Page 35

June

W endy and I arrived at Shanghai International Airport about eight hours later. All flights from Hong Kong to Shanghai had been fully booked, but thanks to Dannie’s assistant, we managed to secure seats.

The alternative was to charter a private plane, but that would have meant asking for another favor from my brother or Dannie. I could have reached out to Kai, but right now, he was with the police, and I didn’t want to burden him with something as trivial as travel arrangements.

Wendy had shown up at the restaurant just five minutes after I heard about Kai. Her usual polished appearance was gone—no makeup, no perfectly styled hair—but she was ready to leave, her bags already packed. I didn’t ask, but I assumed she must have heard the news herself from Trevon.

Dannie had dropped us off at the airport, and now we stood at the busy pickup point, waiting for Trevon.

“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Wendy asked, scanning the line of approaching cars.

“This is my first time here too, but I think so,” I replied.

The area bustled with travelers like us, people who had just stepped off a plane, waiting to be picked up by taxis, private drivers, or loved ones.

Wendy fired off a series of questions—so many that it felt like thousands.

I answered each one with nothing more than common sense, but part of me wondered why she was asking such obvious things.

I was used to answering questions; it was second nature.

Years of working with patients had trained me to encourage their curiosity, always reminding them—and myself—that there was no such thing as a stupid question.

But that wasn’t entirely true. Some questions were, in fact, pointless.

“Why are there so many people here?”

“How much longer do you think we’ll have to wait?”

“What kind of car does Trevon drive?”

“How did Trevon even get a car here?”

Honestly, how was I supposed to know? So, I gave her the best guesses I could.

“Maybe it’s a holiday today.”

“It won’t be much longer.”

“Something big enough to fit us both.”

“He probably rented one.”

As if on cue, a sleek white SUV pulled up in front of us. The make was unfamiliar, but it looked expensive. The passenger door opened, and Trevon stepped out.

“How’s Kai?” I asked eagerly. Trevon pulled me into a quick hug before doing the same with Wendy.

Before I could say more, a woman stepped out from behind him. I knew her face, but I couldn’t immediately place her.

She extended a hand. “Andy.”

I shook it. “June Bennet.”

“I know. I worked in your office for two days.”

“What?” My mouth dropped open. I couldn’t believe I had never caught her name before. She was Kai’s personal assistant, the one who had practically camped out in my reception area for two days. The same woman who had somehow charmed and befriended Siti, my receptionist-slash-assistant.

“I remember now.”

“I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced,” she said.

“No, I don’t think so.” Embarrassment crept over me. This woman had worked under my roof for two days, and I hadn’t even taken a moment to introduce myself.

“Andy drove me here,” Trevon interjected, taking my small backpack and placing our minimal belongings into the trunk.

“Why don’t you both get in?” Andy gestured toward the open car door. “I’ll update you on everything you want to know about Mr. Li.”

Wendy slid in first, and I followed. Andy shut the door behind us before getting into the driver’s seat. Trevon took the passenger seat up front.

“Are you guys comfortable?” Andy asked, turning slightly to face us.

“Yes, you have a nice car,” Wendy chimed in.

The interior was sleek and modern, with a distinct luxury feel. Functional, yet elegant.

“It’s made in China,” Andy explained. “Very cheap and affordable.”

I nodded, though her comment made me wonder—was it as cheap as a second-hand car in the U.S.? Or was she joking? If she was, none of us were laughing.

“Are you taking us to Kai?” I asked, cutting to the point.

“No, Dr. Bennet.”

“Call me June.” I offered.

“If you insist.”

“I do. Now, please—where is Kai?”

“Kai is with the police,” Trevon answered.

“Are we going to the police station?”

“No, we won’t be allowed in without permission.” Andy pulled the car to a stop as traffic ahead stalled. “The police can’t hold him much longer. As far as we know, he’s only being questioned. He hasn’t done anything wrong.”

“Then what can we do? Does he have a lawyer?”

“Yes, Dr…” Andy cleared her throat. “June. Mr. Li’s lawyer has been with him the whole time.”

“What can we do?” My voice rose in frustration. “There has to be something we can do.”

“June,” Andy said patiently, “Mr. Li instructed me to take care of you. The only thing you can do right now is enjoy your time here in Shanghai.”

“Enjoy myself?” I scoffed. “How can I enjoy myself knowing Kai is in jail?”

“Calm down, June.” Wendy wrapped an arm around me in a reassuring squeeze.

I inhaled sharply, then exhaled—forcing myself to practice the same deep-breathing techniques I taught my patients. After a few seconds, I managed a steadier voice. “Okay, I’m sorry. I get it. Where are we going now?”

“We’re heading to Mr. Li’s apartment. He instructed me to take you both there.”

I sighed, frustration still simmering beneath the surface. My questions weren’t getting me anywhere. Either Andy wasn’t willing to give me more information, or I wasn’t in the right headspace to ask the right ones.

What I thought I wanted to know versus what was actually necessary blurred together in a tangled mess inside my head. My mind felt foggy, disorganized.

Maybe it was best to let someone with a clearer, calmer mindset take the lead.

“Andy, hi.” My sudden greeting seemed to catch her off guard. “I think we got off on the wrong foot.”

“What made you think that?”

A trembling smile spread across my face. “I must apologize for not recognizing you, for not properly introducing myself back in the States. I feel like a jerk. Really, for that alone, I’m truly sorry.”

“Oh no, don’t say that. Mr. Li, well, we were the ones in the wrong. We caused a lot of trouble for you and your patients. You were right to ignore us.”

I suddenly missed Kai. I didn’t know what he was doing at that moment, but I understood why he had tried to stay close to me.

He was trying to protect me from Mack, afraid that Mack—or any of his accomplices—would show up and hurt me.

After everything he had been through, there was no way he would ever willingly put himself at risk.

Yet, he had. He knew what Mack was capable of, and he still chose to risk his safety to protect me.

A tear slipped down my cheek.

“Thank you. You’re too kind. So kind that you didn’t even notice how rude I was.”

“Oh.” Andy made a face, clearly uncomfortable with my sudden display of emotion.

“Can you tell me everything you know? How did you get involved in all this?”

The traffic was finally moving, though still at a crawl. I leaned forward slightly, straining to hear Andy over the hum of the city.

“After Ms. Law disappeared, I was asked to return to Shanghai and stand by for Mr. Li’s arrival. As usual, I reported to our Shanghai office every day, just doing my job.”

“Kai didn’t contact you at all during that time?”

Andy honked at a motorbike that had suddenly swerved out from a side street, nearly causing an accident.

“These delivery drivers—so reckless.” She rolled down the window and shouted something in Chinese. The rider yelled something back, unapologetic, before speeding away. With a sigh, she rolled the window back up.

“Sorry about that,” she muttered. “No, Mr. Li didn’t contact me. But I didn’t think twice about it. It’s normal. Sometimes I don’t hear from him for a week or two. Then, out of nowhere, he’ll call me every fifteen minutes, throwing assignments at me left, right, and center.”

“I see. Did he tell you to pick me up?”

The moment the question left my lips, I wanted to correct myself. What I had meant to ask was how she knew Kai wasn’t in Shanghai, or how she had gotten in touch with Trevon. But I held back, wanting to see how she would respond.

“The police had been coming to the office,” she said, her grip tightening on the wheel.

“They couldn’t reach him at his apartment or his parents’ house.

That’s when I started getting worried. Then, as soon as I saw Mr. Li’s booking for a private jet into Shanghai, I went to the airport to wait for him. ”

“And then?”

“Well, the police must have heard about it because they were pretty much waiting there with me. There was nothing I—or anyone—could do to stop them from entering the airport. When they took him—” Andy hesitated, her gaze flickering to my face for a brief moment.

“Before Mr. Li went with them for questioning, he told me to look after Mr. Smith and make sure you had whatever you needed when you arrived.”

“Have you heard from Kai since?”

“Not really. We haven’t been given any information. But I can tell you this, Mr. Li has the best lawyer in the country. They’ll do everything they can to help him. I’m sure of that.”

“What about Jenny? Do you know anything about her?” My words darted out of my mouth, pressing her for more information.

“No, I’m sorry.”

“Is there anything you can do? Like asking her personal assistant or her bodyguard or something?”

I was certain that a good personal assistant had their own secret network.

They somehow just knew every other assistant and could magically arrange for things to happen.

Unless, of course, Kai had hired a pretty but clueless assistant—which was totally possible.

For example, they always managed to book plane tickets for the desired dates, even last-minute ones.

How they pulled it off still baffles me to this day.