at the mantel and the photo that rested there of her with her parents taken the year before they died. When, she wondered, would she have what her parents had? Would she ever have a normal marriage? And would she ever learn why Devin had disappeared from her life?
She heard her grandfather and Jun coming toward her. They were her family now. She prayed that someday Devin would be part of her family again too.