“Grandpa? Jun?” she called, then to herself, she mumbled, “It’s too soon.” The doctor had said he wanted her to make it another three weeks before she delivered.
Jun reached her room first. “Miss Grace, you okay?”
“I need to go to the hospital.”
“I will get Mr. Quentin.” The words were barely out of her mouth when Grace’s grandpa poked his head in her doorway.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I think I’m in labor.” She felt tears threaten when she added, “Grandpa, it’s too soon.”
“Everything will be fine,” he assured her. “Let’s get you out to the car. Do you think you can walk?”
She nodded, relieved when her abdomen relaxed once more.
He turned to Jun. “Jun, can you get her bag?”
“Yes, Mr. Quentin.” Jun picked up the backpack Grace had packed over a month before at her doctor’s insistence. Dr. Gilmore had stressed the importance of avoiding anything that could bring on early labor, but he had also repeatedly reminded her that she had to be prepared for the possibility.
Every time Grace researched that possibility, fears about her babies’ health overwhelmed her. Those fears multiplied when the next contraction started.
Jun and her grandpa helped her out to the car. Thirty minutes and five contractions later, she was at the hospital being examined by her doctor.
Dr. Gilmore spoke to the nurse, giving orders about some medication, then as soon as the nurse left the room, he spoke to Grace. “We’re going to give you something to see if we can stop your labor.”
“Are my babies still okay?”
“I’m still hearing two strong heartbeats.” He wrote something on her chart. “You just try to relax.”
Grace nodded despite the tears threatening. She knew her grandfather was still in the waiting room, but right now, all she wanted was her husband and for these contractions to stop.
* * *
Grace struggled to breathe, another pain spreading from her back to her abdomen. Every minute felt like an eternity, and she couldn’t tell if she had been in the hospital for ten minutes or two hours. Panic bloomed inside her, the contraction finally easing. “What happens if it won’t stop?”
“We’ll take care of you and your babies, but right now, I need you to relax and trust me,” Dr. Gilmore said.
She managed to nod. The doctor checked the monitor beside her and stepped back to speak quietly to a nurse. Then he turned to Grace once more. “The nurse is going to stay here with you. I’ll be back to check on you later.”
Grace closed her eyes, a tear escaping as she tried to relax her body. She started at her toes and worked her way up. Another contraction hit, but the pain wasn’t as far reaching as the one before it.
Breathe. In, out. She let those words repeat in her mind as she continued to block out the sounds and smells of her room.
Minutes stretched out, the contractions lessening in intensity.
She didn’t notice when the last one ended, her exhaustion leaving her drifting in and out of sleep.
Thoughts of Devin crept in, the same old questions whirling. Where was he? Was he really a spy? Was he okay? Would he come back to her? If so, when?
“How’s our patient doing?” Dr. Gilmore interrupted her meandering thoughts when he returned to check on her.
“The contractions have stopped,” the nurse informed him.
Grace opened her eyes and watched the doctor check the monitor once more. “My labor stopped?”
“Yes, the medicine worked,” Dr. Gilmore said.
“Does that mean I can go home now?”
“Not exactly.” He stepped closer to her bed. “We were lucky your grandfather was able to get you here tonight, but there’s another storm front moving in today. If you go into labor at home, we may not be able to stop it again.”
“I have to stay in the hospital?”
“I strongly recommend it.” He gave her a sympathetic look before he added, “It’s the best thing we can do to make sure your babies arrive healthy.”
“For how long?”
“Three weeks. Once we get you to thirty-seven weeks, we’ll be able to send you home.”
“Do you think I can make it that long?”
“Every day you go is a step closer to healthy babies.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
“The nurses will get you settled into your room, and I’ll be by to check on you tomorrow.”
She watched him go, desperately hoping her babies would wait to come until they could be born healthy. She added her hope that their father would be here before it was time for them to enter the world.
* * *
Devin sat below deck, his laptop open in front of him. After two weeks at sea, he had finally adjusted to the movement of the waves. The motion sickness that had plagued him on his first voyage was now little more than a bad memory.
He worked with the crew for several hours each day, but much of his free time was spent in his quarters searching for answers. This journey would come to an end within days, and time was running out.
His research into the people with access to his identity had been narrowed while he was in Singapore. Ghost had passed him the message that they had reduced their list of possible suspects to three people. As unlikely as it seemed he would be involved, Chee was on the list as well as Jalen and Alison Gerard. He had never met the third person, but apparently she had managed his travel and accommodations.
Devin tried to wrap his mind around the possibilities, but he wasn’t any closer now than he had been when he had boarded this freighter two weeks earlier.
Within the hour, they would reach Hawaii, and he would be able to check in with Ghost for an update. Though Devin had a satellite phone, Ghost had instructed him to avoid using it while on board for fear that the crew would overhear him.
Though the laptop Ghost had provided him had been loaded with hundreds of files on the suspects, Devin was beginning to doubt he would find anything useful. He had scoured all but a dozen files already, and so far, nothing appeared to be out of order with any of their suspects.
He rolled his shoulders and shifted his position before opening the next file. The banking records for each of the names on Ghost’s list appeared before him, and he scanned through them. He was only on the fourth line when a transaction caught his interest. Not a deposit as he had expected but an expenditure. A single debit card charge for gasoline in Sedona, Arizona, dated almost three months earlier.
Devin pulled up the calendar on his laptop and studied the dates. He counted back to when he had last been in Hong Kong, his eyes narrowing when he made the connection. The charge had been made only a few days before he had received the photo of Grace.
Could this be the person who was working with Jun to recruit him as an asset for the Chinese government?
Assuming Jun really had stolen information off his father’s computer for years, someone must have been working as her handler. Apparently Jalen, the personnel officer who had sworn to help protect him, was really the person who was trying to unravel everything important in his life.
“Land ho!” The shout came from the next compartment over, relayed from the lookout above deck.
With his newfound information, Devin secured his laptop and retrieved his satellite phone. It was time to make a call and get some help in proving his suspicions.
Chapter 35
Devin stepped onto the dock in California, relieved to know he would never have to travel by freighter again. When he’d docked in Vancouver, he had called Ghost. Together they had come up with a plan of attack, but first he had to find the hotel where the vehicle had been left for him. He looked out at the vast Oakland port and headed for the area where several taxicabs were parked.
He flagged one down and gave the driver the address of the hotel. The thought that he should take a circuitous route didn’t cross his mind until he was only three blocks from his destination.
Too late now, he thought to himself. Surely after all the precautions Ghost had taken, no one would be able to trace him anyway. No one in the agency knew where he was, and Ghost had assured him that the FBI would take care of apprehending Jalen.
He still couldn’t believe he had been specifically targeted. The next part of his job was to figure out why, but first he needed to find his wife and make sure she was okay. He hoped she would be able to forgive him for the long silence.
Five months. Those five months had been sheer torture. The long nights of wondering if she was okay. Fai’s constant threats against her and their last conversation constantly playing through his mind. She really hadn’t sounded like herself that day, and he hated that he had dropped off the radar when she’d been sick.
Morning sickness, she had said. He wasn’t sure exactly what morning sickness was, but he was pretty sure he had heard the term before. And Ghost’s mention that he had tracked her to Vail through a medical record made Devin wonder if her illness had been more significant than she had let on.
The cab pulled under the overhang in front of the motel, and Devin fished through his wallet to find the correct type of currency. He paid the driver, gathered his backpack and duffel bag, and climbed out of the vehicle. As soon as the cab pulled away, Devin looked around the parking lot and found the blue sedan that had been left for him.
He retrieved the car key from his backpack, relieved when he pressed the unlock button on the fob and the brake lights illuminated. He popped the trunk, loaded his luggage, and climbed into the driver’s seat, keeping the backpack containing the laptop with him. He reached down to feel under the passenger’s seat and found two envelopes taped there, both containing bulky items.
Inside the first, he discovered a new cell phone. How odd that he had gone through more cell phones in his eight months with the CIA than he had his entire life. He had anticipated the continued use of the satellite phone, but he supposed he would be significantly less conspicuous when using a normal cell phone instead.
He opened the smaller of the two envelopes. This time a hotel key card and a business card for a hotel in Oakland near the Bay Bridge fell out. On the back of the business card was scrawled Room 416. 3PM.
Devin glanced at his watch. 11:45 a.m. Though he had hoped to get on the road to Vail, it appeared he had a meeting to attend first, probably a debriefing. If he was lucky, whoever he was meeting with would also be able to provide him with Grace’s address and a plane ticket for him to get to Colorado faster than if he had to drive the thousand miles. Eighteen-plus hours in a car didn’t sound terribly appealing to him right now, especially after being trapped on a boat for the past month.
Reminding himself to follow protocol, Devin started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. He headed in the opposite direction to where he was going, circling twice before turning toward the airport. He repeated his haphazard turns three additional times, including one detour through a fast-food restaurant’s drive-through. Finally, with his lunch on the seat beside him, he reached his destination.
Rather than park at the front of the hotel, Devin chose a spot near a side door. With his backpack over his shoulder, he made his way inside through the closest entrance, using the hotel key card to unlock the exterior door. He climbed the three flights and knocked on the room door when he reached it. When there was no answer, he slid the key into the lock and entered.
The room was simple and appeared undisturbed since the last time the maid service had been there. Cautiously he moved forward, checking the bedroom, bathroom, and closet to make sure he really was alone. Satisfied that that was the case, he picked up the remote control, settled down on the bed with his lunch, and prepared to find out what had been going on in the world since he had last lived in civilized society.
* * *
Devin had expected someone to knock on his door at three o’clock, but instead of a visitor, he received a phone call.
“Ghost. I didn’t expect to hear from you again.”
“We have a problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
“The FBI said we don’t have a strong enough case for them to take our suspect into custody. The debit card charge is sufficient to open an investigation but not to arrest him.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Has the FBI at least questioned him?”
“No. They’re planning to put him under surveillance, but that is still in the works.”
“What do we do now? After what happened in the alley in Hong Kong, I have to think the people Fai worked for want me dead.”
“I hate to say it, but I agree.”
It was one thing for Devin to say it, but to have Ghost reaffirm it left him wondering exactly how he was supposed to build a future for himself and his wife. “What do I do now? You don’t really think they would try to follow me over here, do you?”
“I don’t know, but watch your back. For all we know, they might have it in their minds to make an example out of you.”
A healthy dose of fear coursed through him. “Is my family in danger?”
“Since they’ve threatened Grace in the past, we are concerned that Fai’s people could have someone watching her in order to get to you,” Ghost said.
“But why? I’ve never understood what Fai wants from me.”
“We believe he was going to push you to go into business with your father so you would have access to everything rather than having to steal it. He would have been the intermediary between you and the Chinese government.”
“It surprises me that they thought my father would be open to working with me,” Devin said. “Jun had to have told them my father and I aren’t exactly close.”
“I don’t think they care if you’re close or not. Your father was proud of your accomplishments at Stanford. They probably assumed he would be willing to use that prestige to expand his business.”
“Maybe,” Devin conceded. “That’s all water under the bridge now. There’s no way they’ll trust me again.”
“Hang in there. It may take some time, but the FBI will get this sorted out sooner rather than later.”
Devin closed his eyes. He thought of the months he had spent without Grace as an active part of his life. Frustration overwhelmed him as he considered that he would have to wait even longer to contact her, to see for himself that she was still okay, that she was still his.
“I have to tell Grace what’s going on. She needs to know who I work for,” Devin insisted.
“The agency approved your request to tell her, but only her.”
“Does that mean you have Grace’s address?” he asked with new hope.
“Not yet, but the FBI has been working on it. I’ll check with them to see if they have her location, but for now, you have a flight to catch.”
“To where?”
“Phoenix. You have a rental car reserved under your alias that you can use to drive to Sedona.”
Phoenix. The place he and Grace had started to make a home before their lives had turned upside down. He tried to concentrate on the present instead of the past. “Why are you sending me to Sedona?”
“We need to see what your father knows about Jun, and the FBI wants you to help locate her.”
“Help locate her? She should be at her apartment in Sedona.”
“She wasn’t there. The manager said she moved a couple months ago but that he didn’t have a forwarding address. We hope you can ask around to find out where she went.”
“I’ll do what I can. What do you want me to do with the car I have here?”
“You’ll park it at the San Francisco airport.”
“San Francisco? Wouldn’t it be closer for me to fly out of Oakland?”
“It might be a little closer, but the flight times worked better out of San Fran. I’m forwarding the boarding pass to your cell phone.”
“Thanks.”
“Devin, be careful.”
�
��I have to say I really wish you were here.”
“I have someone there watching your back,” Ghost said. “Keep your head down.”
The line went dead, and Devin looked down at his phone. A moment later, a message popped up with his boarding pass.
He picked up his car key. Finally, it was time for him to move forward in life.
Chapter 36
Grace readjusted herself in an effort to get more comfortable. Her stomach contorted as the twins decided to do the same. She put a hand over the movement and was rewarded with a solid kick from one of her babies. Her stomach was stretched beyond what she thought her body was capable of, and she was anxious to have her children arrive—as soon as it was safe, of course.
Only two more days until she would reach the thirty-seven-week mark. That magical day would give her the freedom to go home and make sure everything was as she wanted it to be before the babies arrived. It wouldn’t be perfect, though. In a perfect world, she would know where her husband was, or better yet, he would be by her side.
She pushed that thought aside. Worrying about Devin was making her crazy, almost as crazy as being stuck in this bed for the past two weeks and five days.
A knock sounded on her door, and she turned her attention to her doctor.
“How’s the patient?” he asked.
“Ready to get out of here.”
“I’m afraid we aren’t quite ready to let you go.” He picked up her chart and studied it silently. “Everything looks good on here.”
“When can I go home?”
“Have you been watching the weather forecasts lately?”
“No.” She looked at him suspiciously. “Why?”
“We have a snowstorm expected to move in three days from now. I hate to tell you this, but having twins qualifies you as a high-risk pregnancy. As such, I want to keep you here until the storm passes.”
“We’re in Colorado. Snowstorms are normal here.”
“Yes, but you live twenty minutes from the hospital on a good day. I don’t want to risk you or your babies by sending you home,” he said. “Honestly, I’m surprised you’ve been able to last this long.”
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