“I got separated from my entourage after getting turned away from the airport,” he replied. The man didn’t react to his words.
Stay calm,Winter reminded himself. He thought of Sydney hiding in the back of the car, able to do nothing except hope that he would say the right thing.
He was about to explain further, when the soldier finally, mercifully, reached them. The police officer’s attention turned from Winter, and he let himself relax slightly in gratitude.
The soldier greeted the officer in Mandarin with a shake of his head, and the officer responded with what sounded like a protest. Winter couldn’t hear what they were saying—he could only watch as the soldier gestured back toward the station.
Border’s closed,the soldier seemed to be explaining.
The officer made an annoyed sound in his throat and gestured behind him, as if telling the soldier to look at his passenger. Winter put on his polite smile as the soldier walked over to him and gave him a stern look.
“Nihao,” he greeted.
“Nihao,” the soldier responded, eyes narrowed.
Then he lit up. “Eh!” he exclaimed, exchanging a knowing glance with the officer. The officer gave him a smug smile.
“Mr. Winter Young?” the soldier said.
Winter nodded. “Just trying to pass through, sir,” he replied in Mandarin, and the man beamed to hear him speaking it.
The soldier hesitated as the officer said something else to him. The two laughed for a second, and Winter felt himself relax more. For the first time since the assassination, a faint bloom of hope appeared in his chest. If they could get through, if they could just be in Malaysia, they could find a way to reach Panacea and fly out. Tems was hopefully still on his way, too. If they could just—
Then the officer turned around to look at him. “They’ll let us through,” he said. “But they’ll need to inspect the vehicle. You’ll need to step out. I’m sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Young.”
Winter’s moment of hope vanished, turning into dread. A vehicle inspection. They would find Sydney for sure.
He swallowed, smiled, and unclipped his seat belt. “Of course,” he replied.
As he started to rise, he hoped that Sydney had heard that conversation, that she understood the Mandarin well enough to be warned that they were about to check the car. But even if she did, where would she go?
Unless she had already moved, had managed to disappear into the foliage along the side of the road.
Winter stepped out into the humid air. As he did, he watched the soldier wave several others over. One of them opened the car’s hood and peered at the engine. Another walked around to the far side of the car, tapping the tires.
Winter felt his muscles flood with adrenaline. What would they do if they found Sydney? He didn’t know. He knew he couldn’t leave her. He—
As one of the inspectors came around, his eyes focused on the ground below the vehicle, Winter saw a message from Sydney appear on his phone.
Move.
Move? Winter frowned. Then he looked over his shoulder—to see a distant dot heading rapidly toward them down the road.
Veryrapidly.
It was a motorcycle, and it looked like it was going a hundred miles an hour.
Winter’s eyes widened.
He whirled around and saw one of the soldiers heading to the back door of the SUV. His lips parted.
“Get back!”he shouted.
Every head whipped to the road in unison—just in time for the motorcycle to hurtle right into the car.
26Do Me a Favor, Sweetheart
Sydney heard Tems coming before anyone else—she felt the vibration in the car and saw him through the SUV’s rear window. Her head swam from being cramped in the back for half an hour, but she’d still managed to crane her neck enough to notice the advancing officer—and then, in the distance, the dot of the approaching motorcycle.
