Page 92 of Shadowing You

Unless you counted a Snickers bar he’d taken from his best friend’s Halloween bucket when he was eight, he’d never stolen anything in his life. And he’d felt so guilty about the candy that he’d confessed a few days later and given his friend every penny in his piggy bank.

But yesterday, standing in the shadow of the temple after he’d ended the call with Gavin and Michael, he’d searched for instructions. How to hot-wire a car. And then, How to hot-wire a moped, because there were far more of those in China than cars.

Knowing he might not have cell service, he’d taken screenshots. Then, he’d put the phone away and not thought about it again. Until now.

He had instructions. His hands were steady. His wife trusted him.

Lord, I never thought I’d ask for this, but help me steal a car and get us out of here.

Ethan kept to the edge of the road, ready to drop into the trees if he heard so much as a footfall. The sun had climbed enough that the ruts threw shadows.

When the cabin came into view through the pines, he ducked into the woods.

It wasn’t a car but a moped, which didn’t surprise him, considering the whine it’d made and the narrow road. The moped leaned on its kickstand near the cabin.

The front door was open.

He crept through the underbrush, easing each foot down slowly on the frozen leaves and twigs, closing the distance to twenty yards. Fifteen. He hid again, this time behind a wide tree trunk, and watched.

The driver could be inside, or he could be outside somewhere out of view. Ethan wouldn’t move until he knew which.

The birds were twittering their morning worship, covering the sound of his pulse, which seemed loud enough to be audible to anyone within a mile. He’d told Mei Lin he’d be back in five minutes. He was already late.

He pulled his phone out and thumbed through the screenshots. Wires, color codes, a diagram of an ignition switch.

He was glad he’d taken Michael’s question to heart. He wished he’d taken Grant’s advice to heart as well.

Do you have a weapon? A knife will work in a pinch. Find one.

If Ethan had had half a brain, he’d have lifted a knife from the cabin. He’d planned to, but then they’d rushed away so fast that he’d forgotten. Now, he was unarmed.

What was he thinking? Was he going to murder an innocent man to steal a moped?

He was not.

But he might’ve threatened it.

A man stepped out of the cabin. He was average height by Chinese standards. He wore a thick canvas jacket and a wool cap. Ethan couldn’t see the guy’s face or guess his age. He stretched and scanned the trees, but not nervously. Maybe he hadn’t realized anyone had been there. He walked around the far side of the cabin and out of view.

A moment later, the outhouse door slammed.

Ethan hurried out of the brush and crossed the clearing in long quiet strides. No keys hung from the moped’s ignition, so he’d have to hot-wire it. Unless…

He looked at the open cabin door.

He didn’t have time to debate. He stepped inside, which was just like they’d left it, except now it held the scent of tobacco. A tin cup rested on the table beside a phone and a key on a brass ring with a red plastic tab.

He snatched the key and started to leave. But that phone…

He picked it up and brought the screen to life.

It had service—three bars. He could use it to navigate them out of there. Except phones could be tracked.

He shoved it in his coat pocket and started for the door.

But the man was there.

They both froze.