AUBREY TOOK A STEP back from the trunk. “Wait a minute . . . she’s still breathing.”
Mei gasped for air and tried to sit up.
“Mei.” Aubrey grabbed the young woman’s shoulders. “Mei. You’re safe now. Take a deep breath.”
“We need to get her out of here, now,” Jack said.
“There’s a chair on the front porch.”
Jack lifted the young woman out of the trunk and headed for the house with Aubrey right behind him.
“Fernandez,” she shouted. “Call 911. We need to see where this blood is coming from.”
“Already on it.”
“I’ll grab the first-aid kit and a blanket,” Lawrence said, running toward their patrol car.
“What’s going on?” Bridget Sanders stood at the edge of the driveway with a dazed look in her eyes. “I had no idea there was anyone in my car. I don’t understand.”
Aubrey brushed past the woman. “Ma’am . . . I need you to stay out of the way for the moment.”
On the porch, Jack sat Mei gently in the wicker chair, then pulled out his knife and cut the cord around her wrists. Aubrey stepped forward with the blanket from Officer Lawrence and wrapped it around Mei’s shoulders.
“See what you can find out from her,” Jack said. “I’m going to talk to Bridget Sanders.”
Aubrey nodded and knelt down in front of the young woman.
“Mei . . . Mei, you’re safe now. Can you tell me where you’re hurt?”
She pressed her hand against the side of her head. It came back covered in blood. “My head. My head hurts.”
“You’re going to be okay. We’re going to find out why.”
Aubrey grabbed some hand sanitizer from the first-aid kit Officer Lawrence set down beside her, pulled on a pair of latex gloves, then started gently parting Mei’s hair, searching for the source of the blood.
After a few moments, she said, “Looks like you’ve got a cut just above your hairline on the side of your head.”
“I . . . I remember hitting it on something.”
“It’s not near as bad as it looks. The gauze will help stop the bleeding. You’re going to be fine.”
Mei nodded, but she was still shaking.
“Mei . . . I know you’re scared, but do you think you can answer a few questions for me?”
“I think so.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
“I don’t know. It all happened so fast. Two men broke into the house. They took out the agents, then dragged me outside and put me into the trunk.”
“Did you see the men who took you?” Aubrey asked.
“No . . . I don’t know . . . I was so scared.”
“It’s okay. Right now, I just want you to take some deep breaths and try to relax.”
Aubrey finished cleaning up Mei’s wound, then attached a sterile gauze over the cut. A siren whirred in the distance as the ambulance grew closer. A couple neighbors were standing in their yards now, including their witness, who’d been held back by an officer from coming to check on her neighbor. Cheng might have won this round, but at least both Mei and Bridget Sanders were going to be okay.
“Peter was behind this, wasn’t he?” Mei asked.
Aubrey hesitated.
Mei moaned. “I know he was, but I didn’t tell him you were coming. I promise.”
“We’re not sure how he found out, but he used you as leverage to get away.”
“What about my father? If that’s who he’s really after, and he finds him . . .”
“Agents are already at his house to make sure he’s okay. They’re going to bring your father to the hospital so he can see you.”
Mei shook her head as Aubrey closed the first-aid kit and stood up.
“I should have seen it,” Mei said. “He was after my father all this time. He never cared about me.”
“I don’t want you to think about that right now. Right now, I just want to make sure we do everything we need to ensure you’re okay.”
“But he’s still out there?”
Aubrey nodded.
“I promise we’re going to do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Mei closed her eyes and swayed forward.
“Mei . . .” Aubrey caught her, placing both hands on her shoulders.
She opened her eyes. “I’m okay. Just . . . dizzy.”
The ambulance arrived and two uniformed paramedics stepped onto the porch. “What have we got?”
“There’s a large cut on the side of her head. Plus, possible shock or even a concussion. She’s dizzy.” Aubrey started to move out of the way. “We’re going to follow you to the hospital, Mei.”
The young woman grabbed Aubrey’s arm. “Please . . . please don’t leave me. He got to me once, and he can get to me again.”
One of the paramedics nodded at Aubrey. “You’re free to ride with her if you’d like.”
“Thank you.”
Aubrey found Jack while she waited for the paramedics to get Mei into the ambulance, unable to shake the guilt and anger that had taken hold of her.
“Her purse was in the trunk,” Jack said, handing it to her. “If he wanted to kill her, he could have. Instead, he let her go.”
“I know, but I want to know why. I want to know what his endgame is, because to him, this is clearly not over.”
“Maybe, but I have a feeling that he’s long gone by now. His job is securing government secrets, and unfortunately, there are plenty of people out there who are willing to sell him what he wants.”
“I hope you’re right,” she said. “And Mei won’t have to worry about him anymore.”
He brushed his hand down her arm and squeezed her hand. “I’m going to talk to Bridget Sanders and see if we can figure out how Mei ended up in her trunk, then I’ll be right behind you.”
Aubrey climbed into the ambulance as soon as they had Mei’s gurney loaded inside. Fifteen minutes later, they were ushering her into an exam room and waiting for a doctor to see her. There had been no sign of Cheng or his men, but Jack had arranged for two officers to stand outside Mei’s room, just in case they did show up.
She sat next to Mei, who’d fallen asleep on the bed, while they waited for the doctor. Memories of the last time she’d been in the hospital rushed through her. It had only been a few days since she’d driven here, excited about a time of rest with Papps and his family. It seemed like forever ago.
Jack stepped into the doorway, noticed Mei was sleeping, then signaled Bree to join him in the hallway.
“This is Mei’s father, Samuel Lien,” Jack said, introducing the two of them. “And this is Detective Aubrey Grayson.”
“How is she?” her father asked.
“They’ve done an initial assessment,” Aubrey said, “but we’re still waiting for the doctor.”
“I know you have a lot of questions,” Jack said. “And I promise you can see her in a minute, but first I need to ask you a couple of questions.”
“Okay, but I need to know what’s going on. All I was told is that her life is in danger because of Peter Cheng, the man she’s been dating.”
“That is true,” Aubrey said. “We understand you work in intelligence?”
“We have evidence that Cheng was using your daughter in order to get to you.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Did you ever meet him?” Jack asked.
The older man shook his head. “No. Mei was planning to bring him over this weekend so we could go out to brunch together. She seemed nervous about introducing me, but apparently he wanted to meet me. From everything she told me he was a nice young man. I just can’t believe he’d do this to her.”
Aubrey frowned. “Unfortunately, Peter Cheng is anything but nice.”
“We believe that the two of you were targeted in connection to your job and the classified information you work with,” Jack said. “Have you ever had anyone approach you and offer you money or goods? Either in person or through social media?”
“Once I was contacted through a professional site, but I realized what was going on and ended up deleting my entire account. But this . . . I never imagined them going through my daughter.” Mr. Lien let out a heavy sigh. “Can I see her now?”
Aubrey nodded, then opened the door and let him in.
“What did Mrs. Sanders say?” she asked Jack when they were alone in the hallway again.
“Apparently, she’s been having some memory issues. She was getting ready to leave for the store when she realized she’d forgotten her purse in the house. She left her car running and went to get it.”
“So she didn’t see anything,” Aubrey said.
“No, and while I’m not sure of Cheng’s motivation, he must have told his men to keep Mei alive, but dump her somewhere. They noticed an empty car running and decided to pop the trunk and leave her there. I looked inside the trunk again. There was blood on a metal toolbox where I believe she hit her head.”
Aubrey frowned. There were still so many things that simply didn’t add up. “Why go to all the trouble of getting her out of the safe house, only to let her go?”
Jack shook his head. “I think it’s Cheng’s way of letting us know he’s in control.”
Mr. Lien stepped back out into the hallway. “I’ll double-check with the nurse, but she asked me to get her some Sprite for her stomach. And Detective Grayson . . . Mei wants to know if she could talk with you for a moment.”
Aubrey glanced at Jack, then nodded. “Of course.”
Mei was sitting up in bed when Aubrey went back into the room. She kept her head down, avoiding Aubrey’s gaze. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”
Aubrey sat down on the bed beside her. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”
“Yes, I do. I was so stupid. I planned to introduce Peter to my father this weekend. We were going to drive out to the beach and have brunch at this little restaurant along the coast. I was so excited.” She drew in a ragged breath. “I can’t believe it now, but I actually thought he was the one I was going to marry. I trusted him, and instead, now I’ve put not just my life in danger, but yours, that nice old lady’s, and more than likely my father’s. I just . . . I should have seen that he wasn’t the man I thought he was.”
Aubrey shook her head, searching for the right words. “You’re not the first person to believe someone’s lies. He knows how to manipulate people. It’s his job, and he’s good at getting them to do what he wants. What you can’t do is let this situation stop you from trusting other people in the future. Not everyone is like him.”
Aubrey hesitated. She knew what it was like to feel betrayed. It made it hard to trust the next person. She knew the road back to trusting people wasn’t easy.
“Is he your boyfriend? The FBI agent. He’s super cute.”
“Jack?” Mei’s question took her off guard. “No.”
“I’m sorry if it’s too personal. There was just something—this spark—between the two of you. He seemed worried about you. Protective. Like he really cares.”
“We’ve been friends for a long time. Since junior high, actually. But there’s never been anything romantic between us. He’s more like a . . . brother.”
“I’m always playing matchmaker for my friends, but apparently I don’t know how to pick them for myself.”
“I’m sorry. I know this hurts. But you can’t let someone like Peter control you. Give yourself time, and when you’re ready, there are men out there who will treat you the way you deserve to be treated. You’ll have to look, but they are out there. I promise.”
“I just feel so stupid. And my father . . . I know he’s angry with me.”
“He’s just worried about you. But we’re going to find Peter and make sure he can’t do this to anyone else. I promise.”
She nodded. “I didn’t tell him I spoke with you. I don’t know how he knew where I was, but I never told him.”
“He, or one of his men, had to have been following you.”
Or he’d overheard their conversation on the university campus earlier that day.
Aubrey felt her heart pound. It was the only thing that made sense.
She pressed her finger against her lips, motioning for Mei to be silent, then glanced around the room. The young woman’s purse had been set next to her on a small metal table.
Aubrey grabbed the purse and started pulling things out and laying them on the bed. “You know, let’s not talk about this anymore. I understand you’re studying marine biology.”
Mei nodded as she watched Aubrey work, but the spark of fear was back. “My parents have never been thrilled about my choice. They’d much rather I study to become a doctor, but the ocean has always fascinated me.”
Aubrey kept looking through the bag. She knew the agents had checked Mei’s phone and made sure she couldn’t be traced with it, which meant it had to be something else. “What do you want to do when you finish school?”
“Right now, I’m planning on going into research. This summer I’ve been accepted to be a part of an internship in Alaska, focusing on sea lion research.”
“I bet that will be fascinating.”
Aubrey paused. She felt something in the lining. She tore the seam and pulled out a small metal button, just barely bigger than a quarter. She quickly popped out the battery and laid it on the bed. Maybe the reason he’d let her go was that he knew he could always find her again.
“What is it?” Mei asked.
“A tracking device.”
“So he was tracking me.”
Aubrey paused before continuing. “I’m pretty sure this tracker was also monitoring your conversations.”
“So he heard everything I said to you.”
A chill ran up Aubrey’s spine. She nodded.
“Don’t tell my father.”
“Our priority right now is simply to keep you safe. And that means we will have to move you—”
“Because he knows where I am.”
Aubrey scooped up the tracker as Mei’s father came into the room with a Sprite and a cup.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” she said, nodding at Mei before slipping out of the room.
Aubrey held up the tracking device in front of Jack. “I’ve disabled it, but he’s been monitoring her. We can have an IT person confirm, but I’ve seen these before, and they can monitor conversations.”
Her mind raced through her conversation with Mei on the campus bench. “He heard everything, allowing us to play right into his hands. And it could have gotten her killed.”
Jack nodded. “There’s no way to know how long he’s been doing this, but he was monitoring to keep tabs on where she was and contact with her father, hoping to pick up information. There was also a larger tracker found on her car.”
“Do we have any idea where he is now?”
“He’s gone under for the moment, but I don’t think that’s the last we’ll hear from him. Like we talked about earlier, he sees this as a game. He won’t walk away until he gets what he wants.”
“So, what do we do?” she asked.
Jack frowned. “We find a way to give him what he wants.”