She burst onto the sweltering summer asphalt, her eyes darting through the sea of people in a frantic search.
By the time she reached the curb, Mark was already opening the driver's side door of a glossy black SUV parked in the loading zone. He slipped inside, and the heavily tinted windows concealed him from view in an instant.
"Wait!" Cixi yelled, but her voice was swallowed by the roar of city traffic.
The SUV peeled away from the curb, merging aggressively into the busy street.
Not wanting to miss her chance to find Mark, she dug her phone out of her apron pocket with urgent hands, raised it, and snapped three photos of the retreating vehicle, making sure to capture the licence plate clearly in each frame.
She lowered the phone, her eyes following the black SUV until it disappeared from sight.
"Cixi!" The sharp, nasal bark of her name snapped her back to reality.
