Uniformed police hovered about, turning each of her bags upside down and inside out, fingering the seams of the clothes, and rifling through her books and magazines. Worst of all, two policemen sandwiched her, their arms touching hers. They moved with her like a double shadow. They refused to let her go to the bathroom unchaperoned. When she sat down on the bed they simply sat beside her, their thighs against hers. To her horror, when she tried to lie down, they stretched out beside her, so she jumped back to her feet. She had to think, but her mind was paralyzed by their nearness.

Wade entered, also squeezed between two uniformed Chinese, who forced a sidelong entry. It would have looked comical, except that nothing could make Nola laugh.

Fury broke out in beads of sweat on Wade's high brow. “Ashford is seeing to it that this farce ends. The Gulfstream is ready for departure as soon as the Chinese give him the green light.” He spat out the words. “Are there any more surprises you’d like to pull?”

She managed a saccharine smile. “Just make sure he includes Lulu on the list of those authorized to get on the plane.”

He glowered at her and turned to leave, his human bookends moving with him.

“You know I won’t leave without her!” she called to his departing back, certain she heard the gnashing of his teeth.

The breath of her jailers was foul. This was a Chinese torture she had never heard of, but she would take it more stoically than Wade did. The thought energized her enough to go about the tasks of changing Lulu’s diaper and giving her a bottle while keeping her elbows tight so as not to jab the men’s ribs. Being flogged was no longer a ludicrous possibility.

By midnight, Ambassador Ashford had pulled strings and made the men leave her side, her bedroom, and finally, the suite. Nola let out air that had been trapped in her lungs for the past three hours and ran to the bathroom. She must plan. If she waited for the last moment, just before boarding the plane, Chinese soldiers might snatch Lulu out of her arms.

Yoram and one of his men were still in the corridor outside the suite, although a Chinese squad had taken over their guard duty. More soldiers must be swarming through the hotel corridors and lobby. Below, a dozen armored vehicles lined the circular hotel driveway like a set of rotting teeth. She had become an enemy of the state.

The city lights flickered as they stretched away before her. What had happened to the flutist and the drummer who had accompanied her singing? She might never know. Had she done the right thing? An image of the soldiers who had closed in on Lulu during the concert gave her the answer. Men in fatigues didn’t just gang up on a baby.