The airport buzzed with that familiar restless energy airports always have, no matter the country. Suitcases rolled across polished floors, announcements crackled over speakers in three languages, and tired travelers shuffled through security lines or rushed toward departure gates with coffee cups in hand. Families hugged goodbye near the check in counters while others waited anxiously at arrivals, scanning faces for loved ones. The smell of fresh pastries from a nearby café mixed with jet fuel and perfume.

Raine Lee stepped out of the arrival terminal pulling a sleek black rolling suitcase behind him. Five years had changed him in ways he sometimes barely recognized when he looked in the...