I let out a sigh of relief. It was one of the moments I had been waiting for since I arrived in Beijing. I had found an ally in Han. All it took was some head and my hand to get him to give me what I wanted. Han put me inside the Chinese Embassy in front of the appropriate official who helped me get what I came over here for. My father would be arriving tomorrow evening. If he hadn’t made two stops, he would have beaten me here. I had to get them released before he arrived. Anyhow, with my business completed, all I needed was to see my man. Trae hearts danced in my eyes. I couldn’t wait for my escort to arrive for Han and me to be driven to the godforsaken Black jail.

* * *

“Whatever you say, do not call me by my name,” I’d told Han beforehand. “As a matter of fact, I’m Ana Ming.”

When Trae and Kaylin walked out, they were unshaven and gaunt looking. I’d never seen Mr. Macklin that thin, but they didn’t look broken. They held their heads high as they walked out the Black jail. While we were waiting for their release, their belongings had been loaded up into the back of the van.

“Get in the backseat,” Han ordered.

“Who are you? Where are you taking us?” Trae asked suspiciously.

“To the US Embassy. You want to return back to your country, don’t you?”

“Of course, I do. It’s just that no one told us anything.”

“Well, get in before they change their minds.”

Trae and Mr. Santos climbed in the back. And they looked relieved. I sat in the front seat with Han. I was holding my breath.

KAYLIN

I was glad to be out of there and glad to see our shit in the back. I needed my watch. It was daylight and I felt confused. I definitely wasn’t relaxing until my feet hit US soil. “Who sent y’all to come get us?” I asked the man because the chick wasn’t saying a word. She wouldn’t even look at us.

“Everything will be explained to you when you get to the Embassy. I’m just the driver.”

“Pull over. I need to take a piss,” Trae demanded.

The driver looked over at the chick in the front. She nodded and then put a call in to whoever was following us. The driver pulled over on the narrow roadway and let us out. Trae jumped out and I was right behind him. Immediately all doors from the two cars behind us flew open as several uniformed officers jumped out and stood within a short distance.

We walked over a few feet and gave each other dap. We hadn’t seen each other in over a month.

“You all right?” Trae asked me.