Early the next morning, Linsy was at a prestigious law firm downtown. She wore a simple charcoal suit, a professional mask to hide the exhaustion and lingering fear beneath her skin.

She met with Attorney Sloane. "Attorney Slo" she began, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. "The sooner my divorce case is resolved, the better."

Sloane a tall, imposing man with an unreadable expression, adjusted the cuff of his impeccably tailored suit. "Ms. Linsy, no one in Beijing dares to take ...